I found NRH pretty good, not great, and at times long to hear it. The other night was one of those occasions and nothing else was inside my mind, as far as anticipation. I plugged it in and the tape player ate it. There was an empty hole inside of me that night that nothing else could feel. Guess that says something for that album. I feel the way Owen does, about NRH, about Turbulent Indigo. Have yet to enjoy it and pretty close to giving up trying. Hejira, I read frequently, is a masterpiece. I have yet to get that but still trying to find it. Of course, C and S and For the Roses cannot be beat as far as I am concerned and Blue is excellent. Read earlier today someone saying the new member had some good times coming with albums they had not heard before. Me too and looking so forward to it. As far as the worst Joni album, so far, for me. I would say Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm. I hate it and I think it is basically because I can hardly hear Joni, much less know what she is saying. Hate the music on it. Owen? Joni, embarrassing. Joni on a bad day is better than average and nothing I have heard her do would I deem embarrassing. A middle aged album? What does that mean? I like middle age. A nice place to be.
Mannequin- a silly movie but I enjoyed it. Pure fluff. The Breakfast Club- I had a troubled friend who thought it was the greatest movie ever. Average but did have its high points. Mack > I agree that Dog Eat Dog is a class act - there are some great angry lyrics > in there, and the production works to unify the album as far as Im concerned > (maybe I like the 80s sound cos Im an 80s kid tho - it always reminds me of > films of my youth like 'Mannequin' and 'The Breakfast Club'!) The tunes are > also far more engaging than those on 'Night Ride Home', for example. In > fact, I'm gonna risk a lynching by suggesting that for me, there's a toss up > between NRH and TTT for Joni's worst album. NRH is pretty much (dare I say > this) a middle aged album - she sounds half asleep on most of it, the > rhythms are plodding, melodies unadventurous and the chord sequences > cliched. Don't get me wrong, I like Come in From the Cold, Slouching Towards > Bethlehem and I LOVE Two Grey Rooms, but the rest are either dull or > embarassing (stand up Ray's Dad's Cadillac). Similar situation with TTT, > although at least when I heard the first two tunes I thought it was gonna be > a really good album. Why did Joni just settle back into those boring VG-8 > guitar numbers when she had some great production going on on Harlem in > Havana and Man from Mars? And theyre all in the same key! I mean, compare > TTT with the musical energy and innovation of CAS - thats music that takes > your breath away (when the strings kick in on Same Situation - wowser!). > Same story with DJRD - exhilarating! Where did that spirit go on TTT? > Especially after the brooding, dark and intelligent works on Turbulent > Indigo showed that Joni was still a master (and a half). Now thankfully > she's pioneering again - Coyote by an orchestra - now who can say what > THAT's gonna sound like! Just my two cents worth. I'm off down the bunker in > anticipation of an angry NRH loving mob! > > Owen (who is doing a compilation of later Joni songs for his mum, who says > she "went weird" after Hejira-tsk!)
