Recently I've been listening to 'Colors of the Day' and 'Forever' by Judy Collins. Before I bought these cds the only Judy Collins I had was a vinyl copy of 'So Early in the Spring', another retrospective, and, buried away somewhere, the single of 'Both Sides Now' (which was my first exposure to Joni's writing.) But I have been enjoying these two compilations quite a lot. I don't think her voice is quite what it used to be but in her heyday it was gorgeous. Very clear and expressive. From what I get from her liner notes on 'Forever', she has tried to use her music as a way to send out healing to people during some of the turbulent times she has lived through. A lot of it is very soothing and beautiful.
So I'd like some suggestions as to which of her albums that are not 'greatest hits' or retrospectives I should get next. I put a bunch of them on my wish list at CDNow (although I'm a little miffed at them at the moment) and any suggestions from the group would be welcome. As to Dylan, I've listened to the three cds I bought a couple of times (well two of them anyway) and I have to say I am really liking 'Blonde on Blonde' and 'Blood on the Tracks'. The song 'If You See Her, Say Hello' really gets to me. But I'm wondering if part of the key to appreciating Dylan is getting the humor in a lot of his songs. Do people maybe tend to take him too seriously? A lot of his music seems to be on the playful side to me. Usually it has a bite to it but there's a lot of humor there. At least that's my overall impression. That may change as I become more familiar with these cds. Happy Sunday! Mark E in Seattle
