From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2005 #256 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org 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 Thursday, September 8 2005 Volume 2005 : Number 256 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: Celebrating Early Joni [Mark-Leon Thorne ] Re: "Songs of a Prairie Girl" review, Exclaim magazine [Randy Remote ] Re: Celebrating Early Joni [Randy Remote ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2005 19:16:47 +1000 From: Mark-Leon Thorne Subject: Re: Celebrating Early Joni Hi Jeff. Nice of you to come out of seclusion. Always nice to see more Brits here. I hope it isn't a few more years before we hear from you again. I am totally with you on all that you said. A box set of demos and deleted tracks would be just right about now. Especially since the announcement of her retirement. I've been playing record producer myself and reburning CDs of hers (for personal use) with deleted tracks put back in. My version of Blue now has Urge For Going and Hunter in the tracklist and Night Ride Home now has It's All Over Now, Baby Blue. I've reburned Hissing with demos included which is another idea for the record company just like Fleetwood Mac recently did with Rumours and Tusk. There are so many demos from Rumours that it's like an entirely new version of the album. Hope to hear more from you. Mark in Sydney. NP Whawhaou - Rintgertse. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Sep 2005 09:32:36 -0700 From: Randy Remote Subject: Re: "Songs of a Prairie Girl" review, Exclaim magazine > The September issue of Exclaim magazine (online > version at www.exclaim.ca) has a mini-review of "Songs > of a Prairie Girl", which reads thusly: > Remixed versions of "Don > Juan's Reckless Daughter" and "Paprika Plains" DJRD wasn't- otherwise a nice review ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2005 10:41:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Nuriel Tobias Subject: Re: Celebrating Early Joni Hi Jeff. Do RAP with us! I must admit, as someone who does consider himself a Joni fan, that most of Joni's early years are still unknown to me, but for a reason. I believe, that if Joni has chosen not to release them, they were not meant for my ears, as simple as that. Imagine how thrilled someone like me can be when he finds a song like Urge For Going on Joni's Hits!:) Yours, Nuri JEFF HANKINS wrote: Hello jmdl: for many years, I've been dipping in to these archives every few weeks to see what's the latest buzz. I'm really too lazy to sustain anything like a regular correspondence, so I'm full of admiration for all of you who discuss with such cheerful diligence the body of work of this wonderful artist we find so inspiring. Still, recently I've felt a need to add my small voice to thoughts which do occasionally surface, particularly regarding Joni's 'early period'. Like many of you, I suspect, I'm quietly obsessed - and tantalized - by those unreleased songs, and a couple of things come to mind which I'll itemize: 1.. As far back as July 1991 (see 'JM Comes in from the Cold' CD Review Interview in The Library) Joni was talking about a box set which might include e.g. alternative Mingus takes never used on disc; trad. folk songs (like some of the things on the 'Lets Sing out' tapes, one presumes ) and outtakes like 'Jeremy' (how we long to hear that one at last!). This is, after all what we've all been waiting for. My question is this. Could not a healthy fan base bring an influence to bear that this apparently shelved project should now see the light of day? Somehow. After all, JM herself appealed for that same fanbase's support when she was promoting 'The Beginnings of Survival'. Doesn't it work the other way? That somehow we can say to her: look, thanks for all the compilations, but please, no more: this is what we want, what we really really want, the 'box set' of rarities - Jeremy and Poor Sad Baby and Cara's Castle et al. How do we make that voice heard? 2.. I believe it's fairly well documented that Joel Bernstein is the real archivist of the coffee-house tapes of those early years. I've often dreamt of raiding his home in my British robber outfit (striped shirt, Lone Ranger eyemask, 'swag' bag on my back) to bring home the prized loot - only joking, Joel, if you're reading: I don't think that would be at all ethical. Still, if anyone has inroads into Mr Bernstein's confidence, and into his ear, heart and mind, perhaps they can exert an influence for the release of these recordings, before we get too old to enjoy them. (I believe Wally B got to know him, and heard some of those recording there which we have yet to hear. He well deserved that privilege, I don't begrudge it!) 3.. .Why aren't those early songs more celebrated? Why don't we fly them high - OK sure they don't have the loose warmth of Blue, or the sophistication of Summer Lawns, or the probing maturity of Turbulent Indigo, but we all appreciate, I'm sure, that there's a lot more to them than naove juvenilia. Though romance-based more often than not, there's more substance to the lyric of pre-1968 songs than most of Wild Things.., and such engaging intricacy to many of the melodic, chordal and lyrical structures. So. doesn't it seem daft that only one cover has ever been recorded of the exquisite 'Eastern Rain'? That 'A Melody in your Name' remains unknown to most of the tune-humming world? If jmdl ever records another tribute tape, why doesn't it tackle only unreleased songs? Here's a confession: I bought 'The Music of Joni Mitchell' songbook early in 1971, and started going out with a girl who could play the piano - partly at least because she could perhaps work out the music for ' Moon in the Mirror' , ' Strawflower Me' etc - all that excitingly unfamiliar stuff from that book. (she found the musical notation in the book unworkable - and thankfully the relationship found other things to sustain it). Meanwhile, I' d try and pick through 'Who has seen the Wind?' on the guitar, using the standard-tuning chords the book suggests. The fact was: those songs intrigued - and still do. It's just bonkers that all of Dylan's output from cradle onwards is (more or less) freely available, record producers eventually realizing the sense of releasing the 'official bootleg' versions etc - when, relatively, so little of Joni's early live canon is available! Frustrating or wot? Finally, I think someone was talking about demo-tapes recently. How's this for tantalizing?: in my effort to turn every stone, I struck up a brief correspondence a coupla years back with one half of the Foggy Dew-O, an English folkie duo (geddit?) who, you'll remember, recorded (still the only cover of it, as I told him - he didn't know this) 'Born to Take the Highway' . He recounted hearing the song on a demo tape of about a dozen songs, distributed by Essex Music here in the UK, around the time, I suspect, Joni did that brief tour supporting the Incredible String Band for Joe Boyd. Anyway - 'I think I might still have that tape' he said.' I'll send it ' (Huge excitement) . After months of searching, no, it could not be found. Huge sadness. Enough from me now, till a few years more? But I'd be interested to see some responses to these thoughts! Jeff Hankins Wales - --------------------------------- Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Sep 2005 17:46:55 -0700 From: Randy Remote Subject: Re: Celebrating Early Joni Hi Jeff from Wales- There's been plenty of clamour for a decent box set of rarities here on the list for quite some time, and I'm with you-it would be so much better than another re-shuffling of previously released tracks. I would love to hear the alternative Mingus tracks with John McLaughlin. JEFF HANKINS wrote: > Hello jmdl: > 3.. .Why aren't those early songs more celebrated? I guess because most people have never heard of them > started going out with a girl who could play the piano - partly at > least because she could perhaps work out the music for ' Moon in the Mirror' > , ' Strawflower Me' etc - okay, you are a true fanatic ! > Finally, I think someone was talking about demo-tapes recently. How's this > for tantalizing?: in my effort to turn every stone, I struck up a brief > correspondence a coupla years back with one half of the Foggy Dew-O, an > English folkie duo (geddit?) who, you'll remember, recorded (still the only > cover of it, as I told him - he didn't know this) 'Born to Take the Highway' > . He recounted hearing the song on a demo tape of about a dozen songs, > distributed by Essex Music here in the UK, around the time, I suspect, Joni > did that brief tour supporting the Incredible String Band for Joe Boyd. > Anyway - 'I think I might still have that tape' he said.' I'll send it ' > (Huge excitement) . After months of searching, no, it could not be found. > Huge sadness. I have never heard anyone mention such demos-it seems like they would have surfaced if they were "distributed" in the UK-which makes me think that the tape he had may have been the Second Fret tapes. True, they are live recordings, but could have easily served as demos. Regardless, I'm sure there are some gems in those vaults-let's hope they are working on getting them out. I suppose we could all sign a petition or something.... > Enough from me now, till a few years more? Hopefully before that ~ RR ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2005 #256 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe ------- Siquomb, isn't she? (http://www.siquomb.com/siquomb.cfm)