From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2011 #218 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 Saturday, August 6 2011 Volume 2011 : Number 218 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Re: Brief Joni mention in Tuesday's LA Times [Paul Castle ] Cold Blue Steel-writing process [betsyblue82@gmail.com] Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire ["Lama \(Jim L*Hommedieu\)" <] Re: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire [Mags ] Re: It's About Time [Anita G ] Re: Cold Blue Steel-writing process [Anita G ] Re: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire [Catherine McKay ] Re: Idyllwild 2? [Michael Paz ] Laura O. [Mags ] Re: Cold Blue Steel (what Joni says it is!) [Mags ] Re: It's About Time [Mags ] Re: Almost-rhymes [Bob Muller ] Re: Almost-rhymes ["Jim L'Hommedieu" ] Re: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire ["Mark" ] Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire ["Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Re: Brief Joni mention in Tuesday's LA Times Steve quoted Joss Stone > "I'm obsessed with Joni Mitchell's 'Blue' album,"says Stone, > ..."I guess I'm late to it, but I listen to it all the time > at home." > > She also likes a London singer named Birdy. Birdy is a 15 year old English singer/pianist who had a hit here with a cover of Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love'. My personal favourite is her cover of Ed Sheeran's 'The A-Team' - great voice! http://youtu.be/p856dtR4mms best to all PaulC NP 'The A-Team' by Ed Sheeran - http://blip.fm/~16hej6# ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 08:31:22 +0000 From: William Waddell Subject: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire Re this Tim Curry version of Cold Blue Steel... Surely the band - or at least the guitarist(s) - haven't retuned to CGDGBD or x77543. They must have played it in standard I'm guessing. Does anyone have the chords for it? I'd like to give it a try at the upcoming JoniFest at Holycombe, if doable in standard. Otherwise it'll be a snooze inducing Both Sides Now from yours truly. Then again, maybe they did retune. In which case I'm scuppered. WtSx ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:13:49 -0400 From: Ken Subject: Re: Tim Curry doing Cold Blue Steel Hard for me to listen to Tim Curry doing "Joni" without imagining him stepping off the elevator and singing, "I'm just a sweet transvestite From transexual Tran-syl-van-i-aaaaa." Kenny B Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2011 11:45:38 +0000 From: Michel BYRNE Subject: Cold Blue Steel Also here's a link to Tim Curry's version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6GdeJhxJ0s This has to be one of the best JM covers ever! The deceptive melodic beauty sacrificed to bring out the brutal poetry of the lyrics... Michel ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 13:04:53 +0000 From: betsyblue82@gmail.com Subject: Cold Blue Steel-writing process Bob M wrote "she was just in the zone and it spilled out." Bobsart wrote "My view is more Edisonian (i.e., 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration - I can see 20-80, but not 80-20)." Gee, it sure sounds like a lot of work when she uses words like "parquet" and "puzzle" to describe adding lyrics to music. She talked about TTT (song)being "in danger of becoming a mixed metaphor" so she does consider her lyrics from a literary POV. It took over two weeks to write Man From Mars, which doesn't seem (to me) that complex on the Joni scale. Sorry for the narrow examples...some might feel she was less inspired in the 90s, but she was surely more practiced at her craft. Maybe it's easier for her to adapt a poem to song. Perhaps the music spills out of her from time to time. I think she is an artist with an incredible work ethic when it comes to song-writing. Betsy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 08:49:11 -0700 (PDT) From: "Lama \(Jim L*Hommedieu\)" Subject: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire In my opinion, "bowl" refers back to "sink". Maybe I heard it wrong, but I've always "heard" >>Fever in the scum brown bowl>> Jim L'Hommedieu Jack said in part, >I always thought of the scum-brown bowl as the "bowl" of the spoon >used to heat the heroin. Catherine said in part, >I like that "fever and the scum-brown bowl" line too. Not sure if she >means a really dirty sink or a toilet, but it really sums up the >sordidness and dinginess of it, and kind of gives me the >creepy-crawlies thinking about it, and looking for a Javex bottle ;-) Joni said, >>Red water in the bathroom sink>> >>Fever and the scum brown bowl>> ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 09:09:41 -0700 (PDT) From: Mags Subject: Re: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire Lama wrote: Joni said, >>Red water in the bathroom sink>> >>Fever and the scum brown bowl>> so the red water would be the blood mixed in, yes? Loving the various interpretations! So much to learn ;) Mags ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 17:17:20 +0100 From: Anita G Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel Thanks for the link Michel. I have never heard this before and Tim is certainly given it all. He sounds slightly Bowie tempered with a mid Atlanic rock front man. Very theatrical. What's slightly strange amongst the roaring guitars and driving rhythm is the really inane keyboard which undermines edgey performance. It's almost like Led Zepplin playing 'Communication Breakdown' on Broadway Anita > Also here's a link to Tim Curry's version. > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6GdeJhxJ0s > > This has to be one of the best JM covers ever! The deceptive melodic beauty sacrificed to bring out the brutal poetry of the lyrics... > Michel ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 18:31:39 +0100 From: Anita G Subject: Re: It's About Time Mark, I've just been listening to my download and I have to say 'Amen' to all you've said here. It's a great, great album. I have always loved Robin's interpretations of all things Joni and to hear her on this album just underlines the quality of her artistery and, as you say, Dave's production. I was particularly taken on first listening with 'A Felicidade' - so cool, Herbie himself could be playing in the band. Let's hope, Mark, we get to meet at the next Idyllwild Joni Fest (which I am hoping won't be next July or August when it's the London Olympics) but soon! How about it, Mr Be? Anita x On 2 August 2011 03:13, Mark wrote: > Since this post is about a singer's work who is one of the best interpreters > of Joni Mitchell's songs I personally have ever heard, I'm not going to mark > it njc. > > You all know that Robin Adler's debut recording has been reissued and is > available to all of us lucky listeners. Or if you don't know, you should. > > Robin is more than capable of taking on challenging material besides the > songs of Joni Mitchell. 'It's About Time' has beautiful interpretations of > songs by the likes of Paul Simon, Hoagy Carmichael & Johnny Mercer, the > Gershwin brothers, Sting and, along with Dave Blackburn and guitarist Peter > Sprague, some material that Robin herself had a hand in creating. There's a > dash of vocalese, a very funky, wickedly humorous blues tune, beautiful > interpretations of a couple of time honored standards and plenty of goose > bump moments along the way. Peter Sprague's guitar accompanies Robin > throughout the cd and he is an amazing player. All of the musicianship on > 'It's About Time' is first rate. > > And the sound quality is stellar as well. But we would expect nothing less > from our own Dave Blackburn. Kudos to Dave for the production, recording, > and remixing. > > Thanks, Robin, for the opportunity to hear more of your soulful voice and > wonderful singing. I really do hope to hear you singing in person some day. > There have been many Jonifests I have wished I could attend but the one in > Idyllwild is one I really do regret missing. > > The rest of you, go buy this recording in the format of your choice asap! > > Mark in Seattle > Robin Adler fan ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 18:37:02 +0100 From: Anita G Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel-writing process I remember a story Dave Crosby told somewhere that, on his first takes of 'Yvette in English' Joni just went through his text and wrote 'Cliche, cliche' all over it. The kinds of imagery that we've been discussing here these past weeks that Joni produces certainly must be a certain amount of inspiration but also buckets of perspiration. And right here is where FAME costs! Anita > I think she is an artist with an incredible work ethic when it comes to song-writing. > Betsy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 11:01:16 -0700 (PDT) From: Catherine McKay Subject: Re: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire I like that take. It makes a bit more sense that way. I always read the "red water in the bathroom sink" as being blood, but couldn't understand why there was blood. If you inject yourself, there will be some blood. The fever isn't necessarily a literal fever, but the lust for drugs - drooling for a taste of something smuggled in, to steal from another drug-related song. The alternative was an attempted suicide (slashed arteries), but that doesn't make much sense, because it would be just sort of a by-the-way thing thrown in amongst all the other druggie stuff, and we all know Joni is much too smart to do something like that just because maybe the words fit the phrasing and the music. I guess if you inject yourself over a sink (a very grossly disgusting dirty sink, because you're living in a shitty place and are high most of the time and cleaning isn't a priority), then the "red water" would end up there in the "scum-brown bowl." - --- On Fri, 8/5/11, Mags wrote: From: Mags Subject: Re: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire To: "Lama (Jim L*Hommedieu)" , "Catherine McKay" , "Merk54@aol.com" Cc: "JMDL" Received: Friday, August 5, 2011, 12:09 PM Lama wrote: Joni said, >>Red water in the bathroom sink>> >>Fever and the scum brown bowl>> so the red water would be the blood mixed in, yes? Loving the various interpretations! So much to learn ;) Mags ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 14:25:18 -0400 From: Susan Tierney McNamara Subject: RE: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire I always thought of it as rusty water, because you are living in a hell hole. Red rusty water coming out of the faucet and disease coming out of a scummy toilet bowl. Just a very nasty place to live. A sad description of poverty. This also supports the idea that this is a story of ghetto life and not necessarily about a specific person. - -----Original Message----- From: owner-joni@smoe.org [mailto:owner-joni@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Catherine McKay Sent: Friday, August 05, 2011 2:01 PM To: Lama (Jim L*Hommedieu); Merk54@aol.com; Mags Cc: JMDL Subject: Re: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire I like that take. It makes a bit more sense that way. I always read the "red water in the bathroom sink" as being blood, but couldn't understand why there was blood. If you inject yourself, there will be some blood. The fever isn't necessarily a literal fever, but the lust for drugs - drooling for a taste of something smuggled in, to steal from another drug-related song. The alternative was an attempted suicide (slashed arteries), but that doesn't make much sense, because it would be just sort of a by-the-way thing thrown in amongst all the other druggie stuff, and we all know Joni is much too smart to do something like that just because maybe the words fit the phrasing and the music. I guess if you inject yourself over a sink (a very grossly disgusting dirty sink, because you're living in a shitty place and are high most of the time and cleaning isn't a priority), then the "red water" would end up there in the "scum-brown bowl." - --- On Fri, 8/5/11, Mags wrote: From: Mags Subject: Re: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire To: "Lama (Jim L*Hommedieu)" , "Catherine McKay" , "Merk54@aol.com" Cc: "JMDL" Received: Friday, August 5, 2011, 12:09 PM Lama wrote: Joni said, >>Red water in the bathroom sink>> >>Fever and the scum brown bowl>> so the red water would be the blood mixed in, yes? Loving the various interpretations! So much to learn ;) Mags ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:31:07 +0200 From: Moni Kellermann Subject: Cold Blue Steel (what Joni says it is!) After reading the discussion here about the meaning of this song I tried to find some more live recordings and found one from Hawaii 1973 which you can get from this blog (the files are in wav format): http://gratefulbreed.blogspot.com/2011/04/joni-mitchell-live-in-hawaii-1973.html Amazingly Joni herself explains the meaning during the intro of the song as follows: ""Cold blue steel" is the needle and the junkie and "sweet fire" is the drug and the dealer and "Lady Release" is Madame Death herself." So, there you have it. :)) moni k. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 12:36:17 -0700 From: Dave Blackburn Subject: Idyllwild 2? Dear Anita, If there was sufficient interest we might consider a reprise of the Idyllwild Fest someday. It certainly was fun. Glad you're enjoying Robin's CD too. It still sounds good to us after 13 years. Dave On Aug 5, 2011, at 10:31 AM, Anita G wrote: > Let's hope, Mark, we get to meet at the next Idyllwild Joni Fest > (which I am hoping won't be next July or August when it's the London > Olympics) but soon! How about it, Mr Be? > Anita x ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 15:43:04 -0400 From: Michael Paz Subject: Re: Idyllwild 2? Count me in as the first one to sign up for Idylwild 2 Paz Michael Paz michael@thepazgroup.com Tour Manager Preservation Hall Jazz Band http://www.preservationhall.com On Aug 5, 2011, at 3:36 PM, Dave Blackburn wrote: Dear Anita, If there was sufficient interest we might consider a reprise of the Idyllwild Fest someday. It certainly was fun. Glad you're enjoying Robin's CD too. It still sounds good to us after 13 years. Dave On Aug 5, 2011, at 10:31 AM, Anita G wrote: > Let's hope, Mark, we get to meet at the next Idyllwild Joni Fest > (which I am hoping won't be next July or August when it's the London > Olympics) but soon! How about it, Mr Be? > Anita x ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 14:01:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Mags Subject: Laura O. sorry and thank you for the bandwidth....Laura O. , would you please write me off list? Thanks a mil. Mags ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 14:05:09 -0700 (PDT) From: Mags Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel (what Joni says it is!) Moni, thanks so much for your reply about Joan's meaning of Cold Blue Steel....What comes to mind in this moment as well is that on more than one occasion, Joni has said to a fan(s)...never mind what it means to me, tell me what it means to you. Therein lies the beauty of her generous spirit. Mags ________________________________ Moni wrote: After reading the discussion here about the meaning of this song I tried to find some more live recordings and found one from Hawaii 1973 which you can get from this blog (the files are in wav format): http://gratefulbreed.blogspot.com/2011/04/joni-mitchell-live-in-hawaii-1973.h tml Amazingly Joni herself explains the meaning during the intro of the song as follows: ""Cold blue steel" is the needle and the junkie and "sweet fire" is the drug and the dealer and "Lady Release" is Madame Death herself." So, there you have it. :)) moni k. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 15:08:41 -0700 From: Robin Adler Subject: Re: It's About Time Thank you so much for supporting us and for your encouraging words. Just when I start to think I might have to hang it up as a full time musician you come and save the day. Please know how much it means to me. Love to you all, Robin On Aug 5, 2011, at 10:31 AM, Anita G wrote: > Mark, I've just been listening to my download and I have to say 'Amen' > to all you've said here. It's a great, great album. I have always > loved Robin's interpretations of all things Joni and to hear her on > this album just underlines the quality of her artistery and, as you > say, Dave's production. I was particularly taken on first listening > with 'A Felicidade' - so cool, Herbie himself could be playing in the > band. > > Let's hope, Mark, we get to meet at the next Idyllwild Joni Fest > (which I am hoping won't be next July or August when it's the London > Olympics) but soon! How about it, Mr Be? > Anita x > > On 2 August 2011 03:13, Mark wrote: >> Since this post is about a singer's work who is one of the best interpreters >> of Joni Mitchell's songs I personally have ever heard, I'm not going to mark >> it njc. >> >> You all know that Robin Adler's debut recording has been reissued and is >> available to all of us lucky listeners. Or if you don't know, you should. >> >> Robin is more than capable of taking on challenging material besides the >> songs of Joni Mitchell. 'It's About Time' has beautiful interpretations of >> songs by the likes of Paul Simon, Hoagy Carmichael & Johnny Mercer, the >> Gershwin brothers, Sting and, along with Dave Blackburn and guitarist Peter >> Sprague, some material that Robin herself had a hand in creating. There's a >> dash of vocalese, a very funky, wickedly humorous blues tune, beautiful >> interpretations of a couple of time honored standards and plenty of goose >> bump moments along the way. Peter Sprague's guitar accompanies Robin >> throughout the cd and he is an amazing player. All of the musicianship on >> 'It's About Time' is first rate. >> >> And the sound quality is stellar as well. But we would expect nothing less >> from our own Dave Blackburn. Kudos to Dave for the production, recording, >> and remixing. >> >> Thanks, Robin, for the opportunity to hear more of your soulful voice and >> wonderful singing. I really do hope to hear you singing in person some day. >> There have been many Jonifests I have wished I could attend but the one in >> Idyllwild is one I really do regret missing. >> >> The rest of you, go buy this recording in the format of your choice asap! >> >> Mark in Seattle >> Robin Adler fan thanks, Robin - ------------------------------------------------- New CD available now! "Safaris to the Heart: The Songs of Joni Mitchell" by Robin Adler & Mutts of the Planet. To listen or learn more: http://www.reverbnation.com/robinadlermuttsoftheplanet To purchase: http://www.robinadler.com/products.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 15:26:43 -0700 (PDT) From: Mags Subject: Re: It's About Time oh my goodness, Robin, count me in as a loyal fan as well. Hang in there and if you need a shoulder, you know where you can find lots to share your worries. Ive never been so affected by a voice as I have been and continue to be by yours. Joni would be so very happy I am sure. much love always, Mags Thank you so much for supporting us and for your encouraging words. Just when I start to think I might have to hang it up as a full time musician you come and save the day. Please know how much it means to me. Love to you all, Robin ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 16:32:40 -0700 (PDT) From: Bob Muller Subject: Re: Almost-rhymes 3 words, 5 alliterations. Pretty darn good I'll say. Bob NP: ZZ Top, "Party On The Patio" From: Jim L'Hommedieu To: betsyblue82@gmail.com Cc: List Sent: Friday, August 5, 2011 5:36 AM Subject: Re: Almost-rhymes Right. And don't forget >Concrete concentration camp> betsyblue82@gmail.com wrote: >Jim, I knew there was something familiar about her Conspiracy of Hope rant. "Quit pitching shit....Dig?"> Jim said, >>In this line she puts two words together that have similar sounds but they don't rhyme>> ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:55:29 -0400 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Re: Almost-rhymes And we haven't mentioned this one: >>Pawn shops criss-crossed and padlocked>> On 8/5/2011 7:32 PM, Bob Muller wrote: > 3 words, 5 alliterations. Pretty darn good I'll say. > *From:* Jim L'Hommedieu > **Right. And don't forget > >Concrete concentration camp> > > betsyblue82@gmail.com wrote: > >Jim, I knew there was something familiar about her Conspiracy of Hope > rant. "Quit pitching shit....Dig?"> > > Jim said, >>In this line she puts two words together that have similar > sounds but they don't rhyme>> ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2011 18:53:02 -0700 From: "Mark" Subject: Re: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire I've thought about Leonard Cohen's song 'Dress Rehearsal Rag' more than once during this wonderful thread. I'm reminded of his comments about his subject's living space: There's no hot water and the cold is running thin. Well, what do you expect from the kind of places you've been living in? Don't drink from that cup, it's all caked and cracked along the rim. Coincidentally, there was a piece on a local television stations' news broadcast about a shift in the demographic of heroin users. More and more middle-class teens are getting hooked. Here's a link to a write-up of the story if anyone is interested: http://www.king5.com/health/Young-Heroin-Addicts-126543958.html I have had some revelatory (revelatory to me, that is) thoughts about CBS&SF because of this thread. I will more than likely write some of them out in another post. Mark in Seattle - -----Original Message----- From: Susan Tierney McNamara Sent: Friday, August 05, 2011 11:25 AM To: Catherine McKay ; Lama (Jim L*Hommedieu) ; Merk54@aol.com ; Mags Cc: JMDL Subject: RE: Subject: Re: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire I always thought of it as rusty water, because you are living in a hell hole. Red rusty water coming out of the faucet and disease coming out of a scummy toilet bowl. Just a very nasty place to live. A sad description of poverty. This also supports the idea that this is a story of ghetto life and not necessarily about a specific person. - -----Original Message----- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:06:33 -0400 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Re: Almost-rhymes More alliteration: >>Blue steel still begging>> >>Blue steel still begging / But it's indistinct>> I love the way steel/still sounds, and then the "st" is repeated again in indistinct. "Cold Blue Steel" is alive with alliteration. heh heh ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:12:27 -0400 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire >>Hollow grey fire escape thief>> The thief is hollow, eh? >>Pin cushion prick fix this poor bad dreamer>> The user is like a pin cushion in that his old purpose is to receive a needle. Jim L'Hommedieu Remember in the olde days of the JMDL when people got offended by all kinds of things, like short posts? np: A Cincinnati band called "Plow On Boy" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2011 23:44:04 -0400 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Venue on the cover of Miles Of Aisles, jc Someone asked what's the venue on the cover of MoA, and I think the question went unanswered. If so, here's the lowdown. It's widely rumored to be the "DTE Energy Theater," which was then known as "Pine Knob Music Theater" in Clarkston (Detroit), Michigan in the USA. References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DTE_Energy_Music_Theatre http://hilarywho.blogspot.com/2010/07/miles-of-aisles.html http://jonimitchell.com/chronology/detail.cfm?id=1392 http://jonimitchell.com/chronology/detail.cfm?id=1393 Jim L'Hommedieu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:23:42 -0600 From: Les Irvin Subject: Re: Venue on the cover of Miles Of Aisles, jc Pine Knob it is! Or was... From a 1985 interview: [The photograph was] taken by Joni from the seat of a concert hall in Detroit. 'Something about that (view) appealed to me as an abstract painting - the blue blobs where the knees are, the checkerboard grid at the top. I like the way it looks, but more than that, it was just impulse,' she says. She used the picture as part of the 'Miles of Aisles' cover, drawing in the rest of the cover by extending the photograph's with primarily orange and blue inks. On 8/5/2011 9:44 PM, Jim L'Hommedieu wrote: > Someone asked what's the venue on the cover of MoA, and I think the > question went unanswered. If so, here's the lowdown. > > It's widely rumored to be the "DTE Energy Theater," which was then > known as "Pine Knob Music Theater" in Clarkston (Detroit), Michigan in > the USA. > > References: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DTE_Energy_Music_Theatre > http://hilarywho.blogspot.com/2010/07/miles-of-aisles.html > http://jonimitchell.com/chronology/detail.cfm?id=1392 > http://jonimitchell.com/chronology/detail.cfm?id=1393 > > Jim L'Hommedieu ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2011 #218 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe