5th Album

Judy Collins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002GZ2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #234,041 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Pack Up Your Sorrows

2. The Coming of the Roads

3. So Early, Early in the Spring

4. Tomorrow Is a Long Time

5. Daddy You've Been on My Mind

6. Thirsty Boots

7. Mr. Tambourine Man

8. Lord Gregory

9. In the Heat of the Summer

10. Early Morning Rain

11. Carry It On

12. It Isn't Nice

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A FOLK WATERSHED, May 30, 2000

By 

Michael (Philadelphia, Panama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 5th Album (Audio CD)

This is one of the loveliest, most moving albums of Sixties folk. Collins was one of the music's great interpreters, and with all apologies to the Byrds her version of "Tambourine Man" is to me definitive. Other highlights include the heartbreaking "Coming of the Roads" (whatever happened to Billy Edd Wheeler?), Phil Ochs' scathing "In the Heat of the Summer", and the great Richard Farina's joyful "Pack Up Your Sorrows". Collins even puts her own spin on overly familiar material such as Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" and the traditional "Lord Gregory". But it is on Eric Andersen's beautiful Civil Rights ballad "Thirsty Boots" that Collins is at her most luminous. Accompanied by John Sebastian's warm harmonica, she delivers this song with the quiet passion of a universal mother singing her weary, frustrated children to sleep. To me, "Thirsty Boots" and "Tambourine Man"--and also Collins' version of "Greenwood Sidie" (called "Cruel Mother", it is avaliable on the Five-Star 1964 "Judy Collins Concert" LP, which has sadly never been available on CD)--are the epitome of popular song interpretation.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Folk, Pure Collins, November 3, 2001

By 

J Keistler "[e-mail]" (Lake Jackson, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 5th Album (Audio CD)

I have owned this album since it first came out. I wore it out on LP and have played the CD more than just about any other in my 2000+ collection.

The famous Collins voice was never better, never clearer, and never allowed to dominate more than in this set of recordings. Her voice was still in a lower octave than now, and it conveys a sense of intimacy rare for any album.

There's not a bad recording on here. Over the years, my favorite song has sort of rotated. Collins's music has always been able to transport me emotionally, and she covers a full range of emotions here. "Coming of the Roads" is a heartbreaker from early on the ecology movement. "Thirsty Boots" rivals "Cook with Honey" for transcendent welcoming, evoking memories of warm kitchens on cold nights, the caress of affection by those one loves. "Mr. Tambourine Man" has always been my favorite cut of this song, without the harshness of Dylan or the spaciness of the Byrds. "It Isn't Right" is the perfect finish for a near-perfect album.

I have wished so many times over the years that Ms. Collins would release a continuation of this path in her career, but it hasn't happened; it's basically a dead end. We shall be grateful that we have this to listen to, and enjoy.

The CD transfer is great, sounds so much better than the LP ever did. A 'must buy' disc for any 60's folk fan.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A should-be classic, November 20, 2001

By 

David A. Bede (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 5th Album (Audio CD)

This is one of those folk albums that are best heard as nature intended, on the original vinyl, pops and all. But I'm delighted to see it available on CD all the same so that new fans will discover it.

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.