Court And Spark

Not on Spotify

She’s extremely talented but I just don’t like it.

Joni Mitchell’s music is just so light and breezy. Honest lyrics with with some wit peppered in. Clean, crisp album. 4 stars

This album gave me warm feeling inside. Blissful folk pop at its finest

Joni Mitchell is a polarizing figure for me. I enjoy her folky stuff more than her easy listening jazzy style stuff.

This was better Joni Mitchell than The Hissing of Summer Lawns. Still not my style, but much better.

How can you not love Joni

Meh, voice not to my liking. There wasn't anything that stood out for me.

Folk music is not a favorite of mine, it’s often sort of poetic blogging about low stakes autobiographical scenarios and feelings set to acoustic guitar, but I enjoyed this album a lot despite my predisposition. Her voice is delightful and the variety of instruments was beautiful, with horns and woodwinds backing some of the tracks and a blessed lack of harmonica ruining everything.

Kivaa folkki country jotain rockia. Letkeetä kesämusiikkia. Sääli että ei löydy spotifystä

Incredible melodies and lyrics. Not typical pop music at all. Interesting jazz influences and flourishes. Joni Mitchell is a genius. Every song is an interesting adventure.

I love Joni’s voice in the same vein of Chris’s love for Adele. She has such total command over her voice as an instrument, not just in maintaining pitch, but in volume, delivery, especially cadence. I could listen to her sing the verses of Help Me a million times and never get tired of it. On top of her second-to-none vocal talent, the music is interesting enough. This album, IIRC, is about when she begins a pretty full dive into more jazz. Extra star for real guitar, drums, and tasteful horns, but it won’t let me add a 6th star.

Niet echt mijn ding.

Я буду её трусами…

Again a fantastic album by Joni Mitchell that is off Spotify. Curse you, Joe Rogan. “Court and Spark” marks Mitchell’s ventures into jazz, creating a “jazz-pop” that would later be expanded upon by later albums. A unique record, especially for its time. However, it is another one of those great records that loses steam on Side-B, especially the last couple songs (Joni Mitchell is many things, but she should not be singing scat). All in all, a wonderful, low-key album that takes the smokey lounge from “Hejira” and opens the windows a bit to let some light inside. Standout Songs: “People’s Parties” “Same Situation” “Raised on Robbery”

Yes

That last song definitely dropped a point

I wish this was still on Spotify

2-3

Lovely voice, probably a classic. Not my jam.

Her voice is incredible. And that's three albums now I've been drawn into.

reenactment of bob dylan falling asleep in studio while being shown this album by joni: "zzzzzZzz one sheeEeep zzzZzz two sheep zzzZzzz tangled up in blue sheep zzzzzz" "GEE, dylan man! not cool man! wake up! this is my masterpeice mannnn!" "ZZZzzzwhawha woah alright chill joni! hey its your fault anyway jons, you shouldnt have given me all that warm choccy milkzzZZzzzz" *snores * general bob dylan noises "aw jeez. bob you're just trying to act all cool infront of david geffen man! this is one of the greatest albums of all time man! aw shucks. aw gee." joni mitchell removes herself from the situation to get some air - but on her way slips on some spillage from the warm choccy milk she made earlier "HEEEeeelp meee, I think i'm fallinnnn!!!" splat - joni is a metaphor for the critical and public consensus opinion on this album and bob is a metaphor for mine -

Joni you're doing amazing honey keep at it <3 I super wish I could 3.5 stars this album but I suppose I'm being generous

Very breezy, laid-back, kinda soft rock. It makes the album good mood music but it kinda works against it in the sense that some of the songs end up blurring together. The sound is a bit mealy-mouthed, like the Carpenters or something, and the little injections of jazz hurt more than help. Still, she has such a nice warm voice that it carries the sections I found dull. Best song: Help Me

One of Joni’s wonderful 5/5 albums.

5/5 easy, both for the album itself and the memories it resurfaces from having it in my parents record collection.

What a singer, what a songwriter, what an album.

I have never listened to Joni Mitchell before today. Great voice. 'Help Me', 'Free Man in Paris' and 'Raised on Robbery' are standouts in an excellent album from beginning to end. 4 / 5 stars.

Not on spotify cant rate

Not a fan. Two terrible albums in a row. I'm almost afraid to find out what today's album will be.

The musicianship throughout this is fantastic. Really enjoyed the feel of this album. Knew of Joni but had never taken the time to listen, would definitely revisit the album. Didn’t think the last track really matched the vibe of the rest of the album though.

Not really a fan to be honest

Thought it would bore, but really enjoyed it. Smart.

Great voice, but not my thing...

It's perfectly nice.

Incredible. Shame it’s not on Spotify. Can’t believe I’ve never heard it, the songwriting is impeccable, the chords and the horns. The whole vibe in general. LOVE IT

probably a 4.5 for me, stunning. covers genres from folk to jazz and the musicianship throughout is incredible. every song a lyrical masterpiece. bring it back to spotify!!

A really great album, but again since it's not on Spotify that affects my rating. This is my favourite Joni album so far.

No es de mi tipo, sin embargo, tampoco creo que sea malo. Personalmente, me molesta un poco la forma en la que canta algunas partes, pero creo que puede ser muy disfrutable para alguien al que le guste este tipo de música. Finalmente, le doy tres solo por que no es desagradable, sin embargo, siendo sincero, creo que se encuentra en el suelo de la calificación y, de poder, le daría aproximadamente 2.5

The last installment in a triptych where she was the darling (and nuisance) of the industry, Court and Spark sees Joni Mitchell approaching a new level within the peak of her powers, closing the doors on her hit making phase (Help Me, Raised on Robbery, Free Man in Paris) and opening the doors on a far more adventurous portion of her career (the middle section of Down to You, the one-two punch of People's Parties and The Same Situation). It was apparent that, wherever she may wish to roam, Joni was going to be just fine and this album is testament to that.

The brilliant musicians who accompany Joni here make the album a timeless gem.

Muy lindo, especialmente Help me.

Oportunidade incrível de se envolver pela potência da Joni Mitchell, todas as faixas exalam liberdade, força e beleza.

I feel like every Joni Mitchell has a different mood but still has the same sorta sound appeal between her entrancing voice, intricate storytelling, and lush instrumentation. She first incorporated jazz in her previous album, but she really mastered it here. Tracks like "Car on a Hill" are so wonderfully arranged, not only succeeding a jazz rock style reminiscent of Steely Dan, but is full of angelic overdubbing and a strange avant-garde outro that gently leads into the Carole King-esque ballad "Down to You". Great tracks all around, tons of unique styles to keep me engaged. Favorites: Help Me, The Same Situation, Car on a Hill, Raised on Robbery

I very much like small doses of Mitchell. Her stream of narrative style of prose lyrics make it very hard to pay attention. I suppose I could just not pay attention and let the sound of her voice just wash me away, but it doesn't quite work like that. You find yourself re-attaching to the narrative and then thinking "But how? Why did we get here?" - and I find that quite irritating. The music isn't engaging enough to keep me apace with the lyrics.

Again, a very good Joni Mitchell album. One of those ones which gets stronger and more inventive as it goes on, I do love a strong finisher. Train is some of the best lyricism I've ever heard.

Mellow stuff but I don't feel the need to revisit this album very often.

Vaatii keskittymään sanoituksiin, mutta silti toimii hyvänä taustamusana

Rytmityksensä ja jazzia muistuttavan, vapaan melodisuutensa vuoksi lähes kuuntelukelvotonta.

Joni Mitchell holds a "folk-artist" position in my mind, but her skill and expression on Help Me immediately suggests to me that she's really a jazz singer. Free Man in Paris is a bop. Joni Mitchell isn't really my thing. I hear the skill and some of the lyrics are brilliant. But I'm probably not going to listen to this again.

- Not on Spotify so automatically a minus - Love the piano and way the instruments work together - Fun vocals - Favorite songs: Help Me, Free Man in Paris

- Big time storyteller - Lot of folk and a little bit of jazz - Makes her words fit in each line, even if syllables are off - Easy listening, just not really for me

When reading Mitchell's name, I feared for the worst, but instead, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm still not a fan of her singing voice, but these are some very well written and produced songs - and that was not a given in the era this came out. 3.5/5

So boring to listen to not good at all.

One of my favourite albums for over forty years.

This album was really pretty. Thoughtful lyrics and a nice acoustic sound (a bit jazzy on some songs) make this a great and rewarding listen.

Court and Spark is the sixth album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. This pop album contains elements of folk rock and jazz. It was an immediate success - commercially and critically - being certified double platinum in the US and remains Mitchell's most successful album. This was a relaxing and soothing album that I'm glad I had the chance to listen to. Any fans of soft rock or jazz-pop will love this album.

4.4 + A jazzy gem in Joni Mitchell's exceptional catalog. Compared to her restless melancholy on "Blue", this album finds a much more grounded and self-assured songstress who understands her place in the world ("Free Man in Paris") and knows how to size up a man ("Help Me"). Other standouts: "Raised on Robbery" and the amazing closer "Twisted."

I don't like jazzy Joni Mitchell as well as singer-songwriter style, but it is decent. 2.5/5

Surprised how much I've liked Joni Mitchell

Lovely. Jazzier than I was expecting.

Should I ever wonder why I like Joni Mitchell, I'll just play this.

Belle voix, belles mélodies, influences jazz, chansons qui semblent simples mais qui ont plusieurs couches de sens

She starts to flirt with Jazz flavours and moves away from acoustic folk. This makes her music have so much more depth. She takes this furthest on Twisted and the Cheech and Chong cameo is a bizarre touch that works. The hits on this album are quite good. Back in the day I didn't like Raised on Robbery since it was overplayed to death. I liked it today. Robbie Robertson's electric guitar transforms the song to rock and roll. In hindsight, I also like how she was able to sufficiently camouflage the lyrics so the officious AM radio censorship narcs didn't notice that the song was about a prostitute and allowed it on the airwaves.

One of the great things about CANCON is that songs like Free Man in Paris and Help Me get etched into your brain especially when they’re on hi-rotation during your formative early-teen years. I also like her version on Twisted, which I always thought was an original, hinting at her upcoming move toward jazz. In comparing Joni’s version to the original you can appreciate what a great voice she has.

Joni Mitchell has always been difficult for me to listen to. Similar to say, Bob Dylan, I acknowledge that she's a terrific song-writer and hugely talented, but her singing style just grates me. This is Mitchell's 6th album and you can hear her segueing away from folk to jazz and that's good news because I think her talking/scat type of singing is more suitable for jazz. This wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

Very nice can't describe how good it was with words 10/10

I have a lot of respect for Joni but her music rarely connects with me. I'll be happy to hear her albums whereever they are being played but I likely won't spin one of her records on my own.

I found this one pretty boring. I really don't get the excitement over this one, but oh well.

I really love Joni - the mama of rock! Complete artist, she control and know whats she doing every second.

A wonderful blend of folk and jazz, subtly catchy moments, insane vocals... I love this album and I consider it one of the best albums from Joni Mitchell.

I quite liked this one. A nice blend of styles for engaging background listening. Good voice and pleasant songs. The only ones I didn't like were the more lounge-esque Raised On Robbery and Twisted at the tail end of the album.

Yeah Joni Mitchell is quite nice. Wasn’t fully in the mood and spoiled some what by YouTube ads.

Beautiful stuff. Fell in love with it instantly

Great lyrics great voice v chilled.

Great songwriting

Not my thing at all.

As pleasant as an album can be. Not something I’d reach for again, especially not being on Spotify, but glad I heard it. High 4.

This one only gets better with age. Joni's voice is at its peak here, the jazzy ensemble backing her up is utterly brilliant, the songs speak to the human condition and the female experience, with notes on the music industry, Hollywood, heart break, and loneliness, but also the "Court and Spark" of fresh new love. The poetry is unusual, off beat, and endlessly fascinating. My goodness, it doesn't feel like 5/5 even does this album justice. It should get a 6.

There are two five star things about this album - the end, and the fact that it’s not on Spotify so there’s no chance I’ll ever have to put up with it again, utter drivel- seemed like the artist had to put out an album to have an elongated whinge

Not my favorite stuff by her but still lovely

Some great songs, but a little jazzy for my tastes

Stunning album with Joni finding a new sound

It's great. Is it perfect songwriting? For me, not quite...

I was hoping that I would like this more than Hejira, and I did. I always see this at record stores, so now I finally know that I like this enough to buy it. A few of the songs were close to something I like, but just barely not there. Most songs were pretty good. My favourite songs were Help Me, Twisted, and Car on a Hill.

It's like she's talking to a friend she met at the grocery she haven't seen for years and has to tell all these stories really fast, and then just pretends like she's singing, while the music just tries to follow her words without ever stopping or thinking or doing anything other than just go up and down to match her stupid voice. I'm so tired of Joni Mitchell and I do not get the hype in the least.

I'm biased from years of loving this album, but I think it's Joni's masterwork. Though definitely her attempt at mainstream success, her jazz influences shine through, making it a crowd-pleaser with true artistic integrity. Songs like "Help Me" and "Free Man in Paris" are among her greatest singles, still staples of oldies radio, and songs like "Down to You" are as beautiful as anything you'd find on her perceived best, Blue.

5/10 The vibes were there but they were not for me i guess. İ didn't understand the dynamic of the album, it was lovely though. Probably would never listen again.

This was a nice album. I don't have anything bad to say about it, it's just not really my thing. Great voice, though!

Her voice is arguably more important as an instrument than as a lyric delivery system. "Help Me" is amazing! Some of the jazzy bits were really lovely, but many of these reflections are a better fit for a therapist or friend than for an album.

Beautifully crafted folk songs. Each song is a hit.

Another album you can’t listen to on Spotify

Beautiful. Smart. Complex. Emotional. Incredible.

Rumor has it that her biggest hit "Help Me" is about Glenn Frey. Makes sense. And it's no secret "Free Man in Paris" is about David Geffen of all people. Good Lord, did Joni know how to turn her relationships into great songs. Maybe not Joni's best work, but it's quite possibly her most accessible album, especially if one swears by the Billboard charts. Which means in their world, it's also her most successful. I love the two "hits" from this album, but overall, it can't compete with Hejira or Blue.

Jazz-pop pone en wikipedia... Ni fu ni fa.

Folk. No me atrapa.

It’s ok nice enough voice but I wouldn’t revisit

6/11, 55%

This album is like a 3.49-3.51 to me and I’m not quite sure how to round it. No parts of it are bad but it feels very plain for a Joni Mitchell album

3 years after her masterpiece Blue. She's exploring a bit but the quality is nowhere near the level that she reached prior. This goes doubly for the b-side, which is not that good.

Knocked for not bowing to our corporate music streaming overlord Spotify. Just kidding. Like everything, it’s well produced, doesn’t really stand out

Very good album and I liked it a lot. Reminded me more of Carole King and I like the jazziness added to the sound. 4.25/5

Blue is still her masterpiece, but this is pretty good, too. I really like the jazzy inflections, and wish there were more of them vs her usual folksy stuff. Fun fact- this was Prince’s favorite album. Man had taste. B+

Beautiful album. It has some thoughtful and uplifting lyrics, crisp vocals, and some really interesting instrument choices. A great album to play in the car for a long drive.

no longer on spotify so it took some effort it cooks

A fantastic album from start to finish with great contributions from people like David Crosby and Graham Nash on Free Man in Paris and Robbie Robertson on Raised on Robbery. If you love Joni Mitchell you will love this album, if you've not listened to Joni before you really should listen to this, and if you don't like Joni I'd suggest one more listen to this album.

Still boring after all these years. Never got on the Mitchell wavelength.

Really enjoying the start to the album and loved the first half; second half became more jazzy and wasn't for me. Overall super great album and enjoyable.

3/5. Unique enough to stand out but the middle of the album does not stand out enough. It picks up near the end and it’s not bad, just not a repeat listen.

Nice music somehow, but does not really get to me

I've heard of the album title Court and Spark, but almost all of the music was new to me. "Help Me" is the one track I know I've heard before. I'm not sure if I've heard "Raised on Robbery" before, or if the track just sounds like Joni Mitchell. All of the tracks on this album were "okay" or better. There is probably room for this album to grow on me. I wouldn't be opposed to listening to this album again, so I'll round up to 4 stars.

Still don’t get her

yes

Absolutely lovely album, good vibes the whole way through. Gorgeous vocals, great instrumentation, and manages to be cohesive while still keeping each track fresh. Top tracks: Court and Spark, Free Man in Paris, The Same Situation, Raised on Robbery, and Twisted.

Enjoyed listening to this, but there wasn't really anything that stood out for me. Good for background music, but since it's not on Spotify I probably won't return to it.

This album brings me back to my youth. Listening to these songs on my AM clock radio in my dark wood paneled, shag carpeted room. But aside from the sentimental, this album has a simple, smooth sound to it. With Joni's beautiful voice sing strong and clear. Most of the songs sounded pretty similar. But because of that, there were no dogs on this album. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - I enjoyed listening to it but wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.

My favorite Joni Mitchell album, along with "Blue".

Tim Rogers once wrote (You've Been Good to Me so Far) "I was doing all those things that I used to hate the worst, I was listening to Joni Mitchell and tucking in my shirt", which pretty well sums up mine and a parliament of middle aged blokes relationship to Joni. There was a time in the early 80's where every single woman I was interested in was a Joni fan, and yes they all had Blue and yes I had to listen to Mingus as well. So coming back to a bit of Joni a little older and kinda wiser, I'm well pleased to discover that it is a cracking good record. She's an eclectic performer and writer, she's not a folk singer she's a genre unto herself. The chords are weird, I'm not a proper musician so I'm not quite sure what's she's doing but it works. The lyrics are fascinating, there's some very interesting takes on the human condition here and they all work except for Raised on Robbery (which I just don't get). Help Me is extraordinary. The album flows, beautiful songs and fantastic arrangements. Stephen Stills could have benefited from listening to this, it might have helped him understand what a song is. Her voice is exquisite, she takes you places does Joni, the first 8 tracks are brilliant. The choice of Annie Ross' Twisted was a bit twisted, but other than that and Raised on Robbery this is a fine record.

I've often found that I like covers of Joni Mitchell songs better than the originals (much like Dylan in that regard). However, listening to the first half of this album closely I found lots to really enjoy. I didn't get time for the second half, but I'll come back when I can - so 4 stars it is!

I love the idea that around the time Joni recorded this album, she spotted a 15-year-old Prince in the front row of a concert she was giving in Minnesota. He sent her fan-mail that her office thought was possibly coming from the “lunatic fringe”. Like Prince, I was so passionate about her that I hand-delivered a letter to her when she was staying at the Sebel Townhouse in the Cross during her only Australian tour in 1983. As for this album, I’d heard the single Raised On Robbery on the radio before the album was released & really liked it. But it was the single Help Me /Just Like This Train (20 cents in a bargain bin somewhere in Newcastle) that made me go out & find the album. Side One of the album is outstanding. The title track is her storytelling at it’s finest. Free Man In Paris (about David Geffen) & People’s Parties reflect her life at the time in such a poetic way. Side Two is also quality-plus & concludes with one of the few cover versions she’d ever released at that point, the Annie Ross classic Twisted, which Bette Midler had also covered the year before. This began a love for Lambert, Hendricks & Ross which continues to this day. Joni was at the peak of her powers here. What a songwriter.

A transitional album for Joni, from more straightforwardly confessional songs into more character-driven songs. Also, she is starting to lean into her interest in jazz by employing the L.A Express band to back her, lead there by her frustrations with the limitations of rock players. and it becomes her most critical and commercially successful album. The songwriting is confident; intricate and sophisticated, and wonderfully played, ably supported by the jazzbos backing her. This is still clearly a pop album, but an intelligent and grown-up pop album. She hasn't moved into the more challenging jazz of her subsequent albums. Free Man in Paris is my favourite track here, but the album is perhaps a little too polished for my taste (I like a little more grit), but there is much richness here that rewards multiple listens. John Oates (of Hall + Oates), discussing 'Blue" on the My Favourite Album podcast (https://myfavoritealbum.libsyn.com/165-john-oates-on-joni-mitchell-blue-1971 , from 18:30 onwards) compares Mitchell's openness about her personal life in her songwriting and the way her love life was played out in the media to Taylor Swift. Interestingly, in the five years since that podcast, Taylor has also moved into a more 'adult' musical mode, and I suspect that it will become more common to talk about Joni and Taylor in the same conversations, and comparing their legacies. I think you can see it in this album particularly; it is personal, artistically ambitious, unashamedly commercial pop, but not dumbed down for it. I think we forget that Joni was a powerful and uncompromising pop artist.

Court and Spark - amazing start to the album Help Me - 10/10 People's Parties - so good Car on a Hill - the instrumentation is perfect this album is so good the piano, the lyrics, the vocals, everything

RIP not on Spotify.

Surprise album. Never listened to before but thought it was a really good album

Þetta er uppáhalds Joni Mitchell platan mín. Hún er æði. Ég segi bara takk fyrir mig.

Spotify doesn’t have this iconic work. Hunted it down on Youtube which isn’t a great method for listening as the album was constantly interrupted by stupid ads. Still, I am familiar enough with a few of these songs to rate it a four. Still not my usual jam and this doesn’t convince me otherwise.

Joni Mitchell was not my favorite singer, but she's a good songwriter, and there's some really good instrumental performance on this album.

God I hate Joni Mitchell.

This album is an absolute masterpiece. Every song is like nothing I've ever heard before, yet undeniably beautiful. It's as if Mitchell used music to provide a glimpse into her psyche in real time. For anyone who has ever had or loved someone who suffers from social anxiety, the lyrics will take on a meaning that is therapeutic. Just an amazing album.

Great album. I love the end of the album where the song types change up a bit! Would definitely listen to more!

Joni Mitchell is my mom's favorite musician so I grew up listening to her a lot and this is my favorite of her albums. Her storytelling and lyricism, as well as variety of music and unique voice, is spectacular. Wonderful listen with wonderful memories

Did people know Joni Mitchell was so good!? I can't say I've listened to much or any Joni Mitchell before but this album was great. Top to bottom, I loved it all.

Flawless songwriting and her vocal range I always loved.

This was interesting... I didn't hate it, the music was good, I wasn't crazy about the song structure. Every song was a wandering thread, often never repeating a refrain. Her melodies seemed random, like uncontrolled jazz. Not for me.

Love Joni Mitchell with all my heart!

Vaya, otro más de JM, pero éste sí me gustó.

Not bad but why are there so many albums of her? it's not as bad as Costello and way more listenable but i don't get what so extremely "Must Hear" about it

Canadian icon, Joni feels like one of those artists who strive to never make the same album twice. Obligatory fuck Joe Rogan.

Not on Spotify

Waant available on dpotify

Should relisten but love joni

Car on a hill was my fav on this one shits tight but not my style

3.5. Probably her best.

Haunting voice. Very appealing.

Enjoyable but a bit boring.

Did not feel like this album had all that much to say

3.5; I recognize it's good but I just don't really like it

I'm not super familiar with Joni Mitchell and I thought this album would be full of slow sad stuff. It was pretty upbeat and enjoyable.

Not on Spotify. I’ll just assume there is a good reason for this and take a stab at a positive rating.

Didn't spark much for me.

Not on Spotify

I never thought I would say that I like Joni Mitchell, but this album opened my eyes. I love her voice!

This is a lovely album. There's a surprising level of nuance in these songs that you rarely see in pop or rock music. Joni Mitchell's vocals are wonderful, her voice so much richer and more mature sounding than on her earlier albums. Fave Songs: Help Me, Down to You, Car on a Hill, Trouble Child, Just Like This Train, People's Parties, Free Man in Paris

Gorgeous

The jazz elements are a great addition to Joni's already-fantastic writing style of this period, and her vocals are astounding as always

I like this album, to my surprise. Her singing is good and the songs were enjoyable. Definitely not my favorite album, but it's good. Sucks that it's not on Spotify though. Favorite song: Car on a hill Worst song: Twisted

really good studying music

Too much light jazz, too much in the way of wavery vocal stylings. It’s just a bit insipid for me. Maybe it’s a grower? I do have a soft spot for 60s/70s Californian folk. First listen not auspicious though.

I'm not having much luck with Spotify recently. This wasn't there so I listened to some Joni live.

There are some classic Joni vocal moments here, let down a bit by some very mid -70s production and musical choices

A short but focused effort, and likely my favorite of all the Mitchell albums I’ve heard here so far. Each track manages to expand on its chosen narrative without going overboard, allowing the story and melody to flourish without dragging on. Also includes the most upbeat and fleshed-out instrumentals of Joni’s career, which do well to highlight her more playful lyricism this time around as opposed to her more introspective efforts

Very chill, nice to listen to, tons of smaller background noises that really made me want to active listen. Loved it.

A decent album by Joni Mitchell. This one didn’t have any songs that really blew me away like the first one I got did. Her singing is good but varied on the edge of a bit much with the way she draws out some notes. The folk upbeat guitars accompany her voice well. I haven’t disliked any of her music but this one didn’t stand out too much. 5.8/10

Best Song: Help Me. Iconic, memorable, with a nice vocal performance. Worst Song: Raised on Robbery. I just don't think this kind of rock n' roll fits her style. Overall: For whatever reason, I like this offering much more than the previous Joni Mitchell album that I've had on this list. Her vocals are less all over the place, putting the focus more squarely on her lyrical strengths.

Well, it's better than her later albums, I guess. But she's a much better poet than she is a singer. And a better singer than she is a melody-writer. I don't know why she seems to hate writing choruses so much. Most of the songs are just unstructured messes that never go anywhere. There's a story that Mitchell herself tells about Bob Dylan falling asleep when she played the album for him. It's funny but it's also understandable. It's a boring slog of an album. I would much rather have read these songs as poems than be forced to listen to Mitchell's wandering warble for an hour.

Just excellent album through and through

sadly mid. joni Mitchell should be a poet

Little bit disappointed considering the reputation Mitchell has. The pop-jazz combination fails to be either jazzy enough to be authentically cool, or poppy enough to be catchy and fun. Lyrics are still good, but need to be read alongside the listening. Some nice tracks, but a lot of weird choices.

Not on Spotify L

This was an artist at the peak of her powers and fully conscious of it. It's dense, but everything feels like it fits. And the hooks are tight despite how fluid her songwriting can be. I could listen ten more times and keep finding new things I love. Best album from this list so far.

Wasnt for me. Not a fan of the signing.

I do not love Joni Mitchell, but this album is great. Excellent writing and vocal performance. The instrumentals are immaculate. The last song Twisted really stood out to me as it is essentially a vocal jazz performance.

Great jazzy beats

Beautiful beautiful beautiful voice - lovely production, arrangements and instrumentation - but it lacks the songs to elevate all those ingredients. Good base average recipe.

If I remember rightly, when I was listening to Carole King and reading up on her music, I came across Joni Mitchell’s name there. I couldn’t tell you anything about her, but if she’s anything like Carole King then I expect I’m going to enjoy this. Songs I already know: none Favourite after listening: Raised On Robbery, Twisted Overall: 9/10 A month ago, I would have laughed in your face if you’d have said I would really enjoy 70s singer-songwriter folk. And yet here we are. Joni’s voice is silky smooth, and makes you want to cosy up by a fire with a hot chocolate. The music makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and is just generally lovely. If the music was taken away and we were left with only the lyrics, we’d be left with writing that stands up by itself as poetry. I’d definitely recommend to anybody who likes a bit of easy listening, and anybody who is fortunate enough to own a fireplace.

I like the folksy singer songwriter sound. It reminds me of Taylor Swift's Foklore album. Still carries that 70's sound though. Flutes, clarinets and a disregard for rhyming. In any case, it seemed to arrive at the right time. I was ready for this. Feels good to listen to it.

Look, writing a song is hard. You need to make a catchy or compelling melody to hook the listener in, or at least grab their attention. Compile some interesting lyrics that fit with the melody, and hopefully have something worthwhile to say. Consider rhyming schemes and syllable counts and all that to make the song flow in a pleasing or interesting way. Well Joni Mitchell does away with all that nonsense here. I sincerely hope that this entire album was one big improvised jamming session, because that's the only excuse for the complete lack of thought put into the "writing" part of any of these disjointed, lazy, messy songs. I mean, the band was solid enough, and most of the instrumental passages were fine, but Joni sounds as if she's making the songs up as she goes along. What's more, her voice has all the excitement and range of day old cold oatmeal.

"Court and Spark" is the sixth and most successful studio album from Joni Mitchell. The album is a break from her more folk music and into pop and jazz. I agree with the pop and jazz and also kind of has a Steely Dan feel to some of the songs, probably since her guitarist Larry Carlton performed on a number of future Steely Dan albums. She had an increased interest in jazz and spent a lot of 1973 writing and recording the material for the album. Other notable musicians who contributed to the recording were jazz bands The Crusaders and Tom Scott's LA Express, Robbie Robertson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, José Feliciano and Cheech and Chong (yes them). The lyrics are outstanding and deal with love, loss and general human observations. The album begins with "Court and Spark" and a jazzy piano with subtle guitar, chimes and horns in the background. It's a man changing his ways, the woman falls for him but ultimately doesn't trust him. The band the LA Express gives "Help Me" a bigger jazz feel with horns and guitar. It was/is Joni's biggest single. Needing help to feel good but reluctant to fall in love too fast. Another instantly recognizable and one of my favorite Joni songs is "Free Man in Paris" supposedly about music agent/promoter David Geffin and his finding peace in Paris. It's a little lighter musically with acoustic guitar and backing vocals by David Crosby and Graham Nash. José Feliciano on the guitar. A highlight on the second side and album is "Down to You." It's slower with piano, multiple horns and just great backing vocals (David Crosby and Susan Webb). It won a Grammy for best arrangement accompanying vocalist. An introspective on life..loneliness, losing someone, life going by. "Raised on Robbery" was the first single and is a more rockin' song with Robbie Robertson on guitar. The song actually sounds like a mix between The Band's "Cripple Creek" and the 70's theme from "Saturday Night Live" with the guitar and horns. It's about a prostitute telling her story to a man in a hotel. Joni used very decphired lyrics to get this to be a released single at that time. The album ends with the cover of Wardell Gray and Annie Ross' 1952 jazz song "Twisted." A good example of how good Joni could sing jazz. Some pretty funny lyrics about everyone telling her she's going crazy and she's telling them they're going crazy. And of course, this is where Cheech and Chong make their contributions. This album makes me want go back and re-check out the 1970's Joni Mitchell. It's been awhile for me but this album sounded great and not dated at all.

73/100: This was an incredibly beautiful album. I would love to listen to this again, but it was so hard listening to this since it isn’t on Spotify. I respect Joni Mitchell for making the stance she did, but wow it makes it impossible to listen to her stuff. Overall great album though.

terrible

Easy 5 even with the awful last track (I since discovered that is not by Joni at all!). Her voice sounds "softest" here compared to the other '70s classics although the songs are far from "pop". Great album

Uh, well, hmmm, Ok. I got excited when I saw Joni Mitchell. I haven't listened to much by her, but I was hoping for some tunes that would teach your cold, English wife to feel. You know, deep poetry set to deeper music. This was, uh, well, hmmm, poetry, I guess? In the same way that Jack Handy is poetry. A little too obvious for my taste. Looking at reviews after I listened to it, uh, well, hmmm - it's apparently a HUGE deal of an album. Huh. That's....interesting. I dunno - nice voice, and great production value (made my second hand Bose Wave Radio that's hooked up to my garage Alexa sing like, well, a Bose Wave Radio commercial), but uh, well, hmmm - I don't Love this, Actually. But three stars for A) being able to sing, and B) not making me wish I was deaf.

Well, I am glad I heard this album before I died, but I will never intentionally listen to it again. Amazingly beautiful songs, I can picture teens in the early seventies playing this on the hi-fi and reading along with the lyric sheet alone in their room. There are two problems. 1) Her voice. it takes some getting used to. I think I could acquire the taste for strange sound she makes, like someone trying to sing in a british accent or something, but it would take some committment and effort, that sort that can be gained typically by providing interesting music and lyrics but- 2) Her singing style. Sorry, this is a big ol' problem. Nearly every song is like this. "la-la-laaaa-i'm-singsong-tallllking-la-la-laaa.... Immmmpaccctful Phrase!" So sorry Joni, in the end you are as annoying as your are brilliant, and it all balances out to a big neutral.

classic chill joni

I get the appeal of this for some, but it sounds too much like poetry that was written separate from the music and then there was an attempt to make the lyrics fit the song without adjusting the lyrics to fit the music. Not really for me.

Not on Spotify, couldn’t find a good YouTube compilation

I feel 60/70s folk is a hit or miss with me, this one is a miss unfortunately. Tho I appreciate the melodies greatly. First Listen?: Y Fav. Tracks: Raised on Robbery Rating: 2/5

It is good! Almost good enough to listen outside of Spotify. But Almost.

Better than anticipated since I wasn't big on Joni before. Some songs were v good. Others were meh.

Female Neil Young with jazz. Great album. Should explore more Joni Mitchell.

Stop trying to make joni Mitchell happen

Meh

-Mostly just okay -Genuinely liked a couple of songs -There were some creative 70s instrumental sections that I liked

Creative. Awesome voice

Love this whole album, except for the last track. Joni has always been criminally underrated in the modern era.

Canciones muy setenteras con un estilo directo y un tanto intimista. Buena voz femenina. Gran icono de aquella época

I can’t even listen it’s not on spotify

Chilled

Similar in style to "The Hissing of Summer Lawns". Folk, pop and jazz brilliantly intertwined with thoughtful, melancholy lyrics sung in Joni Mitchell's distinctively smooth and relaxed voice. This is great. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Down to You Date listened: 01/09/22

Weird, not bad but not good either. 2.5/5

Surprised to read this is her most successful album: for me the jazz elements take away from her strengths.

Good ol' Joni folk/pop, with a good bit of orchestral, jazz, and rock n roll injected in. Can't go wrong here!

Beautiful Folk Music™️

Great production, little to whimsical for me tho

It's fine, I guess. Too much hippy, too much bad jazz. But I didn't have to skip anything, so that's a bonus. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised at how SUPERLATIVE this album is considered to be. It's fine, just fine. I think I'm 30 years too young for this, and I'm not young.

I enjoyed

Never listened to Joni Mitchell, this is great, and it's pretty clear she's got a pretty strong influence in a lot of music to come afterwards. Great record, production quality is top notch.

Naturally, with Joni Mitchell’s current Spotify exodus, listening to this album wasn’t the most convenient experience (I had to stick on a copy we had at the record shop where I work). But my god was it worth it. I wasn’t at all familiar with a great deal of her work beforehand, but I’ll certainly be going back to this one. It’s hard to describe exactly what makes Mitchell’s songwriting so unique, but as I listened I was totally gripped by her sense of melody. It seems like she has the ability to change the entire mood of a song with the most deft usage of harmonic changes. Most of these songs felt almost impressionistic in their structure. Like Debussy meets Fairport Convention or Pentangle. The jazz flourishes are here too but not quite as pronounced as critics have made them out to be. With the exception of Mitchell’s gorgeous take on Waddell Gray’s “Twisted”, her folk roots permeate most of the album’s run time. I was wavering between a 4 and a 5 on this one (there is a bit of a lull towards the middle of side 2 which drags slightly) but after a couple of listens anything less than full marks would be a travesty. Songwriting, production and emotion - it’s all here on this album.

Innovative and dreamy

An above par soundtrack, was good to have on in the background for Wifey’s birthday dinner

Great storyteller with a beaut3voice

I have enormous respect for Joni Mitchell, I just don't enjoy her music that much. The uptempo numbers on Court and Spark are uniformly excellent; Free Man in Paris, Help Me, Raised on Robbery, even the beatnick vibe of twisted is great, it's when she slows things down that she becomes hit or miss for me...and more miss than hit. 3.5 🌟

This is album is between a 3 and a 4, but I'll give it a four for one reason; There were no songs I disliked. There were songs that I thought were fine, but nothing was awful. Court and Spark is an album that reminds me of my parents. I tend to like most of the songs, but they also feel like products of their time. It's a good album but not a classic, in my opinion. Best Songs: Help Me, Raised on Robbery Worst Songs: NA

Мне не понравилось... Почти что однообразие на альбоме Только песня help me отправляется в медиатеку из понравившихся еще car on a hill на down to you я почему-то услышала Адель о:

для тихих тусовок с подружками или теплых летних прогулок

Spotify casualty

Couldn’t listen, it’s not available on Spotify so giving a middle 3

decent!

A couple of huge misses on here, but some monster tracks that just about make up for it. Best track: Down to You

This is the second Joni Mitchell album in about a week. They're also not on Spotify cause she "stuck it to the man". So I'm honouring her wishes and not listening - the only time I'll do so in this project (because fuck mean spirited "hippie" boomer cunts like her and Neil Young). Thankfully I know how much her music sucks anyway. So here's a 1/5 and I hope this sets a lovely precedent where I never have to hear her awful wailing again.

I love this album

Jazz-pop pone en wikipedia... Ni fu ni fa.

Joni Mitchell just always has to most beautiful of timbre to every one of her songs. A wonderful album from top to bottom. Can certainly recommend this one.

With different lyrics, or no lyrics, this would be lovely music for a Christmas party, for example. The melodies are not impersonal, like in jazz, but beautifully intricate. The texts are totally unrelatable, however.

This was a pretty intriguing album. I really liked her vocals throughout. I also liked how some of the songs bled into each other. The lyrics... I started to lose a bit of focus on them. Bob Dylan's lyrics I can listen to them and get really into the tory of them, but these kinda just lost me. The last song was a bit of a jazzy riff, and I get what she was going for there. Yes, it is a cover and it was fitting for her to sing a song about analysis because she had gone through some of her own. It's weird how almost 50 years later we still don't totally accept therapy. This song is kinda making fun of it, and I mean we should be able to move past that. But we should also be able to be a little tongue in cheek about it too, right? This is one of those albums I had to listen to twice. I could tell there is more to it than what I was hearing. I think I may need another listen, but as it is, I like what I hear. But I don't think I should have to listen to it three or more times to say if it's good or not. So I'm going to say that it was good, bordering on great. But I am cautious on that. I mean, maybe I am just going off of what other people are saying? Shouldn't I be able to decide it for myself? Don't know. Perhaps I should give it another listen.

Felt a bit like a Gordon Lightfoot album, good storytelling and easy folksy sounds. Still not a Joni Mitchell fan (or the big hit Help Me) but respect for this album. Free Man in Paris is a good tune and Raised on Robbery is so different from the rest of the album’s sound but it is a fun tune. Down to You is my favorite track - lovely piano composition.

There are many great singer-songwriters to come out of the 60s, but Joni is on a whole different level. The songs of Court and Spark are both complex and accessible. Folk with hints of Jazz. Her gift for words really comes alive on here. “Free Man in Paris” has some of my favorite Joni lyrics on any of her albums. On the track “Down to You” it sounds like there’s a harp, but nothing is listed in the credits so it’s probably Joni on the Clavinet. I don’t think there’s a weak track on this album and not only does it make me want to go and listen to my other favorite Joni album (they’re coming up eventually on the list, so I’ll wait) , it really makes me want to check out the few albums of hers that I haven’t listened to yet.

What a voice - such precision, range, and beauty. The music takes you on a calm, beautiful ride and includes some brilliant lyrics. Some examples that stood out: "We love our lovin' but not like we love our freedom" (Help Me), "laughing and crying, you know it's the same release" (People's Parties), "Everything comes and goes/pleasure moves on too early and trouble leaves too slow" (Down to You), "Dreaming of the pleasure I'm going to have/Watching your hairline recede, my vain darling" [I laughed at that one] (Just Like This Train). Favorite tracks - Court and Spark (really sets the mood for the album), Help Me (one other observation - the musicians on this album are so good - not flashy, but just perfect for the music), Down to You, Raised on Robbery (fun track), Troubled Child.

An exploration of woman, both inside and out-from romantic relationships to psychoanalysis, Joni Mitchell applies both a light touch of humor and surprising maturity. The jazz-kissed arrangements help some of the heavier lyrics go down smooth.

This was way more of a trip than I was expecting. The progressive, jazzy flow of this album was new and refreshing for me. The track and album lengths were nice too, nothing was dragged out and some songs were so full of ideas that they felt much longer. I'm not crazy about the vocals, they worked well for some songs but others missed the mark by a lot. Overall, this was my favorite so far and I hope more Joni comes up on this list.

I've never been able to shake a kind of block with Joni. It's a bit the way she extends notes, a bit her artsy chanteuse image, a bit the fact that I rarely follow her lyrics (probably related to point one). But I mostly like and often love her stuff. It just doesn't always come naturally. So this pop compromise is tailor made. Enough bubblegum in between the virtusic stuff for me to appreciate both in equal measure. Consequently, it's the silliest I've heard her, which counts for a lot.

Big Joni Mitchell fanboy. This is one of my all time favorites.

I've never been a big Joni Mitchell fan, but I appreciate her songwriting talent. There are some really good songs on this record; especially Court and Spark, Raised on Robbery and Help Me. The rest are fine. She's just not my cup of tea.

I did not listen to this closely enough to give it a fair review but what I heard was interesting enough

не моё

Genre: Folk Pop 4/5 I received and listened to this album very soon after I received and listened to Joni Mitchell's Blue, an album held in such high regard, some even saying it's the greatest female album ever, that I was surprised by how lackluster I found it to be. Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark is a much different experience, a much peppier, happier experience, and more pop-focused, with songs full of lush production and catchy, 70s-style melodies. In my opinion, this is a much better experience, and contains a much more diverse sonic palette. Ranging from straight folk to near-yacht rock at times, Joni puts her writing prowess to work, crafting some really great tunes. The 4-song run to start the album off is a tremendous folk pop playlist, featuring the same sort of laidback arrangements that made her a household name in the first place. However, it's the second half that proves to be more exciting, with Steely Dan vibes on Car on a Hill, to post-Ella Fitzgerald vocal jazz on Twisted, Joni Mitchell stretches all of her songwriting muscles here, filling in the rest of the tracklist nicely. Personally, I enjoyed this far more than I did Blue. Court and Spark's pop-forward sound works very well here, and is an album I'll certainly revisit later.

Help Me is my love life Free Man in Paris is excellent I am not a woman of many words but the greatest cacophony of sounds you've ever heard comes from this very album it's so rich and it feels like walking into a blooming field My favourite song/ most played is probably People's Parties and I get very sad and melodramatic reflecting on what she means. Sometimes I wish I wrote, but I didn't so I just learned the words. Joni has plenty albums but I feel like this one is easily in her Top 5

I liked this more than I thought I would; there’s forays into jazz & rock-and-roll; it sounds ‘of its time’ in the best way 30/06/22

Ei valittamista mutta aika taustamusaksi jäi!

Kiinnostava, en ole Jonia juuri kuunnellut. Pitää joskus kuunnella vähän paremmin kuin kämästi youtubesta.

Miellyttävän jazzahtavaa poppista. Omia suosikkeja oli People's Parties ja Car on a Hill. 4/5.

4/5

I didn't realize I hated Joni Mitchell so much. It's one of those names I've heard a bunch but never listened to.

Very boring, her voice reminds me of a terrible dutch artist. Some of the instrumentals are nice though.

More interesting than I expected. Definitely of a style but a good reflection of that style.

Era-defining sound

It wasn't as good as I remember it. Still quite enjoyable though.

Ik kon dit album niet afspelen op Spotify, dus koos een ander album van haar. Afschuwelijke muziek. Nu het echte album op Youtube gevonden. Wat een geweldig album! Heerlijk relaxt en mooi gezongen. ***

Bob Dylan was wrong

You go girl!!

A favourite. Always listened to it side two first just so the sequence would finish with Same Situation. Just made more sense to me.

enjoyed this, to begin with was a bit all over the place but also felt was being led on a journey, just as seemed too nicey nicey had some dark moment and piano was beautiful

Relaxing, good vocals, but overall the song list was a bit boring and forgettable. No stand out tracks.

It’s sound was intriguing as she mixed some styles here. Her voice and lyrics are also very good. It’s not my favorite style but I still enjoyed it.

moody and sad but should be an easy listen 4? sad about the fight with spotify.

Five starts forever.

Bis auf Big Yellow Taxi kannte ich natürlich, wie bei so vielen bekannten Namen, nix von ihr. Dieses Album ist eine un-glaubliche Wohltat, alles daran ist richtig. Ich kann mich nur verneigen.

I enjoyed this one a lot!

Boh, piatto piatto.

Lovely pop from Joni's early period. Beautiful voice, catchy tunes albeit very "wordy" in places (verbose?). 'Help me" is a treat.

I know Joni Mitchell is widely considered a musical genius. I can see that, but there's something about her voice and the melodies that just don't resonate with me. Setting that aside I did enjoy this album, especially the song Raised on Robbery. 3 stars.

Delightful mix of styles.

Help Me tem uma voz bem legal

Pop, jazz... Melódico. Suave.

Very original and interesting. Not my genre, but I enjoyed the listen.

I do like a bit of Joni. Kinda washed over me on the first listen but gave it another run through and there's some really good stuff here.

Aaaand she’s a genius! Not exactly one of Joni’s more famous albums and exactly stuffed with hits and bangers but it’s just the genius of it that gets me. The woman invented her own chords for Christs sake!! She spoke openly about never being classically musically trained and she just got her guitar and had a fucking ball! It’s just so fucking beautiful and incredible. Joni forever.

I really liked this! I need to give Joni Mitchell a deeper dive, other than surface level songs I enjoy

An excellent album, a very nice departure from her classic folk sound but still retaining her style very well.

This was an a-okay listen.

Sounds quite good. Gonna be 3 or 4 stars from me. The classic one person singing with simple instrumentals that I like

Holy crap. Although I like her, I never put this one on because I’d never heard of any of its tracks. I figured it was one of those dud albums that even good artists have. Nope. Maybe my new favorite, might be better than Hejira. The strings, winds and horns in Down to You are jaw-droppingly good. I listened to it three times over.

She's one of the great. One point more for her long-life commitment, today leaving Spotify as a protest against no vax podcasts

Turns out I like Hejira more, this album was just eh for me.

Blue is one of my favorite albums ever. In comparison, this one is just so... jaunty? I like it, and this is a good reminder to put it back into rotation as background music while I'm doing other things, but so far I really can't imagine sitting down for an hour and focusing all of my attention on it.

I went in planning to give it 4 stars to make room for “Blue” to be ranked higher, but that’s only because I forgot how amazing this record was! It’s right there with “Blue,” I’d say.

I've never been a huge Joni fan. But I enjoyed this album especially the last song.

I have struggled to get into Joni’s music in the past, and this one too. I think a little to simple and stripped down for me, although there are a few exceptions on this record that caught my ear a little more. 5/10

Great Album ! Could listen to it over and over again !

Good album. Help me.

Its very nice if not a bit twee

I get the attraction, but something about j. M's voice rubs me the Wrong way

Ends on a three-song-or-so run of the most adventurous and light material. The rest is carried along by Mitchell's tone, but far flatter.

Was not able to listen to this on Spotify - but found the 1001 album podcast so it wasn’t all bad! And then made the switch to Apple music and job's a goodun. Bit different to what I was expecting, but still good.

Lovely warm stuff with beautiful writing. I can't say the forays into jazz were a great choice, but her classic singer-songwriter pieces are excellent

Not my thing, still belongs to the 70s

Nope

It was grand. Exactly the sort of 60s folksy stuff i expected really

I loved this album, both the songs I'd known and loved, and the new ones I discovered. I love the ventures into rock, pop, and jazz on this that made me rethink what I thought I knew about Joni Mitchell. In fact I spent a lot of time today learning as much as I could about her. Love.

I very much enjoyed this album and listening experience. I don't really know much on Joni's work other than the popular songs, but I was happy to expand my horizons today.

I think my heart just exploded.

I love this album. It’s like a warm blanket around my soul. Joni Mitchell’s vocals are perfectly beautiful. The songs are so so nice. Put this album on and everything seems like it will be ok. I haven’t listened to this in decades… a terrible oversight. Hearing the opening chirp of “Free Man In Paris” after such a long hiatus is like being home again. I could listen to this all day. And did.

This album is musically interesting. It’s somewhat of a transitional album that combines Joni Mitchell’s folk sensibilities with a jazz foundation. The result is an album that still sounds undeniably like Joni Mitchell but manages to push her sound forward. The lyrics paint real life with profundity and Mitchell’s voice is the perfect carrier for those words.

Consistently interesting, but a bit of a relic, and behind both Blue and Hissing of Summer Lawns in my book. As good as the writing is, the vocals get a little too talky at times, though she does a lot with a sorta average voice.

I love Joni Mitchell

De av swaag

Joni be like: brings home the bagel… I like the variety on the album and Car On A Hill is funky

Jättebra dude... stark fyra

A good one.

Twisted is good.