3 Folk Albums That Have To Be Listened to in One Sitting (if Not, the Story Is Lost)

The art of the album is lost. Currently, singles are the most effective way to earn revenue due to streaming tendencies, cheaper production costs, and algorithm growth. Consequently, the art of creating nuanced and intricate folk albums is seemingly an art of the past.

Videos by American Songwriter

There are still a handful of artists out there who do this, but even so, listening to an album in order and in one sitting is just not how fans consume music anymore. Once upon a time it was, and that is why these three folk albums have to be listened to in one sitting, because if not, the story will be lost.

‘Blood On The Tracks’ by Bob Dylan

Many Bob Dylan fans consider this album to be a direct product of his divorce from Sara Lownds. That has never been confirmed, but that doesn’t really matter, as the story embedded in this album is that of heartbreak. In the 10-track album, Dylan chronicles all the products of heartbreak, such as nostalgia, rebirth, bitterness, fate, and relief.

While Dylan’s album is more of a silhouette story and not a concrete narrative, it is still difficult to fully grasp the umbrella topic if not listened to in order and all at once. If you decide not to follow this advice, that is your prerogative, but know that you’ll be missing out on the individual brush strokes in the picture Dylan is painting song by song.

‘Nebraska’ by Bruce Springsteen

A good way to view Bruce Springsteen‘s iconic album, Nebraska, is as a series of short stories. Each track is one part of a larger whole telling an epic story of senseless violence, desperation, morality, and the hopelessness embedded in the decay of the American dream.

Thematically, it is an incredibly ambitious album, and to fully digest Springsteen’s ambition and desired interpretation, one needs to listen to it all the way through. In a very non-academic sense, the album is a case study on what makes a common person into a criminal.

‘Blue’ by Joni Mitchell

The underlying themes of Joni Mitchell‘s confessional album Blue are transition and uncertainty. Like Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks, Mitchell does not declare an official character or plot line. Rather, it is a culmination of abstract anecdotes that explore these themes in their entirety.

Mitchell’s album dives to the very depths of the human condition; there are no surface-level claims and observations. Thus, to fully understand her points in full, one must sit down and focus on each and every song.

Photo by David Gahr/Getty Images