Song For David/Sons Of/The Patriot Game/Prothalamium/Oh Had I A Golden Thread/Gene's Song/Farewell To Tarwathie/Time Passes Slowly/Marieke/Nightingale I/Nightingale II/Simple Gifts/Amazing Grace
Whales & Nightingales was the commercial breakthrough album for American folk singer Judy Collins in Britain, helped by her version of the traditional Christian hymn Amazing Grace which became an unlikely UK top five hit. (US:17 UK:16)
“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 favourite from these absolutely terrific songs.”
“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 will please the most discriminating of well-trained folk ears, and is one I am sure you will come to treasure as much as I do.”
“It's a more idiosyncratic collection than her earlier albums, heightened by varied recording locations that each provides a unique sonic ambiance. The result isn't always cohesive from song to song, but Collins voice is so singularly beautiful, and her talent for interpretation so strong, that the individual pieces merit listening.”
“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. The glorious soprano voice is always there and the quality of her albums always comes down to the songs.”
“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 humpback whales which accompany her acapella performance. I don't think there is another moment in modern music quite like this recording, it is too beautiful for my paltry words.”
“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 eclectic 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.”
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