Joni Mitchell ~ River Live
One of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever listened to. Rare live recording at the Royal Albert Hall, 1970.
When you listen to Joni Mitchell do you hear a nuanced vocal, innovative open chords copied later by an admirer like Prince or something even more? Perhaps you hear an artist who has written some of the most original, first-person narrative stories that Rock/pop music has ever produced? Could Joni Mitchell be a visual artist in every sense of the description? Joni is a seminal influence on so many singer/songwriters producing works today. Here are a few of my favorite tracks.
Joni Mitchell – Blue
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Joni Mitchell ~ Woodstock…..(BBC Live – 1970)
I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, “where are you going?”
And this he told me:
“I’m going on down to Yasgur’s farm
I’m going to join in a rock ‘n’ roll band
I’m going to camp out on the land
I’m going to try an’ get my soul free.”
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden
“Then can I walk beside you?
I have come here to lose the smog
And I feel to be a cog in something turning
Well maybe it is just the time of year
Or maybe it’s the time of man
I don’t know who I am
But you know life is for learning.”
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden
By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation
We are stardust
Billion-year-old carbon
We are golden
Caught in the devil’s bargain
And we’ve got to get ourselves
back to the garden
© 1969 Crazy Crow Music (Renewed)
Joni Mitchell – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Film
1997
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All-Star Tribute to Joni Mitchell – Lifetime Award Concert TNT (4-16-2000)
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In a fitting tribute to Joni Mitchell, the TNT network presented an all-star celebration at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, April 6, 2000. Many legendary performers sang Mitchell’s songs, including James Taylor, Elton John, Wynonna Judd, Bryan Adams, Cyndi Lauper, Diana Krall, and Richard Thompson of Fairport Convention fame. The emcee was Ashley Judd. Mitchell herself ended the evening with a rendition of “Both Sides Now” with a full 70 piece orchestra. (description from Wikipedia) This concert has never been re-broadcast, nor released in any form for sale. I do not own the copyrights to any of the material contained herein and simply present this event for fair use and historical purposes.
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Black Crow
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Joni Mitchell
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Hejira
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Joni Mitchell
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Joni Mitchell – Black Crow with Jaco Pastorias (bass) and Pat Metheney (Lead guitar), Michael Brecker (sax),Don Elias (drums) Lyle Mays (keys) .
Joni Mitchell – Black Crow
Asylum 1976
Enjoy!
Lyrics:
by Joni Mitchell Printer-friendly version of this lyric
There’s a crow flying
Black and ragged
Tree to tree
He’s black as the highway that’s leading me
Now he’s diving down
To pick up on something shiny
I feel like that black crow
Flying
In a blue sky
I took a ferry to the highway
Then I drove to a pontoon plane
I took a plane to a taxi
And a taxi to a train
I’ve been traveling so long
How’m I ever going to know my home
When I see it again
I’m like a black crow flying
In a blue blue sky
In search of love and music
My whole life has been
Illumination
Corruption
And diving diving diving diving
Diving down to pick up on every shiny thing
Just like that black crow flying
In a blue sky
I looked at the morning
After being up all night
I looked at my haggard face in the bathroom light
I looked out the window
And I saw that ragged soul take flight
I saw a back crow flying
In a blue sky
Oh I’m like a black crow flying
In a blue sky
I Had a King
I Had a King · Joni Mitchell
Song to a Seagull
℗ 1968 WEA International
Engineer: Art Cryst
Producer: David Crosby
Guitar, Piano, Vocals: Joni Mitchell
Masterer: Lee Herschberg
Bass: Stephen Stills
Writer: Joni Mitchell
Now we arrive at Songs to a Seagull. 1968. A ripe creative Aquarian period. This song was clearly written about the decimation of marriage to Chuck Mitchell-the lowlight. My personal Joni favorites involve the exploration of the human condition in first-person narratives (loss, love, living the universal human experience-the difficulty of a life lived).
Joni Mitchell – Jericho
Joni Mitchell – Paprika Plains
Album: Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter – 1977 – Label: Asylum
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Edith and the Kingpin
Provided to YouTube by Nonesuch Edith and the Kingpin · Elvis Costello A Tribute to Joni Mitchell ℗ 2007 Nonesuch Records, Inc. Flute: Andy Findon Vibes: Anthony Kerr Assistant Engineer: Anthony Ruotolo Recorded by: Benedict Fenner Bass Clarinet: Chris Caldwell Producer, Vocals: Elvis Costello French Horn: Hugh Seenan Flugelhorn, Trumpet: John Barclay Mixer: Kevin Killen French Horn: Paul Pritchard Drums: Pete Thomas Saxophone: Peter Whyman Bass: Roy Babbington Arranger: Elvis Costello Writer: Joni Mitchell
written by Joni Mitchell & John Guerin | produced by Joni Mitchell | from the album The Hissing Of Summer Lawns (1975) | filmed/directed/edited by Joni Mitchell | additional audio/video post-production/editing by sonicboy19 | He bought her a diamond for her throat He put her in a ranch house on a hill She could see the valley barbecues From her window sill See the blue pools in the squinting sun Hear the hissing of summer lawns He put up a barbed wire fence To keep out the unknown And on every metal thorn Just a little blood of his own She patrols that fence of his To a latin drum And the hissing of summer lawns Darkness Wonder makes it easy Darkness With a joyful mask Darkness Tube’s gone, darkness, darkness, darkness No color no contrast A diamond dog Carrying a cup and a cane Looking through a double glass Looking at too much pride and too much shame There’s a black fly buzzing There’s a heat wave burning in her master’s voice The hissing of summer lawns He gave her his darkness to regret And good reason to quit him He gave her a room full of Chippendale That nobody sits in Still she stays with a love of some kind It’s the lady’s choice The hissing of summer lawns © 1975; Crazy Crow Music
Court and Spark
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Court and Spark ·Joni Mitchell Court and Spark ℗ 1974 Asylum Records Mastering Engineer: Bernie Grundman Engineer: Henry Lewy Piano: Joe Sample Drums, Percussion: John Guerin Piano, Vocals: Joni Mitchell Producer: Joni Mitchell Electric Guitar: Larry Carlton Bass Guitar: Max Bennett Chimes: Milt Holland Oboe: Tom Scott Writer: Joni Mitchell
The first Joni album I attentively listened to was Court and Spark. Humans are routinely introduced to seminal creative artists achronologically. Each recording finds you where you are at and sometimes leads you back to the earlier formative work. Court and Spark is a master teacher for a young impressionable Aquarian. We were impressed and to this day find Court and Spark sonically optimal, impressionistically mixed, just the right alchemical hybrid of Joni open chord pop, jazz, and folk.
Down to You
Joni Mitchell – Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
Del Album “Mingus”, 1979. Joni Mitchell – guitar, vocals Jaco Pastorius – bass, horn arrangement on “The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines” Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone Herbie Hancock – electric piano Peter Erskine – drums Don Alias – congas Emil Richards – percussion
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Joni Mitchel & Jaco Pastorius – God Must Be a Boogie Man
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God Must Be a Boogie Man
Artist
Joni Mitchell
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God Must Be a Boogie Man
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WMG (on behalf of Elektra 0591); UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA – UBEM, SOLAR Music Rights Management, CMRRA, LatinAutor – SonyATV, Sony ATV Publishing, LatinAutorPerf, ASCAP, and 3 Music Rights Societies
Joni Mitchell – The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines
Joni Mitchell, Jaco Pastorius, Don Alias, Michael Brecker
Joni Mitchell – Just Like This Train (Live In-Studio 1996)
written & produced by Joni Mitchell | from the album Court And Spark (1974) | live from The Late Show (Nov/4/1996) | I’m always running behind the time Just like this train Shaking into town With the brakes complaining I used to count lovers like railroad cars I counted them on my side Lately I don’t count on nothing I just let things slide The station master’s shuffling cards Boxcars are banging in the yards Jealous lovin’ll make you crazy If you can’t find your goodness ‘Cause you lost your heart I went looking for a cause Or a strong cat without claws Or any reason to resume And I found this empty seat In this crowded waiting room Everybody waiting Old man sleeping on his bags Women with that teased up kind of hair Kids with the jitters in their legs And those wide, wide open stares And the kids got cokes and chocolate bars There’s a thin man smoking a fat cigar Jealous lovin’ll make you crazy If you can’t find your goodness ‘Cause you’ve lost your heart Well I’ve got this berth and this pull down blind I’ve got this fold up sink And these rocks and these cactus going by And a bottle of German wine to drink Settle down into the clickety-clack With the clouds and the stars to read Dreaming of the pleasure I’m going to have Watching your hairline recede My vain darling Watching your hair and clouds and stars I’m rocking away in a sleeping car This jealous lovin’s bound to make me crazy I can’t find my goodness I lost my heart Oh sour grapes Because I lost my heart © 1973; Crazy Crow Music
Joni Mitchell – All I Want (Live)
395,471 views•Mar 17, 2014
Joni Mitchell In Concert (Final Cut)
BBC
1970