All of this talk about Joni and Yes forces me to relate a story I have on this subject. I apologize to anyone who has read this before (I used an abbreviated version of it in the Gallery section of the JMDL).
Back in the waning days of 1971, I was working at the recently opened Woodfield Mall - the World's largest indoor shopping center (at least at the time). I was working in a funky little mall restaurant called the Orange Bowl, which sold mostly greasy pizzas and orange slushes. I had this hopeless crush on a co-worker named Karen, and one day while we were taking a break, she told me that the Disk Joint, a record store right directly below us in the mall, was having a huge store wide sale - three albums for nine bucks. We had about twenty minutes left on our break, so we decided to run down and check out the sale. I was seventeen at the time, and not exactly rolling in money, but I couldn't pass up the 3 for 9 deal. Album number one was a no brainer - Elton John's Madman Across the Water. Elton had always been a favorite of mine, and Madman had just recently been released, so I was looking forward to getting this one a great deal. Album number two was a little tougher. There were no other new albums out by any of my favorite artists, so I was really struggling. I had gotten to know the folks who worked at the store, so I asked them about this group they were obviously promoting. There were these wierd styrofoam heads suspended from strings all over the front of the store, which I thought looked pretty cool. They were surprised I had never heard about Yes, so they said they would play a song from it for me. Moments later, I've Seen All Good People came pouring out of their speaker system, and seconds later, I had my second album in my hands. The pressure was now really mounting. After making this 'major' purchase, I wouldn't be able to buy another album for some time, so I knew this third one had to be special. Plus time was running out - we needed to get back to our pizzas and Orange Slushes. Karen had her three albums picked out, but I told her I was struggling to find a third. She then asked me without hesitation if I was familiar with Joni Mitchell. I told her I had never heard of her, at which time she walked over to the M's, pulled a copy of Blue from the rack, and told me that this should be my third choice. I wasn't really into female singers at the time, and hesitated at her selection. Fortunately, Karen was very adamant, and like I said, I had this huge crush, so more out of trying to impress her than anything else, I agreed to the purchase. Later that night, I went home, showered off the pizza smell, and retreated to my room to check out my new tunes. Bedroom door closed, lava lamp glowing, headphones in place - I was ready for a night of new music. Again, Elton came first. Wow! Tiny Dancer, Levon, Madman Across the Water, Indian Sunset! This was great stuff. I decided I needed to hear this one a second time - Okay, a third time! (Hey, I told you Elton was my favorite). Finally, it was time to play that wierd album with the floating head. Wow, again! At this point in my 17 year old life, I still had not experimented with drugs of any sort, but listening to this album, I felt that this must be what it's like to get stoned! At this point, I'm almost freaking out on how great all this new music is. I still have that "chick" to listen to, but let's face it, I only bought that to impress Karen, and I wasn't ready to come down from buzz of the first two albums, so I decided to play The Yes Album a second time. I then played I've Seen All Good People about 5 times back to back. The vocals on this song were incredible! On top of that, I happen to love chess (playing chess with my Dad is about the only happy memory I have of him from my teenage years) so this song was just blowing me away. Finally, I realized I would be seeing Karen at work the next day, and knew she would ask what I thought of that Blue album, so I broke down and put it on the record player. Karen hadn't really told me what to expect; she actually didn't tell me anything Blue, so I had no way of knowing what I was about to listen to. All I can really say is it might be the most powerful 35 minutes and 41 seconds I've ever experienced musically (at least until 5 years later when Hejira was released). I knew I was in the presence of something almost beyond my comprehension. Oddly, it reminded me of the time I played my first Elton John album (the one with Your Song on it). Back then, I remember realizing for the first time that music could be more than just something to dance to, or sing along with. It could touch your soul. If anyone finds it hard to believe that Elton John could have that kind of impact on someone, try listening to The Greatest Discovery. I get goosebumps to this day whenever I play that one. I ended up playing Blue over and over and over that night, till I finally fell asleep, virtually exhausted from my musical experience. Madman Across the Water, The Yes Album, and Blue. I can't recall ever spending a better nine dollars! While things never did work out between Karen and me, I'll never forget her. It probably wasn't quite what my seventeen year old mind was looking for, but she gave me a gift that changed my life, and a night that I will always remember! Bless you Karen, where ever you are. Jack
