Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971)


This disc is the only Mitchell album currently in my collection. However, if I'm in a blue funk and want to wallow around in it for a while, this is my go-to album. An album all about relationships, I usually have one of two thoughts while listening: 1) I'm not alone; Joni is miserable, too, or 2) as bad as I feel, I'm not nearly as messed up as Joni. Either way, it makes me feel better.

Probably one of the most perfectly titled albums ever. The music is beautiful in its raw simplicity, with unusual chord progressions that work wonderfully with the lyrics and melodies. Most people my age (5 years old at time of release) are unfamiliar with this album unless introduced to it by someone else; it isn't getting any airplay on the radio. I can't remember how I came across it, I'm just glad I did. There's nothing else like it.

Even with lack of a top 40 single, this album was a critical and commercial success. Read a few of the accolades by clicking here.

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Blue at #3.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #15

Tracks:  In my mind, there's only one 36 minute track here.

For more information on the brief life of the CD longbox,
go visit The Legend of the Longbox.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  Wallowing.

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