Judy Collins

Judy Collins - Living - 1971 - Elektra

Judy Collins has the voice of a nightingale. All the songs here have a beautiful graceful subtlety, so typical of Judy Collins' unique, pure, gorgeous voice. "Living" contains four live tracks from Judy's 1970 concert tour. 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". Judy's "Sings Lennon & McCartney" album is @ JUDYCOL/SL&MCC Her 1965 "Judy Collins' Fifth Album" is @ JUDYCOL5th and her wonderful 1967 "Wildflowers" album can be found @ JUDYCOL/WILFL N.B: There are confusing references to three 70's releases of this album. One album is from 1971 on Elektra. The other release was in 1972 on Elektra, and referred to as "partly live". Another 1971 release states that the tracks are all LP or single versions. The album posted here only seems to contain four live tracks, but dates from 1971. Has anybody more info on this album release?

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1."Joan of Arc" (Leonard Cohen) – 5:55 *
2."Four Strong Winds" (Ian Tyson) – 3:45 *
3."Vietnam Love Song" (Eric Bentley, Arnold Black) – 3:56
4."Innisfree" (Hamilton Camp, Yeats) – 3:16 #
5."Song for Judith (Open The Door)" (Judy Collins) – 4:05
6."All Things Are Quite Silent" – 2:47
7."Easy Times" (Judy Collins, Stacy Keach) – 3:25
8."Chelsea Morning" (Joni Mitchell) – 3:15 *
9."Famous Blue Raincoat" (Leonard Cohen) – 5:34
10."Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" (Bob Dylan) – 6:45 *

* Live tracks from Judy's 1970 concert tour
# The lyrics on Track 4 are based on the poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" by the Irish poet and playwright, William Butler Yeats. The music for this version was composed by Hamilton Camp

MUSICIANS

Judy Collins – vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards
Richard Bell – guitar, piano, choir, chorus
Ry Cooder – guitar
Gene Taylor - bass, choir, chorus
Sue Evans - drums, percussion, choir, chorus
Bob Zachary, Randy Nauert, Glenda Bickel, Tom Carvey, Vanessa Chartoff, Jolin Cooke, John Cooke, Nancy Carlen, Fritz Richmond, Paul Johnson - choir, chorus

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