Court And Spark

Excellent album packed with great details in the lyrics and lots of fun twists and turns in the music. Sometimes Joni Mitchell's lyrics feel like diary entries. She has a way of writing in a very emotionally direct way but she still sneaks in clever turns of phrase and metaphors. Dan, the other day you were talking about how Fiona Apple jams a bunch of words into a song and bends the song to fit her lyrics. Joni Mitchell definitely does that too. I love how she speeds up sometimes to fit a long phrase into a line that wouldn't fit otherwise. It gives the songs personality. It's one of my favorite things about her style. "Car on the Hill" is a great song! The jazzy chorus with the backup singers is fantastic. And the section from 0:50 to 1:30 when the music swirls and builds and you're not sure where it's going next but then the flutes bring it right back to the main melody! Really cool. I've heard that Joni Mitchell liked Steely Dan and I can hear that connection in this song. "Twisted" is a great last song. It's a surprising change in style and the lyrics are really funny, how she thought she was a genius at 3 years old and chugged a bottle of vodka and had visions. This song stopped me in my tracks and I just had to give all my attention to it.

What great timing for Joni Mitchell to appear on this list (2nd time on our group's go-through), as she just performed at the Grammy's for the FIRST time in her 80 years on this planet. This album has all of the elements of a great album in this style. Evocative vocals, amazing instrumentation that really dances in and out with her voice, and her usual incredible lyrics. I love the structures in this album, they are often unconventional and keep me on my feet. This list / project has gotten me to listen to Joni Mitchell more and I'm very thankful! This was really an enjoyable listen. Beautiful album cover.

Folk Rock vom Feinsten, Musikerin mit einer einzigartigen Stimme, bereits mit der ersten Songzeile erkennt man, wer diesen Song performed...

This wasn’t available on Spotify so only listened to a couple of songs on YouTube.

Lightweight jazzy music. Great voice. I like this album.

Somehow this is the first full Joni Mitchell album I've ever listened to, and I was surprised. The singles that always get played don't really capture all the different styles she has going on, at least in this album. I'm a fan!

I love Joni Mitchell, she was a recent deep dive for me. She has a lot stronger of an output than her other Folk contemporaries at her time. There are a decent amount of albums of hers I prefer from around this time; Hejira, Blue, For The Roses. But if someone said this was their favorite, I wouldn’t be surprised. Except, they can not excuse Twister.

Ik weet het, sommige mensen vinden dit niks. Maar ik vind het wel ontspannende singersongwritermuziek met af en toe een gek uithaaltje. Al viel naar verluidt Bob Dylan erbij in slaap (zie Wikipedia)...

I almost didn’t listen because I was so sure I “got” Joni Mitchell. I was wrong! This was great, not what I was expecting at all, and I’m so glad I didn’t skip it. Learning lessons all over the place.

I love Joni, this one is not quite Blue but it’s pretty great

A decent listen, she has a great voice but it isn't very different to her other album on here

On Friday morning I was in an incredibly bad mood and this made me feel a lot better so thank you Joni Mitchell. Though I think YouTube started autoplaying another album by her afterwards that I liked more

Classic Joni - some really good tracks, but a bit slow at times

I like this album more than Hejira. 4/5

Court and Speak - 8/10 Help Me - 7/10 Free Man in Paris - 7.5/10 People's Parties - 7/10 The Same situation - 7.5/10 Car On a Hill - 7/10 Down to You - 7/10 Just Like This Train - 7/10 Raised on Robbery - 7/10 Trouble Child - 7/10 Twisted - 7/10 TOTAL - 89/110

I like the more piano/rock songs on the album, I feel like it slowly morphs to blues/Jazz/beat nick and didn’t like that.

There is a reason that Joni is considered one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Her poetic beauty is relatable to so many.

Not necessarily my type of music but listening to this it's just so noticeably how good it is and how great a story teller Joni is. I very much enjoyed the bass in this too

beautiful. voice annoyed me at first, like "there's got to be a morning after" high pitch South Park, but grew on me. Lyrics poetic, lovely storytelling. Theme of internal conflict between freedom (man in paris) and looking for love/connection. The confidence in her sexiness exudes. Twisted final track "my analyst told me"- therapist must listen We love our lovin' But not like we love our freedom

Moody music Worth a second listen

Hill Topanga Canyon lyricist. One of her albums before it got a little too poppy. Great piano and rhythm of lyrics that breaks the spell of background music monotony.

Buiten dat ze een prachtige naam heeft, al is die verkeerd gespeld, heb ik nog nooit muziek van haar geluisterd. Ten eerste: Verdomme, waarom staat dit niet op Spotify? Daarnaast, ik vind dit mooie muziek. Ik kan er niet echt iets anders over zeggen eigenlijk. Het is een soort folk/pop achtige muziek, veel piano, veel gitaar. Het is muzikaal heel minimalistisch maar dat word dan weer goed gemaakt door de zang van Joni. De muziek is gewoon een beetje lief ofzo, ik ga hier best wel lekker op. Nogmaals, had graag gezien dat dit op Spotify stond, maar helaas. Twisted is helemaal fantastisch, een soort jazzy plaat midden in dit folk pop album. Verdomme, waarom heb ik niet eerder naar Joni geluisterd?(Omdat ze niet op Spotify staat) FAVO: Down to you, Just like this train, Twisted

Some great songs and interesting arrangements

Me encantoooo. Las letras de esta mujer, por dios la amo

another great mellow choice

4.5

Mitchell's imagination is huge and the music is emotive and moving, if not extremely memorable.

Wasn’t expecting to like this album as much as I did- really quirky and interesting

Lovely little album. Really enjoy Joni's overall style, not an artist I've listened to much of but will have to find more by her

Great album from Joni Mitchell, having only listened to Blue before, I really enjoyed the jazz/pop style on this one. Favourite songs: 'Car On a Hill' 'Free Man On Paris' 'Twisted'

4.0

Great

lovely as always

Singer songwriter

Bummer and interesting that this doesn't work on Spotify but I found a YouTube playlist to listen. I know some Joni Mitchell songs but only in passing-she has a good voice and this album is a good blend of casual listening but still upbeat and interesting enough to remain engaging. Down to You is a well orchestrated song. Raised on Robbery is upbeat and fun. I liked Trouble Child. Twisted is jazzy and is different from the rest of the album. What a fun way to wrap it up.

Very nice pleasant music. I don't have a ton of notes though. I like her voice though. It seems so natural and unforced.

Never heard a whole lot o her beyond the hits. Really enjoyed a lot of the lesser known tunes on this album.

Not on Spotify.

Last time I had a Joni Mitchell album, it was Blue, and I admitted to myself after decades that it turns out I actually like Joni Mitchell a lot. Holds up here. So much of this cuts to the core. Really beautiful stuff.

Snilld. Þægileg snilld.

liked this more than I thought I would. Wish it was on Spotify, I'll probably never listen to this again otherwise. 4/5

I really like Joni Mitchell, especially Blue. I don’t like this as much. Hard to say why, I just don’t enjoy it as much. Still a 4/5.

Love this and Joni, not all the tracks are consistently amazing hence docking 1 star

Great record! I'll admit it's the first full Joni album I've listened to! So good! Nice blend of folky, jazzy, singer songwriter songs.

Lovely album.

Slay girrrrrl

I think this was the first Project album I could listen to on vinyl, and it helped the experience I think. She's such a wonderful songwriter, and has a voice that you'd recognise from a million miles away. Court and Spark doesn't reach Blue levels - there's nothing as affecting on River on here, and generally she sounds in a happier place on this record. Good for Joni, not as good for me. But still, it's an easy four, and the first album on the Project that I've just sent for another spin as soon as it finished.

Haven’t listened much to Joni Mitchell before now, but this album Courted me. You could say it Helped Me to want to listen to more. I’m sure others are in The Same Situation.

Enjoyed the album despite no songs really standing out to me as particularly memorable

Better than Neil Young

I actually really like this. Surprisingly pleased. Good job album generator, you are good for this.

back at it again with vibe-based rating track 1, Court and Spark: solid piano feel, 7.5/10 track 2, Help Me: i wonder if bill wurtz took inspiration from this and other songs of this genre because the acoustic guitar + soft electric guitar, AND THE WOODWIND??? fantastic. genuine 10/10 track 3, Free Man in Paris: okay i had to listen to this one back again to hear it but the singer has a similar accent to stan rogers, to my ears. actually able to parse the lyrics on this one and the vibe is of finally being free of churning content out and being bogged down by trying to make successes. 8/10 track 4, People's Parties: there might be a lot of wildly different people at this party but we're all here at the same party. i'm here in the corner not really feeling it but we're all here. at this same party. let's have a good time. 7/10 track 5, The Same Situation: OH AND THE PREVIOUS TRACK LEADS IN let's goooo. the combo of woodwind and strings got me a little head empty on this one but it's a good time so 7/10 track 6, Car on a Hill: we getting into the SAX now and oh it all comes together so well. 8.5/10 track 7, Down to You: everything really do be coming and going, all of the time. we are in a constant state of impermanence and it all comes down to you. what will you do? 7/10 track 8, Just Like This Train: the twang on the guitar is somehow super evocative of taking a train ride, staring out the window and watching the view go by. 7.5/10 track 9, Raised on Robbery: and we're back with the saxophone, into something feelin kinda blues-y! 7/10 track 10, Trouble Child: mmm not fitting in with peers n' not fitting in with what authority tells you to do and so people try to fit you into that box and corrall your trouble. let it free. 7.5/10 track 11, Twisted: another good transition flow! picking up from that box we got fit and into a chair to get analyzed. the pov of the person/character who is singing cannot possibly be neurotypical and i am so here for it. 9/10 this album makes me INCREDIBLY introspective while softly jamming out, and i could follow nearly all the lyrics the whole time (uncommon for me). overall 7.8/10 this album slaps.

very jazzy. this is her best selling album, apparently. lyrics are solid. down to you, problem child, and twisted were my fav tracks

Standard Joni, her voice grates on me sometimes tho

Need to listen to this one more. Liked it more than I expected to going in.

- Only ever listened to Blue in full before - Didn't think it was as good as that one, but not many albums are - Still a very very good album - Fav songs: Free Man in Paris, Court and Spark, Raised on Robbery

I really liked this one. Loved the use of French horn on Down To You. Some tracks kind of blend together. Favorite tracks are Court And Spark, Free Man In Paris, and Raised On Robbery.

Joni focuses more on her lyrics than she does production, which makes for an incredible story, but sometimes a lackluster presentation. all good songs and an enjoyable album but it could’ve been more exciting. 4/5

Great voice and a nice mixture of styles Amazing playing by the musicians and even some stuff present in songs I was not expecting!

Good oldies

Listened to this mainly in the background and with it being on Youtube it was tough to follow the individual tracks. It took me a minute to get hooked in the album because it came out very strong with he powerful singing voice. But once it got going I really liked all of the different instruments and horns that went along with her voice. This was a very peaceful album to listen to and found myself really liking certain parts of it. 3.5 rounded up because I am on vacation and in a good mood.

Never really have sought out Joni Mitchell so we'll see how this goes. A few songs in and I really dig it. Her voice is so soothing with some good instrumentals. I especially like the sax parts on Car On a Hill. That songs a jam. I listened to this while on a walk so not too much detail here, but I really enjoyed that. Rounding up a 3.5 to a 4

Wow just so beautiful, MUST listen again and regularly!

easy listening

Cozy. Title track and Help Me two of the standouts, plus the first couple tracks of side two.

Very reflective of the era it came out in. Joni Mitchell is one of great lyricists of all time and this shows here. Soul searching and soothing.

Joni is a gem, excellent production

Joni is great. Due to the album not being on spotify I have found this one harder to grade. I have had to listen on youtube, with adverts galore, which doesn't help the flow of the album, but I won't hold that against Joni, I'll hold that against Rogan. The album itself is great from what I can tell. She doesn't often miss. This album could be better than i think, but I think I'll fall in to the trap of giving it a 4/5, but it could grow on me, as i'd never heard this one before and her music has that way of getting under your skin 4/5

Great for when your pottering around on a Sunday morning, though it makes me feel that I should be wearing a long floral dress as I do so!

I like Joni Mitchell. Less motels in this one.

Incredible album for a cold night. The mix of jazz, funk and slow songs was a delight to listen too. Wasn’t really expecting this out of a Joni Mitchell album, was used to earlier slower songs I had heard from Blue/Clouds. But this was really refreshing.

nice - 4

I liked this better than The Hissing Of Summer Lawns, which was also very good. Favorite song: Car on a Hill

Good one Joni

4/5 Best: Help Me Worst: Down To You

The closer aside this is a great album.

-JONI MITCHELL TIME -so excited love her voice sm -court and spark is a great intro song -LOVED help me it was an upbeat nice song -same situation lyrics are so real and beautiful -you tell em joni mitchell!!!! -car on a hill is FUN -down to you is a little too instrumental for me -just like this train is my favorite -is this my favorite joni mitchell album? no but is it STILL REALLY GOOD? yes. -easy four stars

Exactly what I needed for the drive home today. I am a wine mom in the California valley and I am free. Inject this straight into my veins. Also "clutching the night to yourself like a fig leaf" are you kidding meee

8/10

Contrary to my previous rating on one of Joni Mitchell's albums, I actually really enjoyed this one. Interesting transition to jazz music towards the end.

really good!! "free man in paris" is definitely the highlight but the entire album is consistent and great. pretty multifaceted as well. "twisted" is hilarious.

I really enjoyed this. Raised on robbery is my favourite.

Good chill album. My mom loves it so bonus star

There's an earnestness to Joni and her songwriting, and it makes this entire record a really pleasant listen. Love all the little jazzy elements scattered throughout as well as the more piano heavier songs. Down to You in particular is just gorgeous.

Even if I am not into this kind of music, got to say that the songs are good. Harmonies during "Free Man in Paris" track are really good. There is a repetition of the lyrics during "Help Me" for 15 seconds, something like that, it can bother a little. Bothers me I won't remember most of the songs, specially songs like "People's Party", not because of the song itself, but because of the lenght. "Down to You" instrumental part was one of the best parts of the album. Harmonies are the best thing of this album. I could use the songs for a Coffee Shop, but still, not my kind of genre.

Joni Mitchell, killing it as ever

Genre bending and fairly upbeat for Joni Mitchell, this album was a good one. It's well worth the re-listen and is very beautiful.

4/5

Classic Joni

Classic album. Has some great tracks that I had not listened to in years. Great to listen to a great voice and excellent lyrics!

Help Me is great. And the last song. Really good album for me but also not one I'd listen to in full often.

After listening to Hejira, I kindly asked Joni for more melodies and this time she came through a bit more for me... Couldn't sleep and listened to this over an early breakfast on the balcony. Enjoyed a lot of it, but also felt myself wanting to skip a few songs. I think I'd like to give this 3.5 stars, but I'll round up to 4 since I DID enjoy it more than Hejira.

Schönes Wohlfühlalbum

such a beautiful voice love this record

Loved it

To be honest, I am really bad at telling what is great folk, and what is just alright. But I thought the melodies and lyrics were strong without being cliché, and the production was definitely subtle enough to avoid blandness. So I think, in my pretty limited knowledge of the quality of folk, it was pretty great.

The best Joni M album so far

Beautiful album. Absurdly I know some of the songs from listening to Miles of Aisles a lot as a kid but had never listened to this before.

Joni is just amazing!

4.5

Love Joni Mitchell and this album. Worth considering for vinyl. 4/5

Not on Spotify

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

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

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

Я буду её трусами…

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

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

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

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

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

Great voice, but not my thing...

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

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

Muy lindo, especialmente Help me.

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

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

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

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

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

Surprised how much I've liked Joni Mitchell

Lovely. Jazzier than I was expecting.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Great lyrics great voice v chilled.

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

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

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

Beautifully crafted folk songs. Each song is a hit.

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

6/11, 55%

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

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

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

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

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

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

yes

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love Joni Mitchell with all my heart!

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

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

Should relisten but love joni

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

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

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

Gorgeous

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

really good studying music

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

Great jazzy beats

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

classic chill joni

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

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

Creative. Awesome voice

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

Great storyteller with a beaut3voice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4/5

Era-defining sound

You go girl!!

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

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

I enjoyed this one a lot!

Delightful mix of styles.

Help Me tem uma voz bem legal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I love Joni Mitchell

De av swaag

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

Jättebra dude... stark fyra

Twisted is good.

Part folk, part rock, part country, Joni takes her talent in all directions. Sonically, some of this album is very dated, but the showcase here is Mitchell's lyric writing. It's amazing that this period of American music gave us Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan etc… 4/5

War eigentlich schön auch wenn ich den Singsang auf Dauer etwas eintönig finde. Trotzdem sehr beruhigende und angenehme Ausstrahlung. Die Texte sind meistens recht gut und relatable in ihrer melancholischen Stimmung. Der letzte Track war bisschen weirdly out of place. Vermutlich die schlechteste 4 aber 3 ist mir zu wenig

Schönes Album! Also wirklich schön. Mag Blue noch mehr aber das hier hat mir auch sehr gefallen.

Album hat einen extrem guten Vibe und schöne Songs. Der letzte, jazzige Track ist komisch aber bisschen wirkt ein bisschen fehl am Platze auf dem Album.

People absolutely love and adore Joni for good reasons, and this album is one of them. Dreamy internal monologues, relational observations and hidden conversations meet ambling guitars and early 70s Bacharach & David folk swing. Also, after 34 years, I finally get that reference from "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker". It's never too late.

I really enjoyed what I heard here, but especially "Down To You" - God, what a gorgeous track. Overall, combines folk/rock/jazz in a great way. Jazzy enough to make it interesting, but not too jazzy that I lose interest (I am still trying to appreciate jazz more but I can only digest it in small doses for the most part).

No-one bears - needs- repeated listening like Joni Mitchell. Even if it's on Youtube as she's pulled this from Spotify over the Joe Rogan spat. On first listen the tunes, even the song structure, are difficult to make out. Each listen, as the songs become familiar, gets better and better.

4 stars. Was not a fan of Joni Mitchell until I listened to this. Much more interested now

just listened through two days ago great folk/soft rock pop album

really good! i love joni mitchell, her songwriting is always impeccable and she has one of my favorite voices ever.

the jazzier stuff (especially the last song) on this is a little cringy to me (i prefer her earlier albums blue and ladies of the canyon) but i still really enjoyed it. her voice is deeper and stronger here and the lyrics are as good as ever

Mooi

Wonderful songwriting, I'm just not huge on Joni's voice

liefelijke stem, best wel mooie liedjes 4*

Never really listened to Joni Mitchell before, but she has an amazing voice! This is a really rich album.

Beautiful voice, some great ballads throughout. Don’t know if she’s totally my vibe but no doubt an excellent album.

Joni Mitchell always has great lyrics, poetic, conversational, confessional, interesting rhyme scheme, even when sometimes a little forced it works with her delivery. This album was filled with fives. But I hated Raised by Robbery and Twisted, the Rockish forced spear of The former and the lame white skit scatting of the latter. Killed the vibe.

:) 4/5

Great stuff.

Schönes Album

Endlich mal wieder was wirklich schönes. Herbie hanckock hat vieles noch besser rübergebracht

Still great storytelling about finding love and finding yourself but more energy and an upgraded musical delivery compated to Hissing of summer lawns. More funk/grooove/rock vibes. Help me, free man in Paris, Raised on Robbery 3.5

Just before Joni went full Jazz. Some beautiful songs!

as you may know, im fairly familiar with joni mitchell. from this album i remember and love 'help me' new songs i found that i liked were: - court and spark - car on a hill

Coming in as a Joni Mitchell newbie here, but this was MUCH more palpable than Summer Lawns (not a great starting place if you are just getting acclimated). Quite bluntly, this is a beautiful album with fantastic jazz arrangements. I would say that that the backing band, made mostly up by members of The Crusaders and LA Express, are the stars of this album, but Mitchell's songwriting and singing is just magnificent. A great album to kick on for a dinner party or a cozy fireplace. Favorite Songs: Raised by Robbery, Free Man in Paris Least Favorite: The Same Situation - I sort of get lost and disconnected when this song plays.

First impressions, good band good voice, will go back to this

don't understand the hate, y'all will listen to a fat middle age man named danzig yell about his mother over and over again but this lady giving us her star trek TNG captain's log in song form is not ok for some reason

Emperial phase Joni. She could do no wrong.

Rating: 7/10 Best Songs: Help me, Free man in Paris

The album on which Joni really developed her voice, vocally and instrumentally. And this was as mainstream pop as she would get. She invented, transcended but also fit right into the mainstream ‘70s singer-songwriter movement.

car on a hill + twisted >>

good album. Not my favorite of Joni's. Court and Spark is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. It was an immediate commercial and critical success—and remains her most successful album. It reached No. 2 in the United States and No. 1 in Canada and eventually received a double platinum certification by the RIAA, the highest of Mitchell's career. Mitchell spent most of 1973 in the recording studio creating Court and Spark. Mitchell and engineer Henry Lewy called in a number of top L.A. musicians to perform on the album including members of the Crusaders, Tom Scott's L.A. Express, cameos from Robbie Robertson, David Crosby and Graham Nash and even a twist of comedy from Cheech & Chong. In a July 1979 interview with Cameron Crowe for Rolling Stone, Mitchell recounted playing the then-just completed Court & Spark to Bob Dylan, during which he fell asleep.[20] She later suggested that Dylan was probably trying to be "cute" in front of label boss David Geffen, who was also present.

Very cool album!

This is where Joni Mitchell began her evolution from acoustics to a more rounded out sound.

Good Sunday listening music. Especially loved the first song.

Beautiful warbling.

Chill, nice, and sweet

Great classic

On the whole, this was an enjoyable album, really nice to have on in the background. She's got a lovely voice, I think I'll explore more of her music one day.

I like Joni while I’m cooking, driving in the car, as background noise while I read. A good companion indeed.

This album feels like it could be released today and be great. An artist I definitely want to explore more of.

Really like Joni's wandering, folky songwriting. Love the slightly dijointed feeling you get from the way she sings her stories. Like the different guitar tunings too. Lovely memories of Aunty Shirl singing a few of these songs

Move over Lady Gaga, Joni Mitchill has entered the room. Joni would be a tough competitor if she was spinning her vinyl magic today. Pianist, Acoustic Guitarist and Clavinet were just a part of her artistic talents. What a beautiful voice! I loved Help Me” and “Night in Paris”,and “Raised on Robbery”. I rank her in the top 15 most amazing women artists. This album is just a small glimpse of her talent. Have to listen to her sing “Big Yellow Taxi”, Woodstock and “Both Sides Now” She is by far one of the most talented women out there. Her songs are catchy songs or folk songs that weave a web of life and its journeys. You can “parking my lot” any time any day. Well done Jonie

A high 8. Love her voice and would probably rate it higher on a relisten, but fell off at towards the end

So I guess I'm a big Joni Mitchell fan? Who knew. This album is excellent. There's something so personal and easy listening about Joni's music. Love it Favorite track: Raised on Robbery

Bastante agradable. Voz relajante, buena instrumentación. No le pude poner mucha atención a las canciones, pero suenan con buen ritmo. Canción favorita: Car on the hill por lo satisfactorio que suena cuando dice "so much sweeeeetness in the dark". Me siento como en una comedia romántica retro jajaja. Ya ese es mood.

Excellent so gwriting accompanied by a unique voice. All her songs tell a story making these songs a little more meaningful than most. Guitars reflecting the sounds of the time but mostly sound modern. Enjoyed this album and will listen to more from Joni

Yeah, pretty cool - this is Joni's Steely Dan album. Even the cocktail jazz track at the end is hip, for the most part. I still can't quite get along with her voice, but some really inventive music and decent songwriting throughout.

Joni Mitchell is someone I don’t think I’ve heard before but I’m sure a song will pop up that I will recognize. Nice to finally have a female artist in the running. It’s been a British sausage fest so far. The album cover is confusing and totally 70’s. I really like her voice, it sounds like Paula Cole a little bit and Danielle Haim a lot (Haim may have even said Joni was one of their role models). Very folksy. Wow, Help Me is really good. I love hearing her go from different octaves or whatever it’s called. She has a lot of range and clearly sounds like she has room to grow into tons of different sounds. I saw she has a million albums so hopefully she was able to experiment throughout the years. This album kind of feels like the Carpenters. Apple Music dares you to try NOT listening to this album a dozen times in a row. While I don’t think I’ll take up their challenge, this is certainly a great album and something I thoroughly enjoyed. I am looking forward to any more Joni that comes up. She weaves both fun and carefree with insecurity and romance (and even some of her Jazz in Twisted).

first blush is that it sounds like a concept album. interested to see where it goes. I really have no idea what to make of this album, will need to listen to it again sometime

Very nice vibes, reminds me of Diamante. It's not the best Joni Mitchell album I would say though

Fantastic production, great songwriting, and lovely vocals. A bit guitar-centric for my liking and the back half was more forgettable, but altogether good. 8

J’adore joni mitchell, c’est une de mes artistes favorites, Blue est un de mes albums preferes mais celui ci est en dessous. Tout de meme trres bon. 4.5

Not my style but a well put together album

Though twisted is a little out there, the album is sophisticated, engaging and very enjoyable to listen to. Help Me stands out, but i also liked the energy of raised on robbery and the mood of the same situation.

In a strange coincidence, before I knew this was the album today I was talking with my Dad about the very first albums he bought - one of them was this one! The songs are creative and interesting. Sometimes I find them impactful, other times I get a bit lost. Much of her craft seems to depend on the lyrics and if I'm not able to follow them I lose interest a little bit. That said, I think there is a lot to unpack here that can't be gleaned from a single listen, and I look forward to coming back to it.

I liked it.

Joni Mitchell is a true original. Love the blending of genres here, especially the touches of jazz.

Quizá si no hubieran salido dos discos de Joni Mitchell seguiditos podría apreciar más este sin estar en función a comparar con el otro. El disco me gustó mucho, me sonó mucho menos melancólico y adolorido que el anterior, con rolas hasta alegres y que llegaría a considerar (soft)rockeras. Me gustó en especial la última (Twisted) por su onda de jazz.

Took me a few listens but a very touching and relatable treatise on early love

Enjoyable jazzy songwriting

Classic songs, quite good

Help me Free man in Paris Raised on robbery

Love her voice but her melodies get repetitive. Great arrangements and musicians.

Good album. Free Man In Paris is a classic. Didn't realise Joni was so prolific!

A warm summer's day. 7.5/10 FT Help Me

Reminds me of the carpenters a lot

This is definitely an interesting album. I like how she blended folk and jazz and a little bit of rock together. Her lyrics were very memorable and packed a punch. I wouldn't be mad if this came on but I wouldn't seek it out either.

Some great tunes on here, though the 70s smooth-jazzy sheen has always been a bit of a turn-off for me. Still, it's Joni.

Joni Mitchell is a great artist. Blue is an alltime classic, and you hear a lot of the songs from this album on certain radio stations, too. So it's almost a personal shame that I can say that I just can't get too warm about it. There's artistry galore here, from Mitchell herself and I wouldn't be surprised if the session players are Wrecking Crew level 70s all-stars, too. But, sorry…

Very good album. I enjoy listening to Joni.

I don't mind a lot of Joni Mitchell's material, but for some reason nothing on this album grabbed me, maybe it was plan old familiarity (i.e. I didn't recognise any track).

Enough of my own musical heroes consider Joni a hero that I totally understand her importance. The music has just never done a lot for me. I have already had Blue in this project, and I think that was the only one people NEED to hear before they die. Diff'rent strokes, for different folks. Reading the Wikipedia page, this album had quite an all-star cast! This did kind of grow on me. Maybe I just haven't listened to enough Joni.

Good listen..timeless tunes

boring

At first, I listened to the beginning of the album while reading, and honestly, it fit really well with what I was reading, It felt very cinematic, almost like a soundtrack. Based on my music taste, I think this is the kind of music I’d have playing in the background when I’m looking for inspiration or just trying to relax. It reminds me of a warm summer sunset while I’m drawing and feeling inspired. “Help Me” has a great instrumental, However, it’s not something I’d listen to all the time or become obsessed with. It’s not really my usual style or what I’m used to listening to, but I still enjoyed it. My favorite songs were “Help Me” (which I noticed is the album’s most popular track) “Just like this train” and “Car on a Hill.” I didn’t finish listening to “Down to You.”

I watched a woodpecker climb a tree while the People Laughing portion, like Woody Woodpecker, of People's Parties came on. Its weird how nature can match the music you're listening to. She reminds of Dylan in that when the story is engaging, you are engaged. When it is not, it can be dull & my brain goes elsewhere. Yet the music is amazing. It's very jazzy & very easy listening. 3

Joni is just SO good at writing and has some of the most unique and recognizable styles of all time.

sehr schön

First of 4 Joni Mitchell albums on this list and the first time I've listened to an album of hers. Despite this not being *the* Joni Mitchell album (which I've heard it Blue) I enjoyed this album for the most part. My favorite tracks are "Help Me" and "Raised on Robbery" and while not every song hit like those I can appreciate what Joni is doing and I enjoy the various genres she features on this album. 3.5 rounded down to a 3/5

A pleasant listen, can’t say much more than that really

(5/7) glad she found a band

My second Joni album in a few days and this one didn’t resonate with me as much as _Blue_. It was a jazzier affair than its predecessor and perhaps felt a little too produced compared to the more visceral _Blue_. Still decent though, and I’d probably give it another chance.

Fun and light, with some confusing lyrics

I have not heard this before, but I have heard all of these songs before. Joni Mitchell is great and these are all good songs. The accompaniment has a keyboard with a very mid-seventies sound playing very mid-seventies chords that I’m not a fan of for whatever reason, I really can’t explain the issue other than it’s always bothered me since I was a kid. Putting that aside it’s a good album.

I really like Joni Mitchell, particularly her voice and lyricism, and this was almost a four for me. I have a feeling I'll like some of her other music even more.

Jodå, svänger hyfsat.

The album was decent, enjoyed some parts of it, nothing I'd come back to but it was fun. Solid 3.5

I think I list this album better than Blue. It was a more jazzy record, with the same strong singing and songwriting my Joni.

pretty good

I don't mind Joni Mitchell, I just find the songs aren't very singable? This was good though, more jazz less folk

Mooi folk album. Ik vind het mooi, maar iets te ingewikkeld ofzo. Ik kan niet zo veel met de songteksten. Ik denk dat ik het instrumenten spel te jazzy vind en dat past dan net niet lekker bij het folky gevoel

This was very pleasant

Lovely album. Again, forgot to take any notes while listening.

This was a fine listen. I will not lie and say Jodi's voice isn't entrancing, but I don't feel like it's enough to carry the whole album. 3/5

A perfect crystalline voice and nice songs, though they're not as emotive and essential as some of her older work that I prefer. The last track is a horrible direct hit to the heart of my jazz aversion and almost retroactively taints the whole thing.

Wouldn’t ever think of listening to any of her stuff as it is too much “easy listening” which for me = “why bother?”. I quite liked this album though. However, I felt that most of the songs ended before they came to a satisfactory conclusion and I kept hoping they would build into a bigger ending. Best track was the more up-tempo “Raised on Robbery”.

Wikipedia says it's her best selling record, which is mad cos you'd assume that was Blue? I’d never even heard of this. It’s a pleasant listen, the first one of these I’ve felt compelled to play twice, and maybe eventually this is a 4. 'Down to You' is my clear fave, absolutely loved this song. 'Twisted' by far the worst and really has no business being on this record!

It's OK, but not for me. Every now and then, there's a hint of country, and that's upsetting. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (5/10) Total reviewed : 346 Already owned : 77 Purchased : 16 To buy : 3 Nope : 250

2026.06.08.

This album doesn't have anything that stands out to me