1001 Albums Generator
The Hissing Of Summer Lawns by Joni Mitchell

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns

Joni Mitchell

1975
3.12
Rating
22848
Votes
1
6%
2
20%
3
40%
4
25%
5
9%
Distribution
Genres: Folk, Jazz Styles: Singer Songwriter, Folk Rock, Acoustic, Fusion, Contemporary Jazz

Reviews (page 3 of 8)

Maybe I'm not as big a Joni Mitchell fan as I thought I was. This album is really good, musically, but all of a sudden I may have had enough of her voice. Her singing style is quite samey on all songs, with most phrases ending with the same vibrato. Kudos for the 1st sample ever, apparently, and Drummers of Burundi (which I love) at that! It's a 3.5 for me.

seems like a good summation of Joni's songwriting/capabilities and influences up to this point. for folk rocky. more orchestral and expansive. not my favorite of hers but still great songwriting/playing

Fantastic

Certainly Joni Mitchell deserves a few albums on this list. But this one? It feels like a throat clearing for Hejira. It’s very good. But I look at the albums by other artists that aren’t on this list and wonder.

It sounds like, literally and metaphorically, a rehearsal for Hejira which is vastly superior. Typical overkill by Dimery and his cronies.

I am going to defer to Jessica Hopper's excellent overview of Joni Mitchell's studio albums (https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17269-the-studio-albums-1968-1979/). Ms Hopper is a critic I much admire for her incisive analysis and excellent writing: "Mitchell saw there was not much of a place for her amongst the new talents and the Peter Pan-ing crew she came up with, as a woman in her early 30s, and she saw jazz as a genre that would allow her to age gracefully and expand as an artist-- and so there she went. She was trying to find or develop a place to belong. Through all of this she arrived at Hissing of Summer Lawns. The 1975 album marks Mitchell's official departure from the mainstream, her embarking upon her jazzbo journey. It's the album of an artist absolutely assured of herself, and it's addressed to anyone who might not consider her a serious musician, who believed all she could do was confess her heartache. Though it doesn't have the rhapsodic rep as Blue, it's unquestionably one of Mitchell's finest albums, and it is certainly her most timeless. ... The rest of the record is dark, tense, and lilts unapologetically toward something softer and more ornate than jazz fusion (no more than the later Steely Dan records it predated) with Mitchell singing observationally, about the place of women in the world, about the trade-offs they make for power and freedom. ... Mitchell had never made a record that wasn't bigger than the one before and was shocked that her fans and many critics saw her new sound as an abandonment and misguided move, respectively. Reviewers chastised her for her ego. While the album went gold and brought her a Grammy nod, as her 1974 live album Miles of Aisles attests (a wonky fiasco, skip it) there were still plenty of people shouting for "Big Yellow Taxi". But that Joni didn't live here anymore. Hissing was proof. The era of Mitchell doing no wrong was over and if her audience couldn't hang, she wasn't about to do anything to reel them back in." I will confess I don't like this album as much as Ms Hopper does; the jazz-ness of Hissing _does_ leave me behind. It's just not my taste, although I respect Joni for going where her artistic instincts determined. This is an album I admire more than love because it just isn't my thing (not that there is anything wrong with that).

probably the worst Joni Mitchell album in this list so far, but still so far above others.

Pretty good

Interesting music arrangements behind a strong vocal talent.

Joni Mitchell er töfrakona og þessi plata er frábær.

#78/1001 🇨🇦 Another Joni Mitchell. For me this one doesn"t match up to Blue or Hejira. I think i prefer Clouds too. The record has a nice folk / jazzy feel, bluesy at times and some more experimental parts. It didn't quite hit the mark with 2 listens today but might be a grower. Best tracks: The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Harrys House, Don't Interupt the Sorrow.

Folk jazz fusion isn’t for me, but the strength of the lyrics saves this being painful.

The generator has been hooking me up with all sorts of jazz fusion lately, and it's been pretty good so far. There's enough complexity and variety here to warrant a relisten, even if only to absorb the imagery and themes depicted in the lyrics (most of which went over my head). Oh, and the painting on the cover looks really cool.

70’s Folk ⭐️Shadows and Light

Chill moody cool girl music. I like it

Great storytelling and lyrics. Quintessential Joni Mitchell, fan of the explorative instrumentals, reminded me of 70s Arabic rock jazz

Quite a fun listen, I enjoyed it about as much as blue, I did find myself getting a bit bored by the end but I though it was well produced great musicality and great songwriting

Really nice. Classic Joni.

This is the second Joni Mitchell Album I've reviewed, and much like Court and Spark it's jazzy, meandering and stunningly beautiful. The difference is that this album feels heavier and more experimental. I didn't expect to hear synthesizers and sampling on a Joni Mitchell record, but they're interesting and welcome additions in my book. To me, this album is weird and wonderful and every bit as good as its predecessor.

Kinda like this one the most from her Will I listen to again: 60%

You know what this will be. Every Joni Mitchell song is the same. Every Joni Mitchell album is the same. No variety whatsoever, I suppose Joni's voice is fine, but when you hear the same thing multiple times, it gets a bit annoying. I won't revisit because I know exactly what I will hear.

Waiting room music.

Loved it

It was very scary I am very scared of Joni Mitchell

staggeringly great writing from one of modern lyricism's best. she's so cutting and conversational and smart here, so deft with perspective, both cynical and empathetic. hard to see how any Blue acolytes took this as an abandonment when it boasts lines like "and you were in the parking lot/subterranean by your own design/the virtue of your style inscribed/upon your contempt for mine" maybe it was the knotted, hard-to-parse argument-song Don't Interrupt the Sorrow, a track which any Joanna Newsom fan with a yen for exegesis should look up immediately. more likely, though, it was the jazz. the noodly, layered, ever-shifting jazz, way less shiny and straight-ahead than the likes of Steely Dan would ever put down. i think the proggy complexity of these tracks really suits Mitchell's lyrics, and does some fantastic meaning-making itself on tracks like The Jungle Line and Harry's House/Centerpiece, the latter of which uses the genre's semi-antiquated reputation to the song's incisive benefit and man, so much of this is just Gorgeous! the sighing horns on The Boho Dance, that repeated lyrics at the end of Sweet Bird, the Bound 2 gospel-eruptions of Shadows and Light - all stunning. masterful, complex record, probably my favorite Mitchell and one of the more perfect sets of words anyone's ever set to music

This album is a journey. I really enjoyed her take on folk - felt very James Taylor meets America. Really interesting use of new instruments and were those synths i heard? I'm not even sure. Also! The opening song is probably my favorite opener of the series so far. Highlights: In France They Kiss On Main Street, Don't Interrupt The Sorrow, Edith and the Kingpin

truly a master at work here

Wel chill, niet zo mooi als Blue

I'm a fairly recent convert to Joni Mitchell, still in the process of exploring her wider discography including this release. It was my first spin and I liked it. A great inclusion of jazz into her mix. The standout piece in my opinion was Harry's House / Centerpiece, the piano solo really caught my attention. I also adored Sweet Bird with its more pure, traditional & open-tuned sound.

life changing

Beautiful arrangements and vocal work. Solid album!

I live her voice. It’s just not my style of music.

This wasn't bad, it made me feel pretty calm. But not something I'd go out of my way to listen to.

very whimsical

Track# 2 had weird sound effects that were irritating so I had to skip ahead to the next track. Only 3 tracks in and I already remember liking Court & Spark better. Still not bad. Rating: 3/5

This could be a 5 so good

After the stunningly great efforts of Blue (1971) and Court & Spark (1974), my standards for Joni Mitchell are high. The Hissing of Summer Lawns is a very respectable follow-up – but it's just a bit weaker. Like its predecessors, everything about the album is so soft, understated, beautiful. I do think Mitchell relaxes on the "hit factor" that made her previous work appeal to both music-geek crowds and wider audiences. And some of the tracks are too puzzling to really enjoy. Take The Jungle Line, an otherwise standard filler track from Mitchell... except we have a synth bass that's much louder than it should be. In a rare turn of events, I don't like the bass part here. It distracts from other elements (which are already few and far between). In France They Kiss on Main Street is an excellent jazzy opener that anticipates (or really, coincides with) Steely Dan's mid-to-late-70s signature harmonic sound (see: Night By Night, Sign In Stranger, Aja's piano part...). You could say this was a Dan cover and I'd believe you wholeheartedly. Those rapid-fire chords, sung with ridiculously complex voicings, are a great idea and I wish they'd caught on more in 70s mainstream rock. Harry's House / Centerpiece recapitulates the jazz fascination, this time not mixing it with any other genres. This is pure 1920s speakeasy music. And it's fantastic. Most of the remaining "good" tracks are just that: good (and nothing more). Apart from some wacky harmonies here and there, songs like Shades of Scarlett Conquering, Don't Interrupt the Sorrow, and The Boho Dance are straightforward mellow tunes, bordering on balladesque much of the time. I would like to see some more sonic variety on a Mitchell record at this point in her career. The title track does this excellently, sporting a meandering melody that takes from jazz and folk influences (though to be fair, this could describe most of her 70s output). Whoa! A song transition (The Boho Dance -> Harry's House / Centerpiece)! Mitchell's paying homage to prog rock, and I'm absolutely here for it. 4/5 Key tracks: In France They Kiss on Main Street, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Harry's House / Centerpiece

Nice easy listening

Lastig album om te reviewen! Waarom lastig? omdat de muziek gewoon niet echt mn ding is. De zang van Joni is ontzettend sterk, de productie zeer minimalistisch en haar verhalende manier van zingen is een beetje een acquired taste waarvan ik gewoon niet zo goed weet of ik m al heb. Ik neig sterk naar nee, omdat het heel erg voelt als een album dat je volledige aandacht nodig heeft, maar dat niet echt wilt pakken. Ja dit album pakt me gewoon niet helemaal. Hoe jammer ik dat ook ergens vind, maar het woord dat voornamelijk blijft hangen is 'prima'. Het is niet wereldschokkend en hoewel de zang erg sterk is, is het instrumentaal of als muziek gewoon niet al te spannend. Misschien ligt dat aan mijn aandachtsspanne, maar je kan niet 1089 albums luisteren en elk album een aantal keer opnieuw luisteren met de tekst er bij. Dat is de makke van deze 'challenge', maar het is niet anders. Sorry Joni, wel een mooie naam. FAVO: The hissing of summer lawns, Harry's House/Centerpiece

Ta bien, más o menos.

A huge amount of "not for me" on this album. Just thankful it wasn't a double album, tbh.

⭐⭐+ Lite överraskad av det här albumet, inte direkt det folkalbum jag förväntade mig från Joni Mitchell. Det är en större produktion och inte bara sång/gitarr. Influenser från bla Jazz och adult contemporary. Det är välpolerat och prydligt men jag saknar lite nerv och har svårt att bli engagerad. Bäst är The jungle line.Tycker det är lite för bra för att få en tvåa men ser inte att jag kommer lyssna på det igen så det blir en 2+

This didn't have the immediate impact that Blue had, but it's still very good. A strong four.

This was good but not as good as some of her other stuff. Seems like if they needed to cut a Joni album from the list it would be this one.

Not my cup of tea

Not for me. I suppose there will be many that enjoy this and I can understand that give the stretching of genres, but found it a bit boring.

Probably deserves a higher rating but I cba

It's a calm listen. Joni is a very evocative lyricist, but the music itself is on the bland side, so you really have to listen to see its beauty. Needs some relistening to appreciate fully.

Wetter than I remember but not necessarily good.

A good album for listening to before bed, just pure relaxation.

While not all of this works, you gotta give Joni Mitchell credit for stepping out of her comfort zone. The album is way more than the sum of its parts. It’s good despite its weak points. You know what? Extra star because fuck the haters.

Sorry, Joni

It's not Blue, which is ground breaking in its music and lyrics, but this shows what Mitchell could do if she stuck to a more traditional musical sound. And it's not half bad.

Many beautiful moments on this record, both musically and lyrically. Stand out tracks for me are 'Edith and the Kingpin' and 'Shades of Scarlet Conquering.' Some filler and odd choices--that might make more sense on future listens--which ultimately bring the record down a notch.

I am sorry, it is nice for a song, but after two songs Joni Mitchell just loses her audience.

The little forays into jazz and rock don’t suit Joni Mitchell. She is one of the great American folk artists. This is outside of what she excels at and it’s not good jazz or rock…or folk. Artists experimenting with new styles and sounds can work. But here it doesn’t. And who knew there were songs about pinball that weren’t by The Who? I will say Mitchell is a poet and the lyrics and storytelling are good. But still, I don’t like it.

Not my thing, but I expected worse

Compared to the other Joni Mitchell albums from this list, I find this one quite listenable. Mainly just because her vocals are not that dominant here. But still I wonder what classifies her to have four albums on this selection. worst: "Centerpiece"

Different kind of Joni, but brilliant nonetheless.

She did blackface so I'm not listening to this.

Phew, what a load of crap. I tried listening to a Joni Mitchell album again. And once again, I gave up. I don't like her voice, I don't like the arrangements, and I especially don't like this shallow pop music. I still don't understand what's so great about Joni Mitchell. 1/5

Joni Mitchell is great, this is a solid album.

brilliant

I really liked the second track. The rest was fine, but kinda boring.

Woah, way more varied and experimental than I expected, really interesting listen.

My opinion on Mitchell's sing-talking hasn't changed since I listened to "Hejira" back in mid-January, which is to say that I still don't like it. This album had a bit less of it though, and I think the instrumentals on this were great. Favorite Tracks: Harry's House / Centerpiece | In France They Kiss on Main Street

Shades of Scarlet, and shadow and light were the favorites

Lovely album, expansive and full of expressive emotions

I love Blue and if you told me that Joni went into jazzy soft rock later I'd be pretty excited but unfortunately it just didn't fully click, I did like a few songs though

You combine a fantastic songwriter with a backing track of jazz, folk, and soft rock and you’ve got yourself a damn good blueprint for an album, reminds me of steely Dan if the lyrics were better

I like it but then I don’t like it. Can’t make up my mind

Not a fan. It was like lounge music. Light jazz with a female vocal.

An excellent follow up to Court n Spark. Musically adventurous but not as popular but still reached 4th in the Billboard album charts. Filled with reflective memories and feminist viewpoints.

Kinda repetitive and some questionable lyrics. Joni has other better music I think

Artists should always be allowed to evolve… but I’m not on board with this.

This goes everywhere and nowhere, I think it’s exquisite yet my ears are confused as to whether to switch to song-mode or abstract improv appreciation. I’ve had a trying day and this has been soothingly mystifying company. Simon, I’m fairly sure you got me to get this a long while back.

Another masterpiece from Joni's '70s run, each one unique with her songwriting consistently evolving yet always at the top of her game. Lots of interesting instrumentation and arrangements here - the Moog baseline on "The Jungle Line" would fit nicely on "The Chronic" decades later as would the sampled drum loops onto "Kings of the Wild Frontier", while "Skunk" Baxter pops up elsewhere to enhance the jazz-funk elegance carried over from "Court and Spark". Her lyrics are particularly sharp on this album. Two examples - the withering take on hipsters, "The Boho Dance": 'And you were in the parking lot, subterranean by your own design The virtue of your style inscribed on your contempt for mine' and the sexist drivel skewered in the serpentine "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow": '...he says "You're notches, liberation doll"; ..."We walked on the moon, you be polite"' We've now had two of Prince's favorite albums in the past week (incl. "Hounds of Love"). He had great taste.

Easy pleasy No hit No ear grinders Soft and smooth

Another Joni (my third). Fouund myself enjoying this one more than others- still a lot of songs I couldnt get into, but also a few with a more traditional melody I enjoyed. Overall- probabt a 2.5/5

top 3 - In France They Kiss On Main Street, The Jungle Line, Harry’s House / Centerpiece. Pretty good!! Haven't listened to this one yet and I'm glad I finally did. Joni is one of those artists I felt was just fine the first time I listened to her but overtime grew on me. Now I really like her :))

Fantastic collection of soft and subtle tunes. Some unexpected sounds—I really like the beat on “The Jungle Line”, which sounds like it’s backed with an ultra-crunchy guitar strumming. Super creative songwriting and arrangements, some of the songs are a little dry, but I think this is stellar!

Pretty good I liked a few of these songs

Really good. 5 star

Not her greatest. But a good Joni Album.

Poetic and lovely

I'm not sure I made it all the way through a single track.

Joni mitchell is so damn talented

Not a fan of this style of music. Total snooze fest.

Too much whining

Enjoyed more than I expected!

Amazing album, but c'mon you knew it already, it's Joni Mitchell. This one really stands out in her discography with its soft jazz arrangements. It's lush and feel good but very instrumentally ambitious and unpredictable. The first track feels like a warm summer afternoon spent outside in a small town by the sea. The second one has a much more eerie tone with dense instrumentation and some pretty unusual sounds but it captures a very cool vibe. It's a bit of a detour from the rest of the album with a more abstract structure to it. After that it bounces back to that comfy, elegant folk-singer-songwriter that we love Joni for. I don't understand how something can sound so soft and gentle and yet so emotionally intense and musically interesting. She also has this amazing ability to paint pictures and build an entire world with her words. It's like you listen to the song and you feel like you're right there with the singer. Needless to say I love this record, especially Shades of Scarlett Conquering, the title track and Sweet Bird.

Boring. Probably deserves another chance, but doubtiful that will happen.

Had some interesting lyrics like the reference to Rousseau, ultimately an album I appreciated more than fully enjoyed

Not my taste

This felt like the most interesting Joni Mitchell album I’ve heard so far. There are a ton of cool instrumentals here.

Alright, but a bit boring. Definitely great for her time.

Listening to The Hissing of Summer Lawns is a revelation for me, it feels less like a collection of songs and more like listening to art. Joni Mitchell has created an avant-garde masterpiece that pushes into a lush, experimental jazz-fusion landscape, using unconventional tools like the Moog synthesizer and Burundi drum samples on "The Jungle Line" to stay decades ahead of her time. The album's brilliance lies in its dense complexity, where tracks like "Harry’s House / Centerpiece" feel structurally astounding while maintaining a deep, poetic vulnerability. To me, this is Joni at the peak of her musicianship, boldly shedding her old skin to deliver her most incisive and sophisticated work.

This was nice. I bought it when it came out, and didn't like it much. But it has some great songs on it. It did get a little long near the end.

Nein, nicht meine Musik.

This a real left turn on the "singer songwriter" genre. I like Joni, I think Blue is excellent (which we will discuss down the line) but I'd never strayed to her other music. The arrangement of this album is a bit nuts though, rhythmically this album is very unique even considering the contemporary jazz fusion elements. I think this album is impressively ambitious, musically very unique and it covers some very interesting topics such as suburban woes and standards of the patriarchy, but it does it in a strange manner. Musically it just doesn't quite match up with the expressions for me and while I imagine at the time the aforementioned topics needed to be spoken about and who better to do it than one of the most influential woman of the 70s and yet... instead of thinking about the topics I'm thinking "man this song sounds strange". Where the album is a touch more standard in its writing, like Shades of Scarlett Conquering and The Hissing of Summer Lawns, the album is absolutely lovely. Do not get me wrong, Joni can write and she can write damn well. I also think Harry's House/ Centrepiece is a far better attempt at writing a message into a song. Ultimately I think this album is good, well worth a listen and the bits of classic writing are magical and the other songs are worth a listen purely for being interesting in arrangement and implementation. Best songs: Shades of Scarlett Conquering, The Hissing of Summer Lawns Worst Songs: N/A Rank compared to everything else so far: 50/67 (above Madman Across the Water, below Zeppelin 2)

This is by no means bad. Actually it's pretty good, musically speaking. Some very interesting choices going on. I enjoyed it but not as much as other things on this list. Not exactly my cup of tea that much.

Just boring as hell. Not much more I can say.

Prachtige stem performance Mooie mix van melancholie en hoop Soulachtige influences die mooi opzwellen met strijksecties Fantastische overgang naar jazz section bij Harry's House

Beautiful stuff. Centrepiece was such a lovely song as well. Seeing so many 1 and 2 star reviews for this so high up was sad!

Canadian queen. Close friends with Elton John and together they are Brandi Carlisle’s biggest mentors. Grace loveeees Joni

Worth a revisit. Good at least as background music.

I always assumed I would like Joni Mitchell, but never listened to her. I was right in my assumption, I dont want this album to end, and will listen to the rest of her discography

Palju huvitavaid mõtteid on siin, aga väga vähesed jäävad pähe kummitama. Kiiksuga muusika üldiselt meeldib, aga kiikse sel plaadil on vist liiga palju, et see kuidagi mõjuks. 3.2/5

Ni fu ni fa

This wasn't bad. Not great? Not the most notable Joni Mitchell album? That's what I don't get - these albums, on this list, that aren't the most notable by an artist taking multiple spots on the list. What's that about?

Joni continues to be the only singer associated with the folk movement that I seem to enjoy. Though, this album is a little unconventional and I’m not sure I'd even really consider it folk. Experimental Moog work on Jungle Line is so cool.

The second half, especially "Harry's House/Centerpiece," was much more enjoyable than the first. The vocal talent and lyrics are terrific. The music itself, again especially in the first half, seemed pretty pedestrian.

The percussion on “The Jungle Line” was great, the rest of the album was pretty average

The second JM album I've had this month, no complaints from me about that. This was probably the first JM album I ever heard, at a school friend's house, late 70s. it's beautiful album with a stellar line-up

Joni Mitchell had a string of good to great albums in the 70s and this is certainly one of them.

kinda meh

Disappointingly boring.

I’m mostly familiar with Joni Mitchell from her album Blue, so this jazz album was a departure from the folk songstress I was expecting. Her voice is still amazing and her lyrics poetry, but I found the music a little milquetoast under her commanding presence. It’s cool that The Jungle Line was the first commercial track to contain a looping sample. Critically I’m sure this deserves more stars, but personally I just didn’t enjoy it.

Kanske är jag lite mer imponerad av än förtjust i Joni Mitchell. Men jag gillar henne också!

Slow and ponderous with evocative storytelling lyrics. It's not entirely my jam but I appreciate the craft.

Intriguing piece of music. I enjoyed it and will probably come back later to it, but I also can definitely see why someone might utterly hate it.

These don't really feel like songs; they are free verse set to music, often without a recognizable verse/chorus structure or even a defined melody. (The exception is "Centerpiece", a beautifully rendered blues/jazz standard that feels like a curious digression in the middle of everything else.) The music, jazzy and flowing, is fantastic, featuring a number of LA session superstars, Steely Dan alumni, and superstar musicians in their own right. The lyrics are poetic and meandering, but intelligently written and beautifully sung. This isn't the sort of album that you can sing along with, but it's a beautifully crafted listening experience.

distinct, flourishing lyrics, and a legend.

Voice of angel

Very nice album though nothing stood out as outstanding

Reading reviews and analysis reveals that there is a level of artistry with Joni Mitchell and this album that I am not necessarily picking up on. I’d probably benefit from a deep dive or documentary because my familiarity with her is cursory. That said I enjoyed the music.

This was my first time listening to this and I loved it, jazzy and insightful

A prime candidate to lend further credence to the argument that more than two or three selections per artist are unnecessary. Hejira, Court and Spark and Blue are plenty enough representation for Joni Mitchell, where this album offers little that the other three don't, despite being a broadly enjoyable listen. Meanwhile, we have barely any extreme metal artists represented aside from one first wave black metal band in Venom, Sepultura and Napalm Death, a criminal lack of classical music, only a surface level assessment of industrial and noise rock, a very anglo-centric view of punk and a disproportionate amount of newer albums from 2010 onwards that largely lean into similar genres.

I’m sure Joni Mitchell is an important and formative artist for a lot of people, probably even some musicians that I really like. However, I just found this album kind of boring overall. There were a lot of songs where repetition went from feeling artistic and meaningful to just feeling lazy and drawn out. This was another album where I actively felt myself think “this isn’t over yet?” And that’s always a bad sign.

A fantastic dip into the jazz that was really the heart of Joni's musical vibe. Highly recommend it!

are you fucking kidding me ????? how is blue the famous album ? five stars, absolute perfection. first song last song are insane and really made me feel something. long live joni mitchell

This was fine. It’s not really my kind of thing, but I can see equally why people like it or loathe it.

My first Joni Mitchell album and I’m a little underwhelmed. I find her phrasing not so enjoyable although the voice itself is very nice.

I liked Jazzy Joni, and anybody that collaborates with The Crusaders, and all the other names that contributed, gets an extra round of applause from me

Pretty mellow and trippy, but most of it didn't really grab me as much as I was expecting. If this entire thing was more like "Shadows and light" I'd probably love it.

Love me some Joni Mitchell. Very nice to listen to on a Sunday morning.

Have been listening to this album for 10 years or so now. It's great, but not quite as good as Heijira, Blue or C&S in my opinion. Very ahead of it's time in a lof of ways. The only thing I don't love about it is that some of the lyrics are a bit too dense. The music and melodies are excellent though! 8/10

Primera impresión fue muy buena Creo que habla mucho del feminismo y eso me gusta, y más al entender la época en la que lo estaban haciendo. “Shades of Scarlett Conquering” es hermosa y una nueva favorita. Me encantan las canciones que cuentan la “historia” de alguien. Se siente como algo personal para mí. Muy bonitas letras y melodías de fondo.

So dull!

2.0 (42:34, 10 tracks, 7th album, 1975) Soft Rock (Jazz Pop, Folk Jazz) Boring as fuck. Second album on this list I’ve got by Joni (first being Blue, I liked blue more, it was 35 minutes and better music to take a nap to.) This album has more of a jazz infused sound, which, for me, doesn’t work. I really don’t want to hear a Canadian white chick do jazz poorly. She is credited as the first white person to literally steal (sample) black music – certainly nothing new for music but an interesting tidbit. She did jazz better on her previous album (1974) not sure if that’s on this list, kind of hope not as Joni is already WELL represented with two albums, three, at least to me makes her overrepresented. I hate the name (Hissing of Summer Lawns) and the artwork (Joni’s own) is atrocious, this alone turned me off to this album. The solid green, the big snake, just why? So a bunch of men (possibly black) are carrying a big snake past her house? I think in 1975 if I were female, I could have eventually got into it. This is the type of album you eventually grow to love but don’t like much at first. The man-bashing is a bit much as I’m not female, but I respect her for it. I think this definitely needed to be said in 1975 and 50 years later in 2025 it’s not exactly like it’s not still a relevant issue. Meh

Her calling Madonna a whore might be accurate but it’s also a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Nice voice, shame about the music.

I am not a very patriotic Canadian, I find Joni Mitchell boring

Started off well, I enjoyed "In France They Kiss on Main Street". "The Jungle Line" didn't click with me at all, definitely not something I'd choose to listen to again, but it tried to do something different. The rest of the album is just very safe easy-listening hotel-lobby music. Lovely vocals, and the instrumentation overall is good it just doesn't really break the mould. Stuff I could happily listen to as background. Piano solo in "Harry's House" woke me out of the easy-listening coma (in a good way). Back to sleep until "Shadows and Light", which was _fine_ but not my vibe.

Mitchell creates lovely soundscapes utilising flutes, sax and trumpets to compliment the light percussion played throughout. Ultimately it was those wind and brass contributions that won me over most of the tracks when I felt as if they weren’t strong otherwise. Often Mitchell is trying to fit too many syllables into a lyric, which in turn deteriorates from the lounge-like quality the instrumentals are providing Highlights: Edith and the Kingpin Shades of Scarlett Conquering Harry’s House / Centerpiece Low 4

Standouts: The Jungle Line Harry's House / Centerpiece I'm not sure what this album was going for. It was nice/easy listening but the Jungle Line was a super experimental track at I really appreciated but it felt like it was in the wrong album. Joni's voice is really nice and she uses it to great effect with the instrumentation. I appreciated the more unique choice of instruments but I wish they did more with them. Mid 3

Not sure I was in the right mood for this today tbh, especially given her dodge past choices

Wouldn’t rush to listen to it again, but enjoyed it

Found this be very boring - tried to listen twice and there weren’t any that stood out to me

My third of four Joni Mitchell albums on this list. This was also a pleasant listen, with some more experimentation that would ultimately lead to the successor Hejira, which I found difficult to listen to.

Didnt enjoy as much as her other albums. A bit hit and miss. Standout songs: In france they kiss on main street Dont interupt the sorrow

shades of scarlett conquering and the hissing of summer lawns sounded nice. the rest were a difficult listen… very experimental with the lyrics and instrumentals

My second Joni album in less than a week- the album gods are kind. This one is the album that got me into her music and it remains one of my favourites to this day. The Jungle Line is such a strange but brilliant track from her and the free, jazzy Harry's House/Centerpiece is incredibly strong. My personal favourite has to be the stunning title track.

This is the 4th Joni Mitchell album I've listened to because of this list. The woman has released 19 albums, I pray they are not all on this list. I have not liked a single one yet and I would have been fine with dying before hearing any of them. Here's hoping that a 5th Joni album isn't lurking out there somewhere on the list.

So I'd never heard of Joni Mitchell? Interesting to read about her, not my kind of album but I liked how different this was to everything else I'd been recommended so far! Good for a history lesson

fallegt og flott en ekki minn stíll

Beautiful and soulful voice and mostly relaxing background music. This kind of music is great to have in the background while reading at home but not something I actively seek out all that often. Its still a solid album and a great singer. But what was the "drums" on that second song? It didn't fit the vibe of the album at all.

Not quite on the level of blue or hejira but still amazing

Better than Blue, slightly below Hejira

Joni adds a new dimension! Keyboards, guitar solos, big bass licks and a bit more of a rhythmic urge underpin the gorgeous lyrics and vocals present on her more stripped back work. Modern life is both fantastic and crap. Don't lose touch with yourself. My wife wishes it were more angry, but I think this album is beautifully cynical. Favourite tracks: The Jungle Line, Don't Interrupt The Sorrow, The Hissing Of Summer Lawns, Harry's House, Shadows And Light

The last Joni Mitchell one was better.

"This is a popular music masterpiece... if you are looking for a nice, hummable ditty this is not the record for you... but, if you are looking for a singer/songwriter at the top of her game, doing music that, one can tell, is as exciting for her to do, as it is for us to listen to... and another thing is for certain... Joni is a great musician, who knows how to get up a hell of a band to reproduce her ideas... you may think i'm crazy, but she's like a female version of Frank Zappa in a lot of ways... totally original... Max Bennett and Wilton Felder play bass on this one... and you can hear how Jaco Pastorius could fit in with Joni... and, of course, he played on her very next album ane tour... Crosby and Nash with James Taylor sing backing on a tune or two... Joe Sample plays electric piano as well as Victor Feldman... Larry Carlton and Skunk Baxter are among the guitarists, and Bud Shank and Chuck Findley are a couple of the horn players... i would still pick "Blue" as her best album, but this one is great and i giv it Five Stars all day long."

A bold departure from her folk roots, this album saw Mitchell experimenting with jazz-rock fusion and early world music influences, notably the Burundi drummers on "The Jungle Line." Lyrically, it shifts from personal confession to sharp, cinematic social commentary, dissecting the emptiness and hidden tensions of North American suburban life. The production is sophisticated and lush, featuring members of the jazz-fusion group L.A. Express, which created a dense, multi-layered soundscape far removed from her earlier acoustic work. Initially polarized critics but is now considered a visionary masterpiece that influenced artists like Prince, Björk, and Lorde.

Good vibes icl

Compared to the previous Joni Mitchell album, Hejira (1976), these songs had more structure and the lyrics were more in cadence. It had more approachable music in my opinion.

Posh, clever, and a bit pleased with itself. Like turning up at a dinner party where everyone’s quoting French philosophers while you’re just after a decent glass of red. Some gorgeous moments, but mostly feels like homework set by someone who owns too many scatter cushions.

Unbearable.

oh wow, i had a song from this already saved

Gotta love Joni.

Jeg synes instrumenterne i alle sangene lød ens så det blev lidt kedeligt.

I'm not familiar with Joni Mitchell's discography, but from what I've read, this album was from an era where she departed from vanilla folk, and it shows. This is a collection of songs that lie somewhere at the intersection of jazz fusion and folk. I mostly enjoyed it, perhaps mainly for the novelty, but also for instrumental performances (shout out to the session bass player(s) on this -- so many great bass lines), and Joni's singing. I can see why this particular combination of genres didn't take off... It can veer into territory that sounds reminiscent of lounge / elevator music. I can hear some parts that easily could have influenced music I love that came much later, though. Harry's House was a high point. Strong 3

Love Joni

This is one of the better Mitchell albums. I'm not her biggest fan, but this album has all the creative energy not only in the lyrics and atmosphere, but also the instrumentation. One must love the jazz influences, especially the darker and brooding ones for "The Jungle Line" (of which Herbie Hancock and Leonard Cohen made a completely different version). I think the album fizzles out a bit too much - otherwise I would've ranked it even higher!

35/1089 2.8893* She's a symbol of the 60 and 70s folk and very effective at what she does. This is a nice album to have on low volume during a dinner party.

Strange & kind of same-y, but still enjoyable mid-70s from the mixing/mastering down to the style.

I have more respect for Joni Mitchell than I did before. The Jungle Line took me by complete surprise. That being said, I did not really enjoy this.

- There’s a more synthetic feel to this album than either Blue or Hejira, for me it made it a little harder to connect with but still an interesting and engaging listen. - Lyrically dense and a lot to unpack but it’s Joni. She doesn’t disappoint on this front. - Feels quite unconventional and not everything works, for me. But certainly a great album sprinkled with moments of genius.

love this album, joni popped off with this one

I didn't dislike this but I can't engage with it. It's pleasant background music

Sounded a lot like other Joni we had. Not sure I love her stream of consciousness stuff. Blue was so good because she focused. This was fine. High 3.

Laurel Mountain Canyon music epitomized. Good soft rock/singer songwriter music supported by a collection of outstanding musicians. I like this better than most Joni Mitchell records.

I knew Joni Mitchell had a jazzier side, but I never heard it until now. The album sounds like a series of pantings, with vinettes contained in each but still with lots of mystery as if there must be more somewhere. It sounded like Pat Metheny could have been playing guitar on here. She was also able to turn her voice into a jazz instrument without scatting which I found really cool. I'm really curious about how these songs were written Honestly I'm just not the right audience for this, because the focus is not really on melodies or grooves but instead on the lyrics, but this does sound like an ambitious project and for that I do have respect. "Jungle line" is the best example of this for me. It was brutal to listen to for me BUT there was something captivating about it and it has the first commercial use of a sample and that is a legendary fact.

not my jam.. stängde inte av

I've never listened to this album (77).

just not my vibe

The queen of the 60s folk delivers a summer hit.

This seems like music you play and discuss how to make your vagina smell like a flower. That conversation would be more interesting than these songs.

Ehh, she’s talented for sure, but I just never cared much for Joni Mitchell. Still don’t

Really didn't care for the jazzy soft rock with poetry going on here....call me a dolt if you must.

First time listen. Not surprised how it's slipped through, especially considering I've had the demos for 20 years. Beautiful.

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background This wanted didn't vibe as quickly as other Joni Mitchell albums for me. I suspect I'd like it more with additional listens. The Jungle Line was an early highlight...early shades of Bjork in there?

I can appreciate what Joni Mitchell does but it all feels a little wooden to me. This is an interesting record though more in the sense of being cool to experience once and that's it.

Joni Mitchell is such a breath of fresh air, incredibly pleasant

Enjoyed this. Found it relaxing and interesting. Probably worth another listen.

Very weird. Not my taste at all

I like the cover and the beginning notes of the album's titular track, but I just can't get behind Joni Mitchell's whole workmanship. It doesn't touch me but I can tell there went a lot of effort into creating this album.

This was all a bit flowery for me. I imagine at the time it was a perfectly decent album, but it seems lacking now.

I couldn't get into this album, it would be background music at best. There were a few interesting songs, noted below, but nothing I would add to listen to again. It's a shame because I enjoyed the more lyrical focus compared to the other albums I've gotten so far. Fav Tracks: The Hissing of Summer Lawns > The Jungle Line > The Boho Dance Current Fav Album: Hot Fuss - The Killers (#4/1089)

Pleasant enough to listen to due to the clarity of Mitchell's voice and the jazzy accompaniment behind her, but the songs are so abstractly structured that they never sink in. It's as though she so adamantly wants to avoid pop hooks that she forgets those are often the most enjoyable parts of listening to an album.

I love her

omg i didn’t listen but JONIII I LOVE YOU

Outstanding, as usual

Meh. Boring, background music. Not one memorable song.

I’ve enjoyed some other Joni Mitchell albums but this one didn’t pique my interest much. I may try to revisit this at some point but today 2.25/5

could listen to this woman read and write and sing forever and never want it to stop

Really enjoyed this. All the heart and soul of Blue but with a lot of experimental sonic elements and effects tastefully sprinkled in. Cool stuff.

not my thing

Litt kjedelig, men fint

At times this is more interesting musically than any of the more vocal driven songs. A couple of songs I really liked but for the most part, it doesn’t strike me as an album I’d return to, though I can understand the appeal.

This is #day481 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... here's to my penultimate Joni Mitchel record. Funnily enough, I'm getting them in the order they were released. So I only got Hejira left. At least this time around, I found the music occasionally interesting (the first couple of tracks, actually). Still, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day482.

A rich album fusing jazz and experimental sounds with Mitchell’s singer-songwriter approach. A little hard to get a handle on, but very good and deserving more listens. Best song: The Hissing of Summer Lawns

This is two different albums being played at the same time. The vocals and lyrics don’t seem to have anything to do with the accompaniment; separately each might be more enjoyable, but together it just doesn’t work for me.

4/10 Deeply unenjoyable. I strongly dislike Joni's penchant for rambling, jazzy songs. Every so often an actual song threatens to break out, but then it is swamped again by meandering.

I appreciate her evolving as an artist, especially continuing to incorporate jazz.

It's a Joni Mitchell album of 70s experimental synthesizers. I kept hearing the Tom Petty lyric, imagining the record company saying, "I don't hear a single." But you're Joni Mitchell -- she gets to make whatever she wants.

I think this is it for Joni Mitchell, and I’m glad to see her go. Not my cup of tea at all across all 4 albums on this list.

A bit too verbose, as usual

FIRST LISTEN. In France They Kiss on Main Street - I love the guitar and small sounds included in the background. The lyrics are great! The Jungle Line - Great and strong drums at the beginning along with the small sounding trumpets and other instruments. Seems to be about wanting to feel something more and experience more in the world and everything you'd fine outside (that can be very strange). At least that's what I've gotten from it. Edith and Kingpin - Great guitar and it's very soft and mellow sounding. About a man that seems great but isn't all that? Uses women for his benefit? The vocals are great and do last long enough to enjoy for me. The small sounds in it give me some goosebumps Don't Interrupt the Sorrow - Much more lively but relaxing. Drums are great and slow throughout the song. Not sure what the meaning could be. Probably one of my least favorites but I loved the beginning. I quite like the way she pronounces certain words in this song. Rebellion and sadness pop into my mind with lyrics. Also reminds me of a sunrise. Shades of Scarlett Conquering - The piano is pretty beautiful. The lyrics are pretty great and noticeable for a slower song like this, I can really feel what she's feeling. About a woman? Sadder side of things. Reminds me of the night and gave me some chills towards the end! (The end doesn't really have her voice and the instrumental sounds magical! The Hissing of Summer Lawns - Great beginning and it's really relaxing. Seems to be a song about a nice seeming man who tries to give a lot to her women but she seems to want more. Kind of sounds like it's out of a movie. The Bo ho Dance - Slightly slower than I was expecting it to be. Nostalgic sort of meaning? Some of the instrumental is interesting near the beginning and middle of song. Vocals are just pretty. One of my least favorites so far. Harry's House / Centerpiece - Very interesting beginning! Grabbed my attention and sounded like a siren or alarm like. It's like two different songs but I didn't find much interest in this material. Some of the instrumental sounds sweet but couldn't grab my attention for much longer. Definitely not an entirely bad produced song. Sweet Bird - Loved the beginning and instrumental mostly. Her voice is great as always in the track. Couldn't connect with it all the way.

There’s always something calming and rejuvenating about listening to Joni Mitchell, like she’s somehow not part of this world. Timeless.

Eh, not a fan of her voice

Folksy soft vocals

The Jungle Line I had heard before, I love the first five seconds and then those pulsing drums just fade into the background. What a waste of an amazing sound. I don't think I've ever listened to the whole song before. This album never really picks up. Glissandos, soft trumpets, similes that are either obvious or nonsensical. Soft jazz, yuck. The spoken-word quotes at the end of Centerpiece were something different, but again a bit obvious and underdone if you wanted quiet suburban desperation.

More Joni Mitchell. I have given the other three albums on the list a two "4's" and one "5," all of which were deserved. I'm not here to be loyal to legends just because they are legends. Am I totally into Joni Mitchell? I am not. Do I respect her albums and understand her impact on female singer-songwriters? Absolutely. Her music is good enough for me to enjoy but not good enough for me to seek out. I find the best songs on The Hissing of Summer Lawns to be the more up-tempo tunes, which isn't something I can say for most of the Joni Mitchell albums I have listened to. The slower songs, which are most of the back half of the album are slow and kind of boring to me. This is my least favorite of the four Joni Mitchell albums I have listened to. These were my favorite songs: In France They Kiss on Main Street The Jungle Love Don't Interrupt the Sorrow The Hissing of Summer Lawns

Ya está atrás y...

This is an interesting era for fans of Joni to grapple with. Musically, she was at her best, writing incredible songs and stretching the bounds of pop with her jazz pretensions. For me, the peak is Court and Spark, but this is a close second. Her persona, however, became increasingly problematic as she inhabited her Art Nouveau persona and did some straight up blackface on a regular basis, even appearing as Art on the cover of the record after this one. To be fair, none of that permeates the songs, not lyrically at least, and her appropriation of jazz musicians for a pop album is nothing that Steely Dan didn’t later steal from her and make a career of. Her use of the Burundi drums sample in Jungle Line predates the widespread use of sampling by a decade. The world music vibe of that track was also a decade ahead of Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel. And just pick any other song here for some of her most incisive writing. Edith and the Kingpin is my favorite but you could name any other track and I’d nod in agreement. So, I can tut tut at her very offensive public appearances and her interviews about having a black man’s soul while enjoying some of her very best work. Art not the artist and all that. But still, wtf Joni?

5/5 oh yeah

Couldn't finish it

Enjoyed it and even shared the last song with my sister who would have enjoyed singing it. Joni has a pretty unique sound with the head voice to chest voice flips, a little like yodeling sometimes. Classic.

Sounds like a typical Joni Mitchell album, which is to say boring.

Surprised! Nice bass sound!

easy listening made feminist

THE JUNGLE LINE >>>>>>>>>>

I appreciate it but I can't imagine Joni will enter my regular roster

Meh, this wasn't that great to me. I get that Joni Mitchell is an excellent songwriter and there was a clear intent with this album to be experimental in different ways. It just didn't hit with me at all. A lot of the songs were too convoluted to actually be good listens and tunes I would come back to. Still, hard to deny her talent for writing. 3-stars.

It's alright, there's a lot of talent involved here but it feels weaker than the sum of the parts. The Jungle Line reminds me we don't always need to fully encourage creativity. Or maybe the fact that I remember it means we do.

I'm not in the mood for this. I kind of like The Jungle Line. Sounds like proto Björk. In the past I have enjoyed her voice, but it was not working for me this time. Also, we don't need this many Joni Mitchell albums on the list.

I thought it was good

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns is a pretty good album. It definitely does feel a little more experimental than Mitchell's other albums, almost like a precursor to the new-wave album she made that didn't seem to be well received. This album does seem to follow the typical Joni Mitchell staples that the others all follow. The songwriting here isn't as strong as some of her other albums but i would say that the music here is one of her stronger works. There was that one track where it had a bongo and also bleeps and bloops that sounded like they are from video games that wouldn't release until years later. It may not be my favorite album by Mitchell but its still a good one to go out on. Best Song: The Jungle Line Worst Song: Sweet Bird Side note: Since this will be the last Joni Mitchell album I'm reviewing, I'll rank them here: 1. Blue 2. The Hissing Of Summer Lawns 3. Hejira 4. Court And Spark

The Hissing Of Summer Laws sounds very similar to Court and Spark that came before (light and jazzy), but it also feels like Joni Mitchell's experimental album. There are so many odd choices at work here, and I respect the hell out of Joni for trying new things, but her poetic lyricism and delivery, it doesn't always work out (looking at you "The Jungle Line").

the ones I like, I really like

A lot of surprising stuff in here and I really didn't know what to expect from Joni. Not exactly my thing but revealing enough that I shall check out more of her catalog across the decades.

Great album name and great cover - although its summery vibe falls a bit flat on a cold and wet winters day. I have listened about 5 times now and there's lots of bits I like but then there are also lots of bits I like not so much - especially when it gets a bit jazzy and lyrics a bit too dense and wordy. In the end I had to score per song to try and work it and whilst In France They Kiss and Shadows and Light scored highly the overall average was a high 3.

The Hissing of Summer Lawns In France They Kiss on Main Street carries on the vibes of Court and Spark, a brilliant, classic bit of Joni storytelling, melody and rhyming meter, but with the addition of a more obviously busy, jazzy bass, a hint at the more overtly jazz-pop sound and more experimental tone of the album. Which is overtly displayed in The Jungle Line, with its Moog and sampled percussion. It’s a great track that puts me in mind of some of McCartney II, and although it doesn’t sound typical of her, it really suits her. Edith and the Kingpin continues the feel of the first track, adding more shuffling jazziness and some great guitars and noises and Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow is classic Folk-Jazz-Joni, with superb bass and some great guitar. And Shades of Scarlett Conquering rounds out a superb 1st side with a vaguely Blue-esque piano track. I love the chorus melody of the title track, and the little guitar/organ motif directly after it, even if it does teeter close to a vaguely anodyne feel at times. The Boho Dance is perhaps the only dip for me, never quite catching my attention fully, but it picks back up on the final three tracks with the superb Harry’s House into the jazz cover of Centrepiece, the transition from jazz-folk to jazz expertly managed, and with a superb vocal, the beautifully folkish Sweet Bird and the atmospheric ARP drenched Shadows and Light. In some ways it’s a shame it was generated so quickly after the superb Court and Spark. I hadn’t ever listened to this one before, and while it builds on extends the jazzy artness of Court and Spark, it isn't as immediately satisfying, especially listening so soon after. However this one is a real grower and the 1st half in particular is fantastic, and I ended up listening to it around 10 times, so I think this is also a 5, even if a bit more distance might have made it initially easier to judge it on its own merits. ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️ Playlist submission: Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow

'In France They Kiss on Main Street' starts very much like the glorious 'Help Me' from Court and Spark. But this progresses to sound like Steely Dan - very easy listening, with amped-up guitar-licking. The guitar obviously pales in comparison to Steely, but the painfully MoR melody sits very nicely alongside some of 'Aja'. Nash and Crosby are on this but you wouldn't know it. The title track in particular feels like the bass player probably has an overbite while the band wade through the monotonous funk. Joni even embarks on some jazz scatting which is highly unnecessary. And the likes of 'The Boho Dance' is like Bacharach playing in a lift. 'The Jungle Line' is a totally different proposition, and a fantastic outlier. The use of the synth feels like a 2000s indie band, it reminded me a lot of 'McCartney II'. A worthy evocation of the work of Le Douanier. This album was not viewed well by critics upon release but is now seen as one of her best. So maybe I need 40 more years to reappraise it. In any case, it's still Joni and it still has a thread of greatness running through it.

Relatively new to any other JM, but not what I expected. Way more avant garde

great album

Nah. 2 stars

Avant-garde jazz-fusion Joni Mitchell?! Hell yeah!

This was a pleasant surprise! No idea what to expect with this. It was a bit TOO chill for my tastes but she has a great voice and I always like a good storyteller. I also liked The Jungle Line even though I thought it was just so, so weird.

Snooze fest

Wow - turns out I was completely wrong about Joni Mitchell! This is great, jazzy but not proggy. No standout songs, it's all just good. Interesting melody, nice piano work and a fine voice. Top notch bass playing raises it for me.

Känns väldigt Joni Mitchell, inget som jag brinner för. Shadows and light känns inte så tidsenlig, lite cool

The second song sounded really cool but it also reminded me of how much Joni Mitchell loves doing black face. So you know. It’s complicated.

This is an album that needs to be heard with full attention more than once, as evidenced in the bad reviews it got when released vs. the critical praise it receives now. This exists in a sort of transitional period in Mitchell's career, away from the folk singer songwriter prior to Court and Spark to the jazz pop fusions fully realized on Hejira. I think it takes a keen ear to pick up on what Mitchell is doing in some of these songs, since her voice seems to attune so naturally to chord changes and melodies that bob along. Her tapestry of lyrics are as if you combined Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen with singing abilities of Ella Fitzgerald. So you get poetic social commentary on culture, male-dominated society, individuality, fine art, and loneliness in modern life, all underpinned by jazz stylings and even some African drums and rhythms which predate Peter Gabriel or Paul Simon or the Talking Heads. Where this album falters is not in what's there, but what's missing. All of these songs are strong, but could have been elevated even more with the right backing musicians. I'm thinking of the energy in the live recordings of Shadows and Light, which feature jazz legends Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Don Alias, Michael Brecker, and Lyle Mays. That is to say, Hissing of Summer Lawns does not have the improvisational edge that many jazz recordings do, and it feels more like pop musicians playing jazz rather than the other way around. The songs are intricate and complex, but planned and contrived. There are a quite few adept session players in these sessions, including Larry Carlton and Victor Feldman, but overall something is a bit flat compared to the cohesiveness and spontaneity that you can hear in true jazz bands. Nevertheless, this is one of Mitchell's best and a must-listen.

Definitely won't object to more Joni Mitchell. In France They Kiss on Main Street - 8/10. The sound I expect from Joni Mitchell. Simple and clean. The Jungle Line - 4/10. This is a little out of the usual Joni Mitchell lane. I'm not a big fan. Edith and the Kingpin - 8/10. This is what I expect from Joni Mitchell. Don't Interrupt the Sorrow - 7/10. Solid. Shades of Scarlett Conquering - 8/10. Rich and velvety sound. The Hissing of Summer Lawns - 8/10. Not much to say beyond that this is very typical Joni Mitchell. The Boho Dance - 8/10. Jazzy and smooth. Very enjoyable. Harry's House / Centerpiece - 6/10. A bit more experimental than I'm used to from Joni Mitchell. Not bad, just less of my preference. I like Centerpiece better than Harry's House. Sweet Bird - 7/10. Classic Joni Mitchell. Shadows and Light - 7/10. Love the vocal harmonies. Less of a fan of the synths, but this is good. Overall Rating - 3.60/5 (7.20/10). Another solid album from one of the Queens of folk.

Curious and interesting. I realised I knew nothing of hers apart from BYT, so I was really keen to hear this. Track 2 (The Jungle Line) is very unusual indeed. It certainly grabs - and holds - the attention.

Originelles Songwriting - zurückhaltend entspannter, cineastischer, jazziger Folk-Pop aka folkiger Jazz-Pop 🦆

Nice Voice, einige Highlights dabei. Mag den Gesamt-Vibe des Albums, aber die Abwechslung, das Überraschende fehlte mir.

Ich hab' es bei Joni Mitchell schon mit "Blue" und "Court And Spark" versucht, aber ich raffe ihre Musik scheinbar nicht. Dieses Album hat daran auch nichts geändert.

Nice songs and voice, but too many mellow songs makes it a bit tiresome... Best song The Jungle Line

Wow. I loved the other two Joni Mitchell records, and they were both folk classics but I was absolutely not prepared for this one. The palette is expanded so much here, there are so many new jazzy textures, whilst keeping the essence of what made her great in the first place. This is unbelievable, what a record.

1. In France They Kiss on Main Street - 6 It's lyrically very good. The guitars on it are brilliant and instrumentally it's a massive enjoyment. My issue is with the constant pace change of the lyrics in the verses. It's as if some lines are well paced and great and others have too many words and forced to crash into each other just to fit and not throw the pace of the track completely off. 2. The Jungle Line - 5 Instrumentally this track is very interesting. It's got some heavy drums and the lyrics are good. It's nothing phenomenal but it's still a decent track. 3. Edith and the Kingpin - 8 Lyrically it's very good but the highlight of the track for me is all the different effects on the instrumentals and how they're used to up and down the pitch of the song. It's like they constantly switch the mood through this absolutely perplexing song that is filled with intrigue more and more as you go through it. Solid track. 4. Don't Interrupt the Sorrow - 5 It's an okay song. There's some parts of it that are lyrically masterful and others that are dull enough you'll zone out of the song. 5. Shades of Scarlett Conquering - 6 It's a good song about loving making and a southern girl. Lyrically solid. Nothing over-the-top phenomenal but it's a good track. 6. The Hissing of Summer Lawns - 6 Decent track. Love how well it's lyrically written and there's genuinely a lot to enjoy here. 7. The Boho Dance - 4 Bit boring a track. It's definitely the pass over track of the album. Very slow, lyrics aren't great, and overall the track just feels like it's all over the place. 8. Harry's House / Centerpiece - 2 It's just all over the place. The pace is rushed on the lyrics in Harry's House like they are in In France They Kiss on Main Street. Then the song shifts rather non-seamlessly into Centerpiece which has an incredibly jazz sound on the piano. Honestly, the piano here is the best part of the entire album. It's amazing... but then the bridge into the outro have a completely different sound that just doesn't fit the track. The track is just absolutely all over the place because of it, sounding in the end like just loose noise before Joni Mitchell returns to the same structure and sound that was in Harry's House. Way way too random a track. 9. Sweet Bird - 1 Joni is too quiet on the track and it's overly simple. The piano is back but it's not the jazzy vibe and the pace and tempo of the piano is too quick, throwing the rest of the track completely off before Joni resumes her vocals. 10. Shadows and Light - 2 I'm not a person who enjoys acapella and that is what this is. Average Rating: 4.50 Adjusted to 5-Point Scale: 2.25 Rounded Down: 2 Stars

Dull. Not much more needs to be said.

Pretty tedious stuff 💤

Really interesting lyrically, but the songs themselves and music aren’t my bag. It got nicely experimental with ‘Jungle Line’, but alas, the experiment was short. Harry’s House was a cool song as well.

Good material

Sounds ahead.

There are a couple of tracks on here (The Jungle Line & Shadows and Light) that stand out for being musically interesting, but the rest of the music is in the same jazzy vein that mostly (not always) seems to exist just to provide a rather vanilla canvas for the lyrics, rather than adding any energy or emotional value of its own. Frustrating, as the songs probably deserve to be engaged with more.

I'm not certain if I've listened to this album before, because the second track really took me by surprise. I thought I was in for a wild ride (well, wild by Joni Mitchell standards) but apart from that track there isn't much in the way of experimentation - just usual Joni Mitchell loveliness. I've only taken a star off because there were no real standout tracks, and she has better albums.

Interestingly enough I have listened to one Pogues album five years ago, Rum, Sodamy and the Lash and thought it was alright. Perhaps too Celtic for my tastes (I'm not a fan of chamber music which lots of classic Irish music is based upon), but I didn't hear If I Should Fall Grace With God. I enjoyed this much more than Run Sodomy and Lash, much more refined and poignant with the material. Don't really care for the Christmas song, but the production and the whole ensemble around the band's sound was fantastic. Not fully my cup of tea or Guinness but I won't deny its importance or anything else.

Tudo neste disco é tecnicamente competente. Melhor, tecnicamente ótimo. Os arranjos são expansivos, a produção é imaculada, e os vocais de Joni são repletos de ternura e suavidade. É um álbum fácil de ouvir e de aproveitar, chega até a ser relaxante aos ouvidos. Mas, dito isso, só porque o achei tecnicamente bom não significa que ele me agradou pessoalmente. A realidade é que não senti nada muito forte o ouvindo. Apesar de o achar ótimo e tremendamente agradável, achei que faltou um molho especial. Algo para o destacar melhor, o elevar para outro nível. Um pouco entediante em alguns momentos, apesar da linda sonoridade e produção limpíssima. Uma pena. Mas consigo facilmente ver porque alguém amaria este disco. 3/5

Pleasant but didn't connect at all. Mostly lyrical. Too light for me.

Quintessentially Joni Mitchell. I don't find it as perfect as Blue, but a v. solid album nonetheless.

I can't. 1/5.

Nice easy listen. A good blend of rock and soft pop. Pretty good. Standout Songs: In France They Kiss on Main Street The Jungle Line Don't Interrupt the Sorrow The Hissing of Summer Lawns

Miss Mitchell delivers an experimental mishmash collection of songs here. Her thoughtful lyrics and sweet voice carries across the album. Listening to Joni makes me forlong for intellectualism in pop music. This album was fantastic and impressive as it would appear she is reaching outside her comfort zone and succeeds all the same.

I could not yet into it. The last song “Shadows and Light” was interesting. Recently I heard an interview with some musician that said Joni Mitchell represents femininity and women must accept that to like her and men may never understand and never like her music - or something to that effect. With that in mind I tried listening to Blue and could not get into it. So I had a feeling going in this would not be my thing.

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A backing band that sound like Steely Dan noodling over Crosby Stills and Nash make for a surprisingly good sound - warm and loose, jazzy jammy, with a touch of controlled fuzz and something approximating funk - she's getting a little bit wierd with it, incorporating dark synths, dense soundscapes, and lush tropical arrangements. I still don't like her voice though and there's just so much of it.

I'll still give it a 3 for the lyricism but I don't like this album. Don't like the weird jazz, which I don't think meshes with her style. It detracts from it. 3⭐️

Beautiful album! It's very dense, I feel like it's worth multiple listens. Love Mitchell's voice and lyrics, she's very captivating.

Excellent record, rich and subtle.

I like Joni, not my fav album