Search - Joni Mitchell :: Beginning of Survival

A Thoughtful Anthology of Mitchell's Last Twenty Years

Juan Mobili | Valley Cottage, NY USA | 07/29/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Several things you need to know upfront. There are no new songs here although all of them have been remastered, and they only include material from the eighties on.

This is a thematic anthology, songs Joni felt belong together because each of them address the world we live in, at least the way she's seen it. Once you know this, the album gains a certain poignancy and cohesion that most collections or "greatest hits" albums do not achieve.

At the same time, it forces the choices to include songs you may not regard among her greatest compositions, and excludes some stunning examples of her work.

Among the gems, I count "Reocurring Dream," "Magdalene Laundries," "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" and "Passion Play," to name a few but not to imply they are the only ones. In the other hand, there are some song which I'd considered second row -and they are "second row" only because Joni's output, through all these years, has been so phenomenal- such as "Dog Eat Dog" or "Lakota."

Add to this that the digipak presentation here is as exquisite as anything Mitchell has ever released in the past, including some great reproductions of Joni's paintings -which may not be masterpieces in your book but must be recognized as the work of a serious and talented artist.

If you do not own these songs, this is a must; if you are a completist, you already bought it. If you do not belong to either group, you may at least gather together these songs and play them. Mitchell deserves at least that, together these songs articulate the vision of a singer and songwriter who, certainly in my case, has helped me to understand this beautiful and mad and, at times, cruel world of us

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Some of her best for a good reason

tompan | CARLSBAD, CA United States | 07/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"OK, before we all go trashing Joni for releasing this compilation of some of her most pointed observational/social-conscience songs as being crabby again, let's put it in perspective. First of all she hasn't been a willowy-wispy-hippie folksinger for decades, and... she started singing lower on Mingus which was also decades ago--so get over it!!



These are songs from her later period which is also her most adventurous and creative of her many different periods. She's making a statement with this collection about the world we live in today. Yes Joni perfected the confessional singer-songwriter genre but how much further could she go? After that it's as if she said: OK, I've looked within and shared, now it's time for you (the listener) to take a look at yourself and the world. Part of the song writer's job is to open our eyes. Joni's been holding up the mirror for us, just like many other song writers do.



The main point of these songs is that even though they were written and released years ago, they are so relevant today. That's how they should be listened to and they do deserve a re-listen if you're familiar with them. If you're not familiar with them, you're in for an awakening."

A Wake-up Call From Joni Mitchell

Mark Scott | Shoreline, Washington USA | 08/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who has not paid attention to Joni Mitchell since the days of 'Blue' and 'Ladies of the Canyon' should be forewarned: This is not the young woman with the guitar and the soprano voice who sang about love and her observations of painted ponies and clouds. The dulcimer is nowhere to be found here, the voice has an edge to it and the material is mostly focused outward. Outward meaning that Joni has aimed a searchlight at the socio-political-economic-ecological-spiritual state of the present day. Instead of the confessional poet ruminations of the 70s, this collection of songs, recorded during the 80s and 90s, were written as sharply focused snapshots of the world in general and, more specifically, of the U.S. during the Reagan years. They are still all too relevant today. Mitchell explored the use of synthesizers in her music of this period and she uses them to good effect. You can still hear plenty of Joni's guitar playing on this cd. But the organic sounds of acoustic guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and solo piano could not have created the edgy laundry list of social and ecological ills titled 'Sex Kills' or the tragic power of 'The Beat of Black Wings', a sympathetic picture of a combat soldier's post-war psychological meltdown. By contrast, the electronically produced sounds give a gentle, rolling lilt to the elegiac 'Impossible Dreamer' and add a mournful keen to 'The Magdalene Laundries'. The latter song addresses the same subject matter as the film 'The Magdalene Sisters' and the fact that it was not played over the movie's closing credits seems like an oversight on someone's part. The booklet that accompanies the digipak cd contains reproductions of several of Joni's paintings, skillfully executed depictions of beautiful natural settings that are, nevertheless, imperiled as Joni makes clear in this collection of music. She is sending out a wake-up call here, using her formidable skills as a songwriter, arranger and musician to get the message across. Those who have not kept up with her are encouraged to check this cd out. You might be surprised by the power and depth that the mature artist has achieved in her work over the last two or three decades."