>>I would move the last album of your classifications into the preceding period: For the Roses moves to the beginning, and Mingus moves to the middle.<<<
i agree with this & have to say that i am an early period joni lover...if i have to pick my favorite group...maybe its because i grew up as joni did...listening to her albums & learning about love from her (before i really understood it)...with each new release....or maybe because i love the folk genre so much & she just changed the game in such a big way with that genre & there is more of the singer/songwriter there...joni & her instrument...not much else in the arrangements...or maybe its because i love the romantic kind of writing she did back then (as an example i love the line from Tin Angel, for its beautiful visual description, or maybe because it reflects the that time of life for me...more childlike & innocent times): Varnished weeds in window jars Tarnished beads on tapestries Kept in satin boxes are Reflections of love's memories... ...however, this period is imo, an example of her writing with both her heart & head...she definitely wears her heart on her sleeve but she describes it with such intelligence & depth...i also love the artwork she did back then, especially the cover of Ladies of the Canyon...also i think her melodies were more...melodic back then...we had a loooong discussion not too long ago so i won't go into that again... anyway, those early albums are the ones i listen to most...i think of certain songs that to this day are just astounding to me...so brilliantly written- i had a king, that song about the midway, rainy night house, woodstock (i was there, she wasn't...she captured the event miraculously well), little green (especially now that we know what its about), circle game (forget for a minute that you've heard it a zillion times), blue, carey, a case of you, woman of heart & mind, ETC. i love lots of songs from her other periods, but taken as a whole, the beginning period is my desert island group... ******************************************** Kate Bennett www.katebennett.com sponsored by Polysonics Discover the Indies at Taylor Guitars: http://www.taylorguitars.com/artists/awp/indies/bennett.html ********************************************
