[Ruggerio79]

any joni mitchell fans here? to me...she is terribly underrated for her genius..she should have been more famous and sold much more records...she had an amazing string of top notch albums...For The Roses, Blue, Court and Spark, Hejira are amazing albums...you could hear where contemporaries like alanis, sarah mclachlan, tori amos, sheryl crow and many more got their influence from...

 

[saint.panda]

Blue is a great album. The music is so naked and pure, the exact contrary of most of today's streamlined pop or songwriter music such as Katie Melua.

 

[Kees]

I'm a big fan. The albums I like most are:"The hissing of summer lawns" and "Don Juan's reckless daughter". I am fascinated every time I listen to those songs.

 

[markl]

Under-rated? I think most people rate her very highly, she's extremely respected and rightfully so. Among the best there ever was.

 

[Ruggerio79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl Under-rated? I think most people rate her very highly, she's extremely respected and rightfully so. Among the best there ever was.

what i meant is underrated by the general public...most youngsters have no idea who joni is...

 

[zumaro]

Well Mitchell has hardly been prolific with quality new material lately -or for that matter in the last 20 years. That may help explain her lack of recognition among younger listeners. Hejira was her last really top rate album and that was a very long time ago. But that being said the sequence from Ladies of the Canyon through to Hejira is a spectacularly good run of albums (Don Juan's Reckless Daughter and Mingus not being quite up there), and more than establishes her importance and fame. My favorite album is The Hissing of Summer Lawns, although I think Blue is the best of them. And Amelia from Hejira is one of my all time favorite songs by anyone.

 

[Jahn]

If the young'uns have no idea who Joni is...hooboy. During her heyday everyone knew who she was, and as recently as the mid 90's you could say the Lillith Fair wouldn't have existed without her influence. Uh oh - that was 10 years ago wasn't it? I guess you're right, a new generation of kids have no exposure to female singer-songwriters, that's a shame. Maybe KT Tunstall is all they have now. Which isn't bad, but there's definitely no longer a "movement" like there was in previous youth generations.

Blue is one of my faves, and definitely a masterpiece. I have no idea how to even tune my guitar to play one of her songs!

 

[jpelg]

Yes, truly sad if any generation is not at least peripherally aware of Joni Mitchell's works (and genius).

I recently picked up an SACD by Laura Nyro, a predecessor of Mitchell's, and am saddened for myself for not having heard of her before.

 

[Ruggerio79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zumaro Hejira was her last really top rate album and that was a very long time ago.

I disagree..Turbulent Indigo is a fantastic album...great songs and very well engineered...sounds awesome on a great set up....it even won best pop album at the grammys in 96

 

[markl]

I strongly urge anyone who enjoys Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro to also check out two other 70's singer-songwriters:

Judee Sill-- Heartfood. She only made two albums before drugs destroyed her, but they are doozies. A real cult artist, but awesomely talented.

Janis Ian-- Check out Between the Lines from '74 or '75. Download or listen to her only real hit: "At Seventeen". She stumbled a bit in the 80s (didn't they all), but she's been making consistently great albums again since the early 90s.

 

[humanflyz]

I second Markl's recommendation of Janis Ian. Between The Lines is a truly excellent album.

 

[agile_one]

Of the big three women from the '60's folk scene, Joni was far and away the most original and talented. She had it all - performing talent, original material, great guitar playing, 4 octave voice, jazz influenced styling, and the guts to use any of it.

The other two? Judy Collins and Joan Baez. Collins' best song was written by Joni ("Both Sides Now"), and Baez wasn't the total package Joni was. Joan B. had that magical, beautiful voice, but she was not the total, enduring artist that Joni was/is.

Play all three to a modern audience, and only Joni will endure. That's my take, at least, and I was there then, and still here now.

 

[zowie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl Under-rated? I think most people rate her very highly, she's extremely respected and rightfully so. Among the best there ever was.

Concur.

 

[Jahn]

Joan, Joan, and Joni? Triple Threat! I do think Joan Baez will go down in history as the only singer to really capture Dylan's songs so perfectly without any pompous cheese at all (sorry, Peter Paul and Mary fans!). Instrumentally, The Byrds of course to do right by Dylan!

 

[zowie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Joan, Joan, and Joni? Triple Threat! I do think Joan Baez will go down in history as the only singer to really capture Dylan's songs so perfectly without any pompous cheese at all (sorry, Peter Paul and Mary fans!). Instrumentally, The Byrds of course to do right by Dylan!

Judy Collins, not Joan Collins. LOL!