The Hissing Of Summer Lawns

I'm sure this is really good, very much jazz vocals, very much not my style.

I wanted to like The Hissing of Summer Lawns more than I did. There’s no denying that it’s an interesting album, and Joni Mitchell was clearly moving in a more experimental direction here, blending jazz, pop, folk, and unconventional arrangements. But for me, it never quite came together in a way that held my attention. A lot of the songs feel atmospheric and carefully constructed, but that atmosphere sometimes came at the expense of immediacy. I found myself appreciating the musicianship and Mitchell’s songwriting more from a distance than actually getting pulled into the music. Even when the arrangements became more interesting, I rarely felt the urge to go back and hear a song again. There are certainly moments that stand out, particularly “The Jungle Line” with its unusual rhythms and percussion, and “Edith and the Kingpin,” which has a darker, more subdued quality. I can understand why the album is regarded as an important part of Mitchell’s transition into her more jazz-oriented period. Still, knowing its reputation probably made me expect something more compelling than what I ultimately heard. It’s not a bad album by any means. It’s thoughtful, ambitious, and musically distinctive, but it just didn’t grab me. Maybe it’s one of those albums that rewards repeated listens, but after this one, I was left more impressed by what Mitchell was attempting than genuinely moved by the result.

She’d be too powerful if she knew how to sing. Sonically inconsistent but lyrically excellent.

This is the third Joni Mitchell album I've gotten and her music is growing on me.

There is no one like Joni Mitchell. Her creativity is boundless.

The first couple songs are quite interesting and then it gets really boring in the middle

This is the second album I listened from her and I'm noticing that her works require me to be very relaxed and doing almost nothing to really get all of their value, as when I'm doing anything else, I easily miss a lot of what's happening in the music. And when I'm finally in those circumstances, is not like I'm blown away by it or super engaged. The reason why this album specially works in the mentioned situation is because the music is incredibly detailed and super delicate. It is detailed in the sense that there is a substantial amount of different instruments used, not only in general, but also in each song, making them incredibly layered and ambitious. So if I'm not paying attention, it is almost impossible to notice all that is going on. In terms of subtlety, I really like how smooth everything sounds, not only in terms of production, but I also find the melodies to be rather beautiful and sophisticated, creating this warm atmosphere. The jazzy vibes also contribute a lot to the comfy sense, while also making the album sound interesting. Nonetheless, what I'm missing about this album is anything emotionally impactful. Everything that I said before is true, I think the record sounds great and that is a nice vibe, yet I'm not really feel deeply connected by it nor I feel fully embraced. Is more like I need to be relaxed instead of the album making me feel relaxed, and I personally prefer the latter than the first.

Hay que reconocer que es difícil de encontrar el estilo de Joni en otros músicos... Eso lo hace única aunque por momentos también es difícil de escuchar.

Putain, après m’être farci Court and Spark puis Hejira, me voilà contraint d’enfiler à nouveau le casque pour The Hissing of Summer Lawns, sorti en 1975. Alors autant vous dire la vérité : j’y vais à reculons, le trouillomètre à zéro et le scepticisme au plafond. Car après les deux premières purges, ma réserve de patience envers la sainte patronne des vocalises intellos est déjà sérieusement dans le rouge écarlate. Le verdict ? Un naufrage total, sans surprise ni sursaut d’orgueil. L’album ne déroge pas d’un millimètre à la trajectoire d’ennui profond tracée par ses prédécesseurs et il s'est écrasé avec pertes et fracas contre le mur de mes tympans. C’est un 1/5, direct, net et sans appel. Une note méritée pour ce qui s’apparente moins à une œuvre musicale mémorable qu’à un somnifère sonore distribué sous ordonnance d'esthètes autoproclamés. Le fond du problème reste inchangé : cette mixture prétentieuse de jazz mou du genou, de folk précieuse et de soft rock anémique me plonge invariablement dans une léthargie proche du coma végétatif. Joni Mitchell empile les textures léchées, les arrangements soignés jusqu’à l’écœurement et les poses d’intellectuelle torturée qui regarde la bourgeoisie californienne avec un mépris feint. C’est froid, c’est distant, c’est d’une virtuosité technique désespérément stérile. À force de vouloir intellectualiser chaque note et de noyer le groove sous des nappes d’expérimentations tièdes, le disque oublie simplement d’exister et de transmettre la moindre étincelle de vie. Ce qui m’agace le plus dans cette affaire, c’est le décalage monumental entre le statut quasi intouchable qu’on accorde à cette période de sa carrière et la réalité de l’écoute : un robinet d'eau tiède qui coule pendant trois quarts d'heure sans qu'un seul refrain digne de ce nom ne vienne vous extirper de la torpeur. On tente de nous vendre une fresque sociale acérée sur la faune dorée des banlieues américaines, mais le résultat se résume à une succession de mélodies sinueuses et insaisissables qui glissent sur l’oreille sans jamais accrocher quoi que ce soit d’autre que l’envie furieuse d’appuyer sur stop. L'album aborde l'aliénation matérialiste et le vide existentiel des banlieues chics américaines, cachés derrière les pelouses parfaites et les arroseurs automatiques : « He bought her a diamond for her throat He put her in a penthouse in the sky » Ouais, autant vous dire que ça ne vole pas haut et pour ceux qui voudraient s'infliger l'intégralité des textes et plonger dans cette dissection clinique du désenchantement moderne, il est possible de trouver les paroles complètes en effectuant une recherche sur Google. Bilan des courses : l'opération de sauvetage a tourné court et le calvaire touche presque à sa fin. Il ne me reste plus qu'un seul et unique rendez-vous à honorer avec la dame : son fameux Blue. Autant dire que vu le passif, j'ai hâte, mais alors vraiment très hâte d'en terminer une bonne fois pour toutes avec sa discographie.

This is the 3rd Joni Mitchell album that I've heard. I think "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" is the best of the three. "The Jungle Line" has some great electronic elements that don't show up again until the last track. It's a shame since "The Jungle Line" is my favourite from "The Hissing of Summer Lawns". Everything else on the album is fine as well. 4 stars for "The Hissing of Summer Lawns".

Waaaay too folky.

A lot of different sounds in this album! Parts sound really jazzy, and there was some guitar heavy parts, and also some experimental electronic sounds as well. It ended up feeling like a bit of a mishmash to me, not my favourite from Joni. But I think it is really cool that she was always experimenting.

Somehow feel that I should like this more, but come away feeling like I don’t quite get Joni. Interesting musical choices, arrangements, influences but don’t really love it.

I'm not sure if I've been sleeping on Joni Mitchell or not, but I really like the rhythms and experimentation in this particular album. Some of this is very impressive.

By all accounts I should love Joni Mitchell based on all the stuff I like, but idk, this was a bit too rambly for me. Might require several listens.

Like this quite a lot.

I absolutely adore Joni Mitchell. This album is kind of a departure from her previous output. Not as commercial as Court and Spark but very satisfying artistically. Her voice is a true original. Nobody ever sounded like her before and nobody ever will again. Such a beautiful soul. One of the greatest lyricists and songwriters.

I really wanted to love this. There is so much that’s phenomenal about it but for me, the thing that normally connects the dots with folk music is the lyrics; and these just go above my head completely. It’s beautiful and poetic, but generally meaning doesn’t jump off the text for me. The music is hard for me to truly enjoy as a result because this genre often works in tandem with the poetry to deliver the message. I think when I’m older and have more life experience it might just resonate, but for now it feels like great music that isn’t quite for me.

This was nice, less accessible than folky Joni, more accessible than full jazzy Joni. I think on repeated listens I'd like it more. Reviewing this days later though I don't think I can remember anything but the title track.

this was great. i still liked blue better which makes me think i probably should have given that a five, but this is so good too. this list is making me realise i like joni mitchell much better than i thought.

I generally prefer Joni's more stripped back stuff, but this does give her an opportunity to do some really interesting arrangements, it went pretty jazzy by the end. Her tunes are always great, her voice is tremendous, but it's not quite the level of blue or some of the others for me. Maybe future listens will bring me round more.

Even at its most opaque, I was fascinated by this album. It’s a poetic treatise about feeling caught between phases: wanting the thrill of youth but the dignity of maturity, the comfort of success but the hunger of Bohemia, to feel desirable but not objectified, at ease but not complacent… meanwhile I was not expecting the music to be so forward thinking. The Jungle Line sounds like Kanye West went back in time to produce it. What a cool album.

How many more Joni Mitchell albums are there? I really don’t like her music.

Pleasant listen and exposure, but not one I plan to listen to again.

#462 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ✅ I've not listened (on purpose/knowingly) to Joni Mitchell before, due to knowing her as a folk artists. That's it. This album seems years ahead of other exploratory music, the stuff that breaks conventions and tried what's there to be found. Upon doing some light research I'm glad to find that contemporary critics and pundits found this disgusting and reviewed it with hostility; after reading that I knew I'd like it. Just take 'The Jungle Line' FFS, made in 1975, it's amazing! I freely admit that most of the album is still too folkey and US pop country for me, along with the emphasis on the lyrics over music, puts this album quite far out of my comfort zone. I'll probably add a few tracks to my favourites, but am uncertain if I'll ever return to it as an full album. Few tracks are strong 4's but mostly I find it barely 3/5

Jazz-inflected folk and singer-songwriter music built from intricate acoustic textures, subtle percussion, atmospheric keyboards, and intimate vocals feels like wandering through an elegant house where every room contains a carefully arranged scene, while I keep wondering when someone will finally open the door and let me in. The songwriting is observant and sophisticated, but for me the album's restraint and complexity create more distance and stuffiness than emotional involvement.

A jazzy soft album by Joni, it's something that needs getting in to. Not the easiest on first listens.

She has beautiful phrasing, coupled with unexpected and surprising melodic movements, haven't listened to this album in full before but it's great. One of my favourite singers, her 70s run is absurd good. 8/10

More experimental than I've heard from Joni Mitchell in the past, I didn't know she did it like that. All really good and the variety makes it enjoyable to listen through, will revisit this in future

Hadn’t heard this Joni album! Good stuff as always!

Second Joni Mitchell album, and this one was definitely more enjoyable than the first one. Her vocal talent is undeniable.

Good sound, background but enough depth to catch my attention

For the duration of 'bout five record releases, from Blue thru Hejira, Joni M could essentially do no wrong, tho this particular album certainly wasn't a critical smash. 'Rousseau walks on trumpet paths / Safaris to all that jazz.' Not just experimental, but weird, weird, & really fucking weird, The Hissing of Summer Lawns features a Mitchell that had mastered her characteristic cadences: she's fully in control, she knows who she is, why she is, & what she's doing. 'God goes up the chimney / Like childhood Santa Claus / The good slaves love the good book / A rebel loves a cause.' W/ this said, & the same can be said about Court and Spark, Hissing highlights a reachin' Joni. Reachin' for what, you may ask? For Hejira, her zenith & her raison d'être.

It does sound very similar to the other Joni we heard but I liked it

I'd never listened to this Joni album before. This came out only one year after Court & Spark but already has a different sound emerging. I do prefer C&S, but I like this and think the last three songs are particularly good. I'd like to come back and listen again because I think I could grow to appreciate it more. I'm curious to listen to Hejira, the last Joni album on this list, because it came out only one year after this one.

Her voice and phrasing are off putting to me

Hmmm, I enjoyed Blue quite a bit more than this one. I couldn't put my finger on exactly why. I think a lot of times in this album Joni falls into a similar pattern of singing thats hard to put into words. She hops around her vocal range, almost lake pinball at times, bouncing from high to low, then back to high notes. It surely takes some skill and note accuracy to do such a thing, but I'm not sure I enjoy it. Especially when compared to less ecstatic chorus sections or melodies that come and go within the same song. Its a style that almost seems a bit random at times, its in tune, but sounds random. Know what I'm sayin? See, hard to put into words... Really enjoyed the song Harry's House / Centerpiece (especially the 2nd part of the song where it gets hella jazzy). It was the song I added to the 1001 favorites playlist I've been creating throughout this journey. anyway, my least favorite from Joni overall thus far, 1 more album from her to go! 7/10

Wonderful songs that demanded my full attention.

Favorite track(s): In France They Kiss on Main Street, Edith and the Kingpin, Don't Interrupt the Sorrow, The Hissing of Summer Lawns

Shit, the jungle juju was really annoying. I got the sense right then that this wouldn't be better than Blue, which admittedly is hard to beat. Overall an anachronistic listen, what with the 60s hippie folk crossed over with weird synth stuff. It kinda lurches along like Frankenstein's monster. Joni still sounds great though, so I can't give it a 1.

Songwriting is quite good but the album is a little too artsy for my taste. 3 stars or C+.

This had some darker sounding songs than a lot of Jodi. I liked it.

3.3

It’s Joni. I love her not my favorite album. 3.5

Just wonderful. Jungle Line is something of an acquired taste, but the whole album just has so much going on. Melody and tempo shifts that are surprising, but still work. Joni gonna Joni.

Many of my favorite artists are heavily influenced by Joni Mitchell, but I have struggled to connect with her music until I listened to this album. Her lyrics are always poetic and deep, but the music is more experimental and interesting on this album.

It's a very creative record, but similar to Leonard Cohen, I don't find her vocal style pleasant unfortunately

Nice enough but didn’t grab my attention nor stick in my mind. Probably need to relisten and pay closer attention

Guitar feels out of place on the opening song, love the bass and general assembly though. Feel like a piano instead would have been much more thematic. I guess some experimenting is happening in the opening tracks, piano does arrive instead, a good move imo. I do just love her voice. Feels like being home listening to her. Generally, the musical arrangements suit her voice so well. I would like to compare to Adele, where I think this is just so much better. A strong 4

I know this might be considered sacrilege but I think this album is much more interesting than "Blue, which many consider one of the all time best albums and even more consider it her magnum opus. This album is much more expansive, paints some completely different images, draws on much more complex inspirations IMHO. Her skills in lyricism are really second to none. I'm really happy to getting to know this album. Surely, next time it's a 4. 3.7

Not really my scene but nice. Evocative.

Pretty and heartfelt and indistinguishable to my ear from the other joni mitchell album we had, but in no bad way.

Another pleasant but forgettable album from Joni Mitchell

Great album with beautiful vocals and awesome instrumentals (I'm especially fond of The Jungle Line and its eerie melody)

ugh her voice is amazing, and the lryics are amazing

Of the three Joni Mitchell albums I've heard in this project, this is my 2nd favorite? I enjoyed it more than Blue, but less than Court And Spark. That doesn't totally map to the average ratings for these three albums, but I am who I am. No real standout tracks, but a solid overall vibe. Great house cleaning music. The album cover could easily be a 2010's indie band, so it's also got that going for it too.

Didnt do it for me. Very one dimensional

early draft Fleetwood Mac

Joni gets a little more experimental after Court and Spark and it doesn't quite reach the heights of that album or Blue but hey it's Joni and it's still very good.

I like this one. Very soothing voice and instrumental. Like a lullaby

3.5

Sounds like a musical soundtrack. And wow, that vibrato. Not sure it was all entirely necessary.

Joni Mitchell has it all: talent, creativity, musical range, voice, writing chops, and no fear of experimentation. The result is that every album I've heard from her was either good or great. This isn't the style of music I usually listen to, but I did enjoy it and I can imagine getting the vinyl and putting it on for a wintery afternoon (despite the album name). Whenever I imagine getting the vinyl, I know the album deserves a 5.

Her albums are great, even if this one was missing a standout. 7/10

Easy listening. No song has made me excited.

Сара 1 Марко 3,5

She has an awesome voice. Certainly can’t argue that. By the end of this album, though it just sounded like everything was the same. I love other Joni Mitchell, but this one just didn’t hit me.

Beautiful record.

I wasn’t as big of a fan of this one. I prefer her earlier albums with simpler folk music arrangements. This album leans more into experimental sounds and it didn’t connect with me the way the others do. Still a decent album though.

Pleasant, soothing music with soft vocals delivering some interesting lyrics. Not my go-to musical selection but it was good in short doses.

It is a vibe albeit a little too poetic for my tastes, but there’s a lot of quality there. Solid folk offering.

Sounds like Joni brought in Steely Dan as her band. Not what I expected from a Joni Mitchell album, and I didn't like it. Feels like she's trying to modernize her sound, but this doesn't work.

2.8

Too avant with no good voice. But what do I know? 4/10

This is a truly great album! 'The Hissing of Summer Lawns' represents her first foray into experimenting with other genres. The songwriting is captivating and memorable, the chord progressions are beautiful and catchy, amazing vocals and lyrics, Joni simply never misses.

Perfectly pleasant. Doubt I’d want to revisit.

548/1089 - Final Joni Mitchell album on the project for me and it's a really great one. Joni Mitchell was the biggest artist that grew on me. I wasn't too big on Blue but really liked Court and Spark and how jazz-y it was, then Hejira with Jaco's incredible playing and Joni's vast sonic worlds. I then revisited Blue and found it better than I initially thought. This one is a nice continuation of the Court and Spark sound with added synths and some super awesome moments. I'm gonna check out her entire discography, I listened to a bit of "Mingus" and "Clouds" and I'm liking what I'm hearing.

Kind of like any other Joni Mitchell albums. Few lackluster moments I didn't really gel with, such as the last track. Otherwise it kind of just works on the same foot as here follow up album, just a bit less enjoyable for me. Could be the fatigue or the fact that I've had a lot of good albums recently, but this particular one just does less compared to others.

I thought I would enjoy this more than I did. Gave it 2 solid listens and generally left it feeling uninspired and disinterested. 3/5

A great album showcasing her songwriting and a roster of some sick musicians.

I am not a huge Joni Mitchell fan, but this album surprised me in a good way. Other than the second track, I quite enjoyed this album. She does have an exquisite voice. I give this one three stars on the high end.

*The Hissing of Summer Lawns* is an undeniably sophisticated and poetic endeavor, showcasing Joni Mitchell at her most experimental as she pivots toward a cool, jazz-inflected soundscape. While the production is impeccably smooth and tracks like "The Jungle Line" and "Shades of Scarlett Conquering" offer fascinating, standout moments—ranging from retro, rhythmic grit to sweeping beauty—much of the album feels detached and overly precious. It is an artistic achievement that rewards patience, but for all its technical brilliance and "bougie" charm, the record often lacks the emotional resonance needed to make the middle of the tracklist truly memorable, resulting in a technically impressive yet inconsistent experience.

I've listened to Blue before and I did like it, but was in no rush to return to her, but this album is great, how can people be hating on this? The textures on this alone are gorgeous let alone her voice. Shadows and Light is a stunning last track.

Fand ich sehr nice. Ich liebe die Stimme und Texte von Joni Mitchell. Stil und Themen fühlen sich für die 70er ein wenig anachronistisch an, aber auf eine gute Art. Am besten hat mir Centerpiece gefallen.

Même en écoutant plus de country grâce à ce projet je n’y prends toujours pas goût Quelques bonnes séquences et mélodies plaisantes malgré tout 5/10

Joni Mitchell sings like someone making fun of musical theater nerds. Usually her song writing really hits for me, but not in this case.

An absolute gem of an album.

Kuu

Hands down, one of the best songwriters to have ever existed. No one commands the pen like Joni Mitchell. I could sit and listen to her lyrics forever. There's so much soul and sumptuousness on this album, it's bathed in swing and pluck, and Joni vibrates over the top. It actually makes me upset that my favourite album of hers, "Both Sides Now (2000)" isn't on this list (which, granted is mostly covers), and yet Dusty Springfield's "A Girl Called Dusty" found it's way. I can't wait for the next Joni Mitchell album that this list gives me.

Do folk ao jazz, com o talento de sempre pra letras, Joni não gravou álbums ruins. Mas o tempo mostrou também que este, em particular, não se destaca tanto. É bom, mas para quem gosta. Dificilmente conquistará novos ouvintes.

Pretty boring if I was going to be honest.

There’s a lot of talent here. Seems like a way less cool Neil Young record.

Excellent songwriting and vocals

Decent album from Mitchell, enjoyed, for whatever reason, more than her other albums here.

Even with the more experimental and jazz influenced numbers I just can't not like Joni Mitchell.

Lovely stuff Joni

I’m sorry, I just didn’t enjoy this all that much!

Firstly, love the name of this album and the album cover, and I feel like they both have a lot to say. Unfortunately I enjoyed those more tgan the album. The opening tracks sounded very different to what I was expecting from a Joni Mitchell album and I liked the rougher edges, but as the album went on I lost interest a bit

I love this jazzy era by Joni Mitchell. It’s not quite her peak but it’s pretty damn good.

Meh

7/10… jazz-pop / singer-songwriter / *1975

Loved the last song

So dissonant and weird. Like a fucked up rollercoaster that just goes up and down really fast for 40 minutes until you puke.

I really cannot take to Joni Mitchell. Her voice grates a bit and her music can best be described as poetry in search of a decent tune. If that makes me an embarrassment so be it, at least I’m not pretending to like her because I think I should. Having said that, this is a better offering from her. The backing musicians mean that voice is not quite as exposed as usual. Genuinely though at one point I though the incidental music from the game I was playing was bleeding through to my speakers and I was mighty confused

Kaunista, chill-ish musiikkia. Sopii rentoon päivään. Toinen kappale on tosi outo. 3,5/5

Bland and boring

Folk. Good songs, but nothing that really stuck with me.

Joni has a nice voice I guess but I don't particularly care for the music. 3/5.

There are still some parts about her music I don’t love but I always enjoy her albums

Lindas melodías, bonitos arreglos. Un disco muy enérgico

Close to being a 4, forgot how good Joni is

meh, another average at best album by a folk singer. 1 or maybe 2 for Joni, Neil Young, and Dillan would have been plenty. It's not horrible but there is just nothing interesting or special here.

Much more experimental than her most famous albums. Very nice, will have to revisit.

I'm not a big Joni Mitchell fan. This wasn't terrible. I had it on playing in the background. I don't think it was as bad as the other one that I had recently. I'm sure the lyrics are good. I may dive deeper into some of that. This just isn't for me.

Yep it's Joni Mitchell

Never really given Joni Mitchell much of a chance. I remember bouncing hard off the album "Blue" for whatever reason. This is great though. The kind of melancholy folk rock I really dig.

......

Not the same allure and grab of 'Blue'. I love her voice but the more jazz styled songs of this album don't make her shine in the same way as where I think she's at her best.

A couple classics

I’m so picky with my singers’ voices but Joni Mitchell has such a special one

I thought it was wonderful

If you've heard one Joni Mitchell album, you've heard them all. I'll concede that she's a talented songwriter, but all her music sounds exactly the same to me. This is my third Joni album on this list and on this one, she tries to inject some jazz fusion elements and avant-garde field recordings. While tracks like "In France They Kiss on Main Street" try to bring a bit of an upbeat rock energy, they quickly sink back into that same mid-tempo, rambling folk-jazz delivery that defines her entire catalog. Her lyrics are undoubtedly poetic and sharp as she critiques suburban life, but the vocal melodies are so loose and conversational that they just blend together into one long, acoustic blur. Like many of my 3 star albums, it was okay background music while I worked but that was about it.

A nice, gentle, easy singer/songwriter/folk record. Joni has that hippie/flower child sound to her voice, with matching music to accompany her. It's not something I'd listen to regularly, but I'm not mad at it, and it's quite calming.

Vocals ruined it for me, too shrill. really lovely instrumentals

Again enjoyed the vibes

I love Joni Mitchell. Have I already mentioned that?

Better than the last album I listened to by her. Seeing her name twice in a week was not exactly fun. I just don't really like her style. The way she talk sings and forces a lot of words and syllables in short melodies.

Man i couldnt do it. Its so boring im sorry Joni Michtell fans but man i felt like napping during this album. I couldnt listen to this in a car it be dangerous.

Another day, another Joni Mitchell record. I have nothing against her, but she doesn't make music for me. I will say that the instrumentation on this record is a lot more interesting than the others I've given a listen, but still not enough to keep my attention.

Joni Mitchell is a tricky one for me. She is a great sing and songwriter, hugely creative. But I cannot say I truly like what she makes. It does cool things, but it just doesn't grab me. I find it hard to describe what exactly I don't like about the album.

Nothing can beat Joni Mitchell a bad day. I added “Harry’s House” to my playlist.

Back in the day I bought this album on cassette at a W H Smith sale. It came without a case and the inlay. It was therefore very cheap so I took a punt as I knew very little of Joni in those days but aware she was very big in other circles away from my own. When i played it I was disappointed mainly because it was a world away from the music I played then so I therefore didn’t give it chance to grow. That cassette does not now exist but in later years when I really did recognise the greatness of Joni it was replaced by CD and part of my extensive Joni collection. Whilst this album does not occupy my personal favourite top slot of that collection it is still an album played regularly. It is perhaps one of her least accessible albums and needs time to mature to find all its delights. Something to my regret I did not do with that cassette otherwise Joni would have come into my life a lot sooner than she did. 5/5 20/6/26

I like the Joni albums that play around with musical styles more, since her lyrics never really pull me in. This one had a nice variety to start but homogenized into her usual soft meandering by the end

got bored by the end a bit too jazz for my taste

i dont get joni and im ok with that

weird combo of styles

Wednesday, 17 June, 2026 The music is amazing. Joni’s voice and lyrics are amazing. They don’t sound great together here except a few tracks.

Quality stuff from a quality Canadian

I didn't like this as much as Blue, but it was still a pretty pleasant listen. I appreciate the experimentation and the jazz/rock style. I liked the music more than I liked the lyrics in some of the songs.

3.5 - need to listen again.

This is boring. Nothing to revisit

Can't really complain with more Joni Mitchell. There are maybe one or two blips here, but overall a pretty strong record where Mitchell experiments with the synthesizer and some sampling for the first time. The lyricism is prominent as per usual too, with Mitchell musing about suburban life and the patriarchy among other subjects. Calling this the third best Joni Mitchell album on this list is an accurate assessment I think.

поняла что прям неприятно её вокал слушать. сами песни-то ок, даже к тексту прислушивалась

Otro disco de Joni Mitchell, la sobre representación de artistas canadienes es insólita. Nada contra Joni, de hecho es lo mejorcito que han mostrado hasta ahora, pero aburren.

I really enjoyed the prevs joni record and gave this one multiple chances but for some reason never could quite get into it

Fine

If I remember correctly from when I was about one years old, this album was very divisive and alienated a number of Joni’s fans as a betrayal of her earlier, more straight forward (which is arguable), acoustic guitar driven material. But whatever. It has largely been appraised as a masterpiece 50 some years later. And that is correct. Perhaps my favorite Joni album. And I just love love love the cover art.

It sounds ahead of its time, like I would have placed it as mid-80s. But still, I think you had to be there to appreciate it?

Fun, but not an album I'll be returning to. Also the engineering for this album did not help her out with the mixing. Her voice sounds disjointed from the production.

Buddy the Elf’s insistence that singing is easy because “it's just like talking except louder and longer and you move your voice up and down” is such a perfect description of Joni’s approach to songwriting. She’s a poet. Het music is an afterthought and it sounds it at every turn. And it may be one thing if you like her poetry. I don’t.

Lovely. Favorite track: Jungle Line

Joni ventures further into the world of jazz-pop in this more avant-garde-ish album. Subtle melodies and strange orchestration fill the sound of this album, which is not particularly hard to listen to but at the same time really fails to grasp the listener. I can sort of see the sound she is going for but this isn't for me.

Well, wow, thank you 1001, that was amazing. I was only vaguely familiar with some of the Joni Mitchell albums with Jaco Pastorius that came after this, but this is fantastic and it feels like one listen did not do it justice. I'm increasingly a sucker for this kind of 70s jazz-rock (or I guess jazz-folk here?) but it is rare to have a singer and songwriter like Joni Mitchell heading it all. Glad to have this blind spot in my musical understanding removed.

With all due respect, I just don't care for Joni Mitchell.

I appreciate that Joni Mitchell is an icon who has influenced countless artists, but her music doesn't do it for me.

I tried this many times and it was nice but didn’t blow me away. Neutral.

She has this velvety, poetic way of singing that's so alluring!

Joni Mitchell's The Hissing of Summer Lawns trades her signature raw intimacy for over-produced, avant-garde pretension that alienates the listener. The jarring integration of jazz fusion rhythms and repetitive Moog synthesizers completely suffocates her melodies. Ultimately, the album replaces genuine human emotion with cold, spoken-word critiques of suburban life that feel more condescending than artistic. Boring and annoying.

My first time listening to this one from one of the all time great songwriters. A brilliant record, one I could probably give 5 stars to once I know the songs better. There’s an impressive range of sounds on this record, including some synths toward the end? Excellent.

Great album overall. Surprised by how much I enjoyed the album while also not really finding any tracks to be standouts

Great album! I’m starting to think Mitchell can do no wrong 5/5

It's not you, Joni, it's me. I'm just not mature enough for you. Somewhere there's a desert island where all the "alone on an island" albums have collected. This one can go there, as long as my isolated island is on the other side of the earth. I don't think I've ever heard someone claim they "were rock 'n rollin'" with less rock 'n rollin'. I know, I'm one of those uncultured Joni haters. Just can't break through.

Much more sonically inventive than the Joni Mitchell I was previously aware of.

Many of the artists I like seem to appreciate Joni, but this album doesn’t do it for me.

4/10 Pretty okay but not my favorite type of music.

I can see how someone would like this. I am not someone.

it's pretty good. fleetwood mac vibes. not too much my style

I feel guilty with how I am scoring all these Joni Mitchell records. She clearly writes exquisitely crafted character studies. They’re just about people and situations I don’t care about. Bit like Jane Austen.

Pretty good - pleasant listen

What a songwriter, what a voice. Who does it like Joni? You can hear her continuing the jazz influence from ‘Court and Spark’ that would fully emerge on ‘Hejira’, and I appreciate the production choices that play around with her voice. It’s not as weird as ‘Hejira’ and not as accessible as ‘Court and Spark’, but for what could be called a transitional record it sure is damn good. And it really all goes back to her writing: vivid, sharp, funny, honest, and always certifiably Mitchell. Thank you list, I am now a true believer. The bass on the title track had me ascending.

Not sure on this one, would probably need a Few more plays to get into it, prefer her earlier stuff

4/5

Groovy and good lyrics. Little bit of lounge mixed in. Easy to listen to. Solid and at times beautiful, but also somewhat forgettable.

Poetry. I’m so glad for this, because I know she’s a legend, but I’ve never taken the time to sit in her library. This fits such a coffee on a weekend morning mood. I need to get her on vinyl. Listened to this twice, thumbs up on almost every song. The jazz tones are sublime, and she’s truly writing poetry and putting it over music. Deep, profound, lowkey, really beautiful stuff, but the one caveat I’ll add is that you really have to listen — the music is moody, but you have to pay attention, live with it for a while, to really let the vibe set in. Will now be scrubbing the rest of her discography.

It's okay

i've never listened to joni mitchell before but this was a pleasant surprise. it was really chill, felt like sitting with yourself outside on a hot summer day with a cold glass of ice tea or something and watching nature. spoke to the english major in me lol

While beautiful, it all turns into elevator music.

Joni's a genius and national treasure, but her avant jazz poet phase has never done much for m.

Very much a mixed bag. I was taken by “Shades of Scarlett Conquering” and “Harry’s House,” but some of these songs sound to me like failed experiments.

Cozy and pleasant.

... I've never heard this Joni album before. I'm delighted I have now. Love the synths, the jazz, the innovation. It sounds quite far ahead of it's peers compared to others of this era. Really interesting.

Not actually my favourite Joni album but still, it's flawlessly beautiful

Yep I liked this one

2 stars. Couldn’t wait for it to be finished. Only saving grace is that it isn’t that long of an album

She can sing and has some interesting things to say. Musically pretty solid too. My everyday listening or lifestyle really doesnt mesh well with this. Still appreciate Joni a lot.

Nice vocals, but mostly really boring.

The lyrics may have been poignant, but I was too bored to listen to them. I think this is a "give another chance" later sort of album, really need full focus to appreciate.

It was okay but just kinda boring for me. Felt like a safe album with no risks or interesting sections. Now that it’s the next day, this album was so forgettable that I can’t even recall anything about it.

Not my favorite Joni album but I’m rounding up because this deserves more love on here

Would have been cool if Jomi had chosen The Jungle Line as the opening track, it's mix of African drumming patterns and synths is quite ahead of it's time. I prefer her jazzier, more experimental side to straight up folk stuff, and the lyrics are always coming from an interesting perspective.

I don’t get Joni Mitchell. Might be too sophisticated for me, but respect the craft. Unlike say Elvis Costello she doesn’t come across as pretentious to me.

I am familiar with Joni Mitchell and currently have 10 songs liked by her - with 6 of those from the Hejira album which I listened to because of this project and gave it 4 stars. After listening to this 3 times - not one song grabbed me as something I need to hear again. Not sure what happened - maybe I am not in a Joni mood today. Maybe this isn't different enough from Hejira that it's not compelling me to want to listen to it again. Don't know - but it just didn't grab me. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/10 Rating: 1/5

absolutely beautiful cover art. very easy and chill listen

Jazz and patriarchy. What's not to love? Moog synth in The Jungle Line made a good listen. One reviewer stated "like listening to a painting". And Prince was a Joni fan, so there is that sway for me.

I tend to find singer/songwriters fairly boring. This one was less so, but probably not something I'll return to. There were some interesting/weird bits, so I guess it was worth the listen once. At least she has a good voice.

I consider Joni Mitchell to be a great songwriter. To me, her magnum opus was released four years before this one. This album is simply a good record. I can’t say much about it other than that it’s tight and features some interesting lyrics, but Mitchell plays it a bit too safe vocally while the jazz-influenced instrumentals seem to be doing their own thing. Still, it’s a good one. My favorite songs were "Edith and the Kingpin" and the title track, "The Hissing of Summer Lawns".

Good hosting music! Smooth and palatable. I enjoyed the guitar licks and the bluesy rhythms. The album is also very well recorded. I think it meandered around a little too much to be a compelling full-album listen, but I’ll definitely be coming back to some tracks.

Nothing extraordinary but pretty nice listen. Harry’s House / Centerpiece was the best song. Fitting name.

Solid album. Good listen.

Possibly the last great Joni Mitchell album. Quite an introspective album, kicking off with in France they kiss on main street which is brisk and fun. The rest of the album never quite meets those heights but there are songs such as Edith and the kingpin which tell a wonderful story. Not quite amongst joni's best but not far off it.

muy dulce, bonito, con buenos sonidos, me gustó mucho

Continuing the Joni Mitchell discography in order following “Blue”, then “Court and Spark”, today we have “The Hissing Of Summer Lawns”. 3/4 Joni Mitchell albums down now, just 1 more to go. I didn’t like Blue, as I thought it was boring and I didn’t gel with her voice all that much. The next album, Court and Spark, really surprised me though, and I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I did Blue. How does The Hissing Of Summer Lawns fare, you ask?? Well, more or less the same as Court and Spark. It's fine. I think I'm actually getting used to her voice now. I don't dislike it as much as I used to. I would still definitively never return to this album, but I never actively wanted to turn it off. It's peaceful, and when it's not boring the hell out of me, it's pretty good. That being said, the first song, "In France They Kiss on Main Street", sets a pretty good precedent for the album, which then proceeds to fall off of a cliff in enjoyment until we hit my favorite song towards the end of the album, "Harry's House/ Centerpiece". Unfortunately, it must be said. This album is painfully boring, and Joni herself doesn't help her case. Some songs are pretty unique, but most of them sound the exact same as any other Joni Mitchell album. She has such a specific way of singing that works in small doses, but an entire 42 minute long album of it is a lot to go through. I don't know man, if you're into this kind of stuff, that's cool with me. I think it's fine personally, but I can only handle it in small doses. It's undeniably pretty boring and forgettable, which as I always say, doesn't make it bad, just nothing to write home about. The background elements and instruments in "Harry's House/ Centerpiece" actually did resonate with me though, Joni's voice be damned. It's easy enough to drown it out. Not tremendously easy, but easy enough to let the song stay enjoyable. Well, I think at the bare minimum I've gotten use to her style. Not enough to really call me a fan, but enough that I can give this a 3 instead of a 2 and not feel bad about it. I haven't actually returned to Blue since the day I heard it. I know that's considered by many to be her magum opus. Curious if I would still give it a 2 if I heard it again now, but also don't know if I care enough to go back and re-judge it. Well, one more of these to go. Will she finish off strong?? Only time will tell. This one wasn't terrible, and had a few good moments, but none that are going to stick with me after today.

Could post an identical review for every Joni album. Great, distinct voice. Splendid songwriting. Utterly forgettable

This album is like Steely Dan in drag. Very nice stuff. Here's a little homework for you. I searched "Joni Mitchell negro affectations" to figure out what those lyrics meant in "The Boho Dance" and came across a staggering wiki article on Joni Mitchell's use of blackface? It all seemingly started as a pun on her muse being her "Art" who, it turns out, is an imaginary black man who dresses like a pimp. She even "jokingly" referred to Muhammad Ali as a "jive-ass nigger". Joni, no. It's quite a wild read ✊🏿

1: OK track, hope it gets better. Interesting beat to lyrics choices 2: the tribal drums of Jodi Mitchell. Bad 3: jazzy ballad. Kinda sucks 4: folksy eh Bad. Dropped

A bit too religious for me

Not the best Joni Mitchel but still decent

Awful

Joni + jazz? Just such a chill, mellow relaxing record. I had Joni come up on the list 2 days running so I left this a couple of days just so as not to over-joni myself. I gave the last one a 4. But this is even better so I have nowhere else to go other than 5.

She’s some lyricist

Another Joni Mitchell album makes the list. I already listened to her Court and Spark album, and seeing as I gave it five stars, I obviously loved it. Court and Spark was released in January 1974, and The Hissing of Summer Lawns was released in November 1975. Almost two years in between albums. Will there be a change? I’m not sure. It seems Mitchell wrote all the songs, though a couple had co-writers. Let’s just jump in, shall we? Track 1 is In France They Kiss on Main Street and it was the lone single off the album, though I’m not sure Mitchell was much of a singles act. Oooh, this is nice. It’s kind of Yacht Rock-ish. Oh yeah, Skunk Baxter is playing lead guitar on this song. James Taylor is singing background vocals. Baxter’s leads make this song sound musically like a Steely Dan song. Why was I ever afraid of Joni Mitchell? I think I heard her sing in the 1990s, and she was doing something weird at that time. It frightened me. This, though, this stuff is magic. Oh, David Crosby and Graham Nash are also singing background vocals. That song was fire! Track 2 is The Jungle Line, and it’s much different. The percussion is giving off jungle vibes, but it sounds like synths are playing the melody. It’s very mysterious. It sounds like an 8-bit video game. Wow! Apparently, this song is the first commercially released song officially credited with containing a sample. It’s a looping of drums from a song by the Drummers of Burundi. I was not expecting that. She not only used a sample in the song, but she also preceded the use of world music in her music before it became popular with Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel about 10 years later. The song is ahead of its time, but it’s too weird to really get into for me. Its groove gives me a Queens of the Stone Age vibe. Oh Lord. Check out this quote from Mitchell about the song. “I thought I was black for about three years. I felt like there was a black poet trapped inside me, and that song was about Harlem.” That’s brilliant. She went on to say people just thought the song was weird. It is. Track 3 is Edith and the Kingpin, and it sounds more like track 1. This song is about a gangster’s new girl coming to town. For Daredevil fans, and even for me, when I think Kingpin, I think the Marvel Comics Kingpin. But the word was just kind of generic until the character was created. Larry Carlton, who also logged some time with Steely Dan, is on lead guitar. This song is really good. It’s not like Track 1, Baxter’s guitar playing really elevated that song, but I love this song. Mitchell sounds beautiful. Track 4 is Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow and apparently, Mitchell sang the lyrics in a stream of consciousness style. The song is about a woman standing up to male dominance. This is a more chill song with acoustic guitars and some bongos. Very folky, especially the stream of consciousness lyrics. I know I made fun of Mitchell earlier, and she’s a bit weird, but most genius artists are a bit mad. She’s not afraid to take chances, that’s for sure. That’s admirable. The music gives me Crosby, Stills, and Nash vibes. It’s folk, but it has a groove. I really dig it. Track 5 is Shades of Scarlett Conquering and this song is based on Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With the Wind, or something like that. It starts with a piano and a vibraphone, I believe. It’s another mellow song, but not folk. This is more Yacht Rock. It gives me less Steely Dan and more Seals and Crofts. The musicians on this album are incredible. It’s hard not to have great songs when you have some of the best and most well-known jazz and rock session artists playing. Mitchell’s voice is so good on this song. Track 6 is The Hissing of Summer Lawns. I wonder what the hissing is? Mowers? Sprinklers? The song appears to be about a woman who is less a wife and more of a stock in her rich husband’s portfolio. Oooh, it starts a bit grimy for Yacht Rock. You can tell something’s up. The electric piano is really laying it down. It’s one of my favorite sounds in music. It really gets you in the mood for some messiness. Oh snap! We’ve got horns! This is easily my favorite song on this album. As usual, Michell shines on the track as well. I used to think she was overrated because I was an idiot. Now I think she’s underrated, as a singer, a songwriter, anything, really. Track 7 is The Boho Dance, and it's about people who believe that artists who become commercially successful have sold out their artistic integrity. All artists want to be able to live on their art. They also want the most people to hear or see their art. Why make it if not to share it and make a living? I wonder if we lost some artists who were gone too soon due to fans' assertions that they sold out? That pressure can mess with your head. Track 8 is Harry’s House/Centerpiece, and it’s more of the same. Just great music and Mitchell’s beautiful voice. I love that horns haven’t really been on this album until the last few songs. It really keeps the music fresh. The song is about a failing marriage and a traveling businessman dealing with the loneliness of the road. I wonder if Mitchell wasn’t feeling the same. A touring musician’s life has to be rough. I mean, we’d all trade our jobs for that life, but you see the road littered with the bodies of broken and battered music “superstars.” In the middle of Harry’s House, the song shifts into the jazz standard, Centerpiece, and it sounds incredible. Mitchell’s voice completely changes for this part of the song. She sounds totally different. Holy smokes, that piano solo is insane. I’ve got this turned up way too loud, but I can’t bring myself to lower the volume. Maybe I am a jazz guy after all. The song switches back to Harry’s House for about a minute before fading out. Great tune or tunes, I guess I should say. Track 9 is Sweet Bird and this appears to be the type of song I thought Mitchell always sang, a folk song. There’s an acoustic guitar and what I think is a steel guitar, but it’s most likely a slide guitar, as there is no steel guitar listed on Wikipedia, and they know all. In the middle of the song, a piano joins in, and the time signature does something weird and totally throws me off. The only percussion seems to be a guitar pick striking muted strings. At least that’s what it sounds like. This isn’t my favorite song on the album, but it’s not bad. She sounds incredible. Track 10 is Shadows and Light it’s just Mitchell singing with overdubs of her voice as backing vocals. The only instrument is, according to Wikipedia, an ARP machine. From Google, “These iconic machines are known for their distinctive, often ‘spacey’ analog sounds and were used by artists like Herbie Hancock, Kraftwerk, and to create the voice of R2-D2.” Yes, it definitely sounds spacey for sure. This song is weird. I mean, weirder than The Jungle Line. It reminds me of the keyboard solo that opens Bon Jovi’s Let It Rock from the Slippery When Wet album. It’s not bad, but it feels weird. Mitchell’s singing in this song reminds me of the sirens singing on O Brother Where Art Thou. The scene where Pete got loved up and turned into a horny toad. Well, that was a great album. It was both fun and weird, and I discovered it was the album she recorded after Court and Spark. I loved that album, and it was more jazzy and experimental than her previous albums, according to Wikipedia. I’ll be interested to listen to her folk albums that made her name. When the album came out, it wasn’t received well. I wonder if it was because critics were used to and loved Mitchell’s folk music and weren’t ready for her to experiment. One critic said the music wasn’t good, and the lyrics were the best thing about the album. That guy is an idiot. I loved the music on this album, and the lyrics are great, but Mitchell is a poet, of course, the lyrics were great. As time has gone on, more critics have come around to how great the album is, and apparently, Prince loved it. I loved this album too. I think it’s a great album, I’ll give it five stars, and I recommend you listen to it, especially if you like Yacht Rock or you don’t know Mitchell beyond her folk music style.

Best Song: Edith and the Kingpin. Evocative lyrics and a great showcase of Mitchell's exemplary phrasing. Worst Song: Shadows and Light. I found the layered vocals and the reverb organ really cheesy, like she was trying to force a kind of gospel aesthetic into a discotheque. Overall: It's undoubtedly Joni Mitchell. Sometimes an artist has so distinct an artistic voice that there can emerge a sort of sameness that hangs over their music. No one else sounds quite like Joni Mitchell, so when I listen to her I sometimes feel like I have to actively work past hearing what she sounds like in an archetypal way to hear what she sounds like specifically, on this or that song. That doesn't make a ton of sense. The album is fine.

First song starts just on point Edith and the kingpin is beautiful :) is perfect for a sunday night odissea or morning with coffee and tea, vwey sweet bird is beautiful, reminded me of maggie rogers on her ballad era. shocked with the last song so beautiful made me feel moved.

I don’t know what it is but JM just doesn’t connect with me. A lot of people whose taste I respect are big fans but it hasn't clicked with me yet. Maybe someday.

Love Joni, this one is weird in an interesting way. Some of it’s great and some are just strange. A couple of songs seem to meander and I have trouble connecting to them. But most of the time the weirdness works.

I’m a big fan of Joni, especially her pre-1980s work. Hot take, I know. I think this album is great. It’s a 4 among a bunch of 5s. If I were making this list and was being selfish, I’d include this too. If I were being objective, I’d probably include 3 or 4 Joni albums, and this wouldn’t make the cut.

Started weak, but smooth. Assorted amounts of sounds here. More of this.

Easy listen but no stand outs

Mediokert

En del är rätt bra. Allt är inte bra.

Jag tycker om när de jazziga inslagen är framträdande som i inledande In french the kiss… Tankarna går vid flera tillfällen till Laura Nyro och Wendy Waldman. Inte minst vad gäller harmonier låtarnas struktur. Nick Drake är väl också en relevant referens. Tycker nog inte att Mitchell gör det bättre än någon av dessa, även om albumet växer vid ytterligare genomlyssningar (funkar för övrigt dåligt som bakgrundsmusik, utan kräver någorlunda aktiv lyssning). Går från en svag tvåa till en stark trea.

Jag har gett Joni ett par lyssningar men hon tilltalar mig inte nämnvärt. Produktionen är tidstypisk murrig. Det blir någon form av skvalig fusionjazz som varken är jazz eller singer-songwriter. Med fyra sjuttitalsalbum av Joni i boken återstår att se om det blir bättre eller mer av samma.

I liked Blue. This album is ass. Made it halfway through before I gave up

Im slightly in love with Joni Mitchell.

'twas alright. It probably had a lot better story telling. But I'm much more of a musician side than a lyrics side.

I feel like I would have liked this a lot more if I was a lesbian. I love Joni, but not feeling this album more than a 3.3.

As with the last Joni album, it feels like a close listen to the storytelling in the lyrics would elevate this. But even only catching snippets, her beautiful voice and the stories she weaves made this an enjoyable listen. 6/10 Pretty Good

Mitchell is super talented. I've enjoyed albums of hers in the past but this one never grabbed me. I think it would be really cool if I actively listened more, but I'm just haven't been in the mood for this type of music lately.

Mitchell continues to evolve from just being another folkie with a guitar and embraces a more jazzy sound. Unfortunately I found this record dull as dishwater. Mitchell's voice is not particularly strong or memorable and I wasn't pulled in by her words. The random flourishes of jazz instrumentation are the strongest parts of the album. Album closer 'Shadows And Light' is the best song on here. Mitchell's usage of a synthesiser gave the song a choral feel. The sampling of African music on the 'Jungle Line' just reminded me of how Mitchell would dress up in blackface for her bizarre alter-ego. I'd recommend googling that story as it is way more interesting than anything you will find on here. This is the type of folk music that I can't vibe with.

Pretty nice album I enjoyed this

Interesting but I didn't find any song especially exciting. Great voice though.

More of the jazzy style from Hejira and Court and Spark. Once again the music and the singing exist separately from each other and her vocal delivery ignores the pacing and tempo that the instruments are setting. She has a great voice and the backing tracks aren't too bad, but it doesn't come together into something that's enjoyable for me.

A pure and incomparable treat. A folk journey translated from Jazz. An enormous treat with the song Jungle Line - laying down the ground work for indie rock everywhere.

Not a big fan

2/5

great

Woof…1001 needs to space out their Joni Mitchell assignments more. Odd duck this album. I was pretty neutral and that is fine.

Much like anal sex, one must really be in the mood to enjoy Joni Mitchell. Being ordered to engage in such activities by random generator will never quite hit the spot.

Pa la verdad le tenía fe pero me aburrió bastante je, un bajonazo

God I love women. the album is so mellow but she keeps it interesting, I love the incorporation of jazz and her voice is amazing

I'm not a fan, but I was surprised how this landed. Far better than expectations. Her sound has matured from earlier releases, and for the better. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit 🫳 ★★★☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 302 Already owned : 68 Purchased : 15 To buy : 4 Nope : 215

This is good, I like a lot of the more experimental stuff and the more jazz inspired musical style. Overall I enjoyed it

The accompanying music didn't do much for me but Joni has an amazing soulful voice which demands attention. Favorite track: The Hissing of Summer Lawns

A good album, I liked Edith and the Kingpin and Shadows and Light the most.

Don't Interrupt The Sorrow

I much prefer Blue - but it’s still Joni. She’s a legend

Ok

Please stop giving me Joni Mitchell albums

This was one of the first Joni albums I ever owned and, like the rest, I am still getting more from it with every listen. For me it’s melancholy and hauntingly beautiful. By 1975, jazz is a major player in the Joni sound and it works wonderfully well. Extra dimensions to her songwriting and more depth to the sound. What I would like to hear is the non-existent outtakes that would be an album just of tracks like The Jungle Line. It’s so unique, just a looped sample(!)of some Burundi, and a synth line overlayed with voice. Startling and innovative. There are other Joni albums that I enjoy more than this one, but I’m tempted to give it a 5 anyway. It’s incredible from beginning to end, so it feels only fair.

I’ve never been a Joni Mitchell person and this was kind of a snooze fest. Beautiful at times, delicate and folk that felt very jazz inspired but it’s just not my cup of tea.

Barely okay

JFC another Joni Mitchell. The more I listen to her, the less I respect her.

The thing with Joni Mitchell is, I am sure if you really listen to the words, there is some deep meaning there. But if you just have it playing in the background like I do, it a just sounds the same.

Great listening experience. I personally just discovered Joni Mitchell with this album and I plan to listen to her entire discography. Lyrically poetic and meaningful, and musically a very polished and meticulous soft rock album, with some jazz influences and subtle synthesizers. The cover art is also captivating, and knowing it was done by the artist herself adds to its mystique. Some songs are a bit too long, and i don´t like the second song at all, that`s the only real critic i have. Maybe i would rate the album as a 3.5 out of 5, but we cant put half points, so i will rate it as 3, cause 4 its a little bit too much. Anyway, grat listen recomended for everyone

Good.

I didn't like this quite as much as Hejira but that one took me a while to get into so it might get there. I liked the stuff that was closer to that style, the more synthesizer driven things weren't as strong for me...I didn't particularly like The Jungle Line, but it worked ok on Shadows and Light.

no

The instrumentation on this is pretty good for folk music (although the bar to clear is on the floor for folk). Her repetitive way of singing her poetic lyrics (or stupid lyrics, depending on your perspective) is supremely annoying and had me wishing she would change her delivery by the 8th track - which she thankfully did. Overall, the jazzier bits are enjoyable, even if they're very basic jazz bits, and there is enough variety to make this listenable. 3.0/5.0: Good

much more interesting than the first joni album we had

Interesting and pleasant sometimes but probably wouldnt play again

I don’t think I’m at a very Joni Mitchell time of my life. Seems to have been a lot of Joni Mitchell put in my life by this website though.

I quite enjoy the vocal style, and the lyrics are decent, but the instrumentals just feel very interesting to me, and I enjoy those even more.

This is not the Joni Mitchell I knew! Wow! Great album. I enjoyed it immensely and will have to add it to my library!

Didn't have my favorite songs of hers but for some reason I'm a little enchanted by her music.

Not at all what I expected. Lots of different sounds and instruments. I didn't like it, but I'm glad I listened to it. I suppose that's the point of this whole thing.

This is my first Joni Mitchell listen outside of Big Yellow Taxi but I like the majority of this album. There’s a few misses but the high points really stand out. Even the songs that I don’t particularly like seem really well put together. I’m excited to listen to more.

My favorite was probably Harry's House/Centerpiece. I'm not always clicking with how the lyrics break time from the music, but I think other works from Joni might hit better for me.

Another pleasant and nicely sung album by Joni Mitchell. Plenty of good songs, but a little lacking in energy compared to her previous album "Court and Spark". My favorite track was "The Hissing of Summer Lawns". My least favorite was "Harry's House / Centerpiece". The instrumentals on that track are a little too harsh. 3.5 stars.

Bob Dylan isn’t even half as good as Joni Mitchell.

The sound of Joni’s early work evokes such warm and comforting feelings. Her delivery, cadence, lyrics evokes such wonderful memories from my youth. This album is no exception. Great instrumentation and vocals.

This was really good. I don’t like all of Joni Mitchell’s music, but I do enjoy exploring it

i'm still on the last couple of songs but this is an easy 5. such a gorgeous and easy listen. it's like the music equivalent of feeling the warmth of the sun on your face on a summer's day. also really hearing her influence on the shibuya kei genre here

One of her best

Overall: 8/10 Another great, jazzy folk album from the canadian queen. Her voice is always so effortlessly beautiful, and I think the best parts of this album is when she lets the musicians let loose with the jazziness. I think I prefer Hejira a little bit but this is such a great mid period album from her. Fav Song: Shades of Scarlett Conquering

4.5/5

As someone who is both self proclaimed "open minded" and isn't a fan of hippie folk music, I went into this album expecting to roll my eyes and gag, but was pleasantly surprised by a strong and unique opener of a song that made me question my distaste for Joni Mitchell, and I started to question everything. That didn't last long as the album slowly descends from really good into mediocracy. Life went back to normal... But! This wasn't that bad, so I shall investigate further. 3/5 stars

Final Joni Mitchell, and what a ride it's been. I went from hating Blue, to being indifferent towards Court and Spark to then somewhat seeing the merit in Hejira. Hopefully I'll come away liking this album with how my opinion of Mitchell has been trending, but in all fairness she does have three misses to her name. It's been about 340 albums since I listened to Hejira. I don't recall much about the album, though I do remember liking the warm acoustic guitars. Joni's songwriting remained distinctly shitty, however. It wasn't as bad as it was on Blue, but she sure does love that warbling, waffling vocal style. I'm a proud, card-carrying woman respector, BUT that style of music is so incredibly menopausal and has tormented generations of wahmen (i.e., Kate Bush and Bjork). We need to keep women out of the recording studio until they can learn how to behave. Anyways, on with the album of the hour. I guess my Joni Mitchell worst to best ranking is in chronological order. I liked this more than Court and Spark, but Hejira is the more fully-realised body of music. The appeal of this album is contained in just a few bits and pieces for me. Joni Mitchell is at her best when conveying a warm sound through her guitars, and such a strength is rarely given time to shine on this album. The guitars have a near-constant presence, yet they're continuously muddied by the jazz and electronic influence peeking through on this album. What's worse is that none of these components are bad. The jazz and electronic instrumentation occasionally has its moments, yet the music never comes together into a satisfying whole. I know Mitchell is primarily revered for her lyrics, so I hope can be forgiven for not paying any attention to them. I'm more than used to her lyrical style at this point, and said style in incredibly jarring. Mitchell abandons any regard for solid vocal hooks and gripping songwriting, instead zeroing in on these bloviating, platitudinous, arrhythmic messes of songs that are stretched incredibly thin and go absolutely fucking NOWHERE. Her worst eccentricities are more reeled back in the case of this album, but I'm still left scratching my head regardless. Overall, this was a fine album, even if I was left twiddling my thumbs for most of it. Book time. Preceded the popularisation of jazz and world music by over a decade, apparently. "...the artist pigeonholed as a confessional folk star dazzled with an eclectic collection of symphonic-style compositions". A politispergy album that laments "...the spiritual bankruptcy of the U.S. meritocracy", whatever that may mean (I don't speak liberalbabble). The rest of this entry is just about the lyrics. Wikipedia says this album belongs to a period of experimentation in Joni Mitchell's discography, had a good number of collaborators and was initially shunned by critics before receiving a glowing reappraisal in the years following. The album charted well in every Anglosphere country aside from New Zealand and was the 58th best-selling album on the year-end Canadian charts. The album also peaked at No. 16 on the US charts in 2024 when it was re-issued on vinyl. Yeah, I'm favourable to this pick. It's distinct within her discography and four Joni Mitchell albums seems right for an artist of this standing. I cosign this inclusion.

Perfect voice.

Joni is always a treat. This moves here from her popular song approach with a focus on personal songs.

Not as arresting as some of her other work but did like the electronic elements of this

4/5. Though a folk artist, Joni Mitchell always took a lot of influence from jazz music and this record is where that influence shines most, creating a nice and breezy album that blends together folk, jazz and synths along with other elements. And this new sound immediately shows itself on the opening song “in France they kiss on Main Street” with its great bass-lines and slight time signature changes. And it’s a great tone setter for the rest of the album which also showcases Joni playing with new sounds while not sacrificing her musical personality. Great listen and like a lot of Joni Mitchell’s 70’s run, essential folk.

Kinda sounds gospel-y

Not bad, not great. Okay folk music.

So far my favorite joni mitchell album ive heard. Great instrumentation and story telling from joni

Was pretty interesting to hear an artist I usually associate with the neo-folk movement took a more electric and lounge direction. But after the first few tracks the novelty wore off and totally tuned out. Might feel differently about this one if I didn’t listen to it while staying late at work.

Smooth and jazzy. A good weekend morning record.

got some decent stuff

Joni Mitchell is for white woman who used to do coke

Soft jazz folk rock isn't for me, but I really liked The Jungle Line. Seemed quite out of place with the rest of the album. If you told me it was a current artist and recorded recently, I'd believe it. 1.5⭐️

Not her best but still very good

natural, and also imaginative; simple and unadorned

She has a soothing voice. Soft smooth and summery. Joni is always good stuff.

Her voice is really nice. I don’t know why I hate it so much!

Songs are lacking

Objectively good, but extremely not for me. This rating is a compromise.

Really cool

Nice vibes.

There's some on stuff here, but not much for me.

Die Art des Gesangs steht für Ehrlichkeit und Authentizität. Grossartiges Album

Joni Mitchell – The Hissing Of Summer Lawns (1975) On Day 98, I made a great discovery with this album. What I love about Joni Mitchell is her sweet harmony sound, it makes it almost impossible not to listen or focus on her songs. The music is incredibly engaging, and the way the instruments complement her vocals is just sweet. This album is a great conscious example of her talent. Standout tracks for me were "Don't Interrupt The Sorrows," the complex "Harry's House/Centerpiece," and the atmospheric "Shadows and Light." The production and musicianship are top-tier, creating an immersive experience from start to finish. A definitive 5/5.