Wildflowers [50th Anniversary Summer of Love Exclusive] [LP]

Personnel: Judy Collins (vocals); Joshua Rifkin (conductor).
With her pure, silky voice and ornate, stately arrangements, Judy Collins appealed to the mainstream pop and folk audiences of the '60s. But there was a fair amount of subversion on her agenda. She did more than anyone to popularize the work of then-unknown songwriters like Leonard Cohen, giving their music access to masses they could never have otherwise reached. Paying homage to the darker side of her muse, Collins covers three Cohen songs here (including one Cohen never recorded), as well as Jaques Brel's "Song Of Old Lovers." This album helped establish her as a major figure in the '60s folk scene.