Judy Collins - Whales & Nightingales

"WHALES AND NIGHTINGALES": JUDY COLLINS' MUSICAL PANORAMA

Although somewhat musically related to "Wildflowers" in it's orchestral stylings, Judy Collins' "Whales And Nightingales" has a slighter folk-rock tinge to it and is a more scenic, if you will, view of the world - encapsulating political, social, spiritual, ecological, and romantic concerns into its captivating musical panorama.

"Whales And Nightingales" opens with her compeer Joan Baez's "Song For David", her then-husband who was arrested and jailed for resisting the draft into Vietnam while she waited with their new-born son for his release. It is a powerful song; its power belied by its beauty, as it actually sounds apolitical. It is followed by Jacque Brel's "Sons Of", a solo-piano accompanied lullaby, of sorts, reminding us of the diversity of human life and how all, created equal, can come to so many different paths in life. On this album, Judy has also included Brel's wonderful "Marieke", sung in French and Flemish.

Dylan's "Time Passes Slowly" is one of my favorite tracks here and is a lush, folk-rocking love song; Judy's voice soars on this number, once again showing how well she interprets Dylan. She also does a spectacular job of Pete Seeger's "Oh, Had I A Golden Thread".

Collins, herself, composed for this album: her contributions being "Nightingale I", a romantic song in which she is the nightingale hunted but not struck by the arrow aimed at her by her potential suitor. She accompanies herself on piano, once again showing her classically trained musicianship, which fully blossums on the following "Nightingale II", an ambitious, completely orchestrated classical sounding instrumental piece.

"Whales And Nightingales" also includes traditional songs, supremely arranged and adapted by Collins: "Prothalamium", a song of rejuvination; "Farewell To Tarwathie", a centuries-old Scottish whaling song performed over a backdrop of the songs humpback whales sing to each other, reminding us of the beauty of the natural world and, conversely, how it is NOT to be squandered and depleted; and the closing spiritual cuts "Simple Gifts", about the simple recognition of the essence of being and the gratitude for life; and her colossal hit, "Amazing Grace".

Judy Collins' "Whales And Nightingales" covers a broad spectrum of the issues of life and living. When time is spent with it, lights shine, revealing its messages of hope and faith and peace and love. January 25, 2007

Collins' highest achievement

Decades of indifferent pop craft and a pandering sentimentality have led many to forget that, during the Sixties, Judy Collins was a major player. This 1970 album was eagerly anticipated across American campuses and easily met everyone's high expectations. If Collins could be compared to Paul Simon (another intelligent and tasteful perfectionist), Whales & Nightingales straddles a halfway mark between the eccentrities of Bookends and the sensuality of Bridge Over Troubled Water. Big statements ("Amazing Grace" and "Golden Thread" ) are tempered by quick-witted vignettes ("Sons Of" and "Prothalamium") and, displaying her keen ear for musicianship, delivers the quintessential version of Joan Baez's intensely personal "Song For David." "Farewell To Tarwathie," the 'whale duet,' is the centerpiece and stands as the 'first New Age' recording. Better yet are the two versions of the brooding "Nightingale" - a convincing argument for Collins' ability as a composer. A song cycle in the grand manner of 1970, the album is probably Collins' final masterpiece. December 20, 2006

How Could This Ever Have Happened?

It's amazing to think that this varied, sublime work could have been produced, even in a time of music as consciously experimental as back then. Just consider the range of material:

- Amazing Grace: delightful, uninstrumented performance which foregrounds Collins' vocal range and depth. Deservedly classic.
- Farewell to Tarwathie: a whaler tune (!), with no instruments at all, framed by whale songs, performed in a stately, reflective manner. And the whales get the last word, too!
- Song for David: more what you might expect from Collins, from the rest of her work of this period. Very hummable, and upbeat.
- The Patriot Game: Mournful song of Irish political despair.
- Time Passes Slowly: Dylan, but with a delicacy of rustic emotion. One of favorite Dylan tunes, in fact, not least because someone else is singing it.
- Two-Part Nightingale: the first is lyrics-driven; the longer and pure instrumental bliss. Who had this idea?

And others; you get the idea. For sure, in other albums of her from this period you see similar variety, but this is, to my mind, the apex of this gloriously eclectic approach. Some genius of a producer (and perhaps Collins herself) must have combed through an unimaginable amount of material/suggestions to arrive at this stunningly varied, yet supremely evocative collection of songs. Who would ever have thought of a whaling song? How many pop divas would have selected an instrumental? It's a lasting index of Judy Collins' confidence and creativity.

I like many of her other releases, but find myself coming back to this again and again.
December 11, 2006

This is my favorite album

When Whales and Nightingales first came out I was thirteen years old. I fell in love with it then, and continue to love it now. This says a lot for its staying power, since I am a very different person now than I was then, and my musical tastes have changed drastically! Judy Collins' voice is haunting and lovely, and each song is perfect in its own way. Farewell To Tarwaithe, Simple Gifts, and Amazing Grace are my favorites, but there's not a bad song in the bunch. This is a great sing-along album for wanna-be sopranos, or you can listen and marvel at the crystal clarity of her voice. I wish she was doing albums like this now! September 14, 2004

Judy Collins sing "Amazing Grace" (and with whales)

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. April 3, 2003

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