Keeping with the monochrome theme (why not), here's Joni Mitchell's magnificent 1976 album Hejira. This is a little different than the preceding records, in that my vinyl copy is a recent pressing. I only came to Joni Mitchell late in my listening, by way of budget box-set of her albums through the late 60s to the late 70s. Prior to that, I'd not given her a lot a of time, being only familiar with the big, early hits, which I could take or leave. Then, I heard a live recording of one of her tracks on the radio, and it blew me away. I can't even say what that song was now: it might have been "Help me", "Free Man in Paris" or possibly "Coyote", the opening track on Hejira. It doesn't matter, it was just the key that unlocked her music for me and turned me into an avid fan. I've now got a few of her records on vinyl, purely because, why not?
Mitchell had a run of amazing records from 1974 to 1976, beginning with Court and Spark, continuing with The Hissing of Summer Lawns, and ending with Hejira. Larry Carlton's jazzy playing is all over this trio, none more so than on Hejira which is PHENOMENAL. It's such a modern-sounding record that it's hard to grasp that it'll soon be 50 years old. I think my favorite song on it is probably the nearly 9-minute long "Song for Sharon" with its haunting, repeating bassline. Needless to say, the lyrics are the stuff of poetry and the playing and singing throughout the record is outstanding. How wonderful that Joni Mitchell is still performing now!
Here's a link to my Cardiff Half-marathon fundraiser for Alzheimer's UK:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/alastair-reynolds-1713971449990
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