AMG Review of So Early in the Spring...The First 15 Years

Bruce Eder
All Music Guide

This two-LP, 23-song set was the second Judy Collins compilation in five years and the third in under a decade. However, in contrast to the folk-oriented Recollections or Colors of the Day's focus on her best-known popular tracks from the late '60s, this was a more comprehensive retrospective covering all phases of her career. Unfortunately, it came out at a point when Collins' career momentum was slowing, and a little too long after her unexpected chart hit "Send in the Clowns." In addition, all of Collins' albums were still in print at the time, and there was nothing here that wasn't on those LPs. This collection could be of little interest to anyone but hardcore fans -- and they were the people who needed it least. Fans of her post-folk era didn't need the summary of the early period, and fans of the folk period didn't want the pop/rock material. However, as a career overview it was the only place to go, and as of the year 2000 So Early in the Spring... is still available as a cassette. It can be considered superior in aspects of its programming to Forever: An Anthology -- indeed, there has never been a definitive anthology of Collins' work. Maybe they should let Lenny Kaye try his hand at that, since he's been so good at repackaging so many Elektra releases.