An album of dichotomies, starting with the album title itself. The album is intimate yet uses a large rhythm section; it's breezy yet tense, its arrangements are colorful and lush yet sparse, love is hopeful yet fearful, etc. The dichotomies give the thing a manic (yet relaxed!) feel - heck, the thing even ends with a song about schizophrenia. I love it.
The biggest album of Mitchell's career, this landmark set of jazzy pop-folk songs could only have come from southern California in the '70s. It immediately transports me to my carefree days of 1974 and such daydreaming has helped me through some rough patches during the past few years.
Mitchell's production is vastly underrated plus the names of the support crew here are immediately recognizable to me and they bring the goods: Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, and Wilton Felder (all of The Crusaders), Robbie Robertson of The Band, the playing and arranging wizardry of saxophonist Tom Scott, plus occasional backing vocals from ⅔ of CSN.
I'm not sure I could rank Mitchell albums - and, to be honest, I'm only familiar with her '70s output - but the algorithm over at besteveralbums.com has this one at #3, trailing only Blue and Hejira. I'll blatantly skirt the issue by saying my favorite Mitchell album is whichever one I'm spinning at the time.
Press of the time:
- Stereo Review: "You want to turn it off but cannot, you hate it and love it at the same time, you feel you are in the hands of a brutal but trustworthy genius and are somehow being tested."
- Rolling Stone: "the first truly great pop album of 1974"
- Record World: "It's simply wonderful!"
- Billboard: "Ms. Mitchell's most ambitious album to date."
- CashBox: "some of her finest work"
- High Fidelity: "I always say that Joni Mitchell's new album is her finest. It always is."
- Robert Christgau (A): "she's the best singer-songwriter there is right now"
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard Top 200: #2
- Record World: #1
- CashBox: #1
This album topped The Village Voice's annual 'Pazz & Jop' critic's poll for 1974. In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Court And Spark at #110. Track 7, Down To You, won the Grammy award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). The album was nominated for Album of the Year, losing to Fulfillingness' First Finale. Help Me was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Performance, losing in both categories to I Honestly Love You. The album was subsequently inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.
Tracks:
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My introduction to Joni Mitchell was hearing Help Me on the AM radio sometime in 1974. I was 8 years old at the time and had no idea what was going on other than it had a catchy hook in the chorus. Still not sure I understand what's going on and living in such ambiguity is just fine with me.
- Court And Spark: Perfect opener. Quiet piano intro then gently builds throughout.
- Help Me: There it is. As comfortable as granddad's recliner.
- Free Man In Paris: Possibly the most HPM (hooks per minute) on the album plus it's easy to sing along with.
- People's Parties/5. Same Situation: A couple of laid-back odes to the insecure human condition. The lyrics are pure poetry.
- Car On A Hill: The best Steely Dan song they never recorded.
- Down To You: This beautiful ballad acts like a pallet cleanser. My wife is a former bassoon player and likes to point out the solo. Best arrangement on the album.
- Just Like This Train: See tracks 4 & 5 above.
- Raised On Robbery: This boogie tune moves seamlessly from Andrews Sisters vocals to a straight up rocker, complete with a (too brief) sax solo.
- Trouble Child: I can barely get past that catchy bass line that works equally well in 7 or 8 when that gloriously uplifting chorus kicks in.
- Twisted: cover of a swing tune with some spoken word from Cheech & Chong. I don't want to like it but I can't help myself. The great muted trumpet licks from Chuck Findley certainly help.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My introduction to Joni Mitchell was hearing Help Me on the AM radio sometime in 1974. I was 8 years old at the time and had no idea what was going on other than it had a catchy hook in the chorus. Still not sure I understand what's going on and living in such ambiguity is just fine with me.
The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)
Blue (1971)
Thanks for this. Really like your track by track album rundowns.
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly certain that the first two songs I recall hearing on the radio, my earliest memory of anything really, were Al Wilson's Show and Tell followed by Clint Holmes with Playground in my Mind. I less clearly remember hearing Joni's Help Me as the third song in the set from nearly fifty years ago and it was wonderful.
The Court and Spark album, and Help Me in particular, both sound AMAZING in their 2022 remastered form in the Asylum Years box and my ears are anxiously awaiting the pre-ordered SACD due to be released (hopefully) later this year.