From: les@jmdl.com (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #61 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk onlyJMDL Digest Sunday, February 13 2000 Volume 2000 : Number 061 The Official Joni Mitchell Homepage is maintained by Wally Breese at http://www.jonimitchell.com and contains the latest news, a detailed bio, original interviews and essays, lyrics, and much more. ------- The JMDL website can be found at http://www.jmdl.com and contains interviews, articles, the member gallery, archives, and much more. ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- BSN Gave it a spin [dsk ] Re: Catching up with Painting Joni [dsk ] NY Daily News Review [dsk ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 02:01:32 -0500 From: dsk Subject: BSN Gave it a spin After reading all the messages about lush, sensuous, moving-to-tears sounds I decided I couldn't wait until March 21, so yesterday I walked to the nearby record store, asked about their return policy after being told that I couldn't open one up, purchased one of the two BSNs they had, brought it home, opened it up, looked at ALL the scratches, put it in the CD player and listened to it, putting up with the odd bumpy out-of-sync pops, mostly in A Case of You. Unlike almost everyone else that has posted, the CD didn't grab me at all since nostalgia trips don't interest me, I don't like a mushy sound, and some of the lyrics were so simplistic it made "big boo-hoo" seem profound. For the first time ever listening to a Joni album I wasn't captured into sitting still and just listening. It pretty quickly became background music. After one play, I packed it up again, went back to the store, and opened the package in front of the cashier. She said it's scratched, I said yeah that's why I'm bringing it back, it was loose in the package. She rubs it with the tail of her shirt, holds it up, looks at me as though she thinks I've taken a perfect CD home and scratched it up myself, like this is a routine way some people spend a Friday afternoon. And then there's the pressure to replace it instead of getting my money back. I resisted and after she talked to the manager, I finally walked out with my $54.11, glad that I've heard what people are writing about, and looking forward to the regular release. I know there are subtleties in the music that I haven't heard yet and some of Joni's singing is very emotional, so this may grow on me once I have a chance to listen to it lots of times. I'm not in such a hurry to do that anymore though. But I can't get Comes Love out of my head. What's up with that? Reading all this I realize I've been influenced in writing this message by the step-by-step frenzied search described by Happy the Man. That was such a funny post, I'm going back to read it again. Debra Shea ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 02:29:41 -0500 From: dsk Subject: Re: Catching up with Painting Joni > I will give Debra much credit in her discussions of the > paintings because she articulates her position in depth. Hi Kakki, Welcome back and thanks for this comment. I'm holding off even thinking about Joni's art until I see some of it in person (although I admit I'm very tempted by the lifeboat). > Now I'm like the newly, evangelical converted and one knows how that > can be ;-) Untiring, for sure. And persuasive. > In the end, Joni has never represented herself as a ground-breaking artist, > so why is she held to that standard? She just says that she is a painter > first - a true statement - and that the painting is how she would prefer to > express herself and what she wishes to devote her time to now. Excellent point. It's assumed that a person known as a genius in one area is a genius in all areas, which of course isn't true. Jackson Pollack, incredibly expressive using paint, could hardly put a sentence together when he talked to people. And then there's something about Einstein barely being able to dress himself. Or am I just imagining that one? :-) Debra Shea ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 02:55:03 -0500 From: dsk Subject: NY Daily News Review This is from http://www.nydailynews.com. It must have been in last Sunday's paper. Not such a good review from a long-time Joni fan. *********** From: New York Now | Music | Sunday, February 06, 2000 Standard Surprises George Michael's in the mood for love, but Joni Mitchell lacks pep By JIM FARBER Daily News Staff Writer GEORGE MICHAEL, "SONGS FROM THE LAST CENTURY" (VIRGIN) JONI MITCHELL, "BOTH SIDES NOW" (REPRISE) Sooner or later, every singer wants to tackle the classics. The millennium must've seemed as good a time as any for two major names — Joni Mitchell and George Michael — whose new works take on the standards of the last century. Their decisions, no doubt, reflect a broader desire by the baby-boom generation to make peace with the music of their parents' era. At the same time, it reflects the two stars' desires to try material that has withstood the test of time. Certainly, Michael has gone to enormous lengths to be taken seriously in the last few years. But as the album goes into circulation, the big question is this: Is he up to the task of bringing a fresh approach to these standards or is this nothing more than a self-conscious reach on his part? Mitchell, on the other hand, would seem a natural for this type of music. She's got the sensibility and character to make these elegant and precise songs her own. Well, surprise! The exact opposite turns out to be true. Michael puts in a sweet and moving performance, while Mitchell (my idol!) brings little of her brilliance to bear. The most striking aspect of Michael's interpretations, in fact, is the naive quality in his voice, communicating an almost antique innocence. Some of this derives from less than ideal circumstances: namely, Michael's shallowness. He isn't a guy who exudes significant experience or great intelligence. But that just makes him sound more endearingly boyish and vulnerable. He makes every number sound like a song of first love. In the world of standards, it recalls the underrated '50s recordings of Doris Day. To get that quality in this cynical age makes this album nothing short of miraculous. Joni Mitchell can't help but communicate much more sophistication on her album. But her take on standards like "Stormy Weather" and "Don't Talk to Strangers" (timed to come out for Valentine's Day) winds up depressingly turgid. As even her most ardent fans must acknowledge, Joni has lost significant elements of her voice over the years. But usually she makes up for it with phrasing and arrangements that fill in nuance and color. Here, Mitchell's phrasing is puzzlingly repetitive, her melodic choices narrow, emphasizing the most brittle and hoarse aspects of her instrument. She minimizes the tunes with the orchestral arrangements, which tend to be dreary, dark and slow. There's little vigor anywhere, in fact, and no compelling mood. Only her version of "Comes Love" (made famous by Billie Holiday) nails the sad wit of the lyric. Longtime followers will be intrigued by the fact that Mitchell included two of her own classics, "A Case Of You" and "Both Sides Now." But to what end? The latter is motionless. The former, once one of the most movingly tense pieces in recorded history, here meanders. Like most everything else on the record, it ends up heartbreaking for all the wrong reasons. ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #61 ******************************** Don't forget about these ongoing projects: Glossary project: Send a blank message to for all the details. FAQ Project: Help compile the JMDL FAQ. 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