Elektra EKL 250 (Mono) EKS 7250 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Jim McGuinn plays banjo on this album.
Elektra EKL 251 (Mono) EKS 7251 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
The series started with (literally) a bang since the skidding-crashing car proved to be a very popular effect.
Elektra EKL 252 (Mono) EKS 7252 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Steam train sounds were recorded by the legendary O Winston Link and the newspaper sounds were recorded at the New York Daily News.
Elektra EKL 253 (Mono) EKS 7253 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 254 (Mono) EKS 7254 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 255 (Mono) EKS 7255 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 256 (Mono) EKS 7256 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 257 (Mono) EKS 7257 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 258 (Mono) EKS 7258 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 259 (Mono) EKS 7259 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 260 (Mono) EKS 7260 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
The college cheers track was amongst the many effects used on the Beatles' 'Revolution Number Nine' track on the White Album.
Elektra EKL 261 (Mono) EKS 7261 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 262 (Mono) EKS 7262 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 263 (Mono) EKS 7263 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 264 (Mono) EKS 7264 (Stereo)
Released: March 1964
Production: Paul A Rothchild and Jac Holzman
Bob Landy, who appears on this album playing 'Treble Piano' on the track 'Downtown Blues', is really Bob Dylan. This album generously points the listener to many other blues recordings, including John Hammond Jnr's excellent debut on Vanguard.
Elektra EKL 265 (Mono) EKS 7265 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jim Dickson
Recorded at the Mecca in Los Angeles.
Elektra EKL 266 (Mono) EKS 7266 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Jac Holzman with the assistance of Sam Gesser
With Phillip Bruneau (accordian), Marcel Roy (piano), Rodolphe Carignan (guitar) and Jean Ferland (bass). The sleeve title isn't stated on the label; presumably because there isn't enough room!
Elektra EKL 267 (Mono) EKS 7267 (Stereo)
Released: June 1964
Production: Jac Holzman and Paul Rothchild with the assistance of Paul Nelson
CD Reissue on Red House Records.
Elektra EKL 268 (Mono) EKS 7268 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Nathan Joseph and Bill Leader
Licensed from Transatlantic Records, UK. The Ian Campbell Folk Group epitomised trad folk singing in the UK in the early 60s. This was, in turn, legendarily epitomised by bearded singers with one hand cupped over an ear and the other holding a pint of beer ... and wearing a thick-knit sweater: Ian seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Transatlantic was run by another Jewish folk fan, Nat Joseph, and filled a similar niche for good folk albums as Elektra. Group members included Dave Swarbrick. The original UK release was 'This Is the Ian Campbell Folk Group!' on Transatlantic TRA 110. The track order was changed for US release and two tracks ('The Jute Mill Song ' and 'Homeward Bound' - a Campbell song not Paul Simon) were omitted. The sleeve design was also changed: a montage of individual faces on the UK cover was replaced by a group shot. Another version of the UK issue exists as 'Presenting the Ian Campbell Folk Group' on Contour 2870 314.
Elektra EKL 269 (Mono) EKS 7269 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Elektra EKL 270 (Mono) EKS 7270 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
From 125th Street in Harlem
Elektra EKL 271/2 (Mono)
Released: 1964
Boxed set of three records with a booklet. The Library of Congress recordings have been issued inumerable times because they are freely available due to a quirk in US copyright. Usually the releases make little attempt to clean up the sound, which was recorded on location (called 'field recordings') using disc or wire recorders before tape became available. Jac Holzman wanted to issue the recordings of Guthrie and Leadbelly with a bit more care and attention to detail and spent a lot of time personally editing and cleaning up the source material.
Elektra EKL 273 (Mono)
Released: 1964
Recorded in Nassau, Bahamas. Joseph was recorded at home on portable equipment and his stylish and ideosyncratic playing and singing is counterpointed by the sound of his wife, joining in from (we're told) the kitchen.
Elektra EKL 274 (Mono) EKS 7274 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Elektra EKL 275 (Mono) EKS 7275 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Elektra EKL 276 (Mono) EKS 7276 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Paul A Rothchild
Elektra EKL 277 (Mono) EKS 7277 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Production: Paul Rothchild
Some songs are so strong that they single-handedly overshadow a body of work. Tom Paxton's 'Last Thing on my Mind' was such a song, and from that moment on there were few 1960s folk clubs where someone didn't get up and sing it, or 'Bottle of Wine' or some other Paxton composition. In the longer term however, it's his children's songs that may last longest. What we risk forgetting is his wonderful sense of humour.
Elektra EKL 278 (Mono) EKS 7278 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
This album is notable for being the place to find some of Bob Dylan's less well-known early works.
Elektra EKL 279 (Mono)
Released: 1964
Production: A L Loyd
Licensed from Topic Record in the UK with a booklet giving notes on the songs, written by A L (Bert) Lloyd.
In the mid-60s, the era of the oppressed worker seemed as much a part of British industry's past as the grimy and foggy urban view on the cover of this album. Then came the miners' strike in the 80s and the Blackleg Miner didn't seem so outdated after all.
Elektra EKL 280 (Mono) EKS 7280 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Production: Jac Holzman and Mark Abramson
Elektra EKL 281 (Mono) EKS 7281 (Stereo)
Released: 1964
Elektra EKL 282 (Mono)
Released: 1965
Recorded in Paris in 1955. Reissued on Nonesuch 7559-72011-2 in 1989. Jac (in FTM) refers to this as having been licensed from EMI records in the UK, but the original may be on Chant du Monde LD-M 8131 which contains the same tracks but with titles that have changes due to a different translation. For example: 'Theodora Have You Had Supper?' is called 'Theodora Have you Dined', 'Fida Is Sleepy' turns into 'Fida has Fallen Asleep' and 'Mother Has Decided To Marry Me Off' is listed as the slightly tamer 'Mother has Decided to Get Me Married'.
Elektra EKL 283 (Mono) EKS 7283 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Production: Paul A Rothchild
Elektra EKL 284 (Mono) EKS 7284 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Elektra EKL 285 (Mono) EKS 7285 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Production: Jim Dickson
Just as it says, this is an album of fingerbusters and demonstrations of the devil's elbow at work.
Elektra EKL 286 (Mono) EKS 7286 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Recorded in Japan by Katsumasa Takasago
Elektra EKL 287 (Mono) EKS 7287 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Elektra EKL 288 (Mono) EKS 7288 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Production: Paul Rothchild
Tom had recorded for Prestige and when Jac tempted Paul Rothchild over from that label to Elektra, Tom followed.
Elektra EKL 289 (Mono) EKS 7289 (Stereo)
Released: April 1965
Production: Paul A Rothchild
Recorded: Whitney Studios, Los Angeles
Side 1
Side 2
Kathy Larisch and Carol McComb accompanying themselves on guitars and autoharp. According to Paul Rothchild (as quoted in FTM) the extraordinary sound of the girls' voices was due to their virginal nature and by the time they returned to record a second album this phase of their lives was over and the magic had gone.
Elektra EKL 290 (Mono) EKS 7290 (Stereo)
Released: May 1965
Production: Jac Holzman
Elektra EKL 291 (Mono) EKS 7291 (Stereo)
Released: February 1965
Licensed from Waverly Records in Scotland.
Elektra EKL 292 (Mono) EKS 7292 (Stereo)
Released: May 1964
Production: John Cohen and Paul Rothchild
Engineering: Paul Rothchild
Side 1
Side 2
Until I got a copy of this I thought it was a Rick von Schmidt cover but in fact it's by Bob Pepper. For some reason Goldmine lists this as being an album by The Dry City Scat Band, who are on the album of course.
Elektra EKL 293 (Mono) EKS 7293 (Stereo)
Released: May 1965
Production: Paul A Rothchild
Side 1
Side 2
Later reissued as EKS 74073 with the title 'Little Bit of Rain' and with a different sleeve.
Elektra EKL 294 (Mono) EKS 7294 (Stereo)
Released: October 1965
Production: Paul Rothchild with the assistance of Mark Abramson
This album came from the third sessions because the earlier recordings were not judged good enough. In 1995 Rhino Records, in their Elektra Traditions series, released those tracks as 'The Original Lost Elektra Sessions' (R2 73505). According to Paul A Rothchild's sleeve notes for the CD, Elektra had already pressed 25,000 copies of the album, which Jac agreed to junk at Paul's recommendation. Do any of those discs still exist? Jac says no.
Elektra EKL 295 (Mono) EKS 7295 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Production: Bill Leader
Tom (T) and Peggy (P) were joined on 'The Fiddling Soldier' by Claudia Paley (C). Originally released in the UK as 'Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot, Who's Gonna Glove Your Hand?' on Topic 12T 113 with a different sleeve using a similar photo, probably from the same session.
Elektra EKL 296 (Mono) EKS 7296 (Stereo)
Released: June 1965
Production: Bruce Jackson and Jac Holzman
Side 1
Side 2
Work songs, blues, spirituals, preaching and toasts. Features a splendid cover illustration by Eric von Schmidt. (Also Bounty BY 6012/76012 in UK.)
Elektra EKL 297 (Mono) EKS 7297 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Elektra EKL 298 (Mono) EKS 7298 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Production: Paul Rothchild
Elektra EKL 299 (Mono) EKS 7299 (Stereo)
Released: 1965
Production: Jac Holzman
Some copies of this album are missing two tracks ... despite what it says on the labels! David Cohen also recorded as David Blue and Richard Fariña is listed as Dick Fariña on the front cover. Sky and Fariña appeard courtesy of Vanguard Records, for whom they usually recorded.