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The Joni Journey

Stunsworth said:
The first review isn’t promising, but at least with Amazon the return process is easy if yours sounds the same...

“Bought this classic Joni record to replace one bought in 1974 that crackles a bit. Shocked to discover the comparatively poor sound quality of the new one. Played side by side, the original shines. The new Rhino Records 'remaster' sounds like it was bootlegged through the wall. It has been returned for a refund”
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Court and Spark arrived today. It's an EU pressing but knocks the CD into a cocked hat. It's flat / quiet which is my usual experience of Rhino reissues tbh but has a hugely richer sound than the cd - a nice balanced sound, more depth, scale and character in the vocals. There are layers of sound and tone that are completely lost on the CD. I'd not appreciated quite what a beautiful record it is and am pretty much hearing it for the first time. Quality wise its at least as good as my 1974 Hissing of Summer Lawns.

I bought the CD in the sell off when Virgin closed. I'd only had a copy I'd taped of a school friend before then. I wonder if the CD was a knock off from Eastern Europe?? I've just compared the CD and vinyl and the CD is shockingly poor - overly bright and completely undynamic.

All in all £11.99 well spent.
 
Annoyingly many of the current Joni CDs (inc the ones in the box) were encoded with the now obsolete HDCD format, which technically gives another bit of resolution or something, I can’t remember, but the problem is they can sound glassy and bright on the vast majority of players that can’t fully decode them. I do have one HDCD compatible player here, the Cambridge BD752 Blu-Ray/multi-format player in the TV system, and they don’t sound bad on that one. I used to have a Naim CDX years ago and that could play them ok too.
 
Stunsworth said:
Just checked my Hejira. A2, B1. Not for sale I’m afraid.
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I don't usually take much interest in such things tbh but your post prompted me to check mine - Hejira is A1 B1 - Hissing of Summer Lawns is A1 B2, Mingus is A1 B1. Dona Juan has A4 hand etched on side 1 but B1's on sides 2, C3 and C4 on the second disk. Maybe not a matching pair?? I must have been very keen on Joni as a teenager!

Hejira's not a "nice 1st press" sadly. I wish I'd looked after it more carefully - it's been played a lot over the years (my copy is now 45 years old) and is getting a bit crackly. I've never had a record cleaner so maybe that would clear a bit of residual grime. I think the thick paper inner sleeve has a bit to answer for as well.
 
Stunsworth said:
Just checked my Hejira. A2, B1. Not for sale I’m afraid.
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That’s interesting - mine is A1/B1 (with insert sheet, I’ve just discovered.) Haven’t played it for years, and it looks lovely - but I seem to remember bad peak distortion on the words ‘shades’ and ‘snow’ on the title track. But then my CD did too on some systems, so maybe just input overload.
 
Same here. Nice A1 B1 copy of Hejira, same for Hissing of Summer Lawns, Shadows and Light, Mingus, Ladies of the Canyon and For The Roses. Court and Spark is A2 B2
 
Tony L said:
That makes sense. Every copy of Blue I’ve heard sounds like it has a little mic or desk clipping on the vocal at points to my ears, it just fuzzes/grits up a bit on the peaks, not helped by how raw and dry the voice is. I have a nice UK original (textured gatefold sleeve, A2/B2 matrix) and have always felt that about it, even suspected it may be a bit worn (looks mint), but hearing the Hoffman DCC CD dif little to change my view, let alone the ‘too bright’ HDCD one in the box. It just is what it is.

I dug For The Roses out last night as I tend to overlook it and go straight for Court, Hissing or the woefully underrated Don Juan’s. I’d forgotten how good it was and how good it sounds (UK A1/B1 1st press), it has a great presence and dynamic to it. Certainly a better sounding record and an interesting transition point between Blue and Court & Spark. She was definitely on a journey through the ‘70s. I don’t really understand the ‘80s ‘rock’ stuff that sounds like a massive backward step to my ears.

I want to find really nice 1st press copies of Hejira, Miles Of Isles and Shadows & Light. That can be a post-lockdown hunt. Those are the gaps to my mind. I’ve detailed my Blue & For The Roses above, Court & Spark and Mingus are also both A1/B1 UK 1st pressings, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter is a US 1st press (I think, it sounds great whatever it is!) Hissing the Nimbus Supercut, so I’ve got good stuff with a few gaps. I’ve also got the CD box, Turbulent Indigo, and the orchestral one which I forget the name of. Plus Herbie Hancock’s River. I’m mostly there! The live albums are the big gaps, I’ve not even heard them!
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Agree re 'For the Roses'. It is a vastly underrated album and at a pinch could be my favourite. I have an A1, B1 copy in Unipak style sleeve which sounds wonderful. Never really warmed to 'Blue' so my triology is 'Roses', 'Court' and 'Hissing'. I would keep these three even if the rest had to go!
 
I really love Blue but it is quite different from the other albums of the same era. Court & Spark is probably the best place to start.
 
I am going to put my tin hat on and confess that Hejira is probably my least favourite of the "great" Joni albums. I can appreciate the cleverness, but only "Refuge of the Roads" really moves me.
 
Listened to Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter yesterday, it is pretty good but not up to the standard of the key records I already have.
 
I like the Joni Mitchell albums that I own, but I've had to work at it. Court and Spark took me awhile to get into, though it eventually revealed its many charms to me, and I'm now acquainting myself with Hissing Of Summer Lawns. In her jazzy period it seems like vocal melodies took second place to everything else, so there's less to hang on to when you first tackle the material. Plus, her lyrics from this period can be clunky and deal with characters and situations most of us will not be familiar with.
Blue and Ladies Of The Canyon are more accessible for someone approaching her for the first time.
 
I think ‘Court & Spark’ is more accessible than ‘Blue’. ‘Don Juan’s reckless daughter’ took me a few listens but I really it now. Just a brilliant artist.
 
Tony L said:
Annoyingly many of the current Joni CDs (inc the ones in the box) were encoded with the now obsolete HDCD format, which technically gives another bit of resolution or something, I can’t remember, but the problem is they can sound glassy and bright on the vast majority of players that can’t fully decode them. I do have one HDCD compatible player here, the Cambridge BD752 Blu-Ray/multi-format player in the TV system, and they don’t sound bad on that one. I used to have a Naim CDX years ago and that could play them ok too.
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I have just purchased Audio Alchemy DDE 3 for HDCD duty!

HDCD Hejeira is on the way!
 
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