NOW SPINNING
BLUE
Joni Mitchell
FOLK | SINGER-SONGWRITER • 1971 • REPRISE RECORDS
'Blue' is what happens when the walls come down; on their own, or with a push from outside. The biographical details are well documented. In 1969, Joni Mitchell split with Graham Nash, in 1970, she traveled through Greece and Europe, and came home to an intense relationship with James Taylor. She later said she "had no personal defenses,” and ‘Blue’ is a record that sounds like that was the case.
She recorded it in early 1971 at A&M Studio C in Hollywood and produced it herself with engineer Henry Lewy. The sound is spare, with her voice out front over acoustic guitar, piano and, iconically, an Appalachian dulcimer.
The guest list is short and restrained. Stephen Stills plays bass and guitar on 'Carey.' Taylor plays guitar on 'All I Want,' 'California' and 'A Case of You.' Sneaky Pete Kleinow adds pedal steel and Russ Kunkel plays drums, but it’s mostly just Joni.
I found this early in high-school, laying on the shag carpet in our family room, playing my parents’ old records into big old Koss headphones, and the vulnerability, the candor, felt like I was listening in on a conversation I wasn’t supposed to hear. Rhythmically unpredictable, lush with complex, shimmering chords (Mitchell does not get enough credit for playing), it is still startling today.
It wasn't a runaway hit, peaking at #15 in the US and #3 in the UK. It has been winning ever since. It sits at #3 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list, earned a 10 from Pitchfork, and is in both the Grammy Hall of Fame (1999) and the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry (2000).
Sometimes a classic is truly classic.
LISTEN & BUY
If at all possible, buy it at your local record store.