Band Face Off - Round 33

[trackaghost]

It was a close round but in the end Miss Whitney proved to be the Ledgie favourite of the wailing divas with 10 votes. Phew! I thought that round would never end.

Round 33: some truly inspiring singer-songwriters.


The results so far...
Round 1: Petty defeats Springsteen - 36 to 19
Round 2: Led Zeppelin defeat The Who - 22 to 19
Round 3: Madonna defeats Sheryl Crow/Kate Bush - 24 to 13/10
Round 4: The Beatles defeat Rolling Stones/U2 - 23 to 16/14
Round 5: Guns N Roses defeat Bon Jovi/Metallica - 17 to 13/12
Round 6: Heart defeat Blondie/The Pretenders - 23 to 16/6
Round 7: The Beach Boys defeat The Kinks/The Byrds - 24 to 10/10
Round 8: Johnny Cash defeats Elvis Presley/Roy Orbison - 20 to 19/7
Round 9: Abba defeats The Carpenters - 25 to 15
Round 10: Prince defeats Jimi Hendrix/Lenny Kravitz - 24 to 15/3
Round 11: No Doubt defeat Garbage/Hole - 27 to 11/9
Round 12: Bob Dylan defeats Neil Young - 26 to 25
Round 13: Dolly Parton defeats Emmylou Harris/Linda Ronstadt - 20 to 17/9
Round 14: Marvin Gaye defeats Aretha Franklin/Stevie Wonder/Diana Ross - 14 to 11/10/2
Round 15: David Bowie defeats Lou Reed/Iggy Pop - 38 to 5/2
Round 16: Talking Heads defeat The Clash - 21 to 19
Round 17: Billie Holiday defeats Ella Fitzgerald - 25 to 7
Round 18: The Eagles defeat Lynyrd Skynyrd - 30 to 17
Round 19: The Doors defeat Jefferson Airplane - 22 to 17
Round 20: Elvis Costello defeats Sting - 19 to 13
Round 21: Eurythmics defeat Depeche Mode/New Order - 27 to 7/6
Round 22: Duran Duran defeat Tears For Fears - 21 to 15
Round 23: Tori Amos defeats Alanis Morissette/Jewel - 21 to 11/8
Round 24: REM defeat Coldplay - 34 to 9
Round 25: The White Stripes defeat Beck - 19 to 18
Round 26: Pink Floyd defeat Radiohead - 30 to 9
Round 27: The Killers defeat Franz Ferdinand/Maroon 5 - 15 to 14/5
Round 28: Nirvana defeat Pearl Jam/Soundgarden - 15 to 13/4
Round 29: Elton John defeats Billy Joel - 31 to 11
Round 30: Creedence Clearwater Revival defeat The Band/The Grateful Dead - 23 to 7/7
Round 31: Aerosmith defeat AC/DC/Van Halen - 20 to 10/7
Round 32: Whitney Houston defeats Celine Dion/Mariah Carey/Christina Aguilera - 10 to 9/8/9

[amber]

Yeah, that's right. I did it.
If I'm not familiar with people's work, should I just vote for the one I know, though they are not the best? Or is it my duty to go out and listen to all the others' songs first?
Hmmm.

[Serrart]

Joni Mitchell, no question.

Romy

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by amber

Yeah, that's right. I did it.
If I'm not familiar with people's work, should I just vote for the one I know, though they are not the best? Or is it my duty to go out and listen to all the others' songs first?
Hmmm.

A vote for Jackson is fine by me, though it's absolutely everybody's duty to get to know some of the work of Ms. Mitchell.

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by trackaghost

Round 33: some truly inspiring singer-songwriters.

This should be exciting.

Or maybe it'll be blowout, who knows.

At any rate, I'm not too big on Carole King, though I don't dislike her. And, with all due respect, Mr. Taylor, now's not the best time for your unique brand of bittersweet folk-rock.

So it's between Joni and Jackson for me. Now Jackson has written some truly beautiful songs in his time, and not even just for himself. It doesn't get much better than "These Days." And yet, sometimes the guy just seems a little... dare I say it?... bland. That homogenized California sound (of course he co-wrote a song for The Eagles, how could he not?). "Bland" is an adjective you can almost never apply to Joni, though. Even when she misfires, she manages to crash and burn in a unique and interesting way. Her words simply tend to have more character than Jackson's (ditto her voice, which is a wonderful instrument that she really knows how to play). And is there anything can't do? Enigmatic, wistful, bitter, regretful, defiant, childish, weathered and wise. Her songwriting has never known many bounds.

Joni all the way, kids.

[amber]

Does anyone know of a song where's Joni's voice isn't so high and trilling that dogs come when you play it?
I'm not really familiar with a lot of her material.

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by amber

Does anyone know of a song where's Joni's voice isn't so high and trilling that dogs come when you play it?
I'm not really familiar with a lot of her material.

Most everything past the very early 70s, really. Start with Court & Spark.

[amber]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

Most everything past the very early 70s, really. Start with Court & Spark.

Oh, I have to buy something? mmm, not so much then.
Thanks, though. I will add it to my two mile long list.
Her voice didn't suddenly become all Stevie esq, though, did it? Does she yell?

[markolas]

Originally Posted by amber

Her voice didn't suddenly become all Stevie esq, though, did it? Does she yell?

She doesn't yell. Her voice is very looooow now.

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by amber

Oh, I have to buy something? mmm, not so much then.
Thanks, though. I will add it to my two mile long list.
Her voice didn't suddenly become all Stevie esq, though, did it? Does she yell?

She doesn't yell, no, though she does sing in a lower, sultrier register much of the time.

Here, I put a couple of Court & Spark songs up on YouSendIt:

"People's Parties" (yes, it's supposed ot cut off at the end like that): http://s54.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0...I20DLDD5XNNMMS

and "Twisted" (featuring Cheech and Chong! and not to be confused with Stevie's ode to Bill Paxton): http://s39.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1...S29D67BI78FOKQ

Enjoy!

(By the way, does anyone else find the end of that second link offensive? No, YouSendIt, FOKQ!)

[The Tower]

Originally Posted by amber

Oh, I have to buy something? mmm, not so much then.
Thanks, though. I will add it to my two mile long list.
Her voice didn't suddenly become all Stevie esq, though, did it? Does she yell?

You are such a retard.....

Joni started out a folk singer in the mid-sixties singing with her then husband, Chuck Mitchell. She ditched him and lumenaries of the day starting putting her songs on their releases- most notably "Both Sides, Now" by Judy Collins.

She finally started releasing albums on her own. The first three are the ones that are "high and trilling that dogs come when you play it" as you put it:

Song for a Seagull
Clouds
Ladies of the Canyon

At this point, her relationship with Graham Nash, with whom she was deeply in love, ended because he wanted to get married and she wanted to remain a free woman. This breakup ushered in her confessional period, which consisted of the next two albums:

Blue
For The Roses

Joni was constantly restless and was always changing her guitar tunings into all manner of odd configurations. David Geffen and Elliot Roberts were managing the business side of her career. She moved back to LA from Canada (moving into David Geffen's house) and got involved in the early '70's jazz sound which moved her into the next phase of her career:

Court and Spark
Miles of Aisles (live)
Hissing of Summer Lawns

She met Jaco Pastorious and was infatuated with his experimental bass stylings. Restless and disillusioned with life in general, she took a road trip with friends and drove from LA to the Eastern seaboard (she didn't have a driver's license, but she did it anyway). This trip inspired most of the songs that appeared on her next album. This album and the one released after it were, for me, her last great albums until she "came back" in the early '90's.

Hejira
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter

Jazz bass player Charles Mingus was dying from Lou Gehrig's disease and asked Joni to write songs and add lyrics to some musical ideas he had. She went for it and received a lot of negative reviews as well as quite a bit of backlash from the jazz elite. I'm not all that impressed by the album:

Mingus
Shadows and Light (live)

Moving on, Joni was more disillusioned than ever and her songwriting began to get bitter and jaded. The early 80's period was mostly complaining about the ****ty state of politics and culture in general. For me, this was her low period- working with people such as Thomas Dolby and using lots of synthizers to poor effect:

Wild Things Run Fast
Dog Eat Dog

Her early 80's actions were really just the final nail in the coffin for Joni's long journey of trying to remove herself from the recording industry. Her next four albums would be her "second coming", so to speak. Her voice had completely changed to it's mid-low alto ravaged by years of heavy smoking- though still beautiful in my opinion:

Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm
Night Ride Home
Turbulent Indigo
Taming the Tiger

Now in her mid-fifties, Joni pretty much gave up on the concept of songwriting- her lifelong love of painting was now her primary creative focus. She released two more albums- both of which were orchestral reworkings of hits and misses. The Joni fan community was effectively split on these albums- some really hated them and others found a kind of poignant "September Song" feel to them (I'm in the latter).

Both Sides, Now
Travelogue

With the release of Travelogue, Joni retired from the music industry.


So to answer your question Amber- here are the following albums I recommend for one who is looking to get into Joni's music.

First purchase:

Blue
Court and Spark
Miles of Aisles

These will give you the most ear-friendly introduction to Joni's unique style and wonderful songwriting. After that I would recommend:

Hejira
Night Ride Home
Turbulent Indigo

More exploration into different styles. Hejira is a masterpiece, but it's not as masses-friendly as the first three. After getting a taste for Joni's experimental songwriting, I would move on to these albums:

For The Roses
Ladies of the Canyon
Hissing of Summer Lawns

At that point, you got the meat of Joni's catalog. You can spice with Song to a Seagull, Clouds, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, or even Taming of the Tiger. I would steer clear of her early 80's stuff. Chalk Mark is uneven- though some truly love it.

There's your Joni primer. And, no, Joni doesn't yell.

[Serrart]

Originally Posted by amber

Does anyone know of a song where's Joni's voice isn't so high and trilling that dogs come when you play it?
I'm not really familiar with a lot of her material.

Two of my favourites:
Both Sides Now (2000 version)
http://s56.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0...01RQQ4LRU5M101

Blue (version with Sarah McLachlan)
http://s56.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2...G3K1V5BDYL8JK6

Romy

[amber]

Originally Posted by Serrart

Two of my favourites:
Both Sides Now (2000 version)
http://s56.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0...01RQQ4LRU5M101

Blue (version with Sarah McLachlan)
http://s56.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2...G3K1V5BDYL8JK6

Romy

Thanks Romy.
I like her voice on Both Sides Now.
The Blue harmony is pretty. Although it's definitely MacLachlaned.

[ontheEdgeof17]

I voted for C. King. Her songs could not be beat at the time of her peak in the music business.