Court & Spark or Hissing Of Summer Lawns


[Edited 3/26/08 9:37am]

Once you get acquainted with her, i'd recommen Chalk Mark In A Rainstorm & Night Ride Home. be aware these aren't popular choices with hardcore fans, but i like them lots.

I'd say dive head first
into The Hissing of Summer Lawns
and from there Hejira
and then Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
and theeeeen
start from the beginning & hear what
you've missed...

I have yet to hear Blue in full
or Court & Spark
but I read all the time
how great they are...

right now though
The Hissing... & Don Juan's...
have me spoiled rotten

::leave thread singing
"dont interrupt the sorrow..
darn right..."::

Court and Spark

magnificentsynthesizer said:

Co-Sign!

Scrapluv said:

Also. Good, logical progression of her style. Court n Spark is Blue with jezz-bells and Hissing is something else.

Scrapluv said:

Yup those are the next most essential.

Court & Spark. You might be disappointed with the albums after that. Joni changed her style so much that what you love in Blue you may not find so much of in later albums.

midnightmover said:

and see I think it's
the very opposite with me

I dug The Hissing & Don Juan's so much
it's harder for me to get into
the lighter stuff like Ladies Of The Canyon
I'm spoiled

magnificentsynthesizer said:

i actually like those too but this person is just getting started!

I'd recommend Miles of Aisles which is her double live album from 1974. She plays 5 songs from Blue as well as a sampling from her earlier albums, kinda like a greatest hits live and she performs beautifully. It's on a single cd so it's good value. You could get Court and Spark as well, even though the live album is from the Court and Spark tour she only plays Peoples Parties (awesome song!) from that record.

Cinnie said:

Exactly. There are people here who are trying to lead this young man astray.

peppeken, it's decided. Court & Spark is your next port of call.

I read somewhere that her live ablum Miles Of Aisles didn't have a single track from Court And Spark on it... like she didn't want to overkill it, but that album is great. probably my second favorite after Hissing

I love Miles of Aisles too.

For the BEST in jazzy Joni, pick up 'Hejira' and 'Don Juan's Reckless Daughter'. 'Turbulent Indigo'is a LOVELY later album (it won the album of the year grammy), and'Hissing of Summer Lawn' is full of SUPERB songs (I think Prince once said that it was the last album he loved all the way through'.

Hissing Of Summer Lawns - and check out the lyrics

thanks to u all...so excited to have discovered this artist....thanks to here....have just ordered 'Court and Spark'

peppeken said:

Really the best choice as follow up of Blue. It mixes her later [more outgoing] jazz influences with the folk she became famous with. It's a transgression album.

But hey, you know what I often do, besides asking Orgers for help? When I discover a new artist, I check http://www.allmusic.com/

Their biographies and discographies are often very detailed, esp on famous artists like Joni Mitchell.

Look; The first page of Joni's profile on there; it has tabs to her discography, a pick of covers of what the side considers her best albums (see Blue and Hissing on there?)
Also (not pictured) a list with similar artists, of people they were influenced by, who were influenced by her music etc,



So if you clicked discography, you get a list of her official albums; listed per year of release and all.



Then click Court And Spark and you get an album review and a tracklisting.



Amazing site.

BRILLIANT ! thanks so much

HamsterHuey said:

That's so nice of you to point out. I totally used allmusic to help me navigate Joni's discography.

Cinnie said:

I use it when I go completist on an artist; check if i got all the albums covered, if there are any cool EP's.

And to make my folders look like this, pic-wise;

i still have to give Dog Eat Dog a listen, even if the critics dogged it. Thomas Dolby produced it so it can't be that bad.

magnificentsynthesizer said:

I just found out yesterday
(or the day before)
Thomas Dolby made this
song I like from the 80's
(the one Havoc sampled
for Mobb Deep's "Got It Twisted")

so I will DEFINITELY
be checking Dog Eat Dog out
I see it on vinyl ALL the time
when I'm digging...
I'm trying to start towards
the beginning of her catalog
and work my way up to now...
that's what I haven't picked it up yet

and the critics dissed
The Hissing... too
if I'm not mistaken
Rolling Stones magazine
to be exact

"all the critics love u in new york"
is one of my motto's...
[Edited 3/27/08 10:41am]

DirtyChris said:

JSYK, he also produced some stuff for Whodini back in the 80's. i know Magic Wand was one of the tracks on the album, i think he even played keys on it.

Court and Spark's the best choice, but get For the Roses next!

magnificentsynthesizer said:

thanx I will check that out
not too familiar with Whodini
(outside of "Freaks Come Out At Night"
and "Wild Wild West")
so this is the perfect opportunity

I don't know why more folks don't rate For The Roses. I think it's every bit as strong as Blue and a necessary transition before jumping into her later more pop and jazz oriented work. It's worth it for "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire" alone.

GangstaFam said:

I hear what you're saying but I agree it is a "transition" album and I don't think you would recommend that to someone who needs the equivalent of Purple Rain and Parade to get started.

(Sign O The Times is Hissing in my metaphor there, so I guess that makes For The Roses ATWIAD).

GangstaFam said:

that's one of Chaka Khan's favorite songs