| | Joni Mitchell Blue CD Joni Mitchell Discography of CDs
 (6 Customer Reviews)
All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.
BLUE marks the culmination of Mitchell's early, traditional singer/songwriter period, and it is one of the very best albums of that genre. Though she was already beginning to experiment with elements of pop and jazz, BLUE focuses on Mitchell's skill as a folk singer, showcasing her reedy, expressive voice in duet with her piano or guitar. The arrangements on the album--which feature keys, dulcimer, bass, and assorted percussion--are spare and tasteful, so much so that it is easy to overlook their sophistication.
Yet it is ultimately Mitchell's songs that make BLUE such a moving and memorable experience. "All I Want" establishes the themes of wandering and soul-searching that define much of the artist's work, while "My Old Man" and "Carey" explore relationships with a keen attention to detail and emotional truth. Songs like "California" shuffle along with a sunny yearning, but the predominant mood--true to the album's title--is lonely, plaintive and stark, with "River," the title track, and "The Last Time I Saw Richard" ranking with the saddest, most moving songs in the pop canon. An album of great intensity and confessional depth, BLUE closed the chapter on Mitchell's folk period beautifully, opening the gates for the bold new work to follow.
Live Recording
Composer: Joni Mitchell.
Personnel: Joni Mitchell (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); Joni Mitchell; Sneaky Pete Kleinow (guitar, steel guitar, pedal steel guitar); Stephen Stills (guitar, bass instrument, bass guitar); James Taylor Jr. (guitar); James Taylor (vocals, guitar); Russ Kunkel (drums).
Recording information: A & M Studios, Los Angeles, CA; A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA; A&M, Los Angeles, CA.Rolling Stone (10/31/02, p.135) - Ranked #2 in Rolling Stone's "Women In Rock: The 50 Essential Albums" - "...An acoustic tour de force..."
Rolling Stone (8/5/71, p.43) - "...her songs, like James Taylor's, are only incidentally commercial: Her primary purpose is to create something meaningful out of the random moments of pain and pleasure in her life..."
Rolling Stone (9/30/71, p.42) - "...She writes beautiful tunes coupled with beautiful lyrics...what more could be asked of her? BLUE is her best album by far..."
Q (7/99, p.150) - Included in Q's Best Chill-Out Albums of All Time - "...tangible warmth....A solitary album, which conversely makes the listner feel less alone..."
Q (p.132) - 4 stars out of 5 - "The gold standard for the confessional school of '70s songwriters in one beguiling package."
Vibe (12/99, p.157) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century
NME (Magazine) (10/2/93, p.29) - Ranked #28 in NME's list of the Greatest Albums Of All Time.
NME (Magazine) (9/18/93, p.19) - Ranked #9 in NME's list of The Greatest Albums Of The '70s. Blue Music | List Price | $11.98 (You save $2.99) | | Category | Rock Albums, Pop CDs, Folk, HDCD, Rock/Pop, Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter | | Label | Reprise | | Orig Year | 1971 | | All Time Sales Rank |  277   | | CD Universe Part number | 1099033 | | Catalog number | 2038 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Oct 25, 1990 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Joni Mitchell | | Engineer | Henry Lewy; Henry Lewy | | Recording Time | 35 minutes | | Personnel | Russ Kunkel - drums
Joni Mitchell - vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards
Also: James Taylor, Stephen Stills |
Blue Music Review Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews Joni defines blue in her own elements-high notes and creativ
Blue is great CD to analyze. At first listen, it's hard to catch what Joni is Blue about. Her voice is so angelic and fun that one tends to overlook the darkness of some of her lyrical phrasing. The title track is full of emotion, power and thirst. It's obvious that Joni was full of love and trials. Joni tops off this incredible album with "The Last Time I Saw Richard." What an excellent summary of an excellent album- "only a phase, these dark cafes."
Submitted by wl_jefferies (Atlanta, GA, USA) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Blue is "pure" Joni...
For anyone who is a purist and appreciates the artist and her guitar, Blue is a perfect album. I always just allow it to carry me away every time I listen to it. From her soul searching in "My Old Man" and "This Flight Tonight" to her relationship conundrums in "River" and "A Case of You", this album never disappoints. The special treat for me remains in her story telling rendition of "The Last Time I saw Richard", delivered in her so utterly unique style. Do yourself a favor and get "Blue"....you won't be.
Submitted by a reviewer (Vero Beach, Florida)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No my favourite
this is my favourite album. what a voice. all is good : fantastic songs, beautiful and original music. even joni is beautiful ... buy it!
Submitted by cyrielle (le pré st gervais, france)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No straight to the top
i considered myself a joni fan and had a half dozen albums but not "blue". so when i finally got it i could rank it against all those other joni albums which i adore. after one play "blue" headed the list. it is astonishing, it has the most tender song ever written, "little green" and how about those lyrics in "all i want"!!!! thats love, warmth, truth and an overlooked quality of joni's - humour, all in one song...this album is essential (why did i leave it so long)
Submitted by tony (london, england)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No great songs
I have had a copy of "Blue" for many years, but it was a bad tape recording, so I was pleased to finally get the CD. Every song is beautifully performed, lots of feeling, great lyrics, and although it was recorded some years ago, it remains one of my all time favourites.
Submitted by a reviewer (Torquay, United Kingdom)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
Purchase Blue CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Joni Mitchell Court And Spark CD (1974)
Blue album
 $9.09  
All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.
COURT AND SPARK completed Joni Mitchell's transition from folk-singer to sophisticated rock auteur. In addition to her meticulously crafted melodies and evocative, image-rich lyrics, the songs here are breezy and immediately appealing. This is in part due to Tom Scott's L.A. Express, a sinuous jazz-based combo, but also to Mitchell's knack for pop hooks, which abound on COURT AND SPARK. The album's accessibility made it Mitchell's most commercially successful, yet the personal intensity and insight of her songwriting never wavers.
"Help Me" was a hit single, as was "Free Man in Paris," an expansive pop frolic that is reputedly a dig at industry mogul David Geffen. Mitchell returns to the terrain of piano balladry on "The Same Situation" and "Down to You"; yet even on these, as on the excellent social satire "People's Parties," one can hear the influence of jazz on her vocal phrasing and intonations. The rock-&-roll romp "Raised on Robbery" and the bluesy, comic swing of "Twisted" mix things up a bit, showing the artist's increasing ability to master and manipulate ...
| | Joni Mitchell Hejira CD (1976)
Blue CD music
$6.19
All tracks have been digitally remastered using HDCD technology.
Joni Mitchell draws freely on her heroes and influences, and in her turn inspires and informs the work of countless others; thus are the genes of our musical heritage passed on to new generations. The love of jazz glimpsed in COURT AND SPARK ...
| | Joni Mitchell For The Roses CD (1972)
Blue music CDs
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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. ...
| | Joni Mitchell Clouds CD (1969)
Blue songs
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All tracks have been digitally remastered using HDCD technology.
Mitchell's second album, like her first, focuses almost exclusively on her acoustic guitar and voice. Though the sound is similar to her debut recording, there's a lot of progression evident in the songwriting here. Mitchell comes ...
| | Joni Mitchell Ladies Of The Canyon CD (1970)
Blue album
$8.65
On songs like, "Conversation" and the title cut, Mitchell's lyrics begin to turn toward to the quirky, personal poetry of interior landscapes, focusing with a writer's eye on scene, detail, and the dynamics of human relationships. Her instrumental palette is broadened too, with colorful, textured arrangements that make greater use of piano, as well as strings, reeds, electric keyboards, and percussion. Some songs, like the sweet, chiming "The Circle Game," seem a bit naďve, but these are counterbalanced with darker songs like "The Arrangement," a stark ballad. In all, LADIES OF THE CANYON was Mitchell's first classic album, one that helped pave the way for its watershed successor, ...
| | Hank Crawford Night Beat CD (1989)
Blue CD music
$13.95
Altoist Hank Crawford teams up with pianist/organist Dr. John on this accessible and enjoyable soul-jazz outing. Crawford made quite a few CDs in this format for Milestone during the 1980s, using a funky four-piece rhythm section and a small horn section to play recent originals and a few vintage classics. Highlights of the above-average effort include "For the Love of You," "K.C. Blues" and "Trouble in Mind." ~ Scott Yanow
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood ...
| | Ted Des Plantes Ain't Cha' Got Music CD (1994)
Blue music CDs
$13.85
Pianist Ted Des Plantes pays tribute to trumpeter Henry "Red" Allen on this well-conceived and consistently exciting set. Trumpeter Chris Tyle does an excellent job of emulating Allen, and the supporting cast includes a couple players from Banu ...
| | Fito Olivares 15 Exitos Originales CD (2002)
Blue songs
$11.65
| | Annihilator Bag Of Tricks CD (1994) Import; Remastered
Blue album
$38.19
Demolishing all the musical challengers who face them, Annihilator proves their metal chops once again with BAG OF TRICKS, a 16 track collection featuring live and studio material.
Annihilator's last album on Roadrunner in the '90s, the odds and sods collection Bag of Tricks proves that the mid-'80s glory days of speed metal never really went away. Tricks combines live versions of hits from the band's first three studio albums with early demos and rarities from back in the days when frontman Jeff Waters was toiling away in his basement playing ...
| | Punch Drunk, Vol. 5 CD (2004)
Blue CD music
$5.59
Live Recording
| | Gogol Bordello East Infection CD (2005) Enhanced CD
Blue music CDs
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| | Unto Ashes Songs For A Widow CD (2006)
Blue songs
$13.85
Positioned somewhere between Current 93 and Dead Can Dance, Unto Ashes have maintained an amazing track record, releasing one satisfying album after another. Songs for a Widow makes it five in a row and while the band's mix of apocalyptic folk and modern gloom isn't for everyone, this album has the best chance of enticing newcomers. Interludes that bridge tracks and a smart build to the album -- with more approachable numbers upfront, more difficult tracks pushed to the middle and back -- helps a lot, but what really separates Songs for a Widow from its predecessors is the warm, sometimes comfortable feel of the album, and the amazing sound quality, which sorts out the medieval/modern mix of the band better than ever before. Sounding as luxurious as the later Dead Can Dance releases, the album entrances with more organic, more hypnotizing material than usual up until "You Will Never Know" unleashes some jarring theatrical goth metal that's sinister and nihilistic. Longtime Unto Ashes fans are used to these unpredictable bursts of electronics cutting through the dulcimers and hurdy-gurdys, but here the device is used more sparingly, purposefully, ...
| | Mark Mann Old Slew Foot CD (2006)
Blue album
$12.65
| | Olaf Q4 Schoenborn Radio Jazz CD (2008) (Import)
Blue CD music
$12.99
more about the musicFor saxophone player Olaf Schönborn's Q4 (sax, acoustic guitar, double bass, percussion) it's music that's so melodic that it can be played on the radio - without being smooth jazz:Relaxed, yet full of energy; - flowing, yet deep and intense - clear yet full of improvisation and surprise.PRESS REVIEWS:reviews Q4Jazzzeit (Austria), April 2008:5 stars – excellentStereo, 05/2008one of the most remarkable albums of the last months. Radio Jazz is one hour of disport. It’s a pleasure to listen to this album over and over again. Full of little details that add up to something great. It fits almost every occasion and has the potential for becoming one’s favourite album.Audio, 04/2008:the 12 songs are catchy, elaborate, melodic and rhytmically interesting. The transparent combination with acoustic guitar, bass and percussion instead of drums, the very round and well-mixed sound make this CD a treat for hifi lovers.Groove FM: cd of the monthThis ist he perfect CD for our radio station! Schönborn shows with this album that jazz is far more than just intellectual music. It’s jazz but it’s catchy and groovy. And to our listeners we suggest: buy this record, since you will not be able to find better radio jazz elsewhere.3sat.de:cd of the monthSaxophone player Olaf Schönborn creates with „Radio Jazz“ a relaxed athmosphere yet keeping the tension. It’s easy to listen to and a lot of fun.Jazzpodium, April 2008:extraordinary beautiful music that makes you relax without being boring. Schönborn plays calm and at the same time full of energy.Concerto (Austria), 2/2008:Music as you would like to hear it on the radio. It swings, it grooves, it sways – the knees start to move with this music. Saxophonist Schönborn’s first CD as a leader does not sound like a debut but it’s a masterpiece. Exciting and fresh sounding.soultrainoline.deFinally jazz from Germany that touches the soul and heart - and makes you move!In an unusual acoustic setting without drums with a light Latin touch, his sax leads us through 9 original compositions, 1 pop cover version and a DJ remix.Radio Jazz is also a non-nostalgic reminiscing of the "good old days" when we would spend every free minute listening to our radios - before there was streamlined "format radio"- a time when you would still discover a lot of new, surprising and creative music on the radio - and we think that radio could still fulfill this today! Or as "Queen" put it in their song "Radio - someone still loves you"more about the bandSaxophone player Olaf Schönborn, born in 1967, has performed on many important Jazz Festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival Den Haag, Edinburgh Festival, German Jazz Festival in Frankfurt, Leipzig Jazz Festival, Jazz Festival Toulon (France), Szeged Jazz Festival (Hungary). Tours and concerts have led him to Italy, Poland, Luxembourg as well.He studied Jazz at the Arizona State University in Phoenix and at the Mannheim Conservatory and he participated in workshops with James Moody, Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Bobby Shew, Greg Osby, Jimmy Cobb, Ira Sullivan, Joe LaBarbara among others.He performed a.o. with Maria Schneider, Allen ...
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