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Between the stark, confessional singer-songwriter format of BLUE and the artful, streamlined jazz-pop of COURT AND SPARK, Joni Mitchell released this excellent transitional album. Located firmly between these stylistic poles, FOR THE ROSES looks to Mitchell's folky beginnings with wistful, piano-driven ballads like "Banquet" and the acoustic guitar lilt of the title track. At the same time cuts like "Cold Blue Steel and Straight Fire" push toward the unconventional melodies and rhythms--heavily influenced by jazz--that she would explore more fully on albums like HEJIRA.
"Electricity" and "Let the Wind Carry Me" blend singer-songwriter styles with jazzy flourishes (as on the saxophone accompaniment and swooping wordless vocals on the latter), while the record's hit single, "Turn Me On I'm a Radio" is breezy, harmonica-driven pop. But while the styles diverge, Mitchell's lyrics are sharp as ever, exploring human relationships with a storyteller's eye for detail and a poet's feel for phrasing and image. The sense of painful, incisive honesty that comes across on BLUE is here as well, contributing to this exceptional, often overlooked gem in Mitchell's discography.
Live Recording
Photographer: Joel Bernstein.
Unknown Contributor Role: Stephen Stills.
Personnel: Joni Mitchell (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); Joni Mitchell; Stephen Stills (vocals, various instruments, guitar); Tommy Scott (clarinet, reeds, woodwinds, saxophone); Tom Scott (reeds, woodwinds, wind); Wilton Felder (bass instrument); Bobbye Hall, Bobbye Porter (percussion); Graham Nash (vocals, harmonica); James Burton (guitar, electric guitar); Bobby Notkoff (strings, percussion); Russ Kunkel (drums).
Recording information: A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA.
Rolling Stone (1/4/73, p.60) - "..her great charm and wit, her intense vocal acting and phrasing abilities..and the sheer power and gumption of her presence combine to bring it all off and make it shine...constructed like the cleverest of novels - stories within stories within stories..."
Sublime Coming between her classic Blue and the golden Court and Spark, I've always thought of For the Roses as "Green". Joni Mitchell is at the peak of her abilities here and the album is nearly flawless. One of our greatest's greatest. Submitted by thomas_labelle (Thunder Bay Ontario Canada) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 7 of 11 found this helpful.
Like wine, it ripes This cd shows the quality of Joni's songwriting and her sensitive side, a year after releasing the breathtaking record 'Blue'. It's not an accessible album like 'Court and Spark', but when you listen carefully over and over again, it becomes your own and then you actually HEAR the beauty of her music. Joni is an example for many singer-songwriters! Submitted by Henry (Sweden) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 7 of 12 found this helpful.
Joni in transition This album catches Joni halfway between the "singer-songwriter" style of 'Blue" and the major shift that would be debuted in "Court and Spark".
An excellent album with many standout tracks.
The HDCD remastering is a significant improvement over the previous release and the sonic benefits are apparent even on non-HDCD equipped players. Submitted by jimpauley (United Kingdom) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 7 of 15 found this helpful.
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