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The Joni Journey

W

Woodface

pfm Member
Well, after confessing my ignorance of Joni Mitchell & despite certain misgivings, I now consider myself ‘a fan’.

So far I have the following:

Blue
Court & Spark
Hejira
Hissing of Summer Lawns
Ladies of the Canyon

Ladies is probably my least favourite but I still like it despite no caring about a big yellow taxi. So, where next?
 
Based on Blue being liked - Night Ride Home, Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm, broadly similar vein to Blue. Check them out in the usual place before investing.
 
I’d finish the Reprise/Asylum era for sure. I’m more into the jazzy era, i.e. from Court And Spark onwards, so my first two would be Don Juan’s Restless Daughter and Mingus, but basically just get them all! Things went a bit off in the ‘80s to my ears, but with a recovery later.
 
Lots of people hate Mingus...................................

Listen free first whatever you think of investigating.
 
Ladies and Song to a Seagull are the ones I listen to most. I like For the Roses too. Blue doesn't do it for me. I used to love Court and Spark but find it too jolly!

I really dislike Shadows and Light.
 
I struggle to pick a favourite from what I have, just listened to ‘Court & Spark’ which is next level in many ways.

Will check out the suggestions above. The sheer breadth of her talent is quite extraordinary.
 
Woodface said:
The sheer breadth of her talent is quite extraordinary.
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Joni is a master musician and a master storyteller. Genuinely next level stuff. Her catalogue is astonishing yet somehow she is so often overlooked when people list the best artists etc.


I’ve posted this before on another thread, but it is well worth reposting. Rick is clearly a massive fan, as everyone should be, and it is fascinating to see someone with his grasp of the mechanics of music explain what she is actually doing.
 
Buy it all. She’s a master musician and poet at work. Joni’s less good stuff is better than most others best work. Oh, and Mingus is great too.
 
Tony L said:
Joni is a master musician and a master storyteller. Genuinely next level stuff. Her catalogue is astonishing yet somehow she is so often overlooked when people list the best artists etc.


I’ve posted this before on another thread, but it is well worth reposting. Rick is clearly a massive fan, as everyone should be, and it is fascinating to see someone with his grasp of the mechanics of music explain what she is actually doing.
Click to expand...
It’s basically because she is a women; for whatever reason they are less likely to be seen as great musicians. She is so much better than Dylan as to be embarrassing but yet he gets overpraised & even gets literary awards. A joke. I can’t stand Dylan anyway so I am biased etc...
 
Joni is a genius whose lyrics from an early age are very perceptive and whose many guitar tunings are legendary. Apparently she used to have somebody who had to remember which tuning she used for each song.

I like all her music but I know not everybody finds her voice agreeable..

You might like to try Mingus next, has Jaco on it, also Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.
 
Robn said:
Joni is a genius whose lyrics from an early age are very perceptive and whose many guitar tunings are legendary. Apparently she used to have somebody who had to remember which tuning she used for each song.

I like all her music but I know not everybody finds her voice agreeable..

You might like to try Mingus next, has Jaco on it, also Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.
Click to expand...
Her voice can trill at times but I’ve got past that now.
 
Woodface said:
Well, after confessing my ignorance of Joni Mitchell & despite certain misgivings, I now consider myself ‘a fan’.

So far I have the following:

Blue
Court & Spark
Hejira
Hissing of Summer Lawns
Ladies of the Canyon

Ladies is probably my least favourite but I still like it despite no caring about a big yellow taxi. So, where next?
Click to expand...

To be brutally honest (and speaking as someone who thinks Hejira is probably the best album ever) I think you’ve got the essential ones. By her own account things got a bit (let’s say) snowy for Don Juan - this was her going-to-parties-in-blackface era - and apart from the title track and Otis and Marlena I think it’s pretty unmemorable. I never really warmed to Mingus either. After that I’ve only got Dog Eat Dog (don’t bother.)

PS I wonder how many people David Crosby actually remembers working with?
PPS I agree with Musicman below about For the Roses. I’d forgotten that one.
 
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You really must try 'For the Roses'. It's a bit of a forgotten album in her catalogue but I rate it highly. Avoid her 80s stuff.
 
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I’d highly recommend Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters too. This sort of all-star affair is usually a total disaster IME, but I really like this one. It moves her songs into an acoustic jazz setting and the various vocalists, including Joni herself, do a great job. It is a stunning recording too, if it doesn’t sound amazing your system is broken!
 
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I really like “Travelogue”, her 2002 album of orchestral self-covers. It frees some of those 80s songs from the shackles of their original productions. Seems to be out of print currently though, so perhaps one to stream.
 
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