Mack wrote... Of all the great Joni tunes, I am always drawn back to this one. In my opinion, the best of the best. The more I listen to For the Roses, it slowly, yet surely, surpasses court and spark. I am lucky for I have yet to discover more Joni as do not have all of the albums yet. Keep listening to Hejira hoping to find it, what I keep reading is there, but have not yet done so.
I have to agree with you (and Victor) that "For The Roses" is top notch all the way. I personally like it better than "Blue" (as brilliant as those songs are). It's got to be one of Joni's most complex and challenging records, with "Judgment..." just one knockout among many. I rate it at least equal to "Court And Spark." And I agree too, that it's much better than "Hejira" IMHO. Also, Gary wrote... Being such a fan of Laura Nyro and Joni, and having done many of their songs through the years, guess I just decided to leave well enough alone!!! I have an old recording I did of Laura's "Tom Cat Goodby" that I did back in the '70s and I didn't change a word. Gary & Walt (and, I think, Kakki), you're also Laura Nyro "Tom Cat Goodby" fans! This one miraculous song perfectly encapsulates the greatest aspects of her totally unique art form in just five minutes. I'd love to hear your cover, Gary--and I wish I had a CD recorder so I could burn you a copy of "New York Nights" (Nyro's best bootleg). In the meantime, if I find it anywhere I'll certainly let you know... And Walt, you wrote... I remember her singing Coyote, DJRD the song, Talk To Me and one other song from Hejira when I saw her in '76, whatever tour that was -- between Hissing and Hejira. I saw that tour as well, Walt. February '76--my second Joni concert. Your absolutely right. "Coyote" segued effortlessly into "Don Juan's..." without a break. Both were brand new. I also remember she debuted "Furry Sings The Blues" that night, and it was one of the evenings highlights. The arrangement was totally different from (and, incredible as it may seem, vastly superior to) the recorded version released that November on "Hejira." XXXOOO, Billy
