Search - Judy Collins :: Whales & Nightingales

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

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 04/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Eclectic.

Jeremy Nathan Marks | Worcester, MA | 01/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

This is my favorite album

Amy Thomson | Seattle, WA United States | 09/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"