Judy Collins - The 60's Collection (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

The 60's Collection is a box set featuring eight Judy Collins albums from the 1960s, including: A Maid Of Constant Sorrow, Golden Apples of the Sun, Judy Collins 3, Judy Collins' Fifth Album, The Judy Collins Concert, In My Life, Wildflowers and Who Knows Where the Time Goes. The collection features popular songs "Both Sides Now", "Someday Soon", "Turn, Turn, Turn! - To Everything There Is A Season", "Suzanne" and more!

Judith Marjorie Collins is an American singer and songwriter known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records (which has included folk, show tunes, pop, rock and roll and standards) and for her social activism. Collins' debut album A Maid of Constant Sorrow was released in 1961, but it was her cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides, Now", the lead single from her 1967 album Wildflowers, that gave Collins international prominence. The single hit the Top 10 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart and won Collins her first Grammy Award for Best Folk Performance.

Judy Collins' debut LP shows her relying more on enthusiasm than subtlety in her singing, with a deeper, heavier style than anyone would be accustomed to from her. It's almost as though, lacking confidence, she tried too hard in various spots to make the songs (and her voice) sound profound and significant, and wasn't aware of what the strongest part of her range was. Occasionally, on "The Pickilie Bush" or "Wild Mountain Thyme" when she reaches for the high notes, listeners hear the future of Collins' sound, but much of what's here is more strident than listeners are accustomed to from her. Not that's it's bad – she makes a good case for her renditions of those songs and Ewan MacColl's "Tim Evans (Go Down You Murderers)" within the context of their time. She is more relaxed on the sea shanties such as "Sailor's Life," and those tracks have a timelessness that is lacking in much of the rest. The whole album has value, however, both as an artifact of the early New York folk boom and the first effort of a major artist – and "John Riley" could fit in on any career retrospective on Collins' work.

Tracklist:

01 - Maid Of Constant Sorrow
02 - The Prickilie Bush
03 - Wild Mountain Thyme
04 - Tim Evans
05 - Sailor's Life
06 - Bold Fenian Men
07 - Wars Of Germany
08 - O Daddy Be Gay
09 - I Know Where I'm Going
10 - John Riley
11 - Pretty Saro
12 - The Rising Of The Moon

Most of a year's additional experience, as well as getting that first album behind her, shows Judy Collins singing with less stridency and a lot more confidence on her second LP, whether she's doing English-based ballads such as "Fannerio" or gospel tunes like "Twelve Gates to the City." Accompanied by her own guitar and Walter Raim on second guitar, with Spike Lee's father, Bill Lee, on bass, she generates a much more attractive sound and body of work, with a freer, less rigid approach that gives the songs a chance to breathe and flow. There's also a more easygoing pleasure evident on the part of the singer, which carries over to the recording in lots of subtle ways.

Tracklist:

01 - Golden Apples Of The Sun
02 - Bonnie Ship The Diamond
03 - Little Brown Dog
04 - Twelve Gates To The City
05 - Christ Child Lullaby
06 - Great Selchie Of Shule Skerry
07 - Tell Me Who I'll Marry
08 - Fannerio
09 - Crow On The Cradle
10 - Lark In The Morning
11 - Sing Hallelujah
12 - Shule Aroon

Having established herself as one of the foremost interpreters of traditional material, Collins did the same for contemporary folk songwriters on this album, which mixed standards with pristine covers of compositions by Dylan, Bob Gibson, Pete Seeger, Ewan MacColl, and Shel Silverstein. With Jim (Roger) McGuinn arranging and playing second guitar and banjo, this album, which included a fine version of Seeger's "Turn! Turn! Turn!," had a clear (if overlooked) influence on the folk-rock he pioneered with the Byrds a couple years later.

Tracklist:

01 - Anathea
02 - Bullgine Run
03 - Farewell
04 - Hey, Nelly Nelly
05 - Ten O'Clock All Is Well
06 - The Dove
07 - Masters Of War
08 - In The Hills Of Shiloh
09 - The Bells Of Rhymney
10 - Deportee / Plane Wreck At Los Gatos
11 - Settle Down
12 - Come Away Melinda
13 - Turn! Turn! Turn! / To Everything There Is A Season

Twenty-four-year-old folksinger Judy Collins' performance at Town Hall in New York City on March 21, 1964, was billed as her first concert, which is to say, her first appearance in a theater, as opposed to the folk clubs she was accustomed to playing. It was a big step up for a performer who was just releasing her third album and was gradually moving from a traditional repertoire to one consisting largely of songs written by her contemporaries, many of them having a political bent. Unlike most live albums, The Judy Collins Concert, culled from the Town Hall show, consisted of songs the singer had not previously recorded, with the exception of Shel Silverstein's "Hey Nelly Nelly," which was on the then-new Judy Collins #3. And, except for the unknown authors of traditional tunes "Bonnie Boy Is Young," "Wild Rippling Water" and "Cruel Mother," the songwriters were all living. Collins gave special attention to coal-mining veteran Billy Edd Wheeler ("Winter Sky," "Red-Winged Blackbird," "Coal Tattoo") and Tom Paxton ("The Last Thing on My Mind," "My Ramblin' Boy," "Bottle of Wine"), and the audience seemed familiar with Paxton's songs, applauding the opening bars of "Ramblin' Boy" and singing along with it, and "Bottle of Wine" (which did not become a hit for the Fireballs until almost four years later). Collins' calm, considered performance style sometimes gave way to a more strident tone if that was appropriate to the material, and she gave particularly stirring renditions of Fred Neil's "Tear Down the Walls" and Bob Dylan's "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" (which had only just appeared on his The Times They Are A-Changin' album). The latter and Richard Weissman's "Medgar Evers Lullaby" treated the subject of Civil Rights, the most significant political issue of the day, and "Hey Nelly Nelly," which concludes the album, drew direct parallels between the Civil War a century earlier and the recent struggles.

Tracklist:

01 - Winter Sky
02 - The Last Thing On My Mind
03 - Tear Down The Walls
04 - Bonnie Boy Is Young
05 - Me & My Uncle
06 - Wild Rippling Water
07 - The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
08 - My Rambln' Boy
09 - Red-Winged Blackbird
10 - Coal Tattoo
11 - Cruel Mother
12 - Bottle Of Wine
13 - Medgar Evers Lullaby
14 - Hey Nelly Nelly

Judy Collins' last straight, folk-based album of the 1960s, 5th Album marks her transition from a "maid of constant sorrow" to a bona fide artist. With its covers ranging from Lennon and McCartney to adaptations from The Threepenny Opera, 1966's In My Life would readily attest to this. But 5th Album, cut in late 1964, may very well be her definitive folk statement. A trio of Bob Dylan songs act as the album's centerpiece, clearly showing Collins' growth into more progressive songs. In addition to these, Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" is given its classic reading, with Collins' voice echoing the song's melancholy and eerie but mellifluent precision and emotion. Aside from these recordings – which would have been the highlights on any other record – the album opens with perhaps its finest moment, Richard Farina's "Pack Up Your Sorrows." Led by Farina's sprightly dulcimer runs, Collins renders the song her own, with a unifying, karmic message and a vocal performance that is irresistible. The musical politics of the day, particularly concerning the entire West Coast/Byrds/folk-rock phenomenon, must have tempted Collins to approach this from a neo-folk-rock standpoint, and it fits the vibe and milieu perfectly. In the end, while not her farewell to folk music, this album is a graceful wave and a smile from Collins as she was about to conquer a new, more baroque direction in a matter of months.

Tracklist:

01 - Pack Up Your Sorrows
02 - The Coming Of The Roads
03 - So Early, Early In The Spring
04 - Tomorrow Is A Long Time
05 - Daddy You've Been On My Mind
06 - Thirsty Boots
07 - Mr. Tambourine Man
08 - Lord Gregory
09 - In The Heat Of The Summer
10 - Early Morning Rain
11 - Carry It On
12 - It Isn't Nice

After the release of Judy Collins' Fifth Album in November 1965, Collins seems to have determined to expand her stylistic range instead of competing with such fellow commercial folksingers as Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary for the wares of contemporary singer/songwriters, especially since she often came in second. (PP&M, for example, had managed to get their version of Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" out just before hers.) This meant not only seeking out new sources for material to cover, but also, in the wake of the folk-rock fad of 1965, employing more elaborate arrangements. So, on In My Life, she drew from the off-Broadway musical theater for such songs as "Pirate Jenny," from The Threepenny Opera, and a suite assembled from Marat/Sade; she also looked internationally, to France for Jacques Brel's "La Colombe" and to Canada for the first songs by poet/novelist Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne" and "Dress Rehearsal Rag." Then, she decamped to England with arranger/conductor Joshua Rifkin, who orchestrated the tracks in imaginative chamber pop settings. The result might have been pretentious or silly, but thankfully Collins, who had classical music training, knew what she was doing. The material was well chosen; the arrangements showed it off to perfection; and Collins' vocals were alternately soothing and stirring, but always clear and well articulated, as well as carefully pitched to the tone of the material. All of this made In My Life a breakthrough, artistically and commercially (the album eventually went gold). It also helped launch Cohen, who had never recorded or performed his music publicly at the time of its release, as a musical artist.

Tracklist:

01 - Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
02 - Hard Lovin' Loser
03 - Pirate Jenny
04 - Suzanne
05 - La Colombe
06 - Marat/Sade
07 - I Think It's Going To Rain Today
08 - Sunny Goodge Street
09 - Liverpool Lullaby
10 - Dress Rehearsal Rag
11 - In My LIfe

Soothing. Unique. Natural. These are clear adjectives used best when describing the style and grace of Judy Collins and her album Wildflowers. Her blend of folk and meditative music paints a tapestry of soft, nurturing colors that transcends the mind of the listener and seeks one's soul. Much of the material feels uplifting and full of spirit, or even spiritual to some degree. Yet other parts of the record can be viewed and felt as sad and morose, which gives the record some dexterity and variety among its ability to appeal toward contrasting moods. Collins makes a well-earned statement in her original tunes "Since You Asked," "Sky Fell," and "Albatross," that deep, meditative, and subtle can be effective within the realms of music as an art form. She is certainly artistic with her approach, staying away from the clichéd folk and pop music that flooded much of the '60s radio-friendly airwaves. Collins also includes her favorite melodies from the songbooks of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. This can benefit one as a pleasant listen, easy to sooth the mind and body, and release the burdens of everyday stress in society.

Tracklist:

01 - Michael From Mountains
02 - Since You Asked
03 - Sisters Of Mercy
04 - Priests
05 - A Ballata Of Francesco Landini (ca. 1335-1397) Lasso! Di Donna
06 - Both Sides Now
07 - La Chanson Des Vieux Amants (The Song Of Old Lovers)
08 - Sky Fell
09 - Albatross
10 - Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye

With a cast of instrumental all-stars, folk vocalist Judy Collins creates a mini-masterwork on Who Knows Where the Times Goes. Collins' strength as a storyteller and interpreter are at their forte throughout the disc. Likewise, she wanders upon the precipice of less traditional folk and more toward rock ("Hello Hooray") and even country/rock ("Poor Immigrant") – the latter of which is a cover of a Bob Dylan composition. Additionally, her inimitable choice of material – Collins' sole contribution being the languid ballad "My Father" – serves the disc well. This is especially true of Ian Tyson's (of Ian & Sylvia fame) "Someday Soon," which in time became one of Collins' signature tunes. However, it is her interpretations of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire" and the biblically based "Story of Isaac" that are perhaps the most stunning. Both the laid-back pedal steel guitar work of Buddy Emmons on "Bird on a Wire" as well as the stark accompaniment of Michael Sahl's intricate harpsichord melody on "Story of Isaac" create unique sonic imagery that mutually distinguishes as well as defines Collins' reading from the comparatively staid originals. However, it is "First Boy I Loved" – originally recorded by the Incredible String Band – that singularly defines the mood and timbre of Who Knows Where the Time Goes. The inherently ethereal composition is adorned by Stephen Stills' tasty, yet restrained, fretwork that blends seamlessly with Collins' own acoustic guitar. Together they support – without becoming overpowered by – the featured rhythm section of Jim Gordon (drums) and Chris Etheridge (bass). Enthusiasts of Judy Collins rank this among their favorite recordings and it is likewise a perfect touchstone for the burgeoning listener as well.

Tracklist:

01 - Hello, Hooray
02 - Story Of Isaac
03 - My Father
04 - Someday Soon
05 - Who Knows Where The Times Goes
06 - Poor Immigrant
07 - First Boy I Loved
08 - Bird On The Wire
09 - Pretty Polly


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