> <<So, my personal "labeling" system (I can already hear the screams from > beyond the web) is:>> > > No screaming here, Laurent...I always find this sort of exercise > interesting. I'll add a comment or two: > > <<* Up to Blue it's folk (LOTC, Clouds, FTR, etc)>> > > Joni would of course beat you over the head with an ugly stick to hear you > call her early work "folk". I don't necessarily disagree, but I'll say that > FTR comes AFTER Blue, and I say that not to nit-pick but rather to > distinguish it from that group. FTR is a definite bridge between the > 'solitary' Joni (often playing and singing unaccompanied) of the first > records and the 'collaborative' Joni where she would find other players who > could fill out her musical pallette with other colors. FTR retains the > confessionalism of Blue while musically paving the way for the "lite-jazz" > feel of C&S. >
MY MISTAKE, MEA CULPA; ALTHOUGH FOR ME FTR DOES NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH OF BLUE, SO I TEND TO LUMP IT WITH THE 1ST PERIOD. > <<* DJRD: she ventures into classical>> > > I'd love to hear you expand on this...while she expands the 'symphonic' > compositional style of "Judgement" & "Down To You", DJRD is also a further > exploration of world music and giving her supporting players more freedoms > to take the music to new places. Really difficult to break this one down > into a brief phrase... > OF COURSE YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THE WORLD ASPECT, MAYBE EVEN SOME JAZZ TOO. BUT FOR SOMEONE WHO LISTENS TO IT FOR THE 1ST TIME THE REALLY STRIKINGLY DIFFERENT PIECE IS THE CLASSICAL PAPRIKA PLAINS. WHICH WHEN I FIRST GOT THE ALBUM IN 77 FILLED UP A COMPLETE VINYL SIDE. > <<* Mingus: she ventures into jazz>> > > I would say she did this initially with HOSL, Mingus is where she dives > full in to the jazz mode without looking back or regret. > A MASTERPIECE IN ITS OWN RIGHT. ALSO THE KEY ALBUM WHICH "EXCOMMUNICATED" HER FROM THE FOLK ROCK AND THE JAZZ COMMUNITY. BRAVE AND SINCERE MOVE. ALWAYS LOVED IT. > Additionally, I would add Miles of Aisles as the exclamation mark ending > her "singer/songwriter" period and beginning her "composer" period. Also > puts new spins on some of her older songs on her first live record, showing > that she's more interested in moving forward than being a time capsule. > > And I wouldn't lump NRH in with CMIAR...to me there's a definite line of > demarcation between the false commercial attempt of CMIAR and her return to > roots songwriting in NRH. > TRUE, ALTHOUGH I STILL FEEL SHE DID A BETTER JOB AT SONGWRITING WITH THE FOLLOWING 2 ALBUMS. THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS BOB, MINE WAS A ROUGH SKETCH DURING LUNCH BREAK, NO MORE. Laurent
