From: les@jmdl.com (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #208 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk Archives: http://www.smoe.org/lists/onlyjoni Websites: http://www.jmdl.com http://www.jonimitchell.com Unsubscribe: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe onlyJMDL Digest Wednesday, May 24 2000 Volume 2000 : Number 208 The 'Official' Joni Mitchell Homepage, created by Wally Breese, can be found at http://www.jonimitchell.com. It contains the latest news, a detailed bio, Original Interviews, essays, lyrics and much much more. --- The JMDL website can be found at http://www.jmdl.com and contains interviews, articles, the member gallery, archives, and much more. --- Ashara has set up a "Wally Breese Memorial Fund" with all donations going directly towards the upkeep of the website. Wally kept the website going with his own funds. it is now up to US to help Jim continue. If you would like to donate to this fund, please make all checks payable to: Jim Johanson and send them to: Ashara Stansfield P.O. Box 215 Topsfield, MA. 01983 USA ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Shadows and Light and re Ignoring questions and first-posters [Don Sloan ] New York Daily News Review May 24, 2000 [PPeterson4@aol.com] New York Post Review May 24, 2000 [PPeterson4@aol.com] favourite Joni songs.... ["James O. Phillips" ] Re: music for a Rainy day [Linda Worster ] Re: Guitar ["P. Henry" ] Dog Eat Dog [Kate & CJ ] Re: Circles ["Kakki" ] 5/22 and Jill ["Sara *" ] Re: 5/22 and Jill [Seulbzzaj@aol.com] Re: "Urge For Going" Covers Question ["Kakki" ] lead guitar on Tom Rush's UFG [Anne Sandstrom ] Joni at MSG taped last night [Steve Dulson ] May 27th concert [Rick Ricard ] taping at MSG ["Christine Nunn" ] my review of MSG from today's Sonicnet [Bounced Message ] Two Grey Rooms [Anne Sandstrom ] Re: TV Time [catman ] Re: Joni at MSG taped last night [Linda Worster ] [Fwd: Re: music for a Rainy day (Vljc)] [Jason Maloney ] Re: Barangrill Question ["Alan Lorimer" ] Re: Shadows and Light ["Alan Lorimer" ] Re: Re. Joni's bitterest lyrics ["Jamie Zubairi" ] Re: MSG 5/23 & some bittersweet lyrics ["Jamie Zubairi" ] Re: Joni at MSG taped last night [Mark Domyancich ] Harry's House ["Jamie Zubairi" ] reprise/wea & south bank show ["Jamie Zubairi" ] Re: Two Grey Rooms ["Jamie Zubairi" ] Seeing Joni on May 23 (long) [dsk ] re the bsn show and tour and orchestral joni ["patrick leader" ] Re: Joni's bitterest lyrics [SAVtheWAVE@aol.com] Fw: Daily News Review ["Jim L'Hommedieu" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 11:45:34 -0700 From: Don Sloan Subject: Shadows and Light and re Ignoring questions and first-posters re: Ignoring questions and first-posters, I never take this personally as I, too, often must blow by many appealingly titled posts simply due to a lack of time. In fact, a post I recently submitted was left hanging w/o a response but given the extra traffic - and excitement - during Concert Mode, I understood. However, as one of the online music sellers is having a big sale and I would like to (finally) round-out my Joni collection with Shadows and Light, I'll re-ask my question: Seems there must be a difference between the domestic and import versions of this CD. In comparing tracks, it looks the same though I thought the import included extra titles. Can someone please let me know if the import is worth the extra cash and if so, why? Thanks! Don "Helen M. Adcock" wrote: > But when I've got 150 emails waiting to be > read, and it's 11pm at night, sometimes I just miss things, or think "Oh, > someone else will answer that" and I hit delete. I'll try and be more > careful, and more courteous, in the future. But we've all had posts ignored > on the list - personally, I've had hundreds, but then with the number that I > post, and their relevance to anyone but me, that's hardly surprising! > > Hell ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 14:44:50 EDT From: PPeterson4@aol.com Subject: New York Daily News Review May 24, 2000 I found this piece surprisingly forthright and agenda-less: Joni's Gold Standards Mitchell gives torch songs a new glow at MSG concert It had to happen: The boomer generation's bard of love, Joni Mitchell, had to tackle torch-song classics. Now she has. Mitchell's new album, named for her old hit "Both Sides Now," centers on love standards, mainly from the '30s, '40s and '50s. She performed those pieces, and some classics of her own, at the Theater in Madison Square Garden Monday and Tuesday joined by a tight jazz combo (featuring Herbie Hancock and Mark Isham) and surrounded by a 71-piece orchestra. Mitchell's unique approach to croonable hits has not been easy to warm up to. It took this critic no fewer than 10 hard listens to fall for the LP. Too bad I reviewed it, with sorrowful disappointment, five listens in. Luckily, late-arriving love can cut the deepest, and I swooned for her display on Monday. Appearing in a billowing magenta gown, the 56-year-old Mitchell made the most of her technically narrowing instrument. As a lifelong smoker, every cigarette she ever puffed has left its mark on her voice. Of course, there's a long history of older singers using their flaws to highlight the richness of their experiences. Late-period Billie Holiday leaps to mind. Similarly, at the Garden theater, Mitchell's shorter breath and huskier throat brought the audience closer and made her seem even more the battered authority on love's risks and rewards. The show, divided into two 55-minute segments, found Mitchell first performing every song from the new album — in order. She had to do it that way. The 12 songs off "Both Sides Now" trace the arc of a romance, moving from infatuation to rejection to healing. Tellingly, only the first two songs found the singer happy. After a long orchestral introduction full of foreboding and intrigue, Mitchell crooned "You're My Thrill" with resilient wonder. She expressed relief in "At Last." Mitchell next communicated all the witty doom of "Comes Love," a song made famous by Holiday and treating love as an incurable illness. Just four songs in, Mitchell declared "You've Changed." In every song, the singer drew on her long infatuation with jazz inflections. She also performed two numbers she wrote and included on the new CD. Mitchell turned "A Case Of You" from a soaring folk piece into a woozy jazz ballad. In the song "Both Sides Now," which completed the album portion of the program, she exuded an unsettling wisdom. Mitchell sang six pieces not included on the CD. She proved she could be playful in her '80s jazz swing piece "Be Cool." Otherwise, she kept the mood yearning or troubled. Her performance of "Hejira" used Larry Klein's questioning bass to put a fire under the orchestra. She made even grander use of the players in "Judgment of the Moon and Stars," her stirring song of support to uncompromising souls. With typical defiance, Mitchell ended the evening with "For the Roses," one of her best kiss-offs to the music business. Through its radical rearrangement, Mitchell proved yet again her commitment to challenge and change — the two things she values as highly as love. Original Publication Date: 5/24/00 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 14:51:57 EDT From: PPeterson4@aol.com Subject: New York Post Review May 24, 2000 Here's one from the Post (de gustibus non disputandum est!): COVER CONCERT DOESN'T DO JONI JUSTICE By DAN AQUILANTE - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - -- MAYBE because Joni Mitchell is one of the most important songwriters of her generation, it's a little disappointing that her latest career move is dusting off cabaret standards and love songs. At the Theater at Madison Square Garden Monday for the first of a two-night engagement, Mitchell's performance ranged from pretty to pretty boring. She is a songwriter and a singer, but not a great stylist or interpreter. You don't have to look beyond her own career to realize that the best-known versions of her own songs - including the title track to her new album "Both Sides Now"- are by other artists. Making matters worse was Vince Mendoza, whose heavy-handed conducting and saccharine string treatments for the 70-piece backup band often overpowered Mitchell and the jazz group, which was also on stage through the evening. When you consider the jazz ensemble was a powerhouse, including pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Chuck Berghofer, drummer Peter Erskine and trumpet ace Mark Isham, one has to wonder why Mitchell needed the orchestra at all. Mendoza and company were musically flaccid, dead weight that crushed Mitchell's performance and made no real room for any of these jazz greats to be great. The reason to hear performers such as Mitchell and Hancock is because they are thinkers who are able to move within the music, improvise and make it all seem effortless. For them to appear in this symphonic formation must have been incredibly restricting. And, as if she were singing along to a pre-recorded track, it seemed as if Mitchell had to pursue the band to keep up. The night's rendition of "Stormy Weather" was a good example of this. The orchestra worked the classic according to the sheet music, yet when Mitchell attempted to interject a bluer mood through variations in the tempo, her efforts were thwarted. The fans loved "Stormy Weather" anyway and rewarded it with some of the evening's biggest applause. What wasn't clear was if the cheers were because of the major song-recognition factor or Mitchell's delivery. But no tune during this event - including her own "A Case of You" and "Both Sides Now," two of the night's better moments - ever raised goosebumps. "I'm glad I saw this," one Mitchell fan said while leaving the theater. "I don't think I'd want to see it again." ------------------------------ Date: Wed May 24 15:10:49 EDT 2000 From: "James O. Phillips" Subject: favourite Joni songs.... Okay, I wasn't quite sure if I should do the NJC or not (just didn't want to step on anyone's toes.) Anyways, I had been reading how Joni is thinking of an orchestral album of her own songs. Here is my list of what I would love to see done: I had a Kindg Night in the City The Sire of Sorrow Night ride Home Ludwig's tune Chelsea Morning Michael from Moutains Stay in touch Amelia the Pirates of Penance the Silky Veils of Ardor (or whatever it is) Also, I think it would be cool if whatever orchestra she would use would play behind her guitar (or piano) a la Nanci Griffith's Dust Bowl Symphony. I am a fan of Miss Mitchell's guitar playing and am slightly disappointed that she didn't play at all on Both Sides Now. Am I the only one thinking this or are there others out there thinking the same thing? James - ---------- Message To Spammers -- Game Over! Get spam-free email at http://www.MsgTo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 13:57:22 -0500 From: "Pitassi, Mary" Subject: Attention, Saskatoon-goers! Who is going to the opening of Joni's exhibit at the Mendel Gallery in Saskatoon on June 30, 2000? And has a "sub-list" been established yet for this group? E-mail me privately and/or on-list. "Inquiring minds want to know"! Mary P. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 15:06:26 -0400 From: Linda Worster Subject: Re: music for a Rainy day today, it's "For the Roses"..... what perfect rainy day music... Joni's great for rainy days. Sunny days too. Linda, wishing the sun would come out around here soon... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 12:21:11 -0700 From: "P. Henry" Subject: Re: Guitar stuart, for my part I can vouch that Joni played a Martin D28 (sometimes mine) exclusively from mid '66 to mid '68 (the two years we were friends) and, going by pics of her in concert as well as from the sound on recordings, she continued playing it well into the early '70's. also, during the time I was the booking guy at the Cellar, in the xeroxed promo material she gave me at the time, there were pics of her playing what looked like a small, pre-war Martin (maybe 000 model?) similar to the one Joan Baez used to play) but I never saw her with it. I'm guessing that she first started playing electrics in the C&S period... if I were trying to research this I would start with pics of her in concert... for example, I was somewhat thrilled last week when someone posted a concert shot on catgirl's list of Joni playing a Fender strat, the first I've seen. hope that helps. pat Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 16:32:22 -0400 From: Kate & CJ Subject: Dog Eat Dog I can't remember who asked, but DED is available thru cdnow for $5.99! It did say low stock, but this looks like the best bet! CJ np Diana Krall (wow) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 13:31:00 -0700 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: Circles Howard wrote: >What did I take away from this? That if Kakki and I run into >each other at BSN Chicago (you're going to be here, aren't >you?) that it will be a little tense. And . . . No need to feel tense - I can't get a flight change from New Orleans. But I hope you enjoy the concert with some of the Chicago and L.A. Circlers. > As much as I hate to say it, there is a bit of a feeling of us >vs. them, and no one wants that. JM would want us all to feel >included, whether we are stuck at Blue, or stuck on the >notion that Hejira is one of the most underrated albums of >the rock era (this would be my crusade) or that TTT is an >amazing use of the VG-8. It's too bad that there is a feeling of us vs. them. I really think it's more perceived than real. The key is to hang in there on the list and take the initiative to get to know people, even if you are ignored or rejected on your first attempts. For my entire first year on the list, I can count on less than one hand the number of people who befriended me, much less ever responded to my posts or questions. But I hung in there because I still thought it was an interesting place to be, and I'm really glad I did, despite that first painful year. And without mentioning names, I have to eternally thank those few who were so amazingly kind to me. They know who they are. Getting to know you own local group of jmdlers is also a great idea. I've come to cherish the little SoCal group (including the Arizonans ;-) so much - some of the best people I've ever met. Kakki ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 16:44:29 EDT From: "Sara *" Subject: 5/22 and Jill Hi everyone~ 5/22 at MSG was my very first Joni concert! I had the best time! I don't know what to really add to everything else that has already been posted, but I just wanted to say that I think Joni fans are the nicest people in the world! Everyone was so polite, and I spent most of the time before the concert and during intermission talking to complete strangers. It was great! Oh, and one more thing, does anyone know who Jill Sobule is? She was at the 5/22 show - sitting just a few rows in front of me! I still haven't calmed down from 5/22 concert! I'm SO EXCITED! Sara ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 17:11:58 EDT From: Seulbzzaj@aol.com Subject: Re: 5/22 and Jill In a message dated 5/24/00 4:47:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time, bug_04@hotmail.com writes: << Oh, and one more thing, does anyone know who Jill Sobule is? She was at the 5/22 show - sitting just a few rows in front of me! >> Sara, Jill Sobule is a very talented singer-songwriter with a great sense of humor. She's been recording for 10 years - I only know of 3 albums/cd's she's made. I'd recommend her 1995 CD, titled "Jill Sobule" on Lava Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic. I heard her live a little over a year ago - opening for Dan Bern at The Bottom Line. I wish I had seen her at Monday's concert... - Scott ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 14:06:44 -0700 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: "Urge For Going" Covers Question Brian and Jim, I recall a trivia question for one of the JM.Com contests and the answer was that George Hamilton IV was the first one to record it - (around 1965 as I recall, but we all know simon would definitely know the answer - think he also thought up the questions for the contest ;-) I have the song on Hamilton's "Folksy" vinyl (and it looks pretty old) but I hear that he also had the track on another album called "Canadian Pacific", I recall. On the "Folksy" album, he was arranged by the legendary Chet Atkins and you can definitely hear Atkins' guitar influence on it. Kakki ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 17:14:19 -0400 From: Anne Sandstrom Subject: lead guitar on Tom Rush's UFG Sorry, I'm getting caught up on digests and someone probably answered this already. (oh, too bad, you're caller #345 and we were looking for caller #18 :-o ) Trevor Veitch was the lead guitarist. And, on a personal note, I was at the concert in Symphony Hall in Boston when TR and Trevor parted ways (amicably, I think). Their version of UFG just about tore the house down that night!) Anne ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 14:22:50 -0700 From: Steve Dulson Subject: Joni at MSG taped last night RandyRemote wrote: >The usher's >comment would suggest that it was an "official taping", but why do >that when they could go direct from the soundboard? When MOA was taped at the Universal Amphitheatre in '74, there were two mics hanging over the front of the audience, presumably to get audience reaction. (I was sitting right under one - that's why you can hear me whoop at the beginning of Cold Blue Steel :) ) Could the MSG mics be serving the same purpose? ######################################################### Steve Dulson Costa Mesa CA steve@psitech.com "The Tinker's Own" http://www.tinkersown.com "Southern California Dulcimer Heritage" http://members.aol.com/scdulcimer/ "The Living Tradition Concert Series" http://www.thelivingtradition.org/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 17:39:36 -0400 From: Rick Ricard Subject: May 27th concert I have a free ticket (great seats) for the Joni Mitchell concert this Sat night at Oakdale in Connectiicut. I would love to have the company of an unattached, single woman more than 35 yrs. old. to share this wonderful event with. I am a 50 yr old single, professional man who obviously loves the right kind of music. No strings attached - simply having a good time. I will be driving down from Amherst, MA. Email me if you"ve got "the urge for goin". Rick ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 17:30:50 -0400 From: "Christine Nunn" Subject: taping at MSG I would imagine that there would have to be microphone taping, not out of the sound board. When a symphony is recorded you cannot go from a "sound board" you have to let the acoustics of the venue take over. I've seen it done at Avery Fisher Hall each year, so perhaps with the full orchestra there were microphones in a variety of places. Just my thought Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 09:03:41 -0700 From: RandyRemote WROTE Subject: Re: Joni at MSG taped last night That's interesting. I saw a similar setup at the Concord show, a few rows back from me. My thought was that they would probably get a alot of noise and bump sounds by attaching it to the seats. Also wondered how they got away with doing it so openly. The usher's comment would suggest that it was an "official taping", but why do that when they could go direct from the soundboard? RR Christine E. Nunn Development Director NYC Anti-Violence Project (212) 714-1184 ext. 29 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 14:47:56 -0600 From: Bounced Message Subject: my review of MSG from today's Sonicnet From: "Tortorici, Frank" Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 14:34:33 -0400 Dear List: Here is my review of MSG from today's Sonicnet.com under rock, pop, and jazz Frank Tortorici Joni Mitchell Plays Something Old, Something New, Something From Blue Pop artist plays her latest release, Both Sides Now, with an orchestra. Contributing Editor Frank Tortorici reports: NEW YORK - Joni Mitchell's once-breathless soprano has turned into a husky alto. To show off her mature voice, she's retired her guitar and piano and has begun covering jazz-pop standards. But as she showed Monday night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, that doesn't mean she's letting her own material gather dust. On the fifth show of a 12-city tour, the 56-year-old singer/songwriter performed her latest album, Both Sides Now, in sequence, in its entirety, backed by a 70-piece orchestra. The album features 10 remakes of songs popularized in the pre-rock era and two Mitchell originals transformed for full orchestra. Though she is one of pop's most adventurous artists, having explored jazz, soul and rock, Mitchell's cult of fans stems mostly from her years as a folk-inspired singer/songwriter in the late '60s and early '70s. Monday's concert was another matter entirely. The concept of the evening was to document the arc of a romantic relationship - from exciting start to depressing end - through some of the 20th century's most vivid love songs. Following a lengthy overture, conducted by Vince Mendoza, Mitchell entered, crooning "You're My Thrill" in a sultry, throaty purr. She clutched and pulled the sides of her flowing lavender dress continuously as she emoted. "Some say romantic love died in the '80s with the coming of the punks," she told the audience. "Tonight, we're gonna take an old-fashioned journey into romantic love." During "Comes Love," popularized by Billie Holiday, Mitchell bobbed her head back and forth and swiveled her hips suggestively to the twisting rhythm. The two Mitchell originals on Both Sides Now - the oft-recorded title track (RealAudio excerpt) and the lovestruck "A Case of You" - were re-created precisely, and Mitchell seemed to be energized from singing her own lyrics. Her expressive face changed along with the latter song's intense, conflicted emotions. "You're in my blood like holy wine, you taste so bitter and so sweet, oh I could drink a case of you, darling, and still be on my feet," she sang, her large eyes alternately closing and looking up as if searching for divine intervention. Mitchell handled the more upbeat numbers, including "Sometimes I'm Happy" and Rodgers and Hart's "I Wish I Were in Love Again," with equal aplomb. She sashayed in place as guest Herbie Hancock played the piano with speed and finesse. Familiar Territory The final portion of the evening featured Mitchell performing orchestral versions of some of her songs not included on the new album. For the first time, fans heard the languid "Hejira" - - the title track of her jazzy 1976 masterpiece - backed by a bevy of strings. Musical director (and Mitchell's ex-husband) Larry Klein replicated the drooping bass lines that late master Jaco Pastorius created on the album, and trumpeter Mark Isham peppered the moody tune with high notes. Though her attempt was admirable in its ambition, Mitchell ran into trouble on "Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig's Tune)," her ode to Beethoven from the 1972 album For the Roses. On the album version, she employed her voice as an instrument, projecting her highest pitch to match the woodwinds that danced around the track. But in concert, with her now-limited range, she used the darker character and texture of her voice to emphasize the song's musical and emotional complexities. Lacking the simplicity and directness of the '40s-era standards, "Ludwig's Tune" came across with the exaggerated drama of a bad Broadway musical number. Mitchell's breezy originals came off better, including the obscure "Be Cool," from her R&B-oriented 1982 album Wild Things Run Fast, as well as the encore, a take on Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man." During the last song of the second set, everything jelled beautifully. "For the Roses," Mitchell's tale of dealing with the harsh realities of rock stardom, seemed more majestic, with the orchestra's strings and brass sections replacing the album's lone acoustic guitar. "They toss around your latest golden egg, speculation, well who's to know if the next one in the nest will glitter for them so," she sang. The lyrics seemed especially poignant now that Mitchell has put her much-lauded songwriting on hiatus. Fans Show Mixed Reaction Shouts of "Joni, I love you" and "You go, girl" showed that many fans are willing to follow Mitchell down whatever musical path she takes them. "Joni, your album rocks!" screamed a fan in the audience. "It swings, too," Mitchell answered from the stage. Still for others, old memories die hard. "Joni is the greatest artist," said 43-year-old Jean Traina of New York. "But she should have encored with a couple of oldies," chimed in Traina's friend, Janice Blau, 43. The two, who had first seen Mitchell together at the University of Maryland in 1975, had waited 25 years to hear the old hits again. Nancy Siegal, a 33-year-old New Yorker, shared a similar sentiment. "I've been listening to her since I was a little kid," she said after the concert. "I wish she came out with her guitar and played some old stuff." [ Wed., May 24, 2000 12:37 AM EDT ] SUBSCRIBE to Joni Mitchell Free News and Info Updates via email! CLICK HERE EMAIL THIS ARTICLE TO A FRIEND ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 17:22:14 -0400 From: Anne Sandstrom Subject: Two Grey Rooms > A few months ago, I found out that it is actually written for someone she knew, a gay man, and it is written from his point of view. Hi Howard. Minor detail - Joni didn't know the main character in Two Grey Rooms - she'd heard the story. It took place in Germany. And (someone else help me here) the name Fastbinder (sp?) comes to mind. I'd have to look at the Come in From the Cold videotape for the details. But still, it's a hearbreaking story and Joni really captures that in the song... lots of love Anne ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 22:35:59 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: TV Time > what's possibly even more amazing is that this wisdom came originally from a mere girl of twenty years... Yes-amazing. This songs true meaning didn't hit till I was in my 30's and made very conscious of death as something that will happened to me and not just to others. But then Joni did have Polio so maybe the realisation came to her much earlier. > > pat > > Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 17:35:26 -0400 From: Linda Worster Subject: Re: Joni at MSG taped last night RR wrote: >The usher's >comment would suggest that it was an "official taping", but why do >that when they could go direct from the soundboard? possibly an audience mike.... ???? Linda ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 22:51:21 +0100 From: Jason Maloney Subject: [Fwd: Re: music for a Rainy day (Vljc)] - -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: music for a Rainy day (Vljc) Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 02:10:25 +0100 Mark Domyancich wrote: > Edie Brickell and New Bohemians - Ghost Of A Dog Oh yes, there's one track on there in particular isn't there? About curling up together under a blanket and listening to the rain on the window......it's been waaay too long since I last played that CD! Personally, and this is JC, the perfect rainy weather track (and indeed album) is My Secret Place (and CMIARS generally, I guess). The last time it really poured down (thunder lightning and all), I stuck My Secret Place on the CD player here on my PC, and it sounded soooooo good :-) Jason. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 23:00:49 +0100 From: Jason Maloney Subject: ATTENTION : Incorrect E-mail address! Aha! I've now spotted what the problem is... Sorry to take up list bandwidth, but I'd like to ask anyone who's received e-mail from me in the last five or six days (mainly Raffaele, Sue Cameron, John Low and Dennis Leong, I think) if they could please forward any reply they might have written to my usual address - "jason.maloney@virgin.net". I signed up for free off-peak internet access with the Libertysurf company, and it seems my Reply-to address got chnaged in the process by mistake! Thanks, Jason. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 16:22:40 -0600 From: Bounced Message Subject: Re: Barangrill Question Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 17:12:56 -0500 From: "Susan" > I posted this question last week, but no one responded. Is Barangrill the > name of a town or some other real place, or does Joni simply mean "Bar And > Grill?" I've wondered that since first hearing FTR, but never had anyone > to > ask. Thanks. Hello All! First I want to address the thread above. It's always been my interpretation that Barangrill is a state of mind, filled with the characters who do in fact make up that particular world; truckers waitresses, drifters and the likes. And no matter what world or circles we travel in we still look for familiarity, - a comfort zone. Because as someone once told me," The real world is the world YOU live in." As a side note, it's weird but Barangrill has been going through my head for the last 2 weeks. I haven't been listening to FTR either, I'm looking for a different meaning as to why that's happening - ooh and what it means to my psyche and my future. Well I am brand new to JMDL, but I went to my first Joni concert in January 1972. A young kid named Jackson Browne opened for Joni, that night. I was very young ...14 (gulp). For many years especially in the mid 80's I somewhat lost touch and had no source for the kind of info we see both here and at the Joni site. Oh I still listened to the music, but had no one to bounce my Joni philosophy off of or vice versa. I t just seemed futile for years to get any info on this woman, to find any tid-bit out about her her art music, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but the internet has brought us all together. I am sure you all experienced some level of this frustration. Since the early/mid 90's, her star has risen dramatically, and I am so happy you are all out there. I feel like I just discovered life on my own planet! Bye for now & Peace Susan - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 08:10:56 +1000 From: "Alan Lorimer" Subject: Re: Barangrill Question James asked: > Is Barangrill the name of a town or some other real place, > or does Joni simply mean "Bar And Grill?" Lori Reason sent me an explanation for this while I was working on my "How to write properer" Project. "Barangrill" is basically a metaphor for the waitresses' life. He asks: "Show me the way to Barangrill" He's asking how to get into her life... Alan Lorimer Hawley Beach Tasmania ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 08:18:00 +1000 From: "Alan Lorimer" Subject: Re: Shadows and Light Don asked: >Seems there must be a difference between the domestic and >import versions of this CD. In comparing tracks, it looks the >same though I thought the import included extra titles. It would appear as though there are two versions of this CD. A single disc version, and a double disc version that does include extra tracks such as "Furry Sings The Blues". I purchased what I believed was the standard version of this "on-line" about six months ago and received a HDCD copy of the double disc version. Check out the major "on-line" resellers. You should be able to pick up the HDCD double disc version of this album at the same price as a normal CD without purchasing an overpriced "import". Alan Lorimer Hawley Beach Tasmania ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 23:23:26 +0100 From: "Jamie Zubairi" Subject: Re: Re. Joni's bitterest lyrics Oh my God, yes! WOH&M is truly great for loving and hating at the same time (Joni was a balancing act in them days). My favourite (being an actor) is Do you really feel it? Do you really laugh? Do you really care? You really smile When you smile? Oh, just soooooo cutting! Jamie Zoob > > Any other contenders for Joni's bitterest lyric? > > > geez, there are lots of contenders... > :~) > > but since I've been listening to FTR for days now... > > "drive your bargains, push your papers, win your medals, fuck your strangers > don't it leave you on the empty side..." > .......... > "you know the times you impress me most, are the times when you don't try... > when you don't even try..." > > That whole song, really.... > > > > Linda > > > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 23:17:53 +0100 From: "Jamie Zubairi" Subject: Re: MSG 5/23 & some bittersweet lyrics and the line "...clutching the > night to you like a fig leaf..." Why a fig leaf? Is there something about > fig leafs that I don't know about? I need some enlightening. > Peace, > Janene Hiya Janene I guess the fig leaf reference (from someone who only went to art school and drama school) is that 'hiding your private parts' thing that most classical statues/paintings were given in the renaissance (some of these were added by the Church - see Sistine Chapel). And I guess , clutching the night like a fig leaf, is doing just that, protecting your modesty, using the night, and your drunken state to give you a false sense of modesty, after all , you were out on the pull in the first place. (Do North Americans have that saying, 'on the pull'? It means to be on the lookout for a date/pickup whatever). That song, and especially that section, is one of the bleakest lyrics I know regarding relationships and modern life. My choice for bitterest lyric? apart from the bulk of those hate songs (The Windfall, Taming The Tiger, Sex Kills, ) this is an early one: 'She removes him like a ring to wash her hands' Gives the briefest of description of this woman but you know EXACTLY what she's like. It's like the singer is in a cafe on another table when the couple come in, and the singer turns away after saying hello to the man, but out of the corner of her eye she notices the girlfriend like a hawk, so full of ....hate(?) for the woman. Anyway, I haven't STARTED with Ethiopia.... Jamie Zoob ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 19:49:30 -0500 From: Vince Lavieri Subject: Be Cool I have just waded through several hundreds of emails, a ton of them entitled Our Lady of Duality, and with the things being said back and forth, by people that I like to think of as my friends, I thought that as the resident bishop in the JMDL, that I would quote a great source of truth and an immortal philosopher: If there's one rule to this game Everybody can name real plain its, be cool! If you're worried or uncertain If your feelings are hurtin' You're a fool if you can't keep cool. Charm 'em, don't alarm 'em, keep things light keep your worries out of sight and play it cool. (the Rev) Vince, getting ready to see his beloved 1st place White Sox and Joni, two days of each... does life get any better? NP: "Be Cool", WTRF ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 18:39:11 -0500 From: Mark Domyancich Subject: Re: Joni at MSG taped last night I'm curious: has anyone attempted to hook up to the soundboard and been allowed to stay? Either way, I'm totally excited to hear some of this stuff. Perhaps moving to an actual CITY will correct this problem of missing Joni! NP-Dead still, Truckin' At 9:21 AM -0700 5/24/00, Brian Gross wrote: >Maybe because simon already had all the soundboard's output jacks occupied?? >;-) > - -- Mark Domyancich Harpua@revealed.net tape trading: http://homepage.mac.com/mtd/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 01:00:21 +0100 From: "Jamie Zubairi" Subject: Harry's House I came upon a small revelation the other month. I hadn't bothered to post about it cuz I figured it would be obvious to everyone else! In Harry's House, she's caught up in House and Gardens and he's caught up in chief of staff.... I had always figured out that line is that he is too busy at work so she divorces him. But then the other day I thought that The Chief Of Staff was someone he was having an affair with! So she takes him for every cent. Duh! Jamie Zoob ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 00:44:19 +0100 From: "Jamie Zubairi" Subject: reprise/wea & south bank show Ok, so just a little thing that's been bugging me.... You know how Joni was signed initially to Reprise in the 60's, then she moved to Asylum in 72 then she moved to Geffen in 82 then she moved back to Reprise in 94, why? Aren't these all the same Warner Company or am I just being a little green? I know that David Geffen had something to do with setting up Asylum but then why move from one D Geffen company to another one (namely 'Geffen'?). Was it something to do with her split from Elliot Roberts as management. But weren't Roberts and Geffen business partners anyway? No wonder Joni has had a hard time with the record industry. On another note Can't seem to find a website for The South Bank Show (and I even know the name of the chap who presents it but can't think of it to do a search!). All I know is that they're not airing this season but they soon will. Monday nights I believe.... JMDL cub reporters on the prowl Jamie Zoob ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 01:18:53 +0100 From: "Jamie Zubairi" Subject: Re: Two Grey Rooms Hello Anne I believe the chaps name is Casper Werner Fassbinder, the German cinema director. It's not about him but as Joni says, 'someone from Fassbinder's scene' so perhaps a friend of his. I can't for the life of me think of a title that he may have made, perhaps 'Querrelle' (sp?) Cool video too! I love the masks My prayers to you to GET WELL SOON!!!! Jamie Zoob - ----- Original Message ----- From: Anne Sandstrom To: Cc: Sent: 24 May 2000 22:22 Subject: Two Grey Rooms > > A few months ago, I found out that it is > actually written for someone she knew, a gay man, and it is written from > his point of view. > > Hi Howard. > > Minor detail - Joni didn't know the main character in Two Grey Rooms - she'd > heard the story. It took place in Germany. And (someone else help me here) > the name Fastbinder (sp?) comes to mind. I'd have to look at the Come in > >From the Cold videotape for the details. > > But still, it's a hearbreaking story and Joni really captures that in the > song... > > lots of love > Anne > > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 20:22:32 -0400 From: dsk Subject: Seeing Joni on May 23 (long) So I got myself to the theatre to see Joni last night. Do I sound grumbly? That's how I felt. I had a very expensive ticket purchased long ago and had tucked it away and then on my calendar yesterday it said Joni 8 pm MSG. I hadn't completely forgotten about it, but almost had, and that's a complete turnaround from my excitement and anticipation of seeing her when she toured with Bob Dylan, and my excitement about the tribute concert. So I got myself there through the NYC rain and almost no empty cabs and, once there, was anxious to find my seat, relax, dry off, look around, drink champagne and talk to people next to me. I thought "Hmmm, here I am once again to see Joni, and I'm very happy to be able to do this, but I reeeaaaalllly don't like the BSN CD. She is taking me kicking and screaming into this. It's worse for me than getting used to Mingus. At least there were some jazzy sounds leading up to Mingus. She is really putting me to the test with this orchestra stuff that makes me feel about 60 years old all of a sudden. I do not like it. So I'm loyal and I'm here, enjoy it. And the champagne's not bad, and the conversation's good." Ho hum. And then she comes on stage and I'm one of the first people to stand and there's a clinch in my stomach and tears in my eyes and I can't clap loudly enough and I thank god I'm there because for a little while she and I can share the same space and she's taught me so many things over almost 30 years so I'll trust her again with this new phase of hers and go along with her again. No more ho hum. I was shocked. I was thrilled to be there. I was moved just at the idea of seeing her so close. I was in love. And I'd not felt it so strongly ever. See what starting out grumbly leads to? And she sang and I was able to listen, and really hear the music, and feel it, without terrifyingly instantly aging 20 years, and be moved and teased and taught again, and enjoy everything she was offering. Her voice was smooth and rich and right on target every second. She was focused and very generous with the audience and the musicians and having a very good time. She shook hands with people in the front rows each time she left the stage and was given flowers and at the end was given a second bunch, got almost off stage, and went running back smiling to the piano to pick up the bouquet she'd been given earlier in the show. She also showed us some of her artistic process and I found that very touching, forgetting some words and humming a little instead, rolling her eyes and doing the shoot-me-in-the-head hand motion making fun of that forgetfulness, then all of sudden focusing and getting it together again; reading the lyrics of one of the wordier songs from a big score because she didn't do her homework she said; telling us a little of what she thinks about. So it sounds odd, but the actual songs she did were almost unimportant in all of this glow, although I get such a kick out of Comes Love, I can't get it out of my head now. And the songs on the downside of the arc didn't seem so depressing hearing them live. Sometimes I'm Happy was one of them and she was very swingy and joyful with that one. And then she sang Both Sides Now, and it wasn't sad to me, it was so new sounding I could hardly relate it to the version I first heard years ago. And she grabbed at moths flying around her, giggled, talked about what she saw in clouds, Michaelangelo figures, lots of pecs, and the strangest was Mr. Magoo on his back with a bunny tale and he was jerking off, I mean he was wanking she said and she briefly did the hand motion (can you imagine hearing such language from elegant Joni?), she laughed, we all laughed, and she said she was thinking about that in the first verses of Both Sides Now that she'd just sung so it had been hard for her to concentrate (and, no, I couldn't tell). The person next to me didn't know much about Joni's personal life and at one point she turned to me and said, "Joni's finally gotten horny." I said "yeah, she sure has. It's great isn't it?", and we both laughed. The ice princess Joni's sometimes accused of being wasn't anywhere in sight. She was very much a sexual being. Do I like BSN a whole lot now? No, I don't think so, but I will hear it differently than I was able to before. And I fell so hard I think I'll have to watch out for that grumbly attitude. :-) And everyone still to see a concert, watch out, she may just now be heating up. Enjoy. Debra Shea ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 20:16:45 -0400 From: "patrick leader" Subject: re the bsn show and tour and orchestral joni hey steve, > >And Patrick wrote in his great review: > >>For The Roses was, for me, the perfect justification of this orchestral >>project. This was a brilliant arrangement of the song, perfect musically, >>perfect vocally, perfect lyrically. > >Amen, amen, amen! > thanks for the compliment! the parts of the night i'm holding dearest are that song, the swinging performances on the upbeat songs, and bsn. and i'm a lucky guy, seeing the show again in three nights. this time really close! and i keep on remembering that i wasn't that excited about the excited about the orchestral project(s) still to come, and now i'm shivering with anticipation. and she really has the impetus to follow this through. she's loving this, and it's selling. isn't bsn on track to be her best-selling album in a long long time? does anyone know? that really justifies making two more orchestral albums. and i can't wait. patrick np - be cool (from wild things...) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 20:42:17 -0400 From: "cassy" Subject: Re: Shadows and Light Alan Says: >>>It would appear as though there are two versions of this CD. A single disc version, and a double disc version that does include extra tracks such as "Furry Sings The Blues". I purchased what I believed was the standard version of this "on-line" about six months ago and received a HDCD copy of the double disc version.<<< I bought an import 2 CD "Shadows and Light" a few years ago. It has a Japanese spine inserted into the soft plastic packaging although there is a sticky label which states that it's "made in Germany" since it's the only CD copy I have of S&L I compared it to the original 2 album vinyl release in my collection and it appears to be identical in content. I have heard there is a single CD S&L and that it doesn't have all of the songs on it. I do have the Warner Brothers S&L Video which was released in 1989 (taped 1979) does anyone know if this is the original video release or perhaps a re-release? Cassy N.P. Ian Moore "Modernday Folklore - Muddy Jesus" ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 20:53:21 EDT From: SAVtheWAVE@aol.com Subject: Re: Joni's bitterest lyrics I think that I will jump in here on this one and leave my 2 two ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 May 2000 21:00:41 -0400 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Fw: Daily News Review - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Deb Messling" To: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2000 10:35 AM Subject: Daily News Review > You're welcome! Would you mind posting this New York > Daily News review to the list? I'm at work and my > post will bounce. This review is notable because it's > the first time I've ever seen a critic apologize for a > previous review!! > > > Joni's Gold Standards > Mitchell gives torch songs > a new glow at MSG concert > > It had to happen: The boomer generation's bard of > love, Joni Mitchell, had to tackle torch-song > classics. > > Now she has. > > Mitchell's new album, named for her old hit "Both > Sides Now," centers on love standards, mainly from the > '30s, '40s and '50s. She performed those pieces, and > some classics of her own, at the Theater in Madison > Square Garden Monday and Tuesday joined by a tight > jazz combo (featuring Herbie Hancock and Mark Isham) > and surrounded by a 71-piece orchestra. > Mitchell's unique approach to croonable hits has not > been easy to warm up to. It took this critic no fewer > than 10 hard listens to fall for the LP. Too bad I > reviewed it, with sorrowful disappointment, five > listens in. Luckily, late-arriving love can cut the > deepest, and I swooned for her display on Monday. > Appearing in a billowing magenta gown, the 56-year-old > Mitchell made the most of her technically narrowing > instrument. As a lifelong smoker, every cigarette she > ever puffed has left its mark on her voice. Of course, > there's a long history of older singers using their > flaws to highlight the richness of their experiences. > Late-period Billie Holiday leaps to mind. Similarly, > at the Garden theater, Mitchell's shorter breath and > huskier throat brought the audience closer and made > her seem even more the battered authority on love's > risks and rewards. > The show, divided into two 55-minute segments, found > Mitchell first performing every song from the new > album - in order. She had to do it that way. The 12 > songs off "Both Sides Now" trace the arc of a romance, > moving from infatuation to rejection to healing. > Tellingly, only the first two songs found the singer > happy. > After a long orchestral introduction full of > foreboding and intrigue, Mitchell crooned "You're My > Thrill" with resilient wonder. She expressed relief in > "At Last." Mitchell next communicated all the witty > doom of "Comes Love," a song made famous by Holiday > and treating love as an incurable illness. Just four > songs in, Mitchell declared "You've Changed." > In every song, the singer drew on her long infatuation > with jazz inflections. She also performed two numbers > she wrote and included on the new CD. Mitchell turned > "A Case Of You" from a soaring folk piece into a woozy > jazz ballad. In the song "Both Sides Now," which > completed the album portion of the program, she exuded > an unsettling wisdom. > Mitchell sang six pieces not included on the CD. She > proved she could be playful in her '80s jazz swing > piece "Be Cool." Otherwise, she kept the mood yearning > or troubled. Her performance of "Hegira" used Larry > Klein's questioning bass to put a fire under the > orchestra. She made even grander use of the players in > "Judgment of the Moon and Stars," her stirring song of > support to uncompromising souls. > With typical defiance, Mitchell ended the evening with > "For the Roses," one of her best kiss-offs to the > music business. Through its radical rearrangement, > Mitchell proved yet again her commitment to challenge > and change - the two things she values as highly as > love. > > > > > > > > ===== > Deb Messling > > ~happiness is the best facelift / Joni Mitchell > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. > http://im.yahoo.com/ > > ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #208 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list at ------- Siquomb, isn't she?