Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Reasons I Don't Always Miss the Sixties (An Occasional Feature): Special "Get Out Out of My Face Flaky Canadian Lady " Edition

From 1968 and her debut album Song for a Seagull, please enjoy everybody's sometimes favorite charmingly pretentious Southern California singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell and her nonetheless quite genuinely gorgeous "Marcie."

I bring this up for two reasons.

Number 1, apparently Joni made some kind of triumphant comeback at the Newport Folk Festival over the last weekend, and god bless her, obviously.

And number 2, recording-wise, she completely lost me after Blue, which is an inarguable freaking masterpiece of its sort of thing.

The rest of her ouevre not so much.

With the exception of her confessional autobiographical Laurel Canyon double LP Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, of course.

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10 comments:

  1. Anonymous7/27/2022 9:49 AM

    It’s whether one is also a jazz musician and folk/folk rock person. To me, he Mingus is more than brilliant. Mastered by Bernie Grundman, she releases Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine (d), Don Alias (percussion), Herbie Hancock, and Jaco Pastorius to perform at their creative best. Steve Katz was in the booth for an unsurpassed recording; it has warmth, balance, and dynamics worthy of these people, each peaking in his career. There is humor and lightness sprinkled throughout, but much more. And Joni’s voice floats above and dives deep-she’s evolved in her craft to draw you into her dream come true. Altogether, if you dwell in the jazz world, it is simply beautiful.

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  2. Anonymous7/27/2022 9:57 AM

    ps: thanks for Marcie; it is sublime

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  3. Cleveland Jeff7/27/2022 10:50 AM

    Wow, to dismiss Joni Mitchell after Blue seems terribly shallow. I get that the work is challenging and somewhat inconsistent, but there is some amazing stuff that you missed out on.

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  4. paulinca7/27/2022 10:52 AM

    Wow; you didn't appreciate, if anything, "For the Roses" and "Court and Spark"?!?!?!?!?!?

    paulinca

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  5. daudder7/27/2022 11:30 AM

    wow. hot take indeed. completely wrong, IMO, but since I love reading ALL your takes, a bad one here and there is excusable.

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  6. Sal Nunziato7/27/2022 11:40 AM

    I don't even hate "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter."

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  7. pete7/27/2022 3:39 PM

    I love ya, Steve, but if you really want pretentious hipper-than-thou solipsism you should go straight to the fountainhead - Jackson Browne.

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  8. Allan Rosenberg7/27/2022 3:48 PM

    Yes, but what does Rex Reed have to say about this controversy?

    Doctored Captain Al

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  9. dorethyroad@aol.com7/28/2022 10:51 AM

    "WOW" i (not to be redundant in that word ) Joni's follow up albums needed you to take a harder listen.
    Much like Mile's
    future albums
    Birches Brew you had to listen to it
    with new ears.
    Easier transitions were Fleetwood
    Mac at that time - but hey -
    Like Picasso moving from his "Blue" period you can't make everyone happy
    rob

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  10. dorethyroad@aol.com7/28/2022 11:43 AM

    Anonymous- why be hidden by a
    "Nom de guerre" Loo
    The Joni post was insightful.
    Don't be shy about about who you are.
    Looking forward to future posts.
    rob

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