From: les@jmdl.com (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #324 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 Tuesday, August 8 2000 Volume 2000 : Number 324 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: -------- Bob's Covers Project goes Europe again ["John van Tiel" ] Joni with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in 1974 ["Blair Fraipont" ] Re: Joni with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in 1974 [Seulbzzaj@aol.com] Bands that don't seem so much confetti - your top 5s ["william" ] JMDL Artists ["Kate Bennett" ] DED Part 2 (long and dangerous content) [MDESTE1@aol.com] DED - PART 3 (long and treacherous content) [MDESTE1@aol.com] Re: DED Part 2 (long and dangerous content) [SCJoniGuy@aol.com] Re: Marcel reviews DED Part 1. (long and treacherous content) ["Lori R. ] DESTE on DED [Don Rowe ] Marcel's DED review [Michael Bird ] Joni at 17 ["Susan" ] Joni w/CSNY ('74 Tour) [simon@icu.com] Rainy Night House [simon@icu.com] your contribution... tanx! :~) ["P. Henry" ] Re: Marcel reviews DED Part 1., Long ["Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Bob's Covers Project goes Europe again To all European members ... Anyone in Europe who is interested in any of the Covers CDs that His imperial Bobness has put together for us all, please contact me. I finally have some time on my hands to do some Euroburning. I have in my possession: Bob's Cover project Vols. 1-8 (note: Volume 2 consists of 4 cds) Flotsam & Jetsam, Vols 1 & 2 (vol 1: Joni live in the 80s; vol. 2 interviews) For all listers ... Last July, Pat Metheny & Michael Brecker gave a concert at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague, here in the Netherlands. It was broadcast on Dutch tv and I have put it to cd. I burned 10 extra copies for list members, many of whom are PM lovers, too. Just contact me for a copy. From the coast of Holland ... John ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 02:14:19 -0700 From: "Kakki" Subject: L.A. Times Walecki article I'm really looking forward to the benefit tonight and tomorrow. A lot of the gang will be meeting up both nights for it. I spoke to a friend tonight who practically grew up hanging out at Westwood Music and told me many wonderful stories about Freddy. Said that even if you were a small child wandering into the store, Freddy would give you all his attention and treat you like his most important customer. The following article appeared in yesterday's L.A. Times. (I wonder if this is Patti Davis, daughter of Ronnie Reagan and former girlfriend of Bernie Leadon?) Sounds like it's going to be a couple of very special nights. Kakki Payback Time for a Beloved Guitar Man When Westwood Music's owner faced cancer, members of the rock aristocracy organized a benefit concert By PATTI DAVIS, Special to The Times People buying tickets for a two-night concert at the Santa Monica Civic on Tuesday and Wednesday with Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt might be puzzled that it's a benefit concert for Fred Walecki and family. No, he hasn't been in the news or featured on "Extra." Walecki owns a music store--Westwood Music, a place that's been in his family since he was born 53 years ago. He's sold guitars to some of the most well-known names in music, and has been entrusted with the repair of valuable and beloved instruments. In the '70s, when Los Angeles was home to more rock music stars than anywhere on earth, it wasn't unusual to walk into the store, then located on Westwood Boulevard, and see Browne or Neil Young trying out a guitar, or the Eagles' Glenn Frey buying guitar picks. It was a place where musicians loved to hang out, the place where somebody like Bonnie Raitt, who went to University High with Walecki, might phone from the road in urgent need of a replacement guitar. It was a place, too, where Fred might look you in the eye and tell you you were wrecking your life with drugs and needed to go into treatment. Several people would come to feel they owed him their sobriety. Walecki was always available, always cheerful, and always seen with a cigarette. Several months ago, he got the diagnosis: throat cancer, growing so quickly that there was no choice but to remove his voice box. He now speaks through an artificial-voice device, requiring him to hold a small microphone to his throat. Those close to Walecki knew that despite his positive outlook and the resilience of his wife, Cathy, and their two young children, the medical expenses not covered by his insurance were more than he could handle. Enter Bernie Leadon, an old friend and one of the four original Eagles, and Glyn Johns, the legendary producer who has worked with the Beatles, Eric Clapton, the Eagles and the Rolling Stones. The idea for a benefit concert was born. "Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne and David Crosby were the first to say yes," Leadon says. Crosby suggested they contact Tom Campbell, whose company, the Guacamole Fund, has put together benefit concerts on behalf of individuals and social issues for the past 25 years. Each artist who was approached committed without hesitation: Warren Zevon, Chris Hillman and Randy Meisner joined the list. Browne came up with the concert billing, "Gathering of the Clan," which the musicians said symbolized the way they'd gathered for so long under Fred's roof. "Not a sweeter soul walks this earth," said Hillman. "When I grow up, I want to be Fred Walecki," Harris added. "They're paying him back for his kindness and generosity over the years," Glyn Johns said earlier this week as he prepared to fly here from London for the concert. The latest addition is Don Henley, who has been on tour, and has adjusted his schedule to perform Wednesday night. "I've learned a lot about strength and character just by watching Walecki go through this ordeal," Henley said. Walecki's father, Herman Walecki, opened the store in 1947, catering mostly to classical musicians. Fred started working there when he was 14, repairing instruments. Four years later his father died. Fred quit school and took over the store, changing its focus to the guitar-based music he'd grown up with. The store has been located on Santa Monica Boulevard for the last six years and--like other small music stores and bookstores--has lost business to the new mega-stores that offer lower prices but less camaraderie. Walecki has been moved by the attention. He fondly recounts a moment in the hospital when, under the haze of sedation, he pressed a button to summon a nurse for more pain medication, only to have Henley walk into the room first for an unexpected visit. "If someone offered to give me back my voice in exchange for knowing this kind of friendship," he said, "I wouldn't take the offer." "If someone offered to give me back my voice in exchange for knowing this kind of friendship, I wouldn't take the offer." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 11:50:25 EDT From: "Blair Fraipont" Subject: Joni with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in 1974 Hey everyone, I was curious if anyone recalls the shows Joni did with CSN&Y back in 1974 on their 'reunion' Tour?? I saw a snipet of them performing all together (obviously during an encore) from the VH1 Neil Young Legends special. I just was wondering how well did Joni play in those Stadiums..because her music seems to flourish in more personal spaces; I didnt know if the gargantuam size of the stadiums changed her performance.. and if so, What songs did she do well? Blair f ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 12:21:55 -0400 (EDT) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: 'Ruth' MacLean & Joni - --- Anna Ruth MacLean <9905346M@student.gla.ac.uk> wrote: > Thank you to everyone who replied to me with > Scottish > connections etc.. I'm still wondering what to do > with the amount of > mail I'm receiving from the JMDL !! > Well, hold on, girl - you ain't seen nothin' yet! I don't think anyone could ever accuse this bunch of being "quiet". ===== Catherine (in Toronto) catrin_of_aragon@yahoo.ca _______________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.ca address at http://mail.yahoo.ca ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 12:39:34 EDT From: Seulbzzaj@aol.com Subject: Re: Joni with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young in 1974 I went to one of those performances. Joni's set was with Tom Scott & The LA Express - and was just like the Miles Of Aisles lp - a great show! She also sang a few things with CSNY during their set. - Scott In a message dated Tue, 8 Aug 2000 12:16:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time, "Blair Fraipont" writes: << Hey everyone, I was curious if anyone recalls the shows Joni did with CSN&Y back in 1974 on their 'reunion' Tour?? I saw a snipet of them performing all together (obviously during an encore) from the VH1 Neil Young Legends special. I just was wondering how well did Joni play in those Stadiums..because her music seems to flourish in more personal spaces; I didnt know if the gargantuam size of the stadiums changed her performance.. and if so, What songs did she do well? Blair f ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com >> ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 00:47:12 +0700 From: "william" Subject: Bands that don't seem so much confetti - your top 5s Just been reading the compilation lists of Joni Undercovers and am quite overawed by the selection. Thanks Bob-JoniGuy in SC for pointing me in the right direction. I would like to acquire or at least hear all/most/some of the covers there are, but from experience of the few I have heard, well ...... they always leave me flat. Back to the Garden circa 92 just appalled me. I'm kinda fussy about the music I listen to, who isn't? Being a Joni fan it goes without sayi..... There are so many unknowns (to me anyway) in the list that I'd find it hard to select a compilation. Of course I assume the tried and tested CSNs and other established artists are worthy of having. Though having said that, I read that Joni feels her original "Big Yellow Taxi" is not the definitive version. Dylan's certainly ain't. We're talking taste here and worthwhile interpretations of Joni's work. A tall order. Cut to the chase Willy ....... I'd much like to hear fellow JMDLers' thoughts, criticisms, top 5, top anything of the covers they've come across. I'm not so into syrupy versions of BSN a la Judy Collins, more a kind of John Martin doing Blue Motel Room (I wish) or even that Janet Jackson thing she did recently - well not really, only if there'd been more Joni bits in it. Strings squeaking under fingers is what I like as in David Crosby's In My Dreams - yes, but not middle-of-the-road Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep. Sorry Leslie I'm wandering again! Must focus. As Kenny Everett once said, ' Tonight we say focus". One had to be there. Willy the Shake NP - Boogie With Stu (Led Zeppelin) - oooh ma soul, rock on! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 15:02:09 -0400 From: "Peg Eves" Subject: RE: Hi from the Bay Area in California Yo, Bunny! I'm a little late here but I'm relatively new to the list too and wanted to say Hi and tell you what a great relief you will feel being able to share your Joni -expressions with these kookie & wonderful fan-atics who know and care where you're coming from. You've got good taste! Talk to ya later. Peg in VT > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-joni@jmdl.com [mailto:owner-joni@jmdl.com]On Behalf Of > Adrian T Chang > Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2000 5:41 AM > To: joni@smoe.org > Subject: Hi from the Bay Area in California > > > Hello Everyone, > > I'm new to the list and figured I'd drop my first email to say > "hi" to everyone. So I'm Adrian, most of my friends call me > Bunny, as in Bunny Boy, Bunny Blue, Baby Bunny and whatever else > anyone can think of. Call me whatever you want. I'm open. > About me, I'm 17, I'm gay and from the bay area in California. > By the way, the "I'm Gay" part isn't me trying to brutally throw > that on you, I just thought I'd mention it. Anyways, It's hard > for me to find ANYONE my age or even any age in my area that > appreciates Joni as much as I do(besides my parents, but they > were hippies so...). My boyfriend hates her musick(though he > respects her as a artist and a musician, he just really dislikes > her style). So its a little dissapointing that I don't really > have any friends that I can randomly chat about Joni with, > without having to explain who she is. SO i figured I'd join the > list and meet some other "groupies and fanatics" like me. I've > been listening to her since I was a baby and to! > ok up guitar when I was 10 because I wanted to be like her. So > thats all I can think of to write. I better go, its really late. > Well, hopefully, I'll meet all of you later. > > Love and peace, > Adrian > > > Send FREE Greetings for Father's Day--or any day! > Click here: http://www.whowhere.lycos.com/redirects/fathers_day.rdct > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 13:05:11 -0700 From: "Kate Bennett" Subject: JMDL Artists "Jim L'Hommedieu" wrote: Hey, where are the hordes of singersongwriters? Kate, Bryan, Leslie? Its coming, I am waayyyyy behind in everything......... ******************************************** Kate Bennett www.katebennett.com www.cdbaby.com/katebennett www.amazon.com "bringing the melancholy world of twilight to life almost like magic…the album grows more intriguing with repeated listening" All Music Guide "lyrically, it's a work of art overall" Indie-Music.com ******************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 15:50:29 EDT From: MDESTE1@aol.com Subject: DED Part 2 (long and dangerous content) Tax Free Well we copied the Pretenders and the Police now who else is really really big and popular that we need to emulate.....how about Cristopher Cross who is tied into all the other people involved with this album and whose album was a colossal smash about this time had sections in his songs very close to Jonis in this song particularly on the vocal phrasing. Another was the Motels. Joni must have been watching alot of MTV. This song also has another gimmic of the times which was the boyfriend imitating politician making speech voice over. People in the sixties mocked parents who didnt like their music their hair or their party materials. In the 80s it became cool to mock politicians and materialism (later to be abandoned in the 90s) because the entire industry hated Ronald Reagan and the economic expansion. However Joni isnt writing about macho military invasions with most of the lyrics. Shes writing about coming home from party time, feeling like doggy doo, and onto the TV comes a televangelist. Most of the allusions are to hard right christian bible thumpers and how money sent to them is tax deductable, which she calls "tax free" (revealing her musician mentality). How the song segues into the "marines, manhood, and grenada"is, I think, another example I suspect of the decisions of others. The voice at the end referring to the invasion of Grenada is a classic. Wonder where that guy has been through Bosnia, Khosovo,Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Bin Laden and about 40 other military escapades of the last eight years. [Hey man who cares, I got my portfolios and my 401-k cranking man]. Little did Joni suspect at the time that a future president would hold an entire invasion just to distract the public from the DNA tests on a blue dress like Clinton did but thats another story. Anyway what is interesting is that the entire song lyric isnt really about politics or politicians (which makes the political rant all the more interesting, unrelated, and weird) but about televangelists and their craving for money and the idea that money given to them is tax deductable. The Cristopher Cross imitation stems from the vocals which are done very much in his style especially in the first verse. Detecting a pattern here? First the Police, The Pretenders, Peter Gabriel, Cristopher Cross all whose styles are suddenly the way for Joni to go. OK you might say thats way too harsh an indictment. Well I'll stand by that because these arent just style drifts they are absolute quasi sampling of those other artists art. When you are imitating Chrissy Hindes vocal annunciations you arent just dabbling you are copying. Joni must have felt suffocated under this pushing from all directions to immitate others. How can I say that ? Easy, Turbulent Indigo. After she escaped Klein and the other LAMM her music reverted to what can easily see is her own art. Compare TI to DED and no greater evidence could ever be produced. It is stark. One is her, the other isnt. In Tax Free the idea Joni had about televangelists is suddenly co-opted into an anti-Reagan rant about the Grenada invasion. Talk about invasion of the body snatchers, the LAMM took a perfectly good general idea and foisted their own preferred political subject matter and in doing so mutated the song itself. I love the synth tubular sound on this songs intro. Although the verse melody is pastel and undistinguishable I love the choruses melodic groove (with its guitar line) and i LOOOVe the short multi track interlude on the line "Oh come let us adore....me". I think the song would have been better without the ranting but hey that was the 80s. Only Joni can answer for sure but I would bet that this was again someone elses idea and she was tired of fighting all her "mentors". It earns the big 6 for effort. DED PART 2. Smokin' (Empty, Try Another) Years ago I noticed that when I went to the money machine when my card came back out after the transaction there was this little beep sound that was in perfect note and time with Greg Rollie's hammond B-3 intro to Santana's Oy E Como Va. Machine as music what a concept. Peter Gabriel in my humble opinion is one of the all time greatest acts to see live. No amps for any of his musicians on the stage. Everything is wireless. The sound is always the best as well as the lights. etc. But nothing has distinguished P-Gab from the rest of the pack anything like his in-studio use of sound effects in place of music instrumental tracks. His albums are filled with sounds rather than music. Even his drums sound like machines found in factories and subway trains. Ultimately this is a very well done song that pulls off this technique about as well as it can be done. I would have to assume (given my other assumptions) that cigarette smoking was becoming an issue big time in the Klein-Mitchell abode. She refers to it in the song Borderline later on ("...blame it on the smoke"). Maybe she was feeling enslaved by the habit. In any event she makes unique use of the sound of the cigarette machine and that one "instrument" ,except for Larry Kleins bass, is it, as far as instruments go. She throws in a hacking cough at the end part of the song as sort of her "solo". Her vocals as usual are fabulous although basically doing the same line repeatedly. Ill give it a 6 for the beat of the cigarette machine. Dog Eat Dog As a hard core folk music fan I long ago got used to the political statement put to music. While Joni certainly does that in this song I sensed a much deeper thing going on. I say this because Joni came of age both personally and professionally during one of the most dynamic and horrifying (Cold War nuclear threat-Viet Nam-Kent State-Kennedy/King) eras in history. So it is suprising that the woman who didnt write a song about some things of great historic importance suddenly writes a song about 80s materialism meeting religion and sees a deep connection to survival of the human race within it. She is clearly all over the televangelists case -again- (perhaps rightly so) but somehow missed the political/religion pimps in the process. She sees materialism and greed for money in the corporate world and the religion business but misses entirely those who lie cheat and enslave people for political power as opposed to money. Personally I think this is the achilles heel of the boomer generation but I digress. In the title track nothing states her case better than the third verse. Land of snap decisions Land of short attention spans Nothing is savored Long enough to really understand In every culture in decline The watchful ones among the slaves Know all that is genuine will be Scorned and conned and cast away Perhaps she is revealing who the slaves were in her song Passion Play. Joni here clearly has on her blue malaise tinted shades. Her assessment is depressing and morose. On the other hand the music itself is that of Southern California. Bright, cheery, tonaly uplifting only a hint of a minor chord. Kind of like LA itself wherein everyone goes to see their therapist on bright sunny wonderful days. Another interesting thing to me was the slightest hint of Cindy Lauper's Time after Time in the musical tracks. Almost as if the producer realized that he had to include that to insure playability on the radio. A 6 is about where this comes in. Shiny Toys Easily my favorite song on the album and in my humble opinion actually Jonis best "hit". The song's verse is an out and out synopsis of the 80s with just a hint of the Police guitar signiture in the intro. When people magazine was the most read in America and Female bands were taking off with the Bangles Cindy Lauper, the Pretenders (sorry but it was Chrisseys band) and the GoGos. Life must have been good good good in LA about these times. Joni sings about the exciting trips out to party land. The intro is brilliant with the melody of the words a sort of counter melody to the note line. The production is fabulous with the synth pads and the effects darting in and out of your consciousness. I have listened to this song now maybe 50 or 60 times and there is no sign of getting tired of it. Pure fun. Of course the attention span of the producer was so wigged out that when he had the obligatory boyfriend blurt out "I love my porsche" (twice yet) to you know sort of like wow man lets hammer home the materialism theme lest someone not get it. In spite of that this is the purest hit material on the album. No problem giving this one a 9. Part 3 to be continued. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 15:52:57 EDT From: MDESTE1@aol.com Subject: DED - PART 3 (long and treacherous content) Part 3: Ethiopia Who can forget the images night after night on TV of the orphaned black child with the malnoureshed stomach and the flies crawling on the face. On and on and on. Who can forget that immense effort to raise consciousness about the massive starvation in Ethiopia led by those staunch careing and concerned rockers and all the Hollywood stars who did Live Aid. Ever wonder what happened to that person and those people? This song was Jonis contribution to that era. Of course the fact that since this song was sung there have been probably six or seven similar regional disasters and a new one (AIDS) that threatens to wipe out two entire generations on the entire continent and about 80 million to 200 million people in Africa has gone totally without follow up of any kind from the "caring" rock community. This is why I have a hard time buying the "sincerity" behind songs like this. If it was enough of an issue to get this worked up over then why have all the others gone largely ignored by the very same community. Could it be that the problem was too immense and beyond any solution to begin with making all the sturm and drang over this singular crisis an exercise in hubris. Oh come let us adore ME. The same generation that was dumb enough to think that Woodstock was a potential model for a real society (it was actually a model of Cuba) was suddenly under the impression that all it had to do was sing a song and a great famine would be "cured". ? The "oops" has yet to be verbalized by those New World Order fans. All the more reason to demand that the UN do something. How about a song about the UN ignoring the issue Joni. The point Im making is that the mid 80s was the beginning of the abandonment of its ideals by the left in America. Or that to maintain its stated values was going to imply far more heavy lifting than merely singing about it and expecting someone else to clean up the mess while we go on to the next crusade. Since then it has congratulated itself on its "feelings" villified others for not "caring" and then gone home to party, smug in its arrogance that it is enough just to speak up. But like the old photos of the horrible "hip" outfits people see in old photographs that they used to wear in the 60s and 70s (that they now laugh at), issues like Biafra (60s) and Ethiopia are fawned over as if that was all that needed to be done to qualify for sainthood. While Bill Gates the evil capitalist devil who manages to run 10 feet in front of the Janet Reno steamroller gives 45 million dollars to innoculate African Children today Barbara Streisand gives her money to elect Al Gore. AND Mr.Gates doesnt hold a two continent rock show to announce it. So this song to me is like the picture of Jane Fonda sitting on the anti-aircraft gun in Hanoi. Seemed like the political thing to do at the time but a hollow symbolic gesture in retrospect. Joni of course can always do a new song entitled Sierra Leone Makes Me Cry Today. The music is interesting but was overwhelmed in my mind by the issue and the political historical gravity. In other words it doesnt matter if theres a great sound system in the green room next to the electric chair. The studio sampling and production raises this song to a 5. Impossible Dreamer Lush production. I suppose when you get to the end of producing an album like this you are looking for something different. Of course we can never know when this song was written or produced in terms of the album project itself because the choice of the order of the songs appearance is usually made after all are finished. However the words are uplifting to some extent and the production is wonderful. The words have been spoken to here on the list and its basically broken down to a question of whether the person Joni is singing of is Lennon or King. Joni I believe says its King but the lyrics make several mentions about John lennon type references. I thought of you Dreamer Give peace a chance Don't think just dance Impossible Impossible dreamer Well one could say Lennon wrote Give Peace a Chance but he did it at the time the King speeches were being delivered by him so who knows. Anyway my ultimate impression about this song was how low key it was. How soft and dreamy and sensetive. It sounds to me that Joni made the decisions on this one. Was this one done first, before the others. After hearing this song did the LAMM decide they had to squeeze a hit out of the rest of the potential material she had assembled for this product. Accuse me of speculating off the wall if you will but thats the impression I got listening to this album over and over. This song stands out like a sore thumb. Theres no "hit " component. No hook, no attempt to copy someone else, no Michael Macdonald doing a sit in, nothing. Its LA production for sure but the other stuff is missing. Ill give this one a 6. Lucky Girl I never loved a man I trusted As far as I could throw my shoe 'til I loved you. { Awwwwww) Is she talking about Klein ? I dont know but I had to rank this song as too pastel so as to be borderline boring. There is no compelling melody, no deep groove of feeling, and its a wash as far as saying something interesting. I know a Jonifan out there will take great umbrage and make a voodoo doll of ol Marcel BUT hey that will give them something to do while they listen to their Yoko Onos Greatest Hits CD. Ill have to be generous and give this song a 4. Well thats it. Lots of fun. I always have fun doing album reviews because you really have to consider the songs from many angles. So many times we just listen and thats good but its also fun to really consider all the details. Ultimately this album was alot better than I was led to believe. In spite of the lyrics not being up to Joni's usual ethereal level the production was among her (or Kleins) best. I strongly stand by my ESP that Joni was being led by the hand by others on the production side. Having said that however if Im not mistaken it was after this album that her flirtation with the VG-8 turned into a steady date. So the effect of that incredible LA sound certainly lodged in the right side of her brain. After this album is was good-bye, not just pork pie hat but, acoustic instruments. The only BIG 80s bands not knocked off on this album are Huey lewis and Greg Kihn and thats OK because the less imitation the better as far as Im concerned. All in all Im really glad I did this. Its been time consuming writing one song review a day and then editing, and I hope I dont bust someones cookies entirely. After all we are all entitled to our opinions. If you havent listened to this album ever or havent in a long time then head out to the nearest highway get the car up to about 85 with the windows down and then put on "Good Friends". Just ignore the lyrics that dont really mean anything. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 16:52:24 EDT From: SCJoniGuy@aol.com Subject: Re: DED Part 2 (long and dangerous content) <> Great post, Marcel! We could discuss a lot of that in length, and hopefully we will...but I would say that 'Shiny Toys" has *much* more than a "hint" of the Police...the thing always sounds to me like a rewrite of "De Do Do Do..." (A song which Joni admitted she absolutely loved). Doesn't take anything away from Shiny Toys, great song on an enjoyable album. But like you say, where Joni was formerly a trailblazer, I too found this one to be very derivative of the times. Bob ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 14:23:41 -0700 (PDT) From: "Lori R. Fye" Subject: Re: Marcel reviews DED Part 1. (long and treacherous content) Marcel wrote, re "Good Friends": > No nerves of steel > No hearts of gold > No blame for what we can and > can't control > Good friends you and me > What does getting together with a good friend have > to do with the words in this song, nada. Hmm. No deep meaning here, just a reference to UNCONDITIONAL FRIENDSHIP, something we see way too seldom in this high-maintenance world. Am greatly enjoying your review, Marcel! Looking forward to Part 3. Peace, Lori, who has tons more she wants to say but who must return to the work at hand, for now ... in DC __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 14:27:49 -0700 (PDT) From: Don Rowe Subject: DESTE on DED Remarkably even-handed. I may not agree that the album is as derivative as you suggest ... but the McDonald back-vocal as an 80s signature was dead on. I also don't think "Tax Free" is about Grenada -- the line in Steiger's monologue about "the Castros and the Khadafis" always made me think "that little island SOUTH of Florida" -- was Cuba. But an interesting twist, given the military action of the times. Yeah, Joan does more than a little Chrissy impression on that one tune -- but the chord voicings (I'm real keen on that, being a demon keyboard player) are still, I say, 100% JM. Nobody, but nobody got synth textures like those on DED. It's really the main reason I love the album so much, and also the main reason I chafe at comments that dismiss it as "synth pop." Soft Cell is synth pop, Human League is synth pop -- not so DED. But overall -- very nice analysis. Don Rowe ===== "Closer Now" is now available at http://www.mp3.com/donrowe __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 17:55:28 -0400 (EDT) From: Michael Bird Subject: Marcel's DED review Fascinating reading, Marcel. Wonderful insights, some very funny. One question: these ratings, are they out of 100 points? Ha ha. Nickel Chief ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 17:38:56 -0500 From: "Susan" Subject: Joni at 17 > Bunny Boy writes: > > It's hard for me to find ANYONE my age or even any age in my area that > > appreciates Joni as much as I do(besides my parents, but they > > were hippies so...). > Oh Baby Brother Joniphile Welcome, we are family! It was hard enough for many of us when we were young (in the 60's & 70's - the decade - not our age) and Joni was in vogue, to get our friends to be as FAN-atical as we are about her, but we never gave up hope! At last in the 90's and here in the year 2000 she has been enjoying a renaissance of her career. Finally, getting the accolades she deserved for so long! We would love to hear what a young fresh soul has to share and say about Joni, art and the world as you see it. Just be ready for the rebuttals and don't take them personal. There are critiques and reviews and deciphering to do on such a body of work, we have only scratched the surface. Not only that but on a personal note, sometimes I am so overcome with so much thought and opinion from so many years of silence on the subject of her majesty, that I don't even get it all out cause who the hell wants to hear me pontificate for hours and hours. So Adrian - Bunny Boy - hey I had an Uncle Bunny, once again welcome! Peace Sister Susan (hey I'm not a nun - okay!) (wondering when will I grow UP!) NP in my head: Let the Wind Carry Me ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 20:21:16 -0800 From: simon@icu.com Subject: Joni w/CSNY ('74 Tour) Blair Fraipont writes inquiring about Joni opening for CSNY ... > > >Hey everyone, I was curious if anyone recalls the shows Joni did >with CSN&Y back in 1974 on their 'reunion' Tour?? I saw a snipet >of them performing all together (obviously during an encore) from >the VH1 Neil Young Legends special. I just was wondering how >well did Joni play in those Stadiums ... because her music seems >to flourish in more personal spaces; I didnt know if the gargantuam >size of the stadiums changed her performance. and if so, What >songs did she do well? > >Blair f > > Blair, personally i think that Joni's music will 'flourish' anytime and anyplace an audience will give her and ThemSelves half a chance to be drawn in. it's always a question of being receptive. the CSNY audience is essentially a JONI audience as is usually the case with DYLAN's audience. Joni Mitchell has always been warmly received by both, especially in NYC. during the CSNY '74 Tour, Joni Mitchell was one of a number of opening acts at several shows. the two that i'm sure of are: 09-08-74: Roosevelt Raceway / Westbury, N.Y. 09-14-74: Wembley Stadium / London, England (also The Band & Jesse Colin Young) Part of this show was filmed by the BBC. i was at the Westbury, NY show as was at least one other list member. as i recall Joni's set went over quite well with the audience as i would have expected. she was then currently on the road Touring on what would later be called the 'Miles Of Aisles' Tour. her SetList on this particular day was typical of her shows that summer. Joni Mitchell ROOSEVELT RACEWAY Westbury, N.Y. Sept. 8, 1974 1. Free Man In Paris 2. You Turn Me On I'm A Radio 3. Big Yellow Taxi 4. Same Situation 5. Rainy Night House 6. Woodstock 7. This Flight Tonight 8. People's Parties 9. All I Want 10. Woman Of Heart And Mind 11. Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire 12. Blue 13. For Free 14. Help Me 15. Jericho 16. Love Or Money 17. The Last Time I Saw Richard 18. Twisted 1 hr. 10 min. ------------- although this SetList is typical, i would point out that the set itself was a little shorter. shows on this tour typically ran up to 1 hr. 50 min. some a little longer, some a little shorter. on this particular day Joni also joined CSNY as well as Graham and Neil and sang harmony vocals on a few songs, as follows: CSNY ROOSEVELT RACEWAY Westbury, N.Y. Sept. 8, 1974 CSNY 1. Helpless 2. Only Love Can Break Your Heart GRAHAM NASH 3. Another Sleep Song 4. Our House NEIL YOUNG 5. Long May You Run NEIL YOUNG 6. Old Man CSNY 7. Change Partners CSN 8. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes CSNY 9. Deja Vu 10. Sugar Mountain 11. Ohio these performances are more interesting *sounding* than they are interesting to listen to. hope this helps. for now ~ take care, - ------- simon - ------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 21:09:19 -0800 From: simon@icu.com Subject: Rainy Night House recently while going thru some unread Digests from last winter, i came across the following ... > > >From: Jamie Zubairi >Subject: Rainy Night House Discuss > >Here we go, Jamie has another question: > >In her haunting ballad, Rainy Night House, Joni mentions a man who >lived 'with his father's gun, alone'. Does the chap commit suicide? >if not, why mention the gun? > >Just wondering. >I'm not sure if the quote is actually correct but I think it is. > >Jamie Zubairi > > and then there was this ... > > >From: Wally Kairuz >Subject: RE: Rainy Night House Discuss > >wasn't this about leonard cohen and a gun he had from his father? >i remember there was a conflict with his mother over who would keep >the gun. >wallyk > > Jamie, WallyK is correct on this one. here's what i posted ahile back. > > >Subject: Rainy Night House >Date: Mon. Feb. 23, 1998 > >RE: "Rainy Night House" > >FROM: "Various Positions: A Life Of Leonard Cohen" > > Following his father's death, Cohen won a significant dispute with > his mother over custody of Nathan's pistol, a military souvenir. > Cohen had been fascinated by his father's military exploits and at > one time Nathan had spoken of sending Cohen to a military college, > an idea Cohen eagerly accepted. THE FAVORITE GAME describes the > dispute over the gun, presented as an important talisman: > a "huge .38 in a thick leather case ... Lethal, angular, precise, > it smoldered in the dark drawer with dangerous potential. > The metal was always cold." > > Cohen has always been fascinated by weapons, reflected in his novel > BEAUTIFUL LOSERS. "I loved the magic of guns," the character F. > declares. For several years Cohen himself kept a gun. In her lyric > to "Rainy Night House," Joni Mitchell describes how she and Cohen > took a taxi to his mother's house in Westmount during her absence: > "she went to Florida and left you with your father's gun alone." > > > RAINY NIGHT HOUSE > > It was a rainy night > We took a taxi to your mother's home > She went to Florida and left you > With your father's gun, alone > Upon her small white bed > I fell into a dream > You sat up all the night and watched me > To see, who in the world I might be. > > I am from the Sunday school > I sing soprano in the upstairs choir > You are a holy man > On the F.M. radio > I sat up all the night and watched thee > To see, who in the world you might be. > > You called me beautiful > You called your mother-she was very tanned > So you packed your tent and went > To live out in the Arizona sand > You are a refugee > From a wealthy family > You gave up all the golden factories > To see, who in the world you might be. - -------- simon - -------- Wally Breese was my friend -- i miss him. unfair, so unfair. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2000 18:30:54 -0700 From: "P. Henry" Subject: your contribution... tanx! :~) hi bob, I just want to thank you again for these awsome cd's and to share how completely overwhelming this is... I don't know if you've ever been in the 'stage crew' mode, sitting back at the lights or sound controls while sets were playing, but there is a deep familiarity on that level I have with these early sets... and the quality is SO much better on cd! I'll be playing them on my computer while I'm checking mail and such and, probably due more to the fact that I'm doing something else besides just listening, suddenly I'm in that mode and I'm 17 all over again! it's not easy to describe to you but I can't thank you enough. you've given me back a part of my own life! :o) I'm also especially very hooked on the grapevine cd, as I call it... (flotsam and jetsam) the live versions of solid love, dog eat dog, #1 and of course hejira are priceless and grapevine takes it all over the top! being from detroit the few motown covers Joni has done hold a very special place in my heart... WOW! I guess I've sort of held off writing as it is a little embarrassing when all I can do is gush like this. so much attention has been focused on your excellent work on the covers project of late some may not realize what an awesome library of rarities is can be found throught the trees... I really can't imagine any listmember not jusmping at the chance of getting this one in particular. the live version of hejira is worth the price of admission alone! :o) btw, an interesting thing I was able to compare thanks to you... on night in the city. I can remember the first time I played STAS, back in '68... naturally I first looked for songs I was familiar with from her live sets and NITC was one... I remember that first time I heard it and going 'what was THAT?!?' when I heard that rolling/bouncing bass intro... and now, some 32yrs later, with the secondfret cd, I can sit here and compare and it's so cool... of course back then I had no recording of the way I'd heard it live so many times but I knew the rhythm was different on the STAS version... go ahead, give the two recordings a sisten back to back and you'll see what I mean... somehow in crosby's production with stills' rolling bass, she redid the whole rhythm of the song! by comparison it's almost a reggae flavor! anyway, I just wanted to express my excitement and gratitude for these and go on record with a high recommendation to all on the list to get the flotsam and jetsam cd asap while you are still willing to reproduce them! take care, pat NP: Chelsea Morning - from 'Looking Out For Love' cd http://homepages.go.com/~badwolff/albums/album1/ Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 23:05:13 -0400 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Re: Marcel reviews DED Part 1., Long Marcel, What a long post! Please don't hold back when you write a review. Tell us how you REALLY feel. :) Since "Dog Eat Dog" was released in 1985, way before JMDL was invented, there are few posts that involve "first time" reflections. With the wisdom borne of hindsight you have picked up on lots of stuff that I missed about "Dog Eat Dog". I have always thought of it as Joni's "lost" album but, thanks to your review, I see it as a collaboration. It's like Traveling Wilburys album, without Dylan's humor. Perhaps those guys were thinking, "Well, this certianly isn't a Tom Petty album! It doesn't SOUND like any of us, least of all Dylan." After reading Parts 1 and 2 of your review, I now view "Dog Eat Dog" as Joni's "LAMM album" (an expression Marcel coined for 'Los Angeles Music Mafia'). It's a producer's album that happens to have lyrics and lead vocals by Joni. It's like a dance album, where the producer has lots of power over the 'sound'. And like a dance album, it's has more to DO with the sound than about the words that I love so well. (BTW, the words are the reason I buy Joni's stuff in the first place.) So, it's kinda a shame that it was released as a "JONI MITCHELL" album. All the best, Jim L'Hommedieu near Cincinnati ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 23:27:46 EDT From: RobSher50@aol.com Subject: Re: JMDL artists Hi Everyone! I'd like to throw myself in as a JMDL artist. Though I'm not currently performing, I am working on CD project just for posterity. I sing jazz and even though I don't consider myself a "real songwriter", I still want to see my creations come to life. My dream in life is to be able to collaborate with jazz greats too many to name. to be able to win the musical respect of Joni would be a dream come true. I'm sitting here thinking about her tribute tape, awed by her musicality. Her live rendition of "Both Sides Now" blew me away. Even though she had an orchestra behind her, the richness of her voice in my mind, seemed to drown them out. Even though the tribute artists were all very good, when she came out at the end, it was as if you could hear the ringmaster say, "And now...For the main event..." Her one song at the end made the whole program worthwhile. Sherelle (Who is learning how to download files, and what the heck is a "C" drive?) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 23:37:18 EDT From: Julian51469@aol.com Subject: Unreleased Joni... Hello Everyone! I'm just about halfway done with the first "Ureleased Joni Compilation" tape and have really started to work out what songs I'm missing or have but need another copy. So far the lineup goes: Brandy Eyes, Mr. Blue, Eastern Rain, Born to Take the Highway, Carnival in Kenora, Winterlady, Blue on Blue, Come to the Sunshine, London Bridge, Ballerina Vallerie, Go Tell the Drummer Man, Dr. Junk the Dentist Man, Hunter, Looking Out for Love, and Wilderland. The songs that I have but seem to be needing a fix-up or better copies are: 1) The complete version of "Just Like Me" that is on the WMMR Archives Vol. # 1, second side....for some reason my copy is all warped and wobbly sounding and the other versions that I have have the beginning cut off. 2)My "Club 47" tape is on loan to a friend who is transfering it to a CDR...I like my tape much better than the CDR that I have of it due to the fact that my tape seems to be at a normal speed and has much less hiss. On this tape is: "The Way It Is" and "The Gift of the Magi"...so with this one I shall be playing the waiting game. 3)There is a song that I have that I've been calling "I Don't Know Where I Stand"...I don't see it listed anywhere...Is this the real title? Forgive my ignorance, but is this on some official release that I've completely blanked out on? It is such a great song! Somebody set me strait on this one. 4) Does anyone out there have a complete version of "Melody in Your Name"? The versions that I have are cut off before Joni can finnish the second of three verses. This too is a gorgeous tune. and finally.... 5)There are a bunch of other tunes that I would (and so would everyone else) LOVE to get me hands on. Is there a person or place that I can go to that may be able to direct me to the show with these missing "grail" songs? Looking at the copyrights to some of the songs I've noticed that most of her unreleased songs are from 1966 to 1969....What tapes am I missing that are from this era that might have these songs: Ballad in Blue, Cara's Castle, Daisy Summer Piper, Day After Day, Endless Summer, Free Darling, Gemini Twin, Here Today Gone Tomorrow, I Won't Cry, Jeremy, Julie's Mom, Kelly, Lazy Summer, Little David, Midnight Cowbow Song, Moon in the Mirror, Poor Sad Baby, Song to a Daydreamer, Straw-Flower Man, What Will You Give Me, Who Has Seen the Wind, and The Wizard of Is. As you can see...I am about a quarter of the way through with this project. As soon as I get a full tapes worth...or 74 minutes worth. I'll send it out to be "treed up". I must say that it is already a beautiful thing to play this for friends and it's like it is a whole new early Joni album being released for the first time....There is a strong undercurrent of psychedelic, wide-eyed mysticism to the whole sound and message of the tape. Any thoughts or suggestions or donations would be much appreciated. Thank you all so much for helping me get this far. Take care, Julian ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2000 #324 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list at ------- Siquomb, isn't she?