Judy Collins


I just heard Judy Collins live this week in a small, intimate setting. She was a huge influence in my life back in the 60's and 70's and it was priviledge to see her again. I was blown away by her voice and her presence. She still has the clarity and range that was her hallmark way back when. Her most recent CD (Paradise) is really fine, including duets with Joan Baez and Steven Stills. The 60's were a special time and she was a huge influence at that time. If you have not listened to her lately, I suggest you listen to her old music and to her new CDs. Her album from a few years ago of Beatles hits is great. If you are too young to remember her, go take a listen. Obviously, I am a huge fan, but Judy Collins is still a class act.
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and if i remember correctly she introduced leonard cohen to many listeners. beautiful artist
She did Suzanne on her 1966 album In My Life. That was the real introduction of Leonard Cohen to a wide audience. She told the story of first meeting him. He said he could not sing and he was not sure if this was really a song and starting singing Suzanne. She said, yes you can sing and yes that is a song. She recorded it the next day.
Who Knows Where the Time Goes is one of my favorites. Great selection of songs exposing the full range of her voice and singing style. My dad played the crap out of the LP when I was growing up and my copy gets a fair amount of rotation. My wife and I danced to the title track at our wedding. Stephen Stills is great on guitar and she has an excellent backing band. I saw her a few years ago, also in an intimate setting, and was not very impressed. It was just after the election and she had some not very thoughtful comments about our outgoing president (who I agree was a disaster). I know she comes from the folkie tradition where politics and art collide but her remarks were pretty hamfisted and I don't think she reached anyone with what she had to say. Her voice is still quite pure and strong though for a woman of her vintage.
I'm a fan as well. I consider her 1967 hit recording of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" to be among the greatest popular recordings ever, sound quality aside. Not the re-recording that appears in some of her later albums, though, just the original (which is in her "Wildflowers" album).

Regards,
-- Al
Back in the day, two cuts by Judy Collins were (are) the most amazing examples of what can be done with matrix multichannel, although they were never promoted as multichannel.

Amazing Grace....She sings up front, and a congregation comes in all around. Then, when it's over, you hear people behind you puting hymnals back into the wooden racks. Spooky.

Farewell to Tiwathi...(I probably spelled that wrong). Whales, (their songs) float all around the room.
Farewell To Tarwathie was from her 1970 Whales and Nightingales album - still best for me on the original vinyl. The waves were not as realistic on the CD and the ending was truncated - but you need to be an addict to notice the differences. I'll have to give the matrix a try. I find most multichannel artifical, but this might be fun. We just gave a Judy Collins samplier to a 25 year old who had no idea who Judy was. The track she really liked was Farewell To Tarwathie.
Judy's mother Marjorie Collins Hall died last Sunday. She was 94. May she rest in peace.