Since buying Judy Collins' 'Wildflowers' I've been sort of hearing 'Michael >From Mountains' with new ears. All these years that I've been listening to Joni's version on 'Song To A Seagull' I've always thought this song (and all the songs on STAS) had a very pretty melody. But hearing it in a more orchestral setting on 'Wildflowers' has made me hear just how unique & unusual this melody is.
I think it was Fred who wrote a post about loving Joni's early songs because the melodies were more interesting and unusual. If I remember right, Fred, you mentioned that Joni's early songs often seemed to shift between minor & major chords or keys and that this created an effect that you admired. I'm not a musician so please excuse my fumbling for terminology & my ignorance. But listening to Judy's version of 'MFM' (hey that could be 'Michael From Mountains' or 'Man From Mars' - sometimes those anagrams can get confusing) I'm pretty sure I can distinctly hear what you were referring to. The phrase 'There's oil in puddle in taffeta patterns' sounds like a major key to me but then the following phrase 'that run down the drain' sounds minor. Am I right or did I land in a puddle and now I'm all wet? The funny thing is that this never struck me as particularly different or remarkable in Joni's version of the song. It was just part of the melody & I never thought much about it. But in the Judy Collins version it is so obvious to me. It really gives me a new appreciation of this particular song and of course of the genius behind it. Mark E in Seattle
