Blue

Just not really a fan … understand why people appreciate it but didn’t do it for me 2

Nothing against the artist, she has a really nice voice over some super laid back well played instrumentals. I just am not the biggest fan of folk music and maybe it’s the age of the album or something else but her voice felt disconnected from the music in a way that made it hard for me to listen to.

não é minha vibe, não gosto mto de folk rock, mas é um album escutavel. nota 2,5/10

it's alright. her voice is too slinky and i don't like all the jumps in the melodies, and i feel like it lacks an edge. i get why it's good but i just don't really like it very much maybe one to revisit at some point

This isn’t my style of music. I understand Joni Mitchell was an important part of musical history around this time, but this is nothing more than background music for me. It felt very folksy despite displaying Joni Mitchell’s vocal talents.

Bof

Not a fan but understand where she sits in music and particularly this album.

Lungi meininki, en menny sekasin

Enjoyable

“Can totally appreciate the storytelling — she’s clearly pouring her whole life onto tape — but that shrill edge in her voice just makes a lot of it tough for me to sit with. I wish I liked her more. The songs that land, like River, land because she keeps the delivery calmer, and you can just hear the beauty in the writing. But when she goes into that higher, sharper thing, it just kills the vibe for me.

I did not enjoy this

I still do not get all the hype. It’s not terrible, but it’s so much closer to poetry than music / songs. I just can’t get down with her style. Needs a chorus or two. No chance it’s a top 10 album of all time. That’s silly. 2.5

подружка тори эймос.

lady is a hella good singer I just wouldnt listen I guess I'm not about the hippie lifestyle

I want more in the background but it's alright

too sad forme

Not a big fan

Not my thing, she has a good voice but I don't really enjoy the style she sings. "Case of You" is alright

We listened to this album in the car on the way to Italy. It was over surprisingly quickly. The music itself didn't stick with me.

I can't really call the album bad, but I didn't enjoy it. It all felt very same-y and nothing stuck out to me. Probably a 2.5 honestly.

It could be good at 1971 but it is 2026 now.

bit annoying, nothing there for me Would rather Alan Rickman get me a necklace

Not my style of music

I admire Joni's songwriting and the ability to put forth her emotions via rhyming words and guitar strings. However, some of the higher pitched vocals were distracting from the true art. I would have enjoyed more if she sang in a lower octave. There were three standout songs for me total and the rest went by without generating much of a feeling from me. So, I choose A Case of You as my favorite from the album. Honorable mention in her writing to rhyme figure skater with coffee percolater! Gave me a laugh.

The album overall was emotional, but the song structure and lyrical style weren't really for me. This being said, I felt River was a very lovely track.

Is this a safe place to admit that Joni Mitchell’s voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me?

No me gustó tanto, mucha voz de mujer con un estilo raro de country pero a su vez no

Like Joan Baez if she were more subdued, classic singer songwriter album. Was shocked this was recorded in 1971, it didn't seem dated at all.

Muy too much lento y no me termina de gustar el ritmo. Osea canta bien pero no es para mi.

Rauhallinen ja sain tietää et tää liittyy jotenkin Leonard coheniin (Joni mitchell ja oon nyt utelias)

Joni can be enjoyed one song at a time. A full album though starts to get a bit annoying with every song being a string consious slop that all sound the same. 4/10

I kinda hate this album. Her lyrics, melody, and guitar/piano have such a boring meandering sound. Her melodies don't even meander because that implies a smoothness to them-- they just jump large intervals willy nilly. 50s is so much better than this. 70s music is just whiny and boring. Sorry I'm not cultured like the rest of you, I'll stick to Laufey

umm it didn’t really stick with me, no song really stood out, i prefer other folk albums to this one

I find Joni Mitchell annoying. I've tried to like her but I just don't get it. Maybe I need to be a middle aged female

Not my jam, sorry Joni.

Este álbum musicalmente está muy bien pero las letras no me gustan mucho y no es para nada mi estilo. En la primera escucha está bastante suspenso. No digo que sea malo, pero a mi no me llama la atención para nada siendo honesta. Las valoraciones se agrupan en 0, 0.5 y 1. 0: no me gusta ni la volvería a escuchar 0.5: me gusta pero no como para meterla en playlist 1: me gusta y la meto en la playlist BLUE-JOHN MITCHELL All I Want: 0.5 My Old Man: 0 Little Green: 0.5 Carey: 1 Blue: 0 California: 0 This Flight Tonight: 0,5 River: 0.5 A case of You: 0 The Last Time I Saw Richard: 0

Music for people who enjoy hanging out in coffee shops. Nothing wrong with that, no judgement, it's just really not my kinda thing.

It's an okay album. I guess I just really didn't jive with it all that much. It was a lot of sing song conversation. And I think my biggest issue was that everything was too high in the register and very lilting. With almost no bass to speak of in the entire album. It just didn't have a depth of sound that could've added something to make songs stand out a bit more.

It's not that she's not talented but this was o damn boring. She's just reading a book out loud I think?

Jone Mitchell is a skilled artist who is not to my tastes.

Can’t get her black face persona out of my head while listening to this album.

I enjoyed about 2 songs, the rest were.. annoying.

me gusto la cancion carey, en general letras poeticas pero yo no conecto mucho con l folk

aburrido mierdon historico no me ha aportado absolutamente nada

hermosa voz y hermosas melodías aunque no sea mi genero de música preferido, no creo escucharlo de nuevo.

даже не знаю что сказать

A couple good tracks. But some were hard to listen to her voice

This was an odd album. Odd lyrics, odd singing. Nothing like what I have heard before. I'm not a big folk person, but I do appreciate the uniqueness of her voice and singing style.

Not my favorite. A little too slow for my liking.

eh

Very much not my thing.

This isn't bad if it's what you are into. But this is not my thing.

Its... fine

Learning Joni Mitchell is simply not my thing, from a lyrical or musical standpoint, although in general I think the music is better here than on Court And Spark. But I don't think she's that great a singer or a songwriter and listening to an album's worth of music from her is wearying.

meh

I don't understand the allure. It just kind of drones on. It's probably the best of the Joni Mitchell albums I've been forced to listen to, but that's a very low bar.

definitely not my genre. It's the types of songs I'd pretend to enjoy to look cool and deep but they all felt a little one note to me. Especially the first one, it turned me off pretty quickly. I still tried to listen to some other songs but nah

A bit to ballad heavy for my liking. The songs that were faster and Joni was flowing were much much better.

The music here was good, and a couple of the songs I liked, especially where she doesnt sing in that high range a lot, cuz that got grating after a while. I found myself wanting it to end after half way.

It's probably objectively good, but I'm an uncultured dummy so TWO

Vibe/Genre ganz cool aber war mir ein wenig zu langweilig.

While her voice is absolutely lovely, I do feel myself getting fatigued towards the end. And though I do appreciate the music, it's not making me amazed. Admittedly I almost fell asleep around track 7, I just don't think its my cup of tea.

not for me!

great storytelling

She's a legend, but I can't stand her voice. Also, I have heard way too much folk from the Laurel Canyon on this list and it's just not for me.

I appreciate Joni on guitar but her voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me

Meh

This album is very spotty! It sounds like some songs were given a lot more care and love than others. Better mastering, mixing, and singing on some songs and then none of that on other songs. 2.5/5

This is just fundamentally not for me. I like music that excites and captivates me. This is not what this album is aiming to do. It’s just way too laid back, and the acoustic background music is so boring to me. Her voice is kinda nice, I guess, but this album wasn’t fun for me at all. 5/10

Muy yankee para que me conmueva

This album is all about minimalist instrumentals highlighting Joni's voice, and I just don't like her voice that much. It's a kind of shrill lilting yodel that irritates me the whole time (Angel Olsen does this vocal style better on her first album imo). Lyrically it's fine, nothing terribly interesting.

Unglaublich wehleidiges Album..... Bevor ich von ner Brücke springe, werde ich dieses Album über die Kopfhörer hören, um mir den letzten Rest zu geben

mühsam und weinerlich, nichts für mich

Muy chiil quizás si le doy otra oportunidad o lo escuchará en el mood correcto me vendría bien

ok... ze kan een tekst schrijven, da's waar... maar ze kan helaas ook zeer hoog zingen

I remember listening to it but I dont remember anything about it.

There's a Christmas jumpscare.

Amazing voice, I can see why a lot of people like her. Me? Not so much. Her lyrical structure is either nonexistent or just beyond me. It's like listening to someone tell a stream of consciousness story that doesn't have a point. Even that I can roll with if the rest of the music is interesting enough. Buuuut it isn't. Moody girl in a coffeehouse does nothing for me. It gets 2 stars because it's not actively offensive to my ears, but I do find it unbearably boring.

Amazing voice, just not for me.

too whiney

I tried, but nah

Nope, nope nope. I’ve tried to listen to this album a few years ago when it came on one of my “best albums of all time“ list. It hasn’t changed. I haven’t changed. I understand why people like it, just not me.

Not a bad album ny any means however its definitely an album for its time Best-California Worst-My old man

Can't say why but I just don't like Joni Mitchell's voice. I find it grating and hard to listen to.

She has a beautiful voice and writes beautiful songs. Joni Mitchell just bores me to tears.

Good voice, but too sentimental for me.

Somehow this is more important of an album than my pure enjoyment of it ranks.

Infinitely better than the other stuff by her I've been subjected to. Still no.

alguma coisa me trava de musicas mais pro lado do folk infelizmente apesar de ser um gênero que eu não goste, é muito fácil reconhecer a qualidade das faixas. a voz da Joni é muito maneira

Please don't assassinate me: I just do not like the sound of this woman's voice.

I thought I might like this more than I did, but this is some folksy hippy dippy shit. Heavy on the folksy. Doesn’t seem like her style evolves much album to album, as a different song from a different album came on after and I couldn’t even tell. Would have been 3 stars but ‘My Old Man’ bumped it down with it’s dissonant key changes, and lyrics referencing coffee percolators and washing machines.

It feels like everybody loves her, but I think her voice is kind of shrill.

Joni Mitchells voice is not my ja

Vähän liian hempeetä menoa oli maanantaiaamuun tämmönen, rupes nukuttamaan uudestaan.

Ei kyllä lähde Joni.

Kuuntelin autossa matkalla Jyväskylästä Jämsään. Ihan huikean suvereenia laulantaa, mutta joku tässä kyllä vähän tökki. En oikein osaa selittää että mikä. Ei ihan päässyt fiilikseen, kun laulellaan Kalifornian lämmöstä, ja meikä tykittää Opelilla läpi räntäsateen ja sumun. Oikeastaan kaikki biisit oli keskenään ihan samanlaisia. Tykkäsin (muistaakseni) paljon enemmän siitä edellisestä Joni Mitchellin levystä.

Essentially background music

Yet another Joni Mitchell. This one didn't change my opinion. Still think she's a great person, but her music is nails on a chalkboard to my ears.

0.275% of Joni Mitchell is really a bit over the top for this list!

decent album, maybe not for me, very slow and melodic

nope

Very pretty voice and lyrics but not really my style, especially a whole album of it

did I not get this album earlier.... no that was a Marianne faithfull album lol. anyway its not great

Too high to be easy listening, but beautiful songs. Not really for me

My Aunt just died so I inherited like 10 Joni Mitchell albums so this is what I have to look forward to

Not my cup of tea.

Fine but it doesn’t hit her voice bi maae ktir

She's not an alright singer, straining vocal range. Very basic instrumental and cheaply recorded, as live, acoustic charm. Not very good lyrics either, repetitive, shallow. No real flow or rhyme or pattern. Not very creatively named, covered or written. Sense of potential cultural significance, easy to learn / sing along too. Carey is alight

Meh, not a bigg fan

I really, really dislike her style of super busy singing.

Just not something I can comfortably listen to. Too slow and melancholy. Songs don’t vary much.

Déçu J’ai bien aimé "Little Green", mais c’était la seule de l’album... Dommage car elle a vraiment une belle voix

It doesn’t really matter how much Joni Mitchell this project throws at me - I just don’t get it. “River” is a lovely Christmas song, though.

Favorite Song: A Case Of You Least Favorite Song: Carey Tough listen, there’s just nothing interesting going on with the instruments.

I can't get into Joni Mitchell. This is my second album of hers and some of the lyrics are good but I don't enjoy her delivery or voice I guess. It does make me want to look up Joni Mitchell covers though...

Alright

Everybody's mom loves it but I don't get it

Zzzzzzz... California...zzz..Blue.....zzzzzzzzzz..The River!!...Zzzzzz

I'm so sorry Joni, it's very hard to listen to for me. You have a very great range and singing voice.

Not my thing

Ikke helt for meg. Anerkjenner talentet, men jeg får ikke tak i oppbyggingen av låtene. Det hører til at lyttingen ikke har fått 100% oppmerksomhet.

Wanted to like this more but her switching of pitches mid line bothered me

I acknowledge the talent but I’m just not a fan of Joni Mitchell

Not for me, Clive. I don't think I'd like it even if i was 60s hippie with dirt on my feet and sand in my nails. Sorry Joni.

Sorry Joni, but I just don't care for your voice. 2.0

was not a fan of her vocals :(

*1971 *I just can’t with Joni’s soprano. Occasionally she chills out and sounds more like Carole king, which is great. RATING - 6.5/10

Not my vibe, technically good but ehhh

Sometimes it doesn't click

Too whiny, as a teen it seemed so deep, but now it is obnoxious

4/10 - A bit meh, not really different from her other albums, not sure we need so many Joni Mitchell albums on this list

2.5 (36:15, 10 tracks, 1971, 6th album) folk So if I'm ever looking forward to a 35 minute nap on a road trip and someone says, 'how about Joni Mitchell's Blue?' I'm gonna be like, "Fuck yeah, crank that bitch to 4!" Not bad, considering it's folk. Enjoying the instruments. I think Joni is a better guitarist than lyricist but always impressed by singer songwriters. Overall boring. Some of the hippie slang hasn't aged well. I find how she hits the high notes annoying

??? oh sieht aus wie das Portishead-Cover,passt auch irgendwie sehr sensibel sinder/sondwriter vibes, so tori Amos style. c

ok

It isnt a bad album, but it doesnt do anything for me that other albums dont do better. Superfisually seems like typical vocal album from a popstar whom has written this album within the spirit of its time. But for me it doesnt translate well to now. Abbey road like in thats just very Okay. Christmas music was not what i wanted to explore. At some point became kind of moany to me.

Beautiful, but boring music with very personal lyrics. Joni does some interesting progressions I didnt see coming. Still, singer/songwriter music without basically any instrumentation isn't my cup of tea. I'd like to give it a higher score, but I was mostly just bored during the songs.

I can imagine there are plenty people who will love this album. I really am not one of them though. It is all the same slow, soft music. A single song is quite nice, but when I realized by song 2/3 that the entire album would be like this, I started looking forward when this album would be done. Critics will probably describe it as vulnerable, intimate, and soft. To me it's just boring and a little whiny.

2.1 nothing interesting

2nd Joni Mitchell album I've had in the first 40. I hope there aren't any more.

Wow. I didn't know what to expect but boy this was bad.

It was ok. Wasn't really feeling interested in any of it. Not very memorable.

Oof there is a lot to dislike here. So soft. Granting two points solely for River, which I’ve always really liked. Otherwise pass.

I didn't like the other Joni Mitchell album & I didn't like this. It's not bad just not my vibe. The lyric " I want to shampoo you I want to renew you" killed me

I guess it's fine if you like this sort of thing.

Ubi me ova nepregledna količina bjelačkog folka koju mi izbacuje generator trenutno.

I can see where the influence for an artist like Tori Amos came from. Vocals were strong, lyrics not so much; very literal/observational, not very deep (IMO).

Pleasant enough but annoyed me by the end and I’m glad it’s over

Lugubrious

Good coffee shop music, it was a good morning to listen to it since it was overcast/snowy and while everything sounded good, nothing was particularly memorable

it was aight... i thought that her voice was a bit whiny on some of the songs, which i think detracted form my overall enjoyment. probably not something i am going to go back to.

She's really good at what she does, it's just not really for me.

I get it but I need rhythm.

of dinlerken çok sıkılıyorum bu albümü maalesef ama çok seven bi arkadaşım var o yüzden iyidir yani muhtemelen de bana göre değil

Completely get why this is a 5 to many. It doesn't excite me at all

Good song writer, but very weak high voice.

Not saying I dislike this. But, Joni Mitchell has never really been my thing.

Not for me

Previously rated: #176 - Court And Spark (3/5) #266 - The Hissing Of Summer Lawns (3/5) *********************************************** Album #938 It's been a while since I last heard Joni Mitchell on this list. This is one I have heard before. I know this is supposedly her best, but I still don't care for it. Slow, high pitched folk music is not my thing. I liked the track Carey OK.

She has a good voice, a whole albums worth gets a bit much though.

I don't understand why this album has such high reviews, I found it boring all the way through.

Kivaa lauluahan tämä on, biisit keskittyy vokaaleihin ja taustamusa on minimaalista. Ei minulle mutta taidokasta.

Overrated - I’d rather just read her lyrics than have to listen to her Also surprised she didn’t name this album “Black” considering how much she loved blackface

not my cup o tea

Pretty

Boh, nulla di che

I've owned this album for decades and never once listened to it. And I'll probably never listen to it again.

I think she's overrated.

Teetering on a 1. It have me a headache.

She's using vocal changes and discordancy to increase the artistic element, but it's not working as well as Alanis or Fiona Apple's Bolt Cutters.

I've never liked her stuff at all.

instrumentalmente muy lindo, y no me disgusta tanto la forma en la que canta joni. aunque si empieza a cansar un poco despues de 7 canciones. lo que me parecio suuuuuuper bodrio e insulso fueron las letras, con un par de excepciones nada más.

I'll be honest - I don't get Joni Mitchell. This has to be a me thing, since by all accounts she has a beautiful voice and is well-respected by so many professionals, but I couldn't picture myself listening to this again. fav tracks: Blue

dépressif

I guess I can kind of see the appeal but Joni has never been one for me.

Etwas langweilig

Very dated

I cannot understand the features of this album. There are no outstanding music nor catchy lyrics. I've heard tape is filled with personal worries but for example John Lennon's first solo record is fully personal and much more curious.

Joni Mitchell has such a beautiful and unique voice but this isn't really for me. Maybe giving this another listen in a different mindset on a different day would help.

Beautiful singing, pretty mediocre songwriting. This flight tonight was my favorite track

Very average

Was okay. Not a fan tho

I dont get it, lyrics are good by musically its so scattered its hard to track

A lot too slow for my taste.

2,4/5

I know this album is regarded as a classic and I can definitely appreciate the song writing element of it but my rating is going to have to reflect my personal enjoyment of the album.. Unfortunately Joni’s falsetto sounds like a dying cat having its testicles crushed.

not my cup of tea. Interesting voice and use of it, didn't enjoy choice of music instruments and thus melodies.

Some good songs. I hadn’t actively looked at any of Joni Mitchell’s work before.

I suspect that many reviews of this album on this site are going to be coloured by whether or not you like Joni Mitchell's voice. Personally I find it rather akin to listening to fingernails scraping down a blackboard.

songs are similar, not a fan

Nothing wrong with it, just very not for me.

The first half was unlistenable, the second half was better

Her voice is very high pitched and penetrative, which makes my eye twitch.

lovely voice. hear things that could become tori amos. not nec my style.

This was a more challenging listen than I would have expected. Gave it two listens and I couldn't really get into it at all. I guess Joni Mitchell is just not my thing.

Bet earv loved this one

All I Want seemed like a promising start...and then My Old Man dashed them. I just found Fiona Apple's favorite album. This is, by a HUGE margin, the best Joni Mitchell album I've heard so far. River is a good song, but that Butterfly Kisses asshole totally ripped it off. And he won a Grammy! I don't like Joni Mitchell, but she's 1000x the artist that clown is. Rolling Stone ranked this as the third best album of all time in 2020 proving that their list is equally stupid as this project.

I understand the cultural significance of her music but I’m just not a big fan to be honest.

Probably very good but I just can't. Starting to hate this app.

Nice tunes especially those with piano. Interesting concept to tell a story but it is not poetry...lyrics are sometimes too straightforward.

I’ve been familiar with Joni Mitchell for quite a while now. But I’m much more into her later albums, the ones where her voice had lost some range but gained a lot of depth. From Blue, I have pretty much the same issues I had with the previous album on the list: those are stories for American yuppies. This time, I’ll add one more gripe : those damn “youhoo” glissandos, sometimes crammed into a single word, shooting up into an unbearable high note. They feel more like a vocal flex than anything that actually serves the song. In short, beautifully written and lovely when she keeps it calm, but the fact that I start dreading her unpredictable high-pitched leaps kinda ruins the experience for me.

Komische Tonlagen, die sich ständig abwechseln. Aber eigentlich auch ganz witzig. Auf Dauer aber eher nervig glaub ich.

I so want to like her music but I can’t deal with her style of singing. She writes amazing songs with moving and evocative lyrics but I just can’t get enjoyment out of it. Maybe one day I will like her stuff but I think I have to accept it isn’t for me.

Second half of the album better than first

Overrated album by an overrated artist. She has written a few good songs, I’ll give you that, but none are on this record.

Another example of something that really just didn’t do it for me at all, but I can see why other people would like it. This album is apparently one of the most highly reviewed albums by critics of all time, but I found it rather boring if I’m being completely honest with you. She has a pretty voice (That I also didn’t really vibe with), and the instrumentation is pretty, but absolutely nothing about this album stands out to me. I listened to it all day, and I couldn’t even Stockholm Syndrome myself into liking it. Not entirely sure my favorite song either, as it’s all very similar. Just a lot of boring topics that I didn’t much care about. Singer Songwriter is a mixed bag in general for me, and this is a prime example of it not being in my favor today. I just did not enjoy this enough to give it anything past a 2 star rating. I’m sorry, Joni. I really tried. 3 more of your albums to go…

it's all the same song

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: None Utterly uninteresting. Good voice, good acoustic instrumentals, but nothing about this album is exciting or challenging or compelling, and I am not interested in continuing to listen once the day ends. All of this, despite how highly-rated this album is.

Okay, yeah - I just don't understand folk/singer-songwriters as a genre. I didn't enjoy listening to this, and I likely won't listen to it again, just emphatically not for me. That said, I see the appeal for certain tastes, and she's and important artist in her own right. Plus, she's roughly 100x more listenable than Bob Dylan, so she's got that going for her.

Seelp

zzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The music is okay but I get distracted by the lyrics that seem like very specific and personal recountings of things that happened. I don't know why that bothers me but it does

non fa per me

Her voice just isn’t for me Has a weird cadence and delivery that doesn’t match the music

voice gets annoying after a while

I bet this is really good. The lyrics drive hard, full of neat similes and wry, confessional honesty; the voice is crystalline, fragile, powerful; the production is a marvel – everything so rich and immediate, the guitars almost diaphanous somehow. And then there’s compositions like “River” – about as actually haunting as any song has ever been (an uncanny spectre; like staring at yourself in the mirror in the dark for too long). It’s all obviously brilliant. And yet, like a modern large family CAR-A-HA trying to park in a carport built for vehicles in the 1970s I just hrm hrm hrm can’t get into it. It might be that this clicks for me eventually, I wouldn’t totally rule it out. But for the now I’ll have to settle for it having grown on me a little bit across the week. Like, I suppose, a fledgling mushroom under a-WOOO leaking sink.

Went into this one thinking Joni’s not my thing. Came out of it still thinking that. I’ll probably lose some credibility with folks, but yeah, it’s kind of boring to me.

1971 The only Joni Mitchell I've heard before are the overplayed hits from the radio and numerous snippets used in TV ads. I get that there's some meaning, earnest reflection and story telling in the lyrical content, but just a piano or an acoustic guitar for background music results in the whole experience being somewhat one-dimensional. Anyway, got bored and put some metal on. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ (part) Revisit ❌️ Tedius ★★☆☆☆

Not for me.

[2.25/5] Final impression: Too low-down singer-songwriter for me. Short and sweet, didn't overstay its welcome. Listened to on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/1vz94WpXDVYIEGja8cjFNa]. *All I Want - Her voice is absoluetly lovely, but this is not my kind of genre. My Old Man - First track was stronger. Again, her voice is amazing. Little Green - Tracks are mostly the same so nothing new to say. Carey - Least favorite track so far. Blue - Definitely a stand-out as the titular track. Still not my favorite. California - Not biased but this one was pretty good. This Flight Tonight - Fun listen, but her voice sounds kind of rough at times here. River - Christmas? Is that you? Are you in the room with us right now? A Case of You - Good not great. The longer it goes on the more I dislike it. The Last Time I Saw Richard - Alright. Overall notes: She has a nice voice, but I just don't see myself listening to something this folksy/singer-songwriter. Also sometimes depressing.

This is #day340 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… my second Joni Mitchell entry. In what way was her first one different from this? The instrumentation here is fine, but when she hits those sky-high notes, I feel like turning this down as soon as possible. This isn't a record I've enjoyed listening to, regardless of its historical value, or whatever. Oh well, I still got two more to go... This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day341.

She's clearly a great singer but it's just not for me. All over the place and just a bit dull.

So this is my Album 100? Hm yeah not my kind of Album. Too bad.

This is a tough listen for me. Someone described this record as “menopause core” and I don’t know that I can come up with a better description. Thing is, ok, these songs aren’t designed to be sung along to; they don’t follow the whole verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus template of pop music. They’re more like paintings set to music. I can appreciate what Joni is doing here, but I’m not enjoying it at all. It’s tough to relate to, and when I can’t relate, being able fall back on pop song structures helps. Plus, her voice kind of drives me nuts. This one’s just not for me. 2.0/5

No me ha gustado mucho, hace demasiados gorgoritos que llega a ser molesto

One day I might enjoy listening to a Joni Mitchell album. Even just finding listening pleasure in a single song would be a start. For now, there are a hundred plus other female singers from the 60s and 70s I’d rather be listening to.

Wobbly and repetitive.

I can't decide if her singing sounds good or uncanny. Kinda like how it's hard to decide if Anya Taylor-Joy is pretty or weird-looking.

Ok not my fave thing in the world. Sometimes the lyrics are touching

It didn't really do anything for me

To sad

Rompiche un peu (beaucoup)

Bien

This just really isn't in my wheelhouse at all. Singer/Song writer as a genre isn't for me and pair that with an album that feels like the same(ish) song 10 times in a row ---no thanks.

I get the hype about California now for sure, but one of my friends Natalie said that I have vibes I listen to alot of Joni Mitchell and I don’t think she could be more off

Kind of boring

I did not like this at all. I couldn't stand the long high notes in almost every song. But Blue was nice and moving.

She had the opportunity to say croci but chose to say crocuses instead. River trying to cosplay as a Christmas song? This Flight Tonight is pretty good but most everything else is not my cup of tea.

Very beautiful music and voice. Bored to tears

1. All I Want: the acoustic is stunning, her voice is beyond. Her range is so strong, and I love the way it sounds with an acoustic guitar. The drums are super soft. The lyrics are so sad as she's reminiscing on better times with a lover, what they once had, and potentially what they could have again. This is legitimately lyrically exactly how I have been feeling with my partner. The ending fading out, holding strong = holding onto hope for better days. 2. My Old Man: reflecting on a more domestic partnership with her ex, the way their love felt like they were married without actually being married. The theme of blue is already presenting itself, the blue being her sadness without a lover. The piano is somberly nostalgic, and her voice during the chorus is wild. I love the high notes that she effortlessly slides up to. The ending piano rings out as the relationship fades apart. 3. Little Green: slow and gentle guitar, the finger picking is so sweet. This is a very personal and sad song, with poetic lyrics about how Joni had to give up her daughter for adoption due to financial issues. Sounds like her song for her daughter, with hope for a brighter, better future. Happy to read that they reunited later in life. Ballad-sounding song. Beautiful last note. 4. Carey: not a big fan of this one. The lyrics again reflect on her rebounding with a mean man... Along with the homesickness while exploring and traveling, especially with growing stardom. Just focusing on where she is and having a nice night. The guitar kinda gets drowned out at points, I like the drums. 5. Blue: the piano ballad is so ethereal. The poetry about depression and the neverending blackhole of despair. The piano and her lower range for this song fit super well with the overall mood. This song brought a tear to my eye. I enjoy how she touches on things people do to escape, yet the end feels like acceptance and trying to work with the sadness. 6. California: nostalgic and homesick, the guitar matches that feeling. She is talking about her European travels and new experiences. Had a hard time sitting through this one. I don't know, just didn't capture me. Maybe I'm missing something on this one. There are SO many damn songs about California in general, maybe it made me check out...lol. 7. This Flight Tonight: racing almost guitar riffs in the beginning as she talks about leaving and chasing the stars, though regretting making such an almost impulsive decision. The riff reminds me at points of Ain't No Rest for the Wicked. Again, this hasn't captured me... Am I again missing something?? 8. River: I cannot take the Jingle Bells ass intrumental seriously. Make a Christmas album if you wanna make a Christmas song. I never enjoy Christmas songs on normal albums... It doesn't make any sense. Her lyrics definitely match this album's depressing themes, but could've been anything else, and I would maybe care more. Corny ass song. This dragged on way too long, and it took everything in me not to skip upon hearing the first 7 seconds. 9. A Case of You: a poetic ode to a lover whose soul she is tied to, despite him not providing a healthy relationship. Referring to him/their once-love as a deep red wine that she could drown herself in and endure through. I love the guitar if I can not pay attention to the lyrics. Didn't stand out yet again, but matches the theme and symbolism of the color blue. This song is apparently super acclaimed and popular. 10. The Last Time I Saw Richard: this song is supposed to encompass the larger themes of this album: optimism and cynicism, along with deep sadness/longing/nostalgia. I like some of the lyrics "go look at your eyes, they're full of moon"; "you got tombs in your eyes"; "all good dreamers pass this way someday." Her vocals and the dreamy/sad piano are smooth. The last line is a beautiful way to wrap the album up. BIG bummer that she was frequently doing black-face and racist skits/performances. I do enjoy the guitar and piano on this album a lot, and her vocals are undeniably fantastic. I'm not the biggest fan of her lyrics, they just don't hit for me. They are so long, and the songs drag on; the story isn't painted well in my perception. I don't feel super drawn into most of the songs on this album, nor to her lyrics. Some of them are gorgeous poetic lines, but most of them are telling, not showing. I was expecting some less overt lyrics here. This is the first Joni Mitchell album I've listened to in full, and will probably be my last due to not wanting to support yet another racist artist.

she reminded me of fiona apple but not as good. was kinda surprised this was on apple music’s 100 best albums list but can also understand why it might be there. some songs were much better ballads than others, but no standouts. kinda boring if i’m being honest. wished i liked this more. 2/5.

I was looking forward to listening but found it a bit disappointing if I’m honest … I didn’t hate it … but I didn’t like it much either.

I can see why she appeals to some. Very folky. Not my bag, and I don't like her voice. Some decent tracks with nice harmonies, but just a bit, meh for me.

I know she's talented. I know she's a legend. But man. I just cannot get into Joni. Gave this the ol college try despite my experience knowing otherwise but nothing has changed. Sorry. 2/5 because of my first two points.

super boring

meh not for me

Booooring

So not my thing. Mellow, sad and woth lyrics that were not too inspiring or lnspired

I know she was heralded as a pioneer for solo women, but definitely not my taste. She sounds like someone we’d see playing in a coffee house. Strong voice, but just too slow for me.

Felt pretentious and devoid of emotion. She can sing, I just wish it wasn't so annoying when she did. Song structure seemed unimaginative but I guess that was all they could afford back then.

It was fine.

boooring

ok

I had never actually hear this album before which is weird. I learned today that I am definitely not a Joni Mitchell fan. Like at all. This is so not for me. I can appreciate that the lyrics are good, but I don't particularly care for her voice or the overall style. No judgement for those that like Joni Mitchell, it's just not music that I want to listen to. I can't really fault it for personal taste, I would actually turn this off if it came on randomly, but since this is my personal rating it's getting a 2/5.

Meh

I know that is touted as a classic. I can appreciate the quality of the song writing but the mood and feel of the album has never grabbed me and the voice I don’t think delivers.

This album is fine. I get why people like it, and maybe on another day I would have liked it more. It’s very chill. The songwriting is good, just not a huge fan of her voice.

I tried so hard to like this. But man I was absolutely not vibing with it. Sorry ma'am. 2 star.

Sweet voice, but not my thing.

Sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit

Two Joni Mitchell albums in a row? I do have some better things to say about Blue than I did for Court & Spark. I’m still not crazy about Joni’s vocal style but there are at least full songs on Blue that I can say I enjoyed. (Little Green & River). Plus the music flows much better and makes more sense on Blue than Court & Spark. If someone else did the vocals for some of the songs on Blue, I feel I’d actually like those songs. As it stands, I don’t seem to be a fan of Joni Mitchell based on these two albums. While I did find Blue more tolerable, I still can’t get above a 2 for my rating. And please don’t make me listen to three Joni Mitchell albums in a row! Kidding. Not kidding. 2/5

not feeling it. 2.5 stars

Joni Mitchell doesn't do it for me. I just can't get into her music.

I don't really like her voice.

Beautiful voice, lovely accompaniments , but it drives me nuts that most songs don’t have a defined melody. Her voice just meanders along. Obviously this is a me problem, since so many others love her.

I get it, but it's not for me.

I know it's blasphemous, but I don't care for her chirpy, choppy vocals. There. I said it.

Beautiful voice, but not really my thing.

Apparently she's a great writer with a wonderful voice, but I find her voice and her music a bit annoying.

It was fine

(insert Stand By Me barf-o-rama gif)

Folk's not really my thing

Was excited about this as had heard it was fantastic, pretty disappointed/bored unfortunately

It was decent and mellow. There were some sounds i really didnt like though and sometimes her voice got weird. if it wasnt for that, -3

I get how some might rate this highly. The lyrics paint it as a very personal album so I can appreciate that and the music of it I can sometimes get behind. But her voice just goes places that I don't really like. So all that combined its just okay to me.

This is my 3rd Jonie Mitchell album so far and I'm coming to a realization: I really don't like Joni Mitchell. She's never written a chorus in her life and her meandering style just annoys me. I'm also not a fan of her voice. I'd be happy to never hear another Jonie Mitchell song again, but it seems her albums comprise half this list so I don't think I'll be that lucky.

I did not use a private spotify session for this one. Seems like in the early seventies there was a mumbly singer on a acoustic guitar genre. I have no use for it.

I don't like Joni Mitchell. I know I should. This is probably the 5th time I've tried to listen to this album and every time I feel like I am forcing myself to engage with it. Partly, it's her voice. There's not enough to grab onto with it. But more than that, every song sounds to me like she's making it up as she goes, finding the melody as she sings it, hitting random chords. There's nothing driving the song forward. It's a similar feeling to listening to my wife (who I love dearly) tell me a story, with lots of extraneous details that don't add up to anything and aren't relevant, forgetting to set the stage for the interesting parts, then getting frustrated that I've given up and now back to looking at my phone. Like, yeah, maybe I'm being a little rude. But this is mostly on you, babe.

I enjoy the simplicity of the instrumentation and the pretty guitar plucking. I'm a big fan of singer-songwriter stuff. The melodies were oddly meandering in this album and not many felt structured enough or something. I was honestly just bored through most of it. Surprised by how little I enjoyed this. Very lullabyish

Objectively good but melodies just sound so random

Nicht meine Musik, zumindest nicht gerade, Folk

Never been the biggest Joni Mitchell fan and while I can appreciate the skill and craft on display with this album and how important it was at shaping folk music it just really doesn't do anything for me.

meh

Objectively not bad, just not my vibe

Iconic artwork. Not really my style of music, but appreciate the artistry. Standout Tracks: - Carey - All I Want

Oh. No thank you. I couldn't possibly. (Just not much of a fan of the half-mumbly/whispery acoustic singer-songwriter type thing, really.)

Blue oder was isch e schöne himmel wenns nur himmel und kei horizont/erdoberflächi gid? Oder was isch das schöne meer, wenn alles rundume au nur meer isch? Isch es den meh mit weniger meer? Entgege mine meer referenze isch das album nöd a mir verbigsäglet, sondern hed mir wenig spass gmacht zum lose. Aso zrug zu mine frage, nur wells es anschienend top album isch muss au nöd explizit guet für mich si. Darum 2 blaui träne für das album

hoffentli nächst mal denn über 2*

Mitchell's voice toes the line between "soaring" and "screechy", stepping over it way too much on this record. Her later works with a full band of stellar musicians keep the upper registers in check much better. This album is well regarded for its hyper-personal lyrics, but I can't hear them through the high-frequency vocals.

When she sings at a lower pitch, it's amazing. There's just too many high notes that peirce right into my brain.

Not my cup of tea

4/10

Not a hug fan of folk music and I guess this is a classic but it did nothing for me and felt like a chore to listen to most of the tracks.

خايس مدري

stonata e neppure il genere che risulta interessante salvabile solo “the last time i saw richard”

The 4th album of hers I've listened via this site, and it was the worst, or weakest, of all of them. It wasn't "unlistenable" but the meter of the lyrics and the music didn't match up for large parts - it sounded like when you and your mates were trying to make up lyrics to a song on the spot, and you over-ran or came up short by a few syllables. I have no desire to listen again. I did make it all the way through so I have to give it 2 stars.

Nicht meine Musik

I really don’t have an ear for whiney female hippy albums but I’ll give it a go. This is what I thought it would be. Musically pleasing with a nice finished sound, I just can’t get past the style of singing. Joni has a nice voice but the range is where my ears draw the line. I barely got through this. Choice cut: A Case of You

She has a beautiful voice, the acoustic guitar is very pleasant as is most of the piano, but the writing... eek. Little of the music on this album works for me. I'm sure the lyrics probably have a lot of personal meaning for her and others—that's part of what's so beautiful about folk music—but I couldn't follow them because of some element in the pacing or something that I cannot identify. The music and recording have aged well, because it sounds just like any coffeehouse folk we might hear in 2025—well technically THEY all sound like this album did in 1971. It's a timeless feeling, really, and perhaps that's what makes this album appear on this list. Perhaps in the 2040s someone will be listening to Jewel's album Pieces of You and think the same thing I did of this album. Favorite tracks: Little Green, Blue, California

Not my favorite, I know a lot of people like Joni Mitchell. I liked two songs on the album. Just not the biggest fan of her voice. Might take a few different listens in different moods.

Good gosh. This was terrible. “The River” was the only redeeming feature. So bland. Where’s the soul?