Customer Reviews

Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy

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No singer is more qualified to sing Leonard Cohen's songs than Judy Collins. She introduced his music to a U. S. audience in 1966 ("Suzanne" and "Dress Rehearsal Rag"); she has continued to record his beautiful lyrics since then; and no one, including the composer himself, interprets his music better. For Collins and Cohen fans, most of the cuts here we've heard Ms. Collins sing before. Of the 14 selections, only three, "Democracy", "A Thousand Kisses Deep" and "Night Comes On" are the only new material here. I would love to hear her sing "First We Take Manhattan" or "Ain't No Cure For Love," to name two of Mr. Cohen's later offerings. Of course most of the Cohen classics are here: In addition to "Suzanne"-- that one for my money belongs to Ms. Collins alone-- there's "Sisters of Mercy", "Story of Isaac", "Bird On The Wire"-- the one that Cohen always opens his own concerts with-- and one of my all-time favorites, "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye."

What is so amazing is that Ms. Collins' voice has changed little in the 40 or so years she's been singing. Someone not familiar with her recordings would be hard put to tell which cuts are old and which ones are new here. Her voice is as clear and beautiful as her blue eyes. And it doesn't hurt any that she always speaks out for the causes I care about too.

This CD would make a great gift to a Cohen/Collins fan or a great introduction to the few last beautiful people on earth who aren't already crazy about this duo.

When I first heard "In My Life" and "Wildflowers" two classic albums of Judy Collins recorded in the late 60's I was introduced to the songs of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Her interpretation of their songs and so many other great songwriters is always very beautiful and I hear something more everytime I listen to them but she must also be credited with helping in great part to bringing their music to a much wider audience as well. Very few other vocalists could make such a great tribute album collecting together as it does all of her recordings of Leonard Cohen's song from her Elektra years with three new recordings and one live recording from her own label Wildflower Records on a cd called "Live at Wolftrap" (Song of Bernadette) all sequenced with not a whisper of the plus 30 years of time and change from her first recording "Suzanne". Her voice in the new recordings is as satisfying as it ever was and her personal interpretations as intriguing and evocative as Leonard Cohen's poetry suggests. All of the early recordings are brilliantly remastered here and I especially enjoyed the sound of recordings she did with the music of arranger/conductor Joshua Rifkin. I could only wish that Elektra would invest in remastering those early albums to the same clarity as these present on this Leonard Cohen songbook. Thanks to Alan Silverman for the mixing, remastering and engineering of this CD. He has worked with Judy Collins on a number of recording projects among them the retrospective "Forever" and Judy's "unplugged" version of her own wonderful songs on a CD called "Voices". This CD will remain, along with Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue Raincoat", in my collection of very favourite interpreters of the songs of Leonard Cohen and as one of many Judy Collins CDs that always please.

What better singer to interpret the dark, enigmatic songs of Canadian bard Leonard Cohen than the equally enigmatic Judy Collins? It is particularly apt given that the musical lives of these two have intertwined since early on.
I have been a sometimey fan of Judy Collins for many years. Among today's American female singers, perhaps only Tish Hinojosa comes even close to matching the pure, angelic, and heavenly voice that is Collins' gift to the world. If you listen to Collins' songs recorded over the span of forty-some years, you might note with wonder that she sounds essentially the same today as she did when she first began her recording career.
As for Cohen, he came on the scene nearly as long ago, his songs tinged with Keith Reid-like melancholy and inscrutability. I had always heard his songs as interpreted by others and only recently came to appreciate his own deep and rich vocal style.
Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen brings Collins' gorgeous soprano to interpret the songwriting genius of Cohen. And what a tremendous job she does! Sometime she even bests the original as she does with A Thousand Kisses Deep.
My favorites are the aforementioned, the ever-timely and ironic Democracy, Suzanne (of course), Dress Rehearsal Rag, Bird On the Wire, Famous Blue Raincoat, and Song of Bernadette.
If you are just a casual Judy Collins or Leonard Cohen fan, this could be the album that makes you a permanent part of their fan bases. Do I recommend it? Heck yeah, get it today. You won't be sorry.

This tribute album contains previously released tracks from 1966 to 1999 plus new recordings: Democracy, A Thousand Kisses Deep and Night Comes On. The old material is drawn from her albums In My Life (1966), Wildflowers (1967), Who Knows Where The Time Goes (1968), Living (1971), Bread & Roses (1976) and Live At Wolf Trap 1999.

The blend of the old and the new is a definite plus, as it ensures variety in the arrangements and instrumental mix. For example, the title track with its marching beat, piano and keyboards is followed by the lovely acoustic guitar textures of Suzanne, whilst Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye is quite atmospheric with its enchanting flute.

In my opinion, the songs Dress Rehearsal Rag and Priests do not work so well, but they've never been amongst my favourite Cohen compositions. Her version of Night Comes On is a real masterpiece, as is this elegant rendition of Sisters Of Mercy with its intricate instrumentation.

Just like Emmylou Harris slightly altered the lyrics of Dylan's Every Grain Of Sand on her Wrecking Ball album, Collins tweaks a word or two in her version of Story Of Isaac, a song with a very pertinent message for our time. Probably to reflect their personal beliefs in both cases. The song is embellished with beautiful organ and harpsichord.

Bird On A Wire has a distinct country flavour with full instrumentation including pedal steel guitar. In contrast, Famous Blue Raincoat gets an intimate treatment with sparse acoustic guitar. Produced by Arif Mardin, Take This Longing has a delicate recorder flute in the mix, whilst three backing vocalists assist on Joan Of Arc. The album concludes with a live version of the evocative Song Of Bernadette, co-written by Jennifer Warnes.

The CD booklet contains Judy's account of her meeting with Leonard and his enduring influence on her career. Amongst the black and white pictures there is one of them performing together onstage. There is also a dedication from LC and the complete lyrics of Democracy.

As far as LC tribute albums go, Democracy is a huge success. I also recommend Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary Edition by Jennifer Warnes and I'm Your Fan with its great variety of contributors. The one titled Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen is not quite as memorable as the aforementioned although it does contain a gem or two.

Judy Collins has a voice and style that shines on the lilting ballads. She owns "Suzanne" and "Sisters of Mercy", but doesn't have the depth, range or emotion to carry "Joan of Arc" or "Famous Blue Raincoat". If you want to hear, according to Cohen himself, the best interpretations of his songs, get the "Famous Blue Raincoat" CD by Jennifer Warnes...also a master disc recording you can use to demo the best stereo systems available.

Ignore the other reviewers who say this is old, recycled stuff. Sure, some of it is available on earlier discs but how can you possibly knock someone with as gorgeous a voice as July Collins singing songs as gorgeous and piercing as Leonard Cohen's? Too few people are conversant in his music and it is simply an astounding body of work that is made even more sublime by coming from Judy Collin's lips. This is a must-purchase for anyone with a soul. Buy it and get lost in the beauty. A perfect antidote to post-election depression.

While I have to admit that I haven't bought a Judy Collins CD in quite some time -I'm so glad that I had the urge to buy this one.
Judy Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy - truly delivers -after all these years- Judy's interpretations of Leonard Cohen's special blend of poetry and music still transcend and make this quite simply one heck of a gorgeous CD! Although this is a compilation of her classic Cohen penned recordings drawn from the Elektra archive -there are three new recordings included that seem -now more than ever- completely relevant -Democracy feels ripped out of the desperate hearts of today's political climate -while Night Comes On and A Thousand Kisses Deep could arguably be considered some of Judy's finest recording work in over twenty years -she sounds better than ever and the production/arrangements are perfect. One can only hope that there is a new studio album of fresh and original material coming soon!

Now in her fifth decade as a performer, Judy Collins has put together this compilation of songs by one of her favorite songwriters and poets, Leonard Cohen. In the charming reminiscences printed in the liner notes Collins traces their friendship, whose beginning dates back to the mid-60s and her album "In My Life," which included recordings of "Suzanne" and "Dress Rehearsal Rag."

These two tracks are reissued here along with other Cohen songs from her various albums, plus three new recordings: Cohen's range (and Collins' marvelous voice, astonishingly untouched by time) is evident in the contrast between the rousingly optimistic, though clear-eyed "Democracy" and the ineffable poignance of "Night Comes On." The singer has always had the voice and the emotional depth to do justice to the full array of Cohen's art, and while one could feel a bit disappointed that there are just three new tracks, it's impossible not to fall under the spell of her renditions of "Suzanne," "Sisters of Mercy," and "Famous Blue Raincoat" all over again. In addition, with the current world situation, lyrics such as those in "Story of Isaac" gain a new bite: "You who build these altars now to sacrifice these children/You must not do it any more/For you never had a vision and you never have been tempted/By the Devil or the Lord." The astonishing metaphor at the heart of "Joan of Arc," the Saint as the bride of fire, is as vivid as ever, hardly marred by some uncertain tuning in the wordless harmonies of the chorus.

It's powerful stuff, and music fans can hear it all again on this disc. Thanks to Leonard Cohen for giving us these songs, and Judy Collins for singing them.

Judy Collins new collection of Leonard Cohen songs released by Rhino is Excellent! A newly remastered collection of Collins/Cohen recordings spanning some thirty years of Judy's recording career. The sound is superb and fresh and weaves seamlessly from one era to the next. There are three new songs -Democracy, Night Comes On, and A Thousand Kisses Deep- All are a tasteful addition to the Collins/Cohen archive. Judy's voice has never sounded better and compliments the older recordings beautifully -A testament to her craft and longevity as an artist. Whether a fan of Leonard Cohen and/or Collins, this collection is like a drink of cool water on a hot day -very satisfying. It is said that Judy discovered Leonard back in 1966 and encouraged him to sing his poetry -this collection is a wonderful retrospective of Cohen as a songwriter and Collin's as a legendary vocal stylist

Last year, at a book signing event in San Francisco for Judy Collins I asked her if she has ever thought of releasing an album with all songs written by Cohen? She replied: 'Lord knows I have recorded enough of his songs already!' To which I said 'But you haven't recorded any of his newer songs!' Now, I am not claiming here that I am responsible for this album but maybe in a small way the idea was planted in her head and she did record new songs for this all-Cohen album. And I must also add that evening she said:'Thank God I did not fall in love with him or I would have gone mad!' Well, the relationship stayed platonic and we are better for it (I don't believe Joni Mitchell ever recorded any Cohen songs!). This is a great Judy Collins album-Probably one of her best albums ever. Two living legends coming together in the autumn of their lives. Happy Seventieth birthday Leonard! Life is good.