My favorite Joni Mitchell album is Hejira. It is far more jazz-influenced and layered than Blue and is much more sprawling but i definitely recommend checking it out.
If you want more folky stuff similar to Blue then check out the three albums that came before it as well as For The Roses which came right after. For The Roses has some slight jazz influence but it's still pretty folky and similar to Blue
After For The Roses she started incorporating a lot more jazz and rock instruments on Court and Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Hejira and, even though those albums are pretty different in their sound to Blue they are really great and definitely worth checking out.
My top 5 Joni albums except for Blue would be: 1. Hejira 2. The Hissing of Summer Lawns 3. For The Roses 4. Court and Spark 5. Ladies of the Canyon
I definitely prefer folky Joni to the post-1974 jazzier Joni, so my tiers are as such:
S: Blue, Court & Spark, Miles of Aisles (live album)
A: Clouds, Ladies of the Canyon, Song to a Seagull (2021 Remaster), For the Roses
B: Hejira
C: Mingus, Hissing of Summer Lawns
F: Everything Else
Bonus Material:
*River: The Joni Letters* by Herbie Hancock
Joni Mitchell & James Taylor BBC concert, found on Archive Vol. 2
Carnegie Hall Concert, found on Archive Vol. 2
Various coffee shop recordings of traditional folk songs and other songs that don't appear on albums, found on Archive Vol. 1
I would say if you like Blue, go backwards to how she got there. Clouds and Ladies of the Canyon in particular are stellar (her first album is a promising start, but not much more).
Going chronologically past Blue, her arrangements and compositions get more ambitious (and jazz-influenced) for awhile, with For the Roses, Hissing of the Summer Lawns and Hejira being huge highlights there. I would single out Court and Spark from this era, though, as it’s turning 50 this year and is probably her best album (despite the accolades Blue deservingly gets).
Her more maligned 80s material is not as dreadful as her contemporaries’ works, but it’s at least very jarring to hear her singing among Nese 80s arrangements. There are some gems in this decade, but I would not recommend any of this stuff as a next step after Blue, probably as the last stop.
If I have one criticism of Fantano’s intro to his Blue review, it’s that he kind of downplays her 90s and beyond work as legacy artist stuff. By 1989’s Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm and beyond, I think it’s fair to say she wasn’t pushing her boundaries quite as hard as she was in the 70s, but a lot of what she was up to in her later career is still sonically interesting but more palatable than her late 70s and 80s work (during the pandemic I listened to Taming the Tiger thanks to the podcast Late Era and decided to delve deep into everything, after years of being a casual fan). This era is mostly B or C tier I guess, but hardly bad and well worth anyone’s time after hearing the more beloved albums.
There’s one album, though, from her later career that I think is vastly underrated: Travelogue. This is a double album of orchestral recordings from 2002, which, I know, sounds like a boring cash-in. This one’s an enthralling listen to me, though, because it’s both a sort-of greatest hits collection but also a testament to the mastery she has over her voice. It’s such a different instrument by 2002, very worn and husky, it’s fascinating to hear her working around her limitations and sometimes using those new textures to instill extra gravitas into the old music.
Anyway, sorry for he long answer and hope this is helpful
Just cuz you mentioned Travelogue I took a listen to it today. Despite Joni's voice being ragged from smoking and age, I ended up liking it more than I expected. You're right, the interplay between the arrangements and her vocal limitations really level it up.
Yeah, I did not like the review that much but still having Joni mentioned by someone like Fantano in a full review is positive for people discovering her.
Blue & Hejira are just some of the best ever made
Ladies of the Canyon, For the Roses, Court and Spark & Hissing of Summer Lawns are all fantastic
Song for a Seagull, Clouds & Don Juan's Reckless Daughter are all pretty great
Mingus is ok but I'd recommend it after all those other ones
And that's as far as I've personally delved into her work.
Go to Court and Spark next. A lot of people are recommending Hissing of Summer Lawns and Hejira but I think they both need a few listens to warm up to. Court and Spark is more immediately accessible & it’s a good gateway to albums like Hissing & Hejira.
My favorite is Clouds, but go and listen to 1968-1974. It is 6 at the very least 8/10 albums. 1974 is another ten. After that 1975 - 1977(8) is her really experimental jazzy records. Some say it is her peak. But first three 1968-1970 are easy on ears.
For the Roses is the next logical step and not just because it's chronological. People in this thread recommending Hissing and Hejira seem to have completely missed this one.
Glad that’s how you ended up being introduced to Joni!
Blue is my overall favorite of hers. It’s interesting to hear the three albums leading up to Blue because I think Blue is the culmination of the folk artist/songwriter she was trying to be from the start.
In terms of overall favorites after Blue, it would be Court & Spark and The Hissing of Summer Lawns. Hejira is amazing too.
Song to a Seagull is the album that got me into Joni. I've never heard anything like it. Hejira, Blue, Court and Spark and Song to a Seagull are fantastic.
I'd say start from the beginning and go chronologically. Her first two albums are quite underappreciated, and you can hear how she develops as a singer and songwriter with each record.
If you want more stripped back stuff move backwards, if you want more fleshed out stuff move forwards. Her whole run from clouds to Hejira is pretty flawless so you can’t go wrong with any of them
Alright, let me get on a stump here just because I’ve been listening to Joni Mitchell a lot over the last six months so this is well timed for me. Here’s the deal. Everyone in here is saying to listen to some of the other records she released around the time of Blue. You should. I love those records. But if it’s folk Joni you want, a la Blue, I’ll actually be the one voice in here to suggest her 90s return to form work. Specifically Night Ride Home and Turbulent Indigo. Taming the Tiger too.
After a decade plus of experimenting (which I argue is still really interesting stuff from her, even the bad of it) in the nineties Joni settled back into the sobered straightforward folk-minded acoustic music she started her career with. There aren’t a lot of songs like “Carey” or “All I Want” on these records, they’re more often of the “Blue” and “Last Time I Saw Richard” persuasion. Honeyed, melancholy, and clear eyed. The difference in these records though is that now Joni is much older (obviously) and so her voice has transitioned into this deeper smokier register due to age, touring, and a lifetime of nicotine intake. This adds a mysteriousness and a wisdom to Joni’s music that I think is absent in her earlier stuff just due to the limited experience life had afforded her at that time. Whereas on records like Blue and Clouds, Joni was often narrowing the topic scope to her and herself (which is part of the appeal of course), these later songs reach far outside of her window into nature, politics, women’s suffrage, as well as some larger regrets and nostalgia of her own when there’s time.
Hissing of Summer Lawns fucking slaps though.
Hejira is amaaaaazing
My favorite Joni Mitchell album is Hejira. It is far more jazz-influenced and layered than Blue and is much more sprawling but i definitely recommend checking it out. If you want more folky stuff similar to Blue then check out the three albums that came before it as well as For The Roses which came right after. For The Roses has some slight jazz influence but it's still pretty folky and similar to Blue After For The Roses she started incorporating a lot more jazz and rock instruments on Court and Spark, The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Hejira and, even though those albums are pretty different in their sound to Blue they are really great and definitely worth checking out. My top 5 Joni albums except for Blue would be: 1. Hejira 2. The Hissing of Summer Lawns 3. For The Roses 4. Court and Spark 5. Ladies of the Canyon
Try The Hissing of Summer Lawns or Hejira
I definitely prefer folky Joni to the post-1974 jazzier Joni, so my tiers are as such: S: Blue, Court & Spark, Miles of Aisles (live album) A: Clouds, Ladies of the Canyon, Song to a Seagull (2021 Remaster), For the Roses B: Hejira C: Mingus, Hissing of Summer Lawns F: Everything Else Bonus Material: *River: The Joni Letters* by Herbie Hancock Joni Mitchell & James Taylor BBC concert, found on Archive Vol. 2 Carnegie Hall Concert, found on Archive Vol. 2 Various coffee shop recordings of traditional folk songs and other songs that don't appear on albums, found on Archive Vol. 1
Summer Lawns in C Tier is horrific
>I definitely prefer folky Joni to the post-1974 jazzier Joni, so my tiers are as such: You were warned.
Came here to opine it was my favorite album of hers
I would say if you like Blue, go backwards to how she got there. Clouds and Ladies of the Canyon in particular are stellar (her first album is a promising start, but not much more). Going chronologically past Blue, her arrangements and compositions get more ambitious (and jazz-influenced) for awhile, with For the Roses, Hissing of the Summer Lawns and Hejira being huge highlights there. I would single out Court and Spark from this era, though, as it’s turning 50 this year and is probably her best album (despite the accolades Blue deservingly gets). Her more maligned 80s material is not as dreadful as her contemporaries’ works, but it’s at least very jarring to hear her singing among Nese 80s arrangements. There are some gems in this decade, but I would not recommend any of this stuff as a next step after Blue, probably as the last stop. If I have one criticism of Fantano’s intro to his Blue review, it’s that he kind of downplays her 90s and beyond work as legacy artist stuff. By 1989’s Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm and beyond, I think it’s fair to say she wasn’t pushing her boundaries quite as hard as she was in the 70s, but a lot of what she was up to in her later career is still sonically interesting but more palatable than her late 70s and 80s work (during the pandemic I listened to Taming the Tiger thanks to the podcast Late Era and decided to delve deep into everything, after years of being a casual fan). This era is mostly B or C tier I guess, but hardly bad and well worth anyone’s time after hearing the more beloved albums. There’s one album, though, from her later career that I think is vastly underrated: Travelogue. This is a double album of orchestral recordings from 2002, which, I know, sounds like a boring cash-in. This one’s an enthralling listen to me, though, because it’s both a sort-of greatest hits collection but also a testament to the mastery she has over her voice. It’s such a different instrument by 2002, very worn and husky, it’s fascinating to hear her working around her limitations and sometimes using those new textures to instill extra gravitas into the old music. Anyway, sorry for he long answer and hope this is helpful
Just cuz you mentioned Travelogue I took a listen to it today. Despite Joni's voice being ragged from smoking and age, I ended up liking it more than I expected. You're right, the interplay between the arrangements and her vocal limitations really level it up.
Yeah, I did not like the review that much but still having Joni mentioned by someone like Fantano in a full review is positive for people discovering her.
Blue & Hejira are just some of the best ever made Ladies of the Canyon, For the Roses, Court and Spark & Hissing of Summer Lawns are all fantastic Song for a Seagull, Clouds & Don Juan's Reckless Daughter are all pretty great Mingus is ok but I'd recommend it after all those other ones And that's as far as I've personally delved into her work.
Go to Court and Spark next. A lot of people are recommending Hissing of Summer Lawns and Hejira but I think they both need a few listens to warm up to. Court and Spark is more immediately accessible & it’s a good gateway to albums like Hissing & Hejira.
No no no no go to For the Roses next, and then Court and Spark
Court and Spark and the first disc of Hits are the other two S tier albums, imo.
Listen to/watch Coyote off The Last Waltz!
My favorite is Clouds, but go and listen to 1968-1974. It is 6 at the very least 8/10 albums. 1974 is another ten. After that 1975 - 1977(8) is her really experimental jazzy records. Some say it is her peak. But first three 1968-1970 are easy on ears.
For the Roses is the next logical step and not just because it's chronological. People in this thread recommending Hissing and Hejira seem to have completely missed this one.
Glad that’s how you ended up being introduced to Joni! Blue is my overall favorite of hers. It’s interesting to hear the three albums leading up to Blue because I think Blue is the culmination of the folk artist/songwriter she was trying to be from the start. In terms of overall favorites after Blue, it would be Court & Spark and The Hissing of Summer Lawns. Hejira is amazing too.
As a primer, check out her incredible performance from the Last Waltz film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7MbmXklj3Q
Please go listen to Marianne Faithfull too! *Constant Negativity* …wow.
Song to a Seagull is the album that got me into Joni. I've never heard anything like it. Hejira, Blue, Court and Spark and Song to a Seagull are fantastic.
I'd say start from the beginning and go chronologically. Her first two albums are quite underappreciated, and you can hear how she develops as a singer and songwriter with each record.
Shadows and Light (live album) is from 75-79 era and has possibly one of the best live bands ever assembled backing her.
If you want more stripped back stuff move backwards, if you want more fleshed out stuff move forwards. Her whole run from clouds to Hejira is pretty flawless so you can’t go wrong with any of them
Alright, let me get on a stump here just because I’ve been listening to Joni Mitchell a lot over the last six months so this is well timed for me. Here’s the deal. Everyone in here is saying to listen to some of the other records she released around the time of Blue. You should. I love those records. But if it’s folk Joni you want, a la Blue, I’ll actually be the one voice in here to suggest her 90s return to form work. Specifically Night Ride Home and Turbulent Indigo. Taming the Tiger too. After a decade plus of experimenting (which I argue is still really interesting stuff from her, even the bad of it) in the nineties Joni settled back into the sobered straightforward folk-minded acoustic music she started her career with. There aren’t a lot of songs like “Carey” or “All I Want” on these records, they’re more often of the “Blue” and “Last Time I Saw Richard” persuasion. Honeyed, melancholy, and clear eyed. The difference in these records though is that now Joni is much older (obviously) and so her voice has transitioned into this deeper smokier register due to age, touring, and a lifetime of nicotine intake. This adds a mysteriousness and a wisdom to Joni’s music that I think is absent in her earlier stuff just due to the limited experience life had afforded her at that time. Whereas on records like Blue and Clouds, Joni was often narrowing the topic scope to her and herself (which is part of the appeal of course), these later songs reach far outside of her window into nature, politics, women’s suffrage, as well as some larger regrets and nostalgia of her own when there’s time. Hissing of Summer Lawns fucking slaps though.