10 Classic Albums That Came Out Of Nowhere

The idea of folk singers entertaining us has been present since the dawn of time. Even though the folk revival clearly started before the Billboard charts were even a thing, everyone from Tracy Chapman to Ed Sheeran can find themselves into the charts no matter what decade they're in. We all remember our first though...and Bob Dylan set the standard for the high end folk singer on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.

Being one of the first abrasive political records to top the charts, Dylan's dissection of war and our treatment of our fellow man still speaks volumes today, with Blowin' in the Wind being picked up as an anthem of the decade going forward. Especially considering that his proper debut was just a bunch of Woody Guthrie, the thought of this guy actually writing songs that could rival Guthrie was virtually unthinkable, making him the unintended Voice of His Generation overnight.

It wasn't just the critics that were paying attention though, with the Byrds picking up their entire career on the back of Dylan's catalog later on and the Beatles listening to this album obsessively in between stints of filming A Hard Day's Night. Say what you want to about Dylan as a singer, but you'd be hardpressed to find any other songwriter in the decade who had chops like this.