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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 16. 12th July 1973

True Stones and Other Dreams:

True Stones and Other Dreams:

Judy Collins has built a career on introducing other people's music to an wider audience. And that's not something to be sneezed at. Between them, Collins and her male counterpart, Tom Rush, have been responsible for bringing attention to the names of Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Sandy Denny, Tom Paxton, Jackson Browne and Jesse Winchester, to name a few. Paxton has also said that her "In My Life" LP had tremendous significance for the new group of singer/song-writers. "Judy showed that we could use orchestration, escape from that acoustic backing without selling out."

But an interpreter needs to be aware of her own limitations as well as being sensitive to the aims of a composer, the best of Judy Collins is on "Cook With Honey", the first track so simple, pure and lovely, the same directions of approach that made her version of "Suzanne" so stunning. But the rest cruelly shows what Collins can't do, and yet she persists in trying. She wants to be a great dramatic singer, and abortions like "Pirate Johnny" on "In My Life" and "Che" on this album show that she just can't cut it. They're just plain embarrassing. And Judy digs string quartets. Digs putting them on song where they're completely inappropriate. Like on Dylan's "Tom Thumb Blues". How could anyone back those slashing opening lines about being lost in the rain in Juarez "When your gravity fails and negativity can't pull you through" with violins and cellos muttering and flittering away in the background? Dramatic tension? Nah, and she does it again here with "Secret Gardens", which underneath all the pretentious frippery, sounds like an o.k. song. She's also writing songs now, and has one beauty to her credit in "Albatross". But these four don't make it, especially one autobiographical wallow called "Song for Martin". And lastly, she hasn't got the eye for new material she once had. "Cook with Honey" is fine, but "The Dealer" is a clumsy bit of preaching that some people get good hands, some get bad, and you better not hassle the dealer, who's got all the cards, and just in case you miss the ah relevance, the song says "you know, life's a lot like that." Gee.

So one strike and four fouls against Judy Collins on this LP. That entitles you to a walk. So go listen to Little Feat.

Drawing of a brain, a hand and a dog