Whales & Nightingales

Judy Collins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000002I2K
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,921 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Judy Collins At Her Magical Best!, August 19, 2000

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Whales & Nightingales (Audio CD)

I remember seeing Judy in concert in the quite informal setting of Avaloch, a wonderful sylvan natural amphitheater that all the folk stars from Collins to Joan Baez to Joni Mitchell to Kris Kristoferson to Tom Rush to James Taylor performed at along the back roads of Lenox, Massachusetts in the summer of 1969 or 1970. Sadly, it is now the site of a ritzy set of exclusive summer condominiums for the New York summertime Berkshires crowd. Yet I can still recall hearing Judy with that magical soaring voice of hers warming up on stage with "Amazing Grace" as we filed onto the grass, and the song so echoed and reverberated over the warm humid airwaves that he older folks at Tanglewood, some six or seven miles way, complained about the noisome interruption. It became an inside joke that Collins, Baez and others would playfully aggravate when performing for the very very mellow crowd of counterculture fans. I recall a certain sweet aroma wafting through the air, too, and it wasn't the smell of cotton candy. Of course, it probably goes without saying that I love most of the songs on this album, from the opening cover of Joan Baez's "Song for David" to Jacques Brel's magical "Sons Of" to the wry and cautionary Irish folk tale of "The Patriot's Game". It is hard to pick a personal favorite from this list of absolutely terrific songs, but since I named my daughter after one the songs (Jacques Brel's "Marieke"), I guess I will single that one out for special consideration. This is a snapshot of a one of the titans of modern American folk music, taken at the peak of her awesome vocal and collaborative talents. It is one sure to please the most discriminating of well-trained folk ears, and one I am sure you will come to treasure as much as I do. Enjoy.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Judy Collins sing "Amazing Grace" (and with whales), April 2, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Whales & Nightingales (Audio CD)

When you listen to "Whales & Nightingales" the big question is which song do you find more haunting, her crystal clear version of "Amazing Grace" or "Farewell to Tarwathie," which is sung over the accompaniment of Humpback Whales. This 1971 album made it all the way to #17 on the pop charts, which makes it her second most successful album after her 1968 "Wildflowers" album. The glorious soprano voice is always there and the quality of a Judy Collins album always comes down to the songs. This time around we have Bob Dylan's "Time Passes Slowly" and songs by Jacques Brel ("Marieke") and Pete Seeger ("Oh Had I a Golden Thread"), as well a nice little original composition ("Sons of"). Consequently, while you can get the two "hits" from this album on her hits collection, there are several other songs well worth having in your music library, making "Whales & Nightingales" a Judy Collins album well worth having.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eclectic., January 28, 2000

By 

Jeremy Nathan Marks (Worcester, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whales & Nightingales (Audio CD)

The song "Farewell to Tarwathie" is what brought me to buy this album, but there is so much more to this album!

"Farewell to Tarwathie" is Collins' reworking of a traditional song about a Greenland whaler's journey into the hinterland, but the song is brought to life by the songs of Humback Whales which accompany her acopella performance. I don't think there is another moment in modern music quite like this recording, it is too beautiful for my paltry words...

Another highlight is Collins' version of Jacques Brell's "Marieke," a hauntingly beautiful song about a man's love for a woman and his homeland. Any Jacques Brell song is a reason to purchase an album and when it is Judy Collins covering it, there is little to separate me from taking the plunge and buying it up!

Every song is exquisitely arranged, from the Dylan tune "Time Passes Slowly" to the instrumental "Nightingale II," each is different, with its own signature, making this an ecelectic and unusual album. There is no one quite like Collins, her voice alone is astounding and unique, a type of beauty so rare it appears once in a lifetime, or not at all...

I recommend this album to anyone looking to try something new and expand their horizons, it did just that for me.