To the extent that
Judy Collins' 23-year tenure at Elektra Records (1961-1984) could be summarized successfully on a ten-track budget compilation such as this, the selections would have to combine her relatively infrequent hit singles with album tracks that became a part of her permanent repertoire and were associated with her. Her Top Ten cover of
Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" (which helped make
Mitchell a star) is an obvious inclusion, as is her Top 20 version of
Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns" from the Broadway musical A Little Night Music (which made it the most popular composition of
Sondheim's career and a Grammy Song of the Year). But equally necessary is
Collins' cover of
Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne," which appeared on her
In My Life album in 1966, paving the way for
Cohen's emergence as a singer/songwriter with
Songs of Leonard Cohen a year later. Beyond such required choices, fans might quibble. If, for instance, there was room for only one of
Collins' own compositions, why "Albatross" instead of, say, "My Father" or "Since You Asked"? And given the longevity of
Collins' cover of
Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning," didn't it deserve to make the cut? But there is one missing track that is more than a quibble. Collections like this always seem to leave out one major hit. It is such a common flaw that it can only be deliberate. You have to figure there's a memo at every record label that says, don't put all the hits on a really cheap compilation, or people will have no reason to buy a more expensive hits album. In this case, that missing track is "Amazing Grace,"
Collins' other Top 20 hit. It must have been left off on purpose.
–
William Ruhlmann, Rovi