The Very Best of Judy Collins

by Judy Collins

Overview

Performers are known because of different qualities, like the ability to craft songs or sing with emotion. With folksingers like Judy Collins, there was never any question. In the '60s, her voice could always be counted on to amaze and astonish listeners. Collins also had the good taste to choose good songs by great writers like Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Joni Mitchell. The only weak spot in this otherwise rosy scenario centered on occasional lapses in judgment when it came to arrangements. Early material like "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "Suzanne" features little more than guitar and bass backup. These cuts still sound honest and fresh. Because Collins' vocals were so commanding, though, it was also easy to add busier arrangements to good effect. One of the best cuts on this album is Ian Tyson's "Someday Soon," featuring Buddy Emmons on pedal steel and James Burton on guitar. The band lays down a perfect country & western cushion for her emotive vocal and the results sound as lovely today as they did 30 years ago. For every song that she nails perfectly, however, there is another one that goes just as badly astray. The sluggish "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," complete with flute, sounds like a bizarre companion piece to "Suzanne." The harpsichord, rock drums, and orchestra of "Both Sides Now" seems a bit overblown -- though it certainly made a big splash on the radio at the time. Many of these songs misfire due to the odd mixtures of styles, attempting to marry folk and country to pop, and add out-of-place instruments. Oddly, the pop arrangement of "Send in the Clowns" works surprisingly well because it doesn't try to mix styles. The Very Best of Judy Collins is a good overview of Collins' journey from folksinger to singer/songwriter to pop diva. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/21/2001
Label:	Elektra / Rhino
UPC:	0081227437428

Tracks

1. Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
2. So Early, Early in the Spring
3. Suzanne
4. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
5. Both Sides Now
6. Since You've Asked
7. Albatross
8. My Feather
9. Someday Soon
10. Who Knows Where the Time Goes?
11. Chelsea Morning
12. Farwell to Tarwathie
13. Song for Judith (Open the Door)
14. Cook With Honey
15. Send in the Clowns
16. Amazing Grace

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Judy Collins   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Piano (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic)
Ray Barretto   Guest Artist,Congas,Recorder,Bongos
Van Dyke Parks   Guest Artist,Piano
Eric Weissberg   Guest Artist,Bass (Upright),Guitar (Acoustic)
Buddy Emmons   Guest Artist,Pedal Steel
Stephen Stills   Guest Artist,Bass (Electric),Guitar (Electric)
Sidney Weinberg   Woodwind
Julie Held   Violin
Abe Rosen   Harp
Alvin Rogers   Violin
Guy Lumia   Violin
Mathilde Pincus   Violin
Jerry Lee Smith   Woodwind
Ann Barak   Violin
Bob Daugherty   Bass (Upright)
Hank Jaramillo   Percussion
Norman Carr   Violin
Elizabeth Thompson   Choir/Chorus
George Brown   Viola
Marilyn Wright   Violin
Albert Richmond   French Horn
Larry Wechsler   French Horn
Al Miller   Violin
Gene Taylor   Choir/Chorus,Bass (Electric)
Sue Evans   Drums,Percussion,Choir/Chorus
Michael Melvoin   Piano
Russell George   Bass (Electric)
Fritz Richmond   Choir/Chorus
Kermit Moore   Cello
Charles McCracken   Cello
Don Payne   Bass (Electric)
James Burton   Guitar (Electric)
Cliff Morris   Guitar
Ry Cooder   Guitar (Electric)
John Beal   Bass
Wayne Andre   Trombone
Jonathan Tunick   Conductor
Richard Bell   Choir/Chorus
Joel Kaye   Woodwind
Steve Mandell   Guitar (Acoustic)
Bill Takas   Bass (Upright)
Allan Schwartzberg   Percussion
Garnett Brown   Trombone
Joshua Rifkin   Conductor
Harry Cykman   Violin
Julien Barber   Viola
Dan Reed   Violin
Les Scott   Woodwind
Thomas Pearson   Piano,Celeste
Bob Steen   Woodwind

Technical Credits

Sheryl Farber   Editorial Supervision
Book of Ecclesiastes   Composer
Gillian Gaar   Liner Notes
Jimmy Edwards   Project Assistant
Nancy L. Hopkins   Design
Katherine DePaul   Project Assistant
Alan Silverman   Remastering
David Anderle   Producer,Original Recording Producer
Daniel Goldmark   Editorial Research
Arif Mardin   Original Recording Producer
Patrick Milligan   Compilation Producer
Traditional   Composer
John Newton   Composer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Bill Inglot   Project Assistant
Leonard Cohen   Composer
Barry Alfonso   Project Assistant
Hugh Brown   Art Direction
Sandy Denny   Composer
Jonathan Tunick   Arranger
Pete Seeger   Composer
Joni Mitchell   Composer
Jimmie Haskell   Orchestration
Richard Bell   Arranger
Judy Collins   Arranger,Composer,Adaptation,Liner Notes,Compilation Producer,Original Recording Producer
Valerie Carter   Composer
Stephen Sondheim   Composer
Ian Tyson   Composer
Jac Holzman   Original Recording Producer
David McLees   Project Assistant
Joshua Rifkin   Arranger
Mark Abramson   Original Recording Producer
Guy Webster   Photography