Joni Mitchell

rlw

I was given the new box set 'The Asylum Years 1972 - 1975'  for Christmas and I have to say the leap in quality from the orginal and reissue CDs is remarkable.  The vocals are a little further forward and all the mud is gone to be replaced by great clarity.

There's a fuck up where one track is repeated on Court and Spark but that's not the end of the world.

Even the vinyl is supposed to be better but is probably v expensive.

  Totally well worth the money for the CD set.

Funkfingers

rlw said:

There's a fuck up where one track is repeated on Court and Spark but that's not the end of the world.

It would be if one of the other songs has been omitted. 

Joni is great. Rock guitarists tend to overlook her because she is usually photographed at the piano or with an acoustic guitar. Their loss.

thecolourbox

I can't always express quite what I mean when I say stuff like this so bear with me. But I always find Joni is one of those artists who is human music - kind of transcends genre and instrumentation almost, like how a visual artist could use paint, pencils or crayons and still create their art like only they could.

On a lighter hearted note, I'm disappointed that the 5th Jan marks the point at which I have to stop campaigning for another year for River to be recognised as the most brilliant Christmas song.

Thanks for the recommendation on the CD boxset.

sweepy

I’d check out the live double album, Shadows and Light if you are a Joni fan 

rlw

sweepy said:

I’d check out the live double album, Shadows and Light if you are a Joni fan 

The Miles of Aisles in the set is superb too.

rlw

thecolourbox said:

I can't always express quite what I mean when I say stuff like this so bear with me. But I always find Joni is one of those artists who is human music - kind of transcends genre and instrumentation almost, like how a visual artist could use paint, pencils or crayons and still create their art like only they could.

On a lighter hearted note, I'm disappointed that the 5th Jan marks the point at which I have to stop campaigning for another year for River to be recognised as the most brilliant Christmas song.

Thanks for the recommendation on the CD boxset.

Why not start a petition?

axisus

rlw said:

There's a fuck up where one track is repeated on Court and Spark but that's not the end of the world.

Honestly, that is pathetic. No quality control and a totally lazy arsed approach. It's not exactly difficult for someone to DO THEIR JOB and make sure this doesn't happen.

Rant over ...

Joni Mitchell. I know nothing of her music at all, except that parking lot song which is cool. She is someone that I have always thought I should try and get into, particularly the Jaco stuff. Maybe I'll give some of her music a spin on Youtube at work today.

richardhomer

The 1983 Wembley show is on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/mjFRO2Ldb6k

About as good as it gets, for me…

rlw

I saw her at the RFH in 1970 and 1972, supported by a very young Jackson Browne the second time, and again at the RAH a few years later.  Sadly, I missed the later concerts altogether.

She is up there with Cole Porter, Burt Bacarach, Bob Dylan and the Beatles in terms of her songwriting and how she changed the course of music forever.

tweedphan

thecolourbox said:

I can't always express quite what I mean when I say stuff like this so bear with me. But I always find Joni is one of those artists who is human music - kind of transcends genre and instrumentation almost, like how a visual artist could use paint, pencils or crayons and still create their art like only they could.

On a lighter hearted note, I'm disappointed that the 5th Jan marks the point at which I have to stop campaigning for another year for River to be recognised as the most brilliant Christmas song.

Thanks for the recommendation on the CD boxset.

Totally agree re. the River song - one of the best Christmas songs ever. 

axisus

OK, so I played a couple of albums this morning. Not really my thing, I find her voice to high a register for me. Amazing artist, just not to my tastes. Actually I rarely get in to women singers.

english_bob

axisus said:

OK, so I played a couple of albums this morning. Not really my thing, I find her voice to high a register for me. Amazing artist, just not to my tastes. Actually I rarely get in to women singers.

Which couple of albums? You can get a completely different impression of who Joni Mitchell is from any two of her albums, and they'd all be wrong- or at least incomplete. 

That said, if you don't generally like female artists and you don't like her voice it might not be worth going any further. 

FWIW if anyone else is wondering, IMO Blue is probably the most accessible of her albums (at least the ones I've heard). If that doesn't do anything for you, move on.

rlw

english_bob said:

axisus said:

OK, so I played a couple of albums this morning. Not really my thing, I find her voice to high a register for me. Amazing artist, just not to my tastes. Actually I rarely get in to women singers.

Which couple of albums? You can get a completely different impression of who Joni Mitchell is from any two of her albums, and they'd all be wrong- or at least incomplete. 

That said, if you don't generally like female artists and you don't like her voice it might not be worth going any further. 

FWIW if anyone else is wondering, IMO Blue is probably the most accessible of her albums (at least the ones I've heard). If that doesn't do anything for you, move on.

Funnily enough, much as I love Blue - which is an awful lot - I would have said Court & Spark, with For the Roses and Hejira very close, was the most accessible.  More guitar on it....

C&S would be my desert island disc.

Brize

Court and Spark is just a brilliant album - I never tire of it. I would buy this boxset but for the error - hopefully Rhino will correct it and re-release the set.

axisus

english_bob said:

axisus said:

OK, so I played a couple of albums this morning. Not really my thing, I find her voice to high a register for me. Amazing artist, just not to my tastes. Actually I rarely get in to women singers.

Which couple of albums? You can get a completely different impression of who Joni Mitchell is from any two of her albums, and they'd all be wrong- or at least incomplete. 

That said, if you don't generally like female artists and you don't like her voice it might not be worth going any further. 

FWIW if anyone else is wondering, IMO Blue is probably the most accessible of her albums (at least the ones I've heard). If that doesn't do anything for you, move on.

I listened to Blue, and an album with a painting of her face on the cover. I could tell they were good, but it's just not a voice that I'm into personally. We can't all like everything!

rlw

Brize said:

Court and Spark is just a brilliant album - I never tire of it. I would buy this boxset but for the error - hopefully Rhino will correct it and re-release the set.

Have to say I'm not holding my breath.....

Stuckfast

I have the same problem with Joni Mitchell that I do with John Martyn. I can hear that there's an amazing vibe to the music but the songs themselves are unsatisfying. They just meander around without really going anywhere.

rlw

Stuckfast said:

I have the same problem with Joni Mitchell that I do with John Martyn. I can hear that there's an amazing vibe to the music but the songs themselves are unsatisfying. They just meander around without really going anywhere.

Good grief.  What have you been listening to?  Virtually every song is a story or statement about something.

english_bob

axisus said:

I listened to Blue, and an album with a painting of her face on the cover. I could tell they were good, but it's just not a voice that I'm into personally. We can't all like everything!

There's a *lot* of Joni Mitchell albums with a painting of her face on the cover. "Clouds" maybe, with Joni holding a red flower?

Either way, I think if you're generally disposed to not like female artists there's very little chance of coming around to Joni Mitchell- she seems to be a significant influence on lots of other female artists. 

rlw said:

Funnily enough, much as I love Blue - which is an awful lot - I would have said Court & Spark, with For the Roses and Hejira very close, was the most accessible.  More guitar on it....

C&S would be my desert island disc.

In fairness, there's not a lot of stuff stuff from her 60s-70s period (I don't really know her later stuff) that's inaccessible, although it definitely gets more difficult towards the latter end.

rlw said:

Stuckfast said:

I have the same problem with Joni Mitchell that I do with John Martyn. I can hear that there's an amazing vibe to the music but the songs themselves are unsatisfying. They just meander around without really going anywhere.

Good grief.  What have you been listening to?  Virtually every song is a story or statement about something.

If it's not obviously about something else it's probably about being in love with the wrong guy.

relic245

axisus said:

I know nothing of her music at all, except that parking lot song which is cool. 

You know it's a good song when Bob Dylan covers it.

richardhomer

Stuckfast said:

I have the same problem with Joni Mitchell that I do with John Martyn. I can hear that there's an amazing vibe to the music but the songs themselves are unsatisfying. They just meander around without really going anywhere.

I think there are strong comparisons between the two. Started off as acoustic/‘folk’ artists and went on to explore many, many other styles, including jazz and electronica, yet somehow retaining their individuality.

John Martyn is probably my favourite musician, so I guess we don’t hear the same things when we listen to him…