Seminal 1960s folk-rock document which, like Don Maclean's American Pie, is now known almost exclusively for its title track: an epic 18-minute narrative, anecdotal in style, based on the singer's own experiences during 1966, when he'd been barred from the US Army due to his criminal record (something to do with the unlawful dumping of garbage). By turns hysterically funny and savagely satirical, it inspired a film, directed by Arthur Penn and starring Guthrie, and its various political barbs can still draw blood today. But the album also contains two magnificent examples of Guthrie's talents as a songwriter, rather than a commentator: both "Chillin' of the Evening" and the gorgeous, sweeping "Highway in the Wind" are more lyrical, evocative and beautiful than virtually anything he would write subsequently. Vocally and instrumentally, his style seems poised equally between two great influences--his father (folk legend Woodie Guthrie) and Bob Dylan, Guthrie's heir and successor; his vision, however, was all his own. --Andrew McGuire