Judy Collins

Judy Collins - Sings Lennon & McCartney - 2007 - Wildflower

There are thousands of albums covering Lennon & McCartney songs. The classic songs of The Beatles have been adapted to suit every musical genre. The Beatles composed Blues, hard rock, ballads, and touched on the Avant Garde with songs like "I Am The Walrus", and "Strawberry Fields Forever". Yet, in the main, many of Lennon and McCartney and George Harrison songs will be mostly remembered for their beautiful melodies. It is amazing that The Beatles lifespan was a mere eight years, but in that time they turned out many, many classic songs, and are up there with great composers of the past like Irving Berlin, and Cole Porter. As regards the Beatle's reputation as modern composers, there is no need to elaborate. Many music polls have constantly nominated Lennon & McCartney as the "greatest composers of all time". Songs like ."Yesterday", ."Blackbird", ."Penny Lane", and ."When I'm Sixty Four" are some of the classic melodic Beatle songs that will live forever, and these are the songs that Judy Collins covers here in her pure, gorgeous voice, the voice of a nightingale. All the song here have a beautiful graceful subtlety, so typical of Judy Collins' unique voice. Listen to Judy's great "Maid of Constant Sorrow, " and "Judy Sings Dylan... Just Like a Woman" albums. It is also worth hearing Judy's beautiful "In My Life" album, with covers of songs like Randy Newman's classic "I Think It's Going to Rain Today", Leonard Cohen's glorious "Suzanne", and Dylan's "Tom Thumb's Blues". Wikipedia notes that "Collins' version of the song "Suzanne" is considered to be the recording that first introduced Leonard Cohen's music to a wide audience". There is info on Judy's "Judy Collins' Fifth Album" @ JUDCOL/5thALB and you can find Judy's "Wildflowers" album @ JUDCOL/WFLWRS

TRACKS

1."And I Love Her" - 2:58
2."Blackbird" - 2:28
3."Golden Slumbers" - 3:40
4."Penny Lane" - 2:55
5."Norwegian Wood" - 2:52
6."When I'm Sixty Four" - 2:41
7."Good Day Sunshine" - 2:28
8."Hey Jude" - 4:28
9."We Can Work It Out" - 2:23
10."Yesterday" - 2:26
11."I'll Follow the Sun" - 2:11
12."Long & Winding Road" - 3:19

All songs composed by John Lennon, & Paul McCartney

MUSICIANS

Judy Collins - Lead Vocals, Korg
Hugh McCracken - Acoustic Guitar, Guitar
Larry Campbell - Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolin
Tony Levin - Bass
Russell Walden - Organ, Piano, Keyboards, fender rhodes, Orchestral Keyboards
Christian Lohr - Organ, Harmonica, Harmonium, Mellotron, Vibes, Mini Moog, Glass
Tony Beard - Percussion, Drums
Mary Wooten, Erik Friedlander - Cello
Taylor Brenner, Paul Rolnick, Margaret Dorn, Angela Cappelli - Background Vocals

SHORT BIO

Judy Collins was one of the major interpretive folksingers of the '60s. A child prodigy at classical piano, she turned to folk music at the age of 15 and released her first album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, in 1961 when she was 22. That album and its follow-up, The Golden Apples of the Sun, consisted of traditional folk material, with Collins's pure, sweet soprano accompanied by her acoustic guitar playing. By the time of Judy Collins #3, she had begun to turn to contemporary material and to add other musicians. (Jim, later Roger, McGuinn tried out his first arrangements of "The Bells of Rhymney" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" on this album, before using them with The Byrds.) Collins's musical horizons were expanded further by 1966 and the release of In My Life, which added theater music to her repertoire and introduced her audience to the writing of Leonard Cohen; it was one of her six albums to go gold. Her first gold-seller, however, was 1967's Wildflowers, which contained her hit version of "Both Sides Now" by the then-little-known songwriter Joni Mitchell. By the '70s, Collins had come to be identified as much as an art song singer as a folksinger and had also begun to make a mark with her original compositions. Her best-known performances cover a wide stylistic range: the traditional gospel song "Amazing Grace," the Stephen Sondheim Broadway ballad "Send in the Clowns," and such songs of her own as "My Father" and "Born to the Breed." Collins recorded less frequently after the end of her 23-year association with Elektra Records in 1984, though she made two albums for Gold Castle. In 1990, she signed to Columbia Records and released Fires of Eden, her 23rd album. A move to Geffen preceded the 1993 release of Judy Sings Dylan...Just Like a Woman; Shameless followed on Atlantic in 1994. Six years later, Collins released All on a Wintry Night. © William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide



MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST

Judy Collins has thrilled audiences worldwide with her unique blend of interpretative folksongs and contemporary themes. Her impressive career has spanned more than 40 years. At 13, Judy Collins made her public debut performing Mozart's "Concerto for Two Pianos" but it was the music of such artists as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, as well as the traditional songs of the folk revival, that sparked Judy Collins' love of lyrics. She soon moved away from the classical piano and began her lifelong love with the guitar. In 1961, Judy Collins released her first album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, at the age of 22 and began a thirty-five year association with Jac Holzman and Elektra Records. Judy Collins is also noted for her rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" on her classic 1967 album, Wildflowers. "Both Sides Now" has since been entered into the Grammy's Hall of Fame. Winning "Song of the Year" at the 1975 Grammy's Awards show was Judy's version of "Send in the Clowns," a ballad written by Stephen Sondheim for the Broadway musical "A Little Night Music." Released on September 29th, Judy's new book, Sanity and Grace, A Journey of Suicide, Survival and Strength, is a deeply moving memoir, focusing on the death of her only son and the healing process following the tragedy. The book speaks to all who have endured the sorrow of losing a loved one before their time. In the depths of her suffering, Judy found relief by reaching out to others for help and support. Now, she extends her hand to comfort other survivors whose lives have been affected by similar tragedy. In a recent appearance on ABC's Good Morning America, Judy performed "Wings of Angels," the heartbreaking ballad that she wrote about the loss of her son. The song is currently available on the newly released Judy Collins Wildflower Festival CD and DVD, which also feature guest artists Arlo Guthrie, Tom Rush and Eric Andersen. This extraordinary concert was filmed at the famed Humphrey's By the Bay in San Diego, CA. The concert was the culmination of a 25 city national tour. Judy Collins continues to create music of hope and healing that lights up the world and speaks to the heart. © HDtracks 2007 - 2008