The 38 Greatest Folk Albums of All Time

Nylon-string whispers, electric-folk rebellions and bedroom confessionals, spread across six decades. Some are canon by decree, others are the records your friend swears by.

1. 1
   The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

   Bob Dylan's 1963 breakthrough with Blowin' in the Wind.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Blue

   Joni Mitchell's 1971 confessional landmark.
   853pts
3. 3
   Harvest

   Neil Young's 1972 chart-topper with Heart of Gold.
   758pts
4. 4
   Bringing It All Back Home

   Dylan's 1965 album that split acoustic folk from electric rock.
   732pts
5. 5
   Pentangle

   Pentangle's 1968 debut fusing British folk and jazz.
   732pts
6. 6
   Rubber Soul

   The Beatles' 1965 album that brought folk textures into pop.
   699pts
7. 7
   Pink Moon

   Nick Drake's stark 1972 final album, voice and guitar only.
   529pts
8. 8
   American Beauty

   Grateful Dead's 1970 acoustic-leaning folk and country album.
   529pts
9. 9
   Paul Simon

   Paul Simon's 1972 solo debut with Mother and Child Reunion.
   529pts
10. 10
    Court and Spark

    Joni Mitchell's 1974 polished and commercially successful record.
    473pts
11. 11
    Bryter Layter

    Nick Drake's 1971 second album with lush string arrangements.
    473pts
12. 12
    Bridge Over Troubled Water

    Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 farewell, a huge chart-topper.
    473pts
13. 13
    Harvest Moon

    Neil Young's 1992 return to the gentle acoustic sound of Harvest.
    473pts
14. 14
    After the Gold Rush

    Neil Young's 1970 country-folk classic.
    473pts
15. 15
    Time Out of Mind

    Bob Dylan's 1997 late-career comeback.
    473pts
16. 16
    Hejira

    Joni Mitchell's 1976 road-inspired jazz-folk album.
    473pts
17. 17
    Tapestry

    Carole King's 1971 singer-songwriter classic.
    473pts
18. 18
    Nebraska

    Bruce Springsteen's 1982 stark acoustic home recording.
    410pts
19. 19
    Hobo's Lullaby

    Arlo Guthrie's 1972 album of folk and country standards.
    410pts
20. 20
    Five Leaves Left

    Nick Drake's 1969 debut of hushed, orchestrated English folk.
    410pts
21. 21
    Led Zeppelin III

    Led Zeppelin's 1970 album that turned toward acoustic folk.
    410pts
22. 22
    Illinois

    Sufjan Stevens' 2005 sprawling, orchestrated indie-folk epic.
    410pts
23. 23
    Songs of Leonard Cohen

    Leonard Cohen's 1967 debut with Suzanne and So Long, Marianne.
    410pts
24. 24
    Carrie & Lowell

    Sufjan Stevens' 2015 quiet elegy for his mother.
    338pts
25. 25
    Bert Jansch

    Bert Jansch's 1965 self-titled debut that reshaped British acoustic guitar.
    338pts
26. 26
    Folklore

    Taylor Swift's 2020 indie-folk surprise album.
    338pts
27. 27
    Sounds of Silence

    Simon & Garfunkel's 1966 album built on the folk-rock title hit.
    338pts
28. 28
    Déjà Vu

    Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1970 harmony-rich landmark.
    338pts
29. 29
    Crosby, Stills & Nash

    The 1969 debut that defined California harmony folk.
    338pts
30. 30
    Liege & Lief

    Fairport Convention's 1969 pioneering British folk-rock record.
    338pts
31. 31
    Astral Weeks

    Van Morrison's 1968 jazz-inflected, mystical folk masterpiece.
    255pts
32. 32
    Blood on the Tracks

    Bob Dylan's 1975 raw, acclaimed breakup record.
    255pts
33. 33
    Unhalfbricking

    Fairport Convention's 1969 album with Sandy Denny and Who Knows Where the Time Goes.
    255pts
34. 34
    For Emma, Forever Ago

    Bon Iver's 2007 debut recorded alone in a Wisconsin cabin.
    158pts
35. 35
    Las Últimas Composiciones

    Violeta Parra's 1966 final album, home of Gracias a la Vida, a landmark of Chilean nueva canción folk.
    158pts
36. 36
    Fleet Foxes

    Fleet Foxes' 2008 debut of layered baroque harmonies.
    158pts
37. 37
    Music from Big Pink

    The Band's 1968 debut of rootsy Americana.
    158pts
38. 38
    Tea for the Tillerman

    Cat Stevens' 1970 album with Wild World and Father and Son.
    158pts

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