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CLASSIC ALBUMS OF FORGOTTEN BANDS: PART 5

International © Women’s
Day was recognized last
week, making me _ realize
that my column has fo-

by JOEL HAGEN

 

cussed only on male record-
ing artists. | have decided to
repair this oversight by re-
viewing first, Joni Mitchell,
and next week, Joan Arma-
trading...

COURT AND SPARK
JONI MITCHELL

With Court and Spark,
released in 1974, Joni Mit-
chell reached the artistic
and commercial pinnacle of
her career. A superble craft-
ed album, Court and Spark
was embraced by both the
critics and the-public.

More than anything,
Court and Spark is a work
of art. Even the album
jacket is well designed,
with a unique cover featur-
ing a water-colour print by
Mitchell, and a windblown
black and white photo of her
on the inner sleeve.

Of utmost importance,
however, is what lies in
those vinyl grooves. Joni
Mitchell used some of the
best session men in America
-Max Bennett, Tom Scott,
Larry Carlton, Joe Sample
- to make her music come
alive. This musical plus,
combined with Miéitchell’s
songwriting ability made
Court and Spark enormously
successful, and it yielded
three top-ten singles:Help
Me, Free Man in Paris, and
Raised on Robbery.

Help Me is Mitchell’s
best effort. It describes,
with suitably giddy lyrics,
the strange sensation of
falling in love. She captures
the extraordinary feeling of
drunken passion that accom-
panies the early stages of a
relationship: ‘‘Help me/I
think I’m falling in love
again/When | get that crazy
feeling/| know I’m in trou-
ble again.’

Mitchell’s ability to deal
with situations, as well as
humans, is admirable, and
Peoples Parties is a perfect
example. Unlike most song-
writers, Mitchell is willing
to reveal how she feels in
uncomfortable: predica-
ments, in this case, a party.
Her lyrics are precise, and-|
feel as though she is putting
words in my mouth: ‘I’m
just living .on words and
feelings/With a weak and
lazy mind/And coming to
peoples __parties/Fumbling
.deaf, dumb and blind.’’

Court and Spark also

THE OTHER PRESS

Mitchell’s Sparklin g

Friday, March 16, 1984.

Effort

 

 

 

 

 

marks a musical milestone
for Joni Mitchell, as lyrics
alone do not make a pop
masterpiece. She incorpor-
ates jazz rhythms, ° blues,
California folk, and good old
rock ’n roll into her mater-

al, giving Court and Spark
plenty of variety. Some of
the songs, most notably Car
on a Hill and Down to you,
are so powerful that even
without words, they’d be
great.

Court and Spark is simply
head and shoulders above
the quagmire of pulpy A.M.
romance. Through her per-
ceptive insight into modern
personal relationships, Mit-
chell see about real peo-

ple, and her music comple-
ments perfectly what she
has to say. | ask you to put
aside any biases you might
have against ‘‘lotus land’’,
and mellow out with Court

and ales

Annual General Meeting

Ba room 2201 12:00 March29 ig