Both Sides Now Of Judy Collins

I think I was about 12 when I first heard Judy Collins on my mom's record player. I loved her voice at first listen. 'My Father' was my favorite.

Next to Miriam Mekeeba and Edit Piaf she was my favorite.

This just became more appealing as I realized it's not the Wellmont. I can't make it Sunday, however.

Farewell to Tarwathie is a fave.

Sundays are my 'vegetize' day. I'll be watching football in front of a fire with something delicious roasting in the kitchen.

MB, my condolences about Miriam--she was amazing.

Though I wish she were still with us, it's kind of beautiful that she died while doing the thing she loved and did so well.

KBR,

I didn't know Miriam had passed.

:(

I never really liked Judy Collins. I preferred Joan Baez and, of course, Joni Mitchell. I'll never forget that magical afternoon at my girlfriend's house listening to her records. Mitchell was just incredible--nothing like I'd ever heard before; she sang like some kind of bird. Baez was beautiful, but more conventional. (Believe it or not I wasn't cynical then, though I became so when the relationship ended, a few months later, badly.)

Ooooh--now I'm even more sorry, MB!

A good friend of mine performed with her for many years; she was devastated by her passing.

What an amazing figure in SA's history, and what an inspiring musician and human being!

By the way, I think Judy Collins was and is beautiful and radiant... but for some reason, every time I glance at this photo, I think of Miss Piggy from the Muppet Show!

I think it's something in the eyes. Am I the only one who sees it? It's like Jim Henson modeled MP after this very photo!

...or it could just be psychosis brought on by acute caffeine toxicity. I dunno.

MB - she died last week - truly an amazing voice.

Add to the list of great singers is Odetta.

I would love to see Joan Baez perform - I recently read an article that she has just cut a new album and was considering touring. I've hd the privilidge of seeing Joni Mitchell perform (who can't love her album "Blue"?)

KatebirdRex, you have delirium brought on by too much caffeine. Check out Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee & Cigarettes" esp. the scene with Bill Murray, RZA and GZA.

roo,

Joan Baez has/had an incredibly rich voice. The only problem is that she often sings'off key'. It's brutal to listen to when she sings like that.

Joni was definately one of my favorites back in the day. I loved her use of alternate tunings on the guitar. 'Blue', 'For the Roses', 'The Hissing of Summer Lawns', all great stuff.

Sadly, Odetta is ill in the hospital with kidney failure.

LINK

Man, sorry to hear about Odetta. Thanks for the link.

I know this is total heresy for a singer/songwriter to say, but I could never tolerate listening to Joni during her classic period... to me, she sounded like a nervous rabbit.

Now that she's "ruined" her voice by smoking cigarettes for so many years, she sounds absolutely fabulous to me. When I heard her on a Herbie Hancock record a few years ago, I mistook her for Shirley Horne (one of my favorite singers, RIP).

Yeah, I know. BAD singer-songwrier, BAD.

PS: StL, I was afraid of that! I'll have to check out that scene, I love Bill M.

.. "nervous rabbit" .. I'm LMAO!

And here's the video of said scene from "Coffee and Cigarettes".

LINK

I have to go rent that movie tonight, StL. Freakin' AWESOME. I never even thought of drinking straight out of the decanter like Bill Groundhog-Day-Ghost-Bustin'-Ass Murray!

Fave lines:

"Are you a bug, Bill Murray?"

"Check this, y'all... I even know a certain surgical procedure that I can perform using a drill gun--electric drill, zzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

It's true that Joni's vocal technique didn't always cut it in those days, but when it did it just soared -- a complete original. I also loved her album with Mingus, though, which everybody apparently hated, so don't go take my word for anything.

Blue was the album I heard that day, Anne Prince. I wish I could hear it again for the first time.

I liked the song that went "Open the door, and come on in, I'm so glad to see you my friend" but only because the first time I heard it, my brother sang it pitch perfect and dead serious.

God, what a depressing bunch of retrograde folkies above. And walleroo showing his sensitivity by reminiscing that he (once) had a girlfriend. Accckkkkk! Oh my my, whatever happened to those good old days at Club 47 and Caffe Lena, you know?

I think of Joni Mitchell and I just think of her wasting time with David Crosby (and lots of other guys). And of her horribly unwitty and ill-advised blackface act on "The Hissing Of Summer Lawns" album. I think of Judy Collins and I just think of her splitting her wasted time with Steven Stills and Graham Nash.

But I do retain a fondness for "real women" from that era, such as Darlene Love, Martha Reeves, Aretha Franklin and LaVerne Baker. All of whom would have chewed up and spat out any member of CS&N, even with the "Y" guy added into the mix. Even the Carole King of the "It Might As Well Rain Until September" era seemed a fairly tough chick.

Should I now await someone's equally fond recollections of Holly Near? I swear, it's enough to make a a lad dust off and replay his old John Hammond and Buffy Sainte Marie albums on Vanguard on vinyl.

She does look a bit like Miss Piggy.

Darlene Love, Martha Reeves, Aretha Franklin and LaVerne Baker

Oh YEAH, baby. I'm with you, Cathar. My musical landscape changed forever when I got a hold of my dad's Aretha and Staples Singers (Mavis, a voice from heaven) records as a kid.

Oh, KERMIE!!!

OK Cathar, I will have to wax nostalgic for Holly Near AND Ronnie Gilbert - those two ladies know how to sing from their hearts.

Of course, always a shout out to Aretha.

I remember years ago I was watching a TV special that included Simon and Garfunkel. They began singing "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in that weepy, dreary, whiny way and the other guest on the show came from behind stage to join in. It was Aretha. Completely, totally blew them away. Amazing.

JG-hahahahaha. Now, that ain't right! I can just picture meek Artie standing there like a choirboy and then being blown off the stage by the force of nature that is Aretha.

And I love, love, LOVE Paul Simon--none can surpass him for songwriting genius, and he's put together some of the most brilliant collaborations ever for "Graceland" and "Rhythm of the Saints"--but as a live performer he does not attain the highest of heights. Aw, I feel so sorry for him just thinking of him onstage with Aretha!

ReRe's rendition of "Bridge" makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

Paul Simon's career has been pretty good, especially since he jettisoned Mop Head.

Putting Holly Near in the same category as Mitchell is like comparing, say, the Columbia Lions with the New York Giants (except that I can tolerate the Lions). It's just ridiculous. Also, nobody in their right mind would argue that Paul Simon, as good a song writer as he is, is anywhere near Aretha's league. Of course she blew him away.

The vaunted Columbia Lions Basketball team beat Fordam last week. Don't underestimate the Lions!

Walleroo, Anne Prince, I was KIDDING about Holly Near. To me she is absolutely wretched (as is any other singer who's ever been on Olivia Records) in her smugness and self-selected role as a sociological artifact. I actually had a date once who dragged me to a Holly Near concert where she sang, among other outrages and with none too secure pitch control, an "inspirational" ballad about the brave North Vietnamese threshing wheat even as our B-52's out of Guam thundered from above. She is a horrid, deluded woman, and I can only suggest that the equally delusional Ronnie Gilbert and she deserve each other.

(But I did leaf through her autobiography and note the amazing list of both male and female lovers she's had, including Don Johnson; of late, apparently, Ms. Near has settled in with a man.)

My own taste in female singers is for women who seem to have accumulated some genuine life experience. Kathy Mattea and Patty Loveless and Rhonda Vincent and Shelby Lynn, say, over Amy Winehouse and Duffy. Even Moya Brennan over her sister Enya. As for Paul Simon, he just defines overly self-conscious wimphood; I love Carrie Fisher's story that when she was married to him, she found he'd torn the head off a Princess Leia doll in their apartment.

Honestly, the idea that any of you clucks thought I was not kidding when I brought up Holly Near is just appalling. Yes, and I voted Democrat in the last election, too, and laserdolt is actually a Druidic sage of local lore and global politics.

(But thank you, Iceman, I will pray God brings you good things as I attend the Tyler Ugolyn tourney this weekend up at Columbia, which the Lions will surely take on both the male and female sides.)

Now, Cathar... them're fighting words about Paul Simon! His Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints albums are some of my all-time favorites. I think it's difficult to impugn him as a songwriter. (That said, he is a very strange little man. But I love him.)

Have you checked out Patty Griffin? She's an old soul, a fine songwriter, and the kind of singer who can easily give you gooseflesh. Her first album "Living With Ghosts" (actually recorded as demos) is stellar, but her recent work has been lovely too.

Oh yeah--also Lori McKenna! Whew.

Oh, and also Lizz Wright.

I think it's very easy even to impugn Paul Simon as a songwriter, Katebirdrex. But then, unlike millions and millions of his fans, I actually had the misfortune to sit through both that act of filmed masturbation called "One-Trick Pony" and the dismal justification of street crime called "The Capeman" on Broadway.

If you're interested, by the way, the very fine Lori McKenna, who opened Tim McGraw-Faith Hill's most recent tour, is in fact playing in West Milford this Saturday night. Many of country's leading artists have recorded her songs.

haha... I saw OTP and loved it, but I'm hardcore. But even *I* did not go see the Capeman. I appreciate that the doo-wop thing has informed his other writing, but I can't get next to it.

(As an aside, I saw his "Under African Skies" retrospective at BAM, which was incredible--especially so since a good friend of mine was heavily featured alongside David Byrne and Vusi Mahlasela and other luminaries, which was SO COOL. But anyway, I was really struck by how Ladysmith Black Mambazo's music is closely related to the doo-wop thing. It suddenly all made sense to me how he knew that their singing would work with his songs on Graceland.)

Anyway. Yeah, I don't like the Capeman thing either.

Thanks for the heads-up re Lori McKenna in West Milford; I'll go look it up. I haven't heard her live yet and would love to. I'm glad pop stars are covering her stuff, but I'll take her over them hands-down. Her voice is haunting.

Cather - I figured as much, but I still stand by Holly and Ronnie.

KBR - agree also on Lizz Wright - she has one hell of a voice. I also agree that Graceland is a work of art. I also saw Under African Skies and loved it and agree about LBM fit as well.

Other fave females - Janis of course (Kozmic Blues was the fist LP that I ever bought when I was 13), Lucinda Williams, I really liked Amy Winehouse's cd that she won the grammy for (too bad she is wasting her talent), Peggy Lee (her version of Hot Coffee is the bomb), Billie Holiday, Blossom Dearie, Rosanne Cash, Susan Tedeschi to name a few.

Katebirdrex, given your musical tastes you might want to occasionally check out the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA. No more than an hour's ride, and the road into town goes right by a diner which always has something like 20+ varieties of pie.

Only 200 or so seats in a long, narrow venue that slopes radically down towards the stage, and a booking policy that includes everyone from Lori McKenna and Rhonda Vincent to Kenny Vance, Beausoleil and Terrance Simien to "Amish comedians" (I'd bet that just watching the audience pull up for this one is worth the ride out), whatever they are. The theater's web site is www.st94.com.

Of course you stand by "Holly and Ronnie," Anne Prince. You would. I know that. The dismaying thing is that you didn't realize I was kidding.

Two wonderful performances featuring Kathy Mattea with some great acoustic musicians, from BBC's "Transatlantic Sessions":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dey1rRQaMWM

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv4Wpychxh8

Cathar, that sounds great! I can't believe I haven't heard of it before, but I'll go look it up now.

Mmmmmmmm, pie!

PS: Amish comedians?

Classic! Barista posters bending over backwards to show their political/racial street creds: "Oh, I prefer Aretha..." or "poor Miriam Makeeba..." LOL.

Would you rather we mentioned Cesaria Evoria or Amalia Rodrigues, tribble? Or even Celia Cruz?

trib, I'm guessing you don't get out of Upper Montclair very often. Pity.

The passing of Yma Sumac recently was on my radar but I doubt that other posters here would care for Madame Sumac's out-of-this-world talents.

Celia Cruz passed in July...so sad.

Wow, StL! Checking her out now. Never heard of her, but she sounds like a trip and a half.

Sorry, to disappoint,KateBird. Regular Montclair for me.In fact, when someone asks me if the #66bus stops in UM, I say "I don't know; it stops in Montclair...where's Upper Montclair?"

"Celia Cruz passed in July...so sad."

huh? The cuban salsa singer? She died years ago.

yes, like 5 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celia_Cruz

i know roc.

suuuuuure....

I remember Yma Sumac from the Charlton Heston movie "Secret of the Incas" and a few others. She was always trilling against a pillar, bedecked with "ethnic-looking" jewelry to the point where it obscured her breastbone.

And having thus heard her, I know whereof Yoko Ono pilfered her own much worse attempts at singing.