Judy Collins 3 – JUDY COLLINS****

Anathea/Bullgine Run/Farewell/Hey Nelly Nelly/Ten O’clock & All Is Well/The Dove/Masters Of War/In The Hills Of Shiloh/The Bells Of Rhymney/Deportee/Settle Down/Come Away Melinda/Turn Turn Turn

American folk singer Judy Collins' first limited taste of album chart success came with her third LP. It is of course the case that contemporary chart placing is not always an accurate guide of total sales. (US:126)

"Judy Collins' #3 album was one of my favourite records growing up. I hadn't heard it for a long time and had eagerly awaited its re-release, at the same being a bit nervous in case it didn't live up to my rose-coloured memories. I needn't have worried. Although Collins would go on to a long and distinguished career of notable musical eclecticism, in some ways she never surpassed her performances here, particularly in sheer vocal freshness and beauty."

"Already she is aiming for a higher, lighter sound than on her first two albums and the results are available again for all to hear - the arching vocalise at the beginning and end of Anathea must be as gorgeous a thing as she's ever sung. Indeed, the sheer magnetism of her sound leavens what on the whole is a pretty intense and serious program, with grim, in-your-face anti-war tracts."

"Collins has a powerful voice in these early songs and has never sounded better."

"The songs not only showcase the many colours of Judy's voice but also her guitar playing which is always great to listen to."

"This is Judy Collins at her finest. With her clear and true voice, she is able to express all the emotion the selected songs deserve. Did I know most of the songs on this LP? No. Still with one playing, the album became one of my favourites. These songs, sung so beautifully, bring to mind the real focus of many songs during the heyday of the folk song era - an effort to bring the causes of social injustice to those who are listening."

"This album catches Judy as a rousing folkie, interpreting for all she's worth on some great traditional stuff and belting out material from the likes of Dylan and Paxton. She is almost inventing folk-rock with Anathea and Bullgine Run for starters, followed by a protest song Hey Nelly Nelly to bring shivers down the spine."