Best Joni Mitchell album?

I liked Joni Mitchell albums until Hissing of Summer Lawns, which blew me away. I had bought them all, mind you, but that was the first one to put its hands around my throat and wrestle me to the ground.

But Hejira is the one that towers above everything for me. I put it with Revolver, Who's Next, Led Zeppelin IV, Blood on the Tracks, and a couple of others as the greatest albums ever made, and even higher up the list of albums that have meant the most to me over the years. It's one of those "If this record hadn't come along when it did, I don't know if I'd still be here" albums. I know that many of you have those kinds of records too, so you know I'm not kidding when I say it.

I doubt many other people will say it, but I adore Don Juan's Reckless Daughter and Mingus, too -- both vastly underrated. I absolutely understand why some people hate Mingus. It took me years of "Hmm, maybe I should see if I still hate this as much as I did last time" listening to come around, but I've come around. I even play it on purpose now!

But Don Juan? Man alive, what a towering achievement. In fact, I was thinking about this other day. How many women artists have made studio double albums? I'm embarrassed to say I couldn't come up with any. Can that be possible? Anyway, it's almost impossibly ambitious, even by Joni's standards, and she absolutely nails it. "Paprika Plains" is a masterpiece, one of the greatest side-long tracks by anyone, too.

I really really love how the songs from these four albums come together on Shadows and Light, by far her best live album imo, and one of my favorites by anyone. And what a band! Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Jaco Pastorius, Don Alias, Randy Brecker - amazing.

I know that none of these are folky, and it was definitely her folky music that brought me to her in the first place. There are songs I love on all of those records (especially Blue and Roses), but they all feel a little padded until we arrive at Hissing, at which point I honestly feel we enter a 5-album run as good as anyone has ever had, or leaving off the live one, a 4-record run as good as anyone ever. Here they are in my order of preference:

Hejira
Hissing
Don Juan
Shadows and Light
Mingus

 

Love them all but "Hissing" is the one I still play the most

 

I'm another one who thinks Don Juan's Reckless Daughter and Mingus are vastly underrated. I think pretty much all of her recorded output is essential if you're a serious music fan.

 

I've always been partial to For the Roses, which was the first one I heard. I feel it gets unfairly overlooked coming between Blue, which seems to get the most praise from music critics, and Court and Spark, which was her most commercially successful record. As someone else noted earlier in the thread, it serves as a great bridge between those albums and I feel the songs on it are as strong as those on the other two. "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire", "For the Roses", "See You Sometime" and "Blonde in the Bleachers" are among my favourite Joni tracks.

Everything from Blue to Hejira is sublime and I love most of what came before and after. Night Ride Home and Turbulent Indigo are definite standouts among Joni's later albums.

 

One album, Hejira, but everything from Ladies of the Canyon through Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is essential. Mingus and the first two albums are close behind. I lost the thread in the 80's although I have everything through Night Ride Home.

Top 10 in order:
Hejira
For the Roses
Court and Spark
Hissing of Summer Lawns
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
Blue
Ladies of the Canyon
Clouds
Mingus
Song to a Seagull

 

Biographies.
What to get ?

 

ladies of the canyon

 

Same here..surprised to see not among the favorites of many here.

 

Yes, it's a boot and one of the best boots of all time!

 

EHH nobody voted for

Wild things run fast

by now, so I have to do that!

 

I put it in my top five. A strong collection of songs. Chinese Cafe is a knockout opener.

 

Ladies Of The Canyon...a personal favorite for me...seconded by Court And Spark...

 

The album's even better if you tack on the wordless "Two Grey Rooms" demo, written during the Wild Things Run Fast sessions:

 

"Hejira" has some beautiful atmospheric sound that I keep coming back to, but "Blue" and "Hissing...." are just as compelling.

 

Don Juan's?

 

I think the following five albums are of equal quality, I can't choose which is the best:

Ladies Of The Canyon
Blue
For The Roses
Court And Spark
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns

 

Lloyd Whitesell
"The Music Of Joni Mitchell".

 

Level I:
Ladies Of The Canyon
Blue
Court & Spark

Level Ia:
Clouds
For The Roses
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns
Hejira


Level IIa:
Song To A Seagull
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
Mingus

 

Court & Spark or Blue

 

Hejira

 

Great post - I agree with everything you've said. 'The Hissing Of Summer Lawns' is still my favourite Joni album, but 'For The Roses' is close behind. I am also very partial to 'Ladies Of The Canyon', which I find more in line with my tastes than the more lauded 'Blue' and 'Court And Spark' (although as you said, all of Joni's work from 'Blue' to 'Hejira' is pretty much perfect).

'Night Ride Home' is definitely the best of the Geffen era.


x

 

Hejira. One of the best albums ever released. Magical.

 

Blue and Hejira equally for different reasons.

I wasn't aware there was disdain for Mingus. It's a great album.

 

For The Roses with Mingus a close second.

 

I haven't heard them all, but I love the hissing of summer lawns.