From: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2009 #1 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-joni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Unsubscribe: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe Website: http://jonimitchell.com JMDL Digest Friday, January 2 2009 Volume 2009 : Number 001 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: New Joni book coming in April ["Randy Remote" ] re: new joni book coming in april ["joe farrell" ] Fwd: New Joni book coming in April [rosemjoy@aol.com] Songs I can't listen to anymore [Eileen ] Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC [Em ] RE: WTRF Unplugged [richard2sf@gmail.com] Re: songs / singers i can no longer listen to njc ["Jim L'Hommedieu" ] Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC [Bob Muller ] Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC [Vince ] Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC [Catherine McKay ] songs / singers i can no longer listen to njc [Rian Afriadi ] Still I sent up my prayer njc ["Kate Bennett" ] njc happy new year [Marianne Rizzo ] New Joni book coming in April [Marianne Rizzo ] Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC ["Cassy" ] 2009 greetings - and wildest hopes NJC [Lucy Hone Subject: Re: New Joni book coming in April Sounds intriguing! From: "Les Irvin" > Just got more info on the new book on Joni entitled Will You Take Me As I > Am, to be released April 7, 2009. > This utterly original book - the first one about Joni Mitchell written > with > her participation - offers a unique portrait of a great musician and her > remarkable work, as well as new perspectives on the art of songwriting > itself. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 11:01:16 +0000 From: "joe farrell" Subject: re: new joni book coming in april thanks for the info on this forthcoming new book Les. very interested to note it was done with Joni's participation. really looking forward to reading it. regards, Joe. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 07:48:23 -0800 (PST) From: Bob Muller Subject: My Top 2008 tunes NJC I'm late in getting this out, but between travelling and working through a little virus I just haven't been able to. Anyway... 2008 was another GREAT year for new music - once again, the challenge was trying to keep up and finding time to listen to it all. As is usually the case, there were some new artists, some followups from favorites, and even some old-timers still going strong and in some cases coming back for their best work in a long time. Of course, and unfortunately, no Joni on the list but hey we can be optimistic that 2009 will change that. Here are my top 10 2008 releases: 10. Mark Kozelek/Sun Kil Moon - The Finally LP/April: Wow, what a year for Mark Kozolek Fans; these two releases (plus the bonus disc included with April represented about 3 hours of new music from him, all of which is true to his dark and brooding style. 9. The Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark: Saw these guys a couple times in 2008 (and another show coming up this month) and they always deliver. I definitely miss Jason Isbell but between Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley they still have two great sorces for songs and vocals. A little editing would have helped with this one - 17 songs and some filler. And the Shona Tucker stuff just doesn't work, hopefully they'll realize this with their next one. Favorite track: "That Man I Shot", a powerful song about the real fallout of Iraqi combat. 8. Todd Rundgren - Arena: This one sure came out of left field...given Todd's inconsistencies and the fact that his 2004 release "Liars" was my #1 of that year, I was fully expecting to be let down. Suffice to say I was not, and at the same time this album goes in a whole other direction - where Liars was techno/electronic, this one is all guitars and 70's power chords. Combined with his voice, it's irresistable for me. Favorite track: "Courage", which I like as well as anything he's ever done and that's saying something given his body of work. 7. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs: A nice return to form for Death Cab - I enjoyed "Plans" but felt like the band had sacrificed some of their edginess and angular composition to appeal to a major-label audience. With this one they return to their more jagged and unpredictable way of doing business. Favorite Track: "Cath" 6. Joe Jackson - Rain: Talk about your pleasant surprises...I can't recall why I even picked this one up as I'm a big JJ fan but have not cared for his more recent work. Liked this one right out of the chute; he and his trio are consistently in synch and his songs are a nice variety of his early days ("Good Bad Boys", "Invisible Man"), His 80's style ("A Place In The Rain") and even a tribute to Ramsey Lewis ("The Uptown Train"). A pleasure from start to finish with no filler. 5. Kaki King - Dreaming Of Revenge: While I've enjoyed her earlier albums, this one has stayed on the player since it came out, mostly because she does some vocalizing for the first time which gives her album the variety of sonics that the others lacked. Her guitar work is always stellar and unique. One of my favorite lines of the year - "life being what it is, we all dream of revenge." 4. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash: An incredible original and fresh sounding throwback to the days of 70's classic rock, very loose production and a garage-band feel. Another one that I consistently came back to. Favorite track: "Gardenia", which is actually a little different than most of the album but has some of the coolest Steely Dannish rock-jazz hooks...yummy! 3. Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night: Much hyped and worth every bit of it. I've been following these guys since day 1 (4 albums now) and amazed to say that this is their strongest to date. It's one of those albums where you say to yourself "this is my favorite song on the album" and then the next track starts and you say "um, no - THIS one is". Very focused, and Caleb Followill's vocals are his best so far. 2. Hold Steady - Stay Positive: This album totally knocked me out. I'm still scratching my head wondering how it took me FOUR albums to discover them, but no matter. I now own their entire catalogue and love it all. Musically, a lot of accessible Springsteenish piano & 70's-ish power chords and hooks but instead of the predictable lyrics that typically accompany that genre of sound, Craig Finn spins unique stories that beg you to listen. Like Ben Gibbard of Death Cab, his writing is not married to meter and rhyme but yet works perfectly in the context of each song. For instance, you can just visualize the scene develop in the opening lines of "Sequestered In Memphis": "It started when we were dancing, got heavy when we went to the bathroom. We didn't go back to her place, we went to some place where she cat sits." Totally original, and totally works with the musical backing. It's not all high-energy, but it's all compelling. I'm already on the edge of my seat waiting for their next one. I really wanted to make this my number 1 but I just could not put it ahead of what I spun most in 2008... 1. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes: This one made the top 5 of nearly every list I saw, and for good reason - it's a beautiful, hypnotic record. These guys grew up on their parents' record collections; Joni, CSN, The Beach Boys, and it shows here but it's a highly updated and original sound as opposed to being a derivative one. While there is a smooth flow from track to track, there is a wide variety of styles, sometimes within a single song! Now I know that my tastes vary wildly from most JMDL'ers who seem to go for more singer-with-acoustic kind of stuff - this album is one that I recommend to EVERYONE. If you didn't pick it up, make an effort to do so, you'll thank me afterwards. The only bad part of assembling this list is that I could only include TEN albums (well, 11 if you count me doubling up on the Kozelek). Needless to say, there were MANY other fine releases that came out, like: Greg Laswell - Three Flights From Alto Nido Ani Difranco - Red-Letter Year (killed me not to have this in my top 10, a nice return to a bigger-band sound and of course lyrically Ani has the biggest cojones in music and always has something to say. B.B. King - One Kind Favor Ben Folds - Way To Normal (my least favorite of his albums but it's still good, I'm just a sucker for his sound. Hopefully next time around he'll be a bit less self-absorbed and neurotic) Big Yellow Taxi - Treasures of Joni Mitchell: HOW COOL to see this project come to fruition, and Henning and Christina dust these 40-year-old Joni songs off and make them brand new. Counting Crows - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings The Cure - 4:13 Dream Elvis Costello and the Imposters - Momofuku: One of his best, he can still crank it up and rock and writes some of the smartest lyrics around. John Mellencamp - Life, Death, Love & Freedom: Hats off to him for writing about the Jena 6. Jonatha Brooke - The Works: She sounds great, and what a superb job of crafting original melodies to these often profound Woody Guthrie lyrics. Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers: The closest thing to a new Joni record we got in 2008. Her finest work to date. Lucinda Williams - Little Honey: her WTRF, she's happy and in love, and this album sounds like it was recorded live in the studio. Some songs work better than others, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Neil Young - Sugar Mountain Live at Canterbury House 1968: a brilliant look at what was just around the corner. REM - Accellerate: Their best album in a long time - gone are the airy, tuneless, spacy pieces and instead they are much more focused and solid. The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely Randy Newman - Harps And Angels: Still on top of his game. Shelby Lynne - Just A Little Lovin': A beautiful heartfelt tribute to the song styling of Dusty Springfield. My favorite track is her original song "Pretend You Love Me" which is just heartbreaking. Saw her in a very small intimate setting and it was one of the best shows I saw this year. The Wood Brothers - Loaded: Love their understated accessible style. Still hoping they'll get around to recording their fantastic take on "Black Crow" one of these days. OK, that's WAY too much from me, but I just love music and it KILLS me when I hear folks my age saying that today's stuff doesn't cut it or can't compare with the 'glory days' or whatever. Here's to 2008 and looking forward to just as many if not more stellar records in 2009. Bob NP: Nick Drake, "Fruit Tree" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:54:17 -0500 From: rosemjoy@aol.com Subject: Fwd: New Joni book coming in April ooops, meant to respond to list as well...I can't wait to read Michelle's new book, having met her. She is a very talented? and sweet young lady. Les, please ask Michelle where the owl sanctuary is in NJ? She promised to take me there. What is she doing living in CO now? Rosie in NJ - -----Original Message----- From: rosemjoy@aol.com To: lesirvin@gmail.com Sent: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 6:06 pm Subject: Re: New Joni book coming in April Wasn't this the Michelle we met up at Joni Fest a few years ago? - -----Original Message----- From: Les Irvin To: joni@smoe.org Sent: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:47 pm Subject: New Joni book coming in April Joniphiles - Just got more info on the new book on Joni entitled Will You Take Me As I Am, to be released April 7, 2009. Here's the copy from the book jacket: - ----- Joni Mitchell is one of the most celebrated artists of the last half-century, and her landmark 1971 album Blue is one of her most beloved and revered works. Generations of people have come of age listening to the album, inspired by the way it clarified their own difficult emotions. Critics and musicians admire the idiosyncratic virtuosity of its compositions. Will You Take Me As I Am looks at Blue to explore the development of an extraordinary artist, the history of songwriting, and much more. Writer Michelle Mercer spent a significant amount of time hearing firsthand about Mitchell's internal and external journeys as she composed the largely autobiographical albums of what Mercer calls her "Blue Period," which lasted through the mid-1970s. Incorporating biography, memoir, reportage, criticism, and original interviews into an illuminating narrative, Mercer moves beyond the "making of an album" genre to arrive at a new form of music writing. In 1970, Mitchell was living with Graham Nash in Laurel Canyon and had made a name for herself as a so-called folk singer notable for her soaring voice and skillful compositions. Soon, though, feeling hemmed in, she fled to the hippie cave community of Matala, Greece. Here and on further travels, her compositions were freshly inspired by the lands and people she encountered as well as by her own radically changing interior landscape. After returning home to record Blue, Mitchell retreated to British Columbia, eventually re-emerging as the successful leader of a jazz-rock group and turning outward in her songwriting toward social commentary. Finally, a stint with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue and a pivotal meeting with the Tibetan lama Chogyam Trungpa prompted Mitchell's return to personal songwriting, which resulted in her 1976 masterpiece album, Hejira. Mercer interlaces this fascinat ing account of Mitchell's Blue Period with meditations on topics related to her work, including the impact of landscape on music, the value of autobiographical songwriting for artist and listener, and the literary history of confessionalism. Mercer also provides rich analysis of Mitchell's creative achievements: her innovative manner of marrying lyrics to melody; her inventive, highly expressive chords that achieve her signature blend of wonder and melancholy; how she pioneered personal songwriting and, along with Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, brought a new literacy to the popular song. Fans will appreciate the previously unpublished photos and a coda of Mitchell's unedited commentary on the places, books, music, pastimes, and philosophies she holds dear. This utterly original book - the first one about Joni Mitchell written with her participation - offers a unique portrait of a great musician and her remarkable work, as well as new perspectives on the art of songwriting itself. Michelle Mercer, a regular contributor to National Public Radio, is the author of the critically-acclaimed biography Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorterhttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=jonimitchelldisc&l=as2&o=1&a=15854 24684. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, Down Beat, and elsewhere. She lives in Colorado and Bahia, Brazil. - ----- If you decide to pre-order the book, consider clicking through at http://jonimitchell.com/news/index.cfm to help support the website at the same time. Thanks, Les [demime 0.97c-p1 removed an attachment of type image/gif which had a name of image001.gif] Get a free MP3 every day with the Spinner.com Toolbar. Get it Now. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 08:14:08 -0800 (PST) From: Eileen Subject: Songs I can't listen to anymore Margaret, It's absolutely uncanny, isn't it... Her songs can sometimes be so real. It's as if she was singing about ME. Maybe that why, even after all these years, they still have this hold on my heart. Anyone else having the same experience..? Eileen ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 09:07:56 -0800 (PST) From: Em Subject: Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC Wow, Bob, thanks for doing that! Hope you are feeling better now, btw. OK, that does it - I'm gonna pop for the Joe Jackson. :) and maybe that one you put at number one. I'm so out of it I never heard of them, but from what you wrote it sounds as if it must be really great. thanks again and Happy New Year! (everyone) lurv, Em - --- On Thu, 1/1/09, Bob Muller wrote: > From: Bob Muller > Subject: My Top 2008 tunes NJC > To: "JMDL" > Date: Thursday, January 1, 2009, 10:48 AM > I'm late in getting this out, but between travelling and > working through a little virus I just haven't been able > to. Anyway... ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 09:57:21 -0800 From: richard2sf@gmail.com Subject: RE: WTRF Unplugged Thanks Bob. What a pleasant little discovery on this new year's morning. This guys whole repertoire includes a lot of Joni, and he's quite good. http://www.youtube.com/user/Nycity72 ~Richard > > > Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:24:14 -0800 (PST) > From: Bob Muller > Subject: WTRF Unplugged > > Just thought I would share this, an acoustic version of WTRF (not Joni > playing/singing). Maybe some of you who don't like the sound and > arrangements of the album will dig this song more in this setting: > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk_J-PDXifo > > For me, WTRF was always been a jewel. Came out at just the right time, it > was just what I needed to hear at the time and I still enjoy it. > > Bob > > NP: B-52's, "Quiche Lorraine" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:16:34 -0500 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Re: songs / singers i can no longer listen to njc "Red Rain" and "Bullet the Blue Sky" are sorta off-limits. They formed the soundtrack to my ex-girlfriend packing up to leave... 28 years ago. But I'm over it. heh heh No, really I am. Jim L'Hommedieu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:23:49 -0500 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Still I sent up my prayer njc I'll start praying, Rose. Jim L'Hommedieu <...they discovered what looked to be a papillary fibroelastoma on the mitral valve of my heart. It is a very rare location for a cardiac tumor. 99% of these are benign> ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 10:38:23 -0800 (PST) From: Bob Muller Subject: Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC Thanks Em - I am feeling MUCH better. Am trying to psych myself up for a 5-mile run but now that I have a good fire going and am curled up with a good read it's going to be tough. Still, it's a beautiful sunny day and I shouldn't start 2009 off with a workout skip. Do spring for Fleet Foxes - I think you'll love it as I do. Bob NP: Rolling Stones, "Already Over Me" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 17:15:08 -0500 From: Vince Subject: Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC Bob wrote: *... I just love music and it KILLS me when I hear folks my age saying that today's stuff doesn't cut it or can't compare with the 'glory days' or whatever. Here's to 2008 and looking forward to just as many if not more stellar records in 2009.* That sentiment is one reason I so much admire you. Of course that is very akin to my own attitude... but thank you for saying it with such clarity, and you saying it to begin with since your voice is so well respected. My music for 2008 is simple: I discovered Jonny Lang -- and I found a a young upcoming (I really hope upcoming) group AG Silver, and Joshua Stephen Kartes's musical work on Jacques Brel. Vince ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 14:28:36 -0800 (PST) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC - --- On Thu, 1/1/09, Vince wrote: > Bob wrote: > > *... I just love music and it KILLS me when I hear folks my > age saying that > today's stuff doesn't cut it or can't compare > with the 'glory days' or > whatever. Here's to 2008 and looking forward to just as > many if not more > stellar records in 2009.* > > > > That sentiment is one reason I so much admire you. Of > course that is very > akin to my own attitude... but thank you for saying it with > such clarity, > and you saying it to begin with since your voice is so well > respected. There is a lot of good music out there but sometimes it takes a bit of work to find it. I'm not going to say that EVERYTHING on mainstream radio these days is crap, because that's not true, but a lot of it is boring and repetitive and aimed at the lowest common denominator. My opinion of course. Probably not true either, but it's all about marketing. I mean, you get the same stores and restaurants just about anywhere you go, so it's the same with the music. Maybe it provides a level of comfort in uncertain times. I respect the opinions of people on this list and usually give anything that's mentioned at least one listen. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 19:17:16 -0800 (PST) From: Rian Afriadi Subject: songs / singers i can no longer listen to njc My dad is a chainsmoker. He smokes 2 packs of cigarettes a day, he has asthma. And I've prepared for the worst case. Then one night, he couldn't breathe. His face turned blue, his hands and feet are cold, and he lost conciousness. My mother was panic. But having prepared for the worst case, I wasn't. It's like thinking "so this is the day....this is the day" Hospital is only 5 minutes from our home, but time is like rubber, it can stretch. On our way to the hospital, i looked at the old man, and realized that I am half of him, and thinking about how he raised me. I mean, all those childhood memories. I'm not very close to my father. We rarely speak. But there's no doubt he shaped me. People can see him from the way I speak. The way I argue. The way i laugh. The way I mess around. And he introduced me to some of my musical background. On that 5 minutes, a song appreared on my mind. That song was a song that he played over and over again when I was a child, back in early 90s. The Carpenter's Yesterday Once More. I never play that song again. I don't want to remember my father while he was dying when he is still alive. He was saved. That night wasn't that day. Rian NP. PJ Harvey - White Chalk ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 19:26:47 -0800 (PST) From: Rian Afriadi Subject: Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC Number of Bob's Top 10 albums of 2008 that i know or i have heard : 0. Rian NP. PJ Harvey - When Under Ether ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 19:39:25 -0800 From: "Kate Bennett" Subject: Still I sent up my prayer njc Rosie, it is good to hear from you but sorry to hear your health news. It sounds like you are in very good hands & I hope you will be on the mend very soon. Love, Kate > Today I had a cardiac MRI at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital?and I'm waiting?on the reports.?? I'll keep you posted...... Much Love Rosie< ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 22:41:23 -0500 From: Marianne Rizzo Subject: njc happy new year "so much can not be expressed. . .. " happy new year joni family and thank you. to ALL (including all the quiet ones) on the JMDL and to joni thank you for being there. I am listening! "my best to you " I wish you all the love. .. . all the love that there could be and love to smurf LO VE Marianne _________________________________________________________________ Its the same Hotmail.. If by same you mean up to 70% faster. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_broad1_12 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 22:47:18 -0500 From: Marianne Rizzo Subject: New Joni book coming in April thanks Les, the book sounds very interesting yes, jeannie, things are looking up XOMarianne From: Jeannie Subject: Re: New Joni book coming in April This has got to be the best news I could have heard in 2008 and perfect for the new year, for me, anyhow! It feels to me as good as when we got rid of George Bush to make way for Barack Obama and all of us! Truly,Jeannie _________________________________________________________________ Send e-mail anywhere. No map, no compass. http://windowslive.com/oneline/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_anywhere _122008 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2009 20:48:08 -0800 From: "Cassy" Subject: Re: My Top 2008 tunes NJC From: "Vince" <<< and I found a young upcoming (I really hope upcoming) group AG Silver, >>> I really like AG Silver too, they're out of Grand Rapids MI, I think. I added them to my MySpace page last year and use one of their songs as my profile page song. I think they're really talented. Cassy, NP: 30 Seconds to Mars - From Yesterday ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2009 07:59:10 +0000 From: Lucy Hone Subject: 2009 greetings - and wildest hopes NJC Slightly belated but none the less heartfelt best and meaningful wishes to you all in 2009. Despite the credit crunch - a breakfast cereal I have never ordered - and since I have no savings I am no poorer!!! - I feel rather optimistic for 2009. My wildest hopes would include - in best "Miss World smiling inanely" style and in no particular order... Detente that leads to the ending of wars wherever they are The removal of Robert Mugabe from his corrupt position of leader in Zimbabwe Similar fates for all other leaders who corruptly hold their citizens in fear, loathing and poverty Calmness, acceptance and resolve for all who are experiencing personal grief or fear Food for the hungry and the means to sustain life beyond aid Company for the lonely Somewhere safe for the homeless The strength to end addictions and dependencies for the addicts of this world Courage and support for those facing life limiting illnesses. Courage to be a positive person for those around us and the ability to hold our tongues and be kinder My mother used to say that "if wishes were horses, then beggars could ride" If we each pay forward the goodness we gain in life then maybe it will be horses for all - I am writing this because I am safe, in good health, have family and the love of my friends around me. I also have a substantial a roof over my head and barely give it a thought.. I am indeed lucky and need to remember this. Life is indeed good I just wish it was the same for everyone. Lucy in England - up early on a day off!! Happy 2009 all who are on this list. xxx ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2009 #1 *************************** ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe -------