> I listened to TTT last night as well. Taming the Tiger *is* one of my > favorites. I love this record. Love the words, love the music, love the > sound of it. I don't think it's 'half-assed' in any way at all. Joni has > never released a 'half-assed' record as far as I'm concerned.
Mark, I agree: never "half-assed." Perhaps "half-hearted," though? TTT is not a bad record, and it's not like it's painful to listen to -- except for MfM, but that's a different sort of pain. Sometimes I wish I didn't know that Joni's painting-pee cat wasn't its inspiration, but considering Joni's talent for duality, that very fact softens it a bit. Sort of. (Can y'all tell I'm very affected by that song? I think it's the melody and how it's played. The very first bar tugs -- no, yanks -- at my heart. But I digress ... ) Joni is in beautiful voice on TTT, that's for sure. imho, anyway. The music is splendid. I like Lead Balloon for that reason. (Has anyone noticed how many of us who like Lead Balloon also like DED a lot? Kakki may be an exception ... J ) The VG-8 wasn't the best choice for the album, imo, but Joni's guitar playing is still a pleasure, and the horns are great!! > Nobody ever says this about 'Hejira' or 'Clouds' or any record that Joni > played acoustic guitar on. Why? > > Inquiring TTT fans want to know. Hell: > For what it's worth, I don't like Clouds that much, either! Hejira is in a > totally different category - it's the words that make it a masterpiece, > not the music (IMO). I think Clouds ranks third least fave on my personal list, although I LOVE "That Song About The Midway." For the last 25 years, my favorite album of all time by anyone has been Hejira, 'nuf said. As for Joni's acoustic vs. her electric/VG-8, I usually prefer the sound of an acoustic guitar. It's richer. It's just TTT's lyrics that leave me wanting. <shrug> It's kind of like ... I don't know ... I was expecting the usual juicy all-beef hamburger (NRH springs to mind) and I got a garden burger instead. I like 'em both, but not in the same ways. > To paraphrase George Orwell, all Joni's albums are equal, > but some are more equal than others! Right on, Hell! There is no such thing as a bad Joni Mitchell album. Lori ~ Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
