Judy Collins - 5th Album

Our Price: $13.77
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.99 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more CD details

CD Details

• cd

Music reviews of 5th Album

Music Review: A should-be classic
Rating: 5 Stars

Judy Collins began her career recording almost exclusively traditional folk songs, then turned to contemporary writers and eventually became something of a pop chanteuse. This album comes as close as any to finding her at a balance between those two worlds. From the opening strains of Richard Farina's beautiful "Pack Up Your Sorrows" (featuring Farina himself on dulcimer) to the thunderous live delivery of the civil-rights anthem "It Isn't Nice," the production is rootsy and unpretentious, but the songs were contemporary in 1964 and still sound fresh and relevant today. (One traditional ballad, "Lord Gregory," is included in the mix, but it doesn't sound the least bit out of place.)

It's too bad Collins hadn't begun writing her own songs yet at this stage in her career, since she later proved to be a formidable writer. But she obviously did have a good ear for up and coming talent, as this collection features sides from such then-new writers as Gordon Lightfoot ("Early Morning Rain," still among the best paeans to homesickness ever penned), Phil Ochs ("In the Heat of the Summer," a biting response to the Harlem riots of 1964 and the failure of the powers that were to lay the blame where it really belonged), Eric Andersen ("Thirsty Boots," a beautiful tribute to that era's freedom marchers from the perspective of a friend who hadn't joined them), and, of course, Bob Dylan. Her treatment of "Mr. Tambourine Man" is as good as any, but for me the two more obscure Dylan songs, "Daddy You've Been On My Mind" and "Tomorrow is a Long Time," are the real showcases. Amid some of the most political material Collins ever performed, these two lovesongs provide a much-needed break. Then there's "The Coming of the Roads," which mourns equally the loss of a lover and of an unspoiled forest. Heavy stuff, but it's among the earliest environmentally-conscious songs and still one of the best. Likewise, this album as a whole is one of Collins' best efforts ever.

Description of 5th Album

Folk CDs

• Music > Styles
• Pop
• Rock