The Rambling Boys

AMG Review of The Rambling Boys

Steve Leggett
All Music Guide

Ramblin' Jack Elliott brought his rambling folk persona to London in 1956 just as the first clubs of the emerging skiffle boom were opening, and his affable stage show was instrumental in establishing a heavy American folk influence when the British folk revival took hold a few years later. Elliott, recognizing a good thing when he saw one, convinced American banjo player Derroll Adams to join him in Europe in 1957, and the two toured the continent as a duo, eventually recording this charming little album for Topic Records in Milan, Italy. Unassuming, gentle, and offhand, The Rambling Boys featured Elliott and Adams in tandem ("East Virginia Blues," "Danville Girl," "Roll on Buddy") and taking solo turns, with Elliott delivering a wonderful version of the old shaggy dog tale, "The State of Arkansas," while Adams sings his deceptively simple Zen nursery song, "I Wish I Was a Rock." The album was released as a 10" LP called The Rambling Boys by Topic in 1957, then as a full-length LP in 1963 with additional tracks and retitled Roll on Buddy, again on Topic Records. Tracks showed up in the digital age on Tradition's Early Sessions, but this reissue on CD from Japan's Vivid Sound is the way to go if you can find it, since it reproduces the original 10" cover art and the sound has been tweaked a bit for clarity.