1950 - #15 - Darling Corey by Pete Seeger
Starting this off with the first album, the 15th highest rated album of 1950 (according to RYM) is Pete Seegers 'Darling Corey' - Some background on Seeger, he was a folk singer and activist who, in the 1950's was one of the many leftist artists at the time who was blacklisted by McCarthy era policies. That said, he re-emerged in the 1960's as a prominent singer of protest music and went on to have a second wind to his career after the blacklist was forgotten. Seeger was a fixture of 1940's radio, and was a prolific songwriter, writing songs that went on to become quite popular such as The Byrds 'Turn, Turn, Turn'.
'Darling Corey' is Seegers first solo album. The sound is minimal, monolithic, and focused on his lyricism and banjo. The the album is a series of adapted folk ballads from Scotland, England, Appalachia, and the like. It's clear that Seeger is tapped into the folk scene - a worthy ambassador of early folk oral history.
Each song is disconnected from the other; some fast-paced, like the fervent cut 'East Virginia Blues', others cheerful and bright, like the near-instrumental 'Banjo Pieces'. Despite their disconnection, one pervading sound throughout this album that is hard to ignore is the droning, ceaseless and wonderful banjo. Whether methodical or manic, the banjo is the driving force of the albums temperament. It's easy to imagine listening to this album in the 1950's, even early 60's and hearing opportunities. There's musical language here that later becomes all but pervasive - The banjo here serves as a blueprint for how later artists would use the electric guitar. The lyricism too, I hear echoes of Dylan and of Simon - Surely this was an artist, song, or album they must have heard at some point during their formative years.
Ultimately, this is an album who's legacy of laying the groundwork for future artists to walk is solidified. The recording is not always clear, the songs are not always perfect, but in the end its easy to see why this album has its place in the top 15 albums for 1950.