Joni Mitchell "Archives Vol. 4 (1976 - 1980)"

[soulpope]

https://theseconddisc.com/2024/12/20/review-joni-mitchell-archives-four/

[mjazzg]

My favourite period, it's a shame there isn't more from the Don Juan sessions

[felser]

I have all four of them (and all four of the boxes of her remastered Warner/Reprise albums), but this is where I get off.  The Asylum stuff leaves me cold (as does the Mingus album on WB/Reprise).  My favorite Joni is the pre-Blue albums, and the first Archives set is stunning.  Mark, I'm with you that the Don Juan album is much more interesting than generally given credit for. 

[soulpope]

3 hours ago, mjazzg said:

My favourite period, it's a shame there isn't more from the Don Juan sessions

Agreed .... quite a lot from the "Hejira" sessions thankfully  .... ordered this as 🌲goodie🌲 ....

[barnaba.siegel]

Bought it recently. Excellent job, starting from really wide showcase of Mitchell's transition from "The Hissing" to "Hejira" (with well explained details in the interview in the booklet), Hejira's sessions (Jaco-less tracks, duet with Chaka Khan!) and concerts from that era.

Personally I'm glad they mostly omitted "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" era (I can't help it, I just don't like this album - on the other hand it feels a weird, that such a complex set really cuts the chase in so rough manner, just 2 of about 100 tracks?) and got straight to Mingus sessions and a brand-new, full Shadow and Light Tour gig with Metheny, Brecker and Jaco.

I also really love the whole box design. It's elegant, it's practical, the booklet is juicy, dripping with facts, trivia and photos. And it's also reasonably priced.

[soulpope]

11 minutes ago, barnaba.siegel said:

Bought it recently. Excellent job, starting from really wide showcase of Mitchell's transition from "The Hissing" to "Hejira" (with well explained details in the interview in the booklet), Hejira's sessions (Jaco-less tracks, duet with Chaka Khan!) and concerts from that era.

Personally I'm glad they mostly omitted "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" era (I can't help it, I just don't like this album - on the other hand it feels a weird, that such a complex set really cuts the chase in so rough manner, just 2 of about 100 tracks?) and got straight to Mingus sessions and a brand-new, full Shadow and Light Tour gig with Metheny, Brecker and Jaco.

I also really love the whole box design. It's elegant, it's practical, the booklet is juicy, dripping with facts, trivia and photos. And it's also reasonably priced.

Indeed 👍 ....

[mjzee]

I was always uncomfortable with Don Juan; I thought it clearly showed that Joni was cracking up.  It seemed the culmination (logical, inevitable or not) of the lifestyle depicted in Hejira: a single woman always on the go, shacking up willy nilly, trying to make sense of what it all means.  While Hejira shows a woman who's soulful and deep, Don Juan depicted that same woman (imho) as an out-of-control alcoholic.  Very sad.  One can never be sure how much the rock and roll image corresponds to real life, but I think it's telling that she then disappeared from the scene for about 5 years.  Again, just the impression these works left me with.

[soulpope]

9 hours ago, mjzee said:

I was always uncomfortable with Don Juan; I thought it clearly showed that Joni was cracking up.  It seemed the culmination (logical, inevitable or not) of the lifestyle depicted in Hejira: a single woman always on the go, shacking up willy nilly, trying to make sense of what it all means.  While Hejira shows a woman who's soulful and deep, Don Juan depicted that same woman (imho) as an out-of-control alcoholic.  Very sad.  One can never be sure how much the rock and roll image corresponds to real life, but I think it's telling that she then disappeared from the scene for about 5 years.  Again, just the impression these works left me with.

Interesting point ....

[Stompin at the Savoy]

I always liked her early work a lot.  Her later stuff has a sameness to it and her guitar playing, so inventive early on, came to often utilize the exact same chords over and over on an electric guitar.  My worst mistake was watching a youtube interview of her several years back.  She was putting down the boomers and I remember her sneering at the 'free love' of the sixties, which struck me as awfully hypocritical, considering who she was back then.  I discovered in that interview that I did not like her much as a person and since then I seldom listen to her.

[felser]

18 hours ago, mjzee said:

I was always uncomfortable with Don Juan; I thought it clearly showed that Joni was cracking up.  It seemed the culmination (logical, inevitable or not) of the lifestyle depicted in Hejira: a single woman always on the go, shacking up willy nilly, trying to make sense of what it all means.  While Hejira shows a woman who's soulful and deep, Don Juan depicted that same woman (imho) as an out-of-control alcoholic.  Very sad.  One can never be sure how much the rock and roll image corresponds to real life, but I think it's telling that she then disappeared from the scene for about 5 years.  Again, just the impression these works left me with.

I was much more interested in Don Juan musically than lyrically.  It doesn't hold a candle to Hejira, but I like it better than anything she recorded afterward.

[jazzbo]

3 hours ago, felser said:

I was much more interested in Don Juan musically than lyrically.  It doesn't hold a candle to Hejira, but I like it better than anything she recorded afterward.

Me too.

There is one absolute masterful piece on this: "The Silky Veils of Ardor." I just love that.