Ladies of the Canyon (album)

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For the Canadian country music group, see Ladies of the Canyon (band).
Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Robert ChristgauA–[4]
MusicHound[5]
Music Story[9]
Pitchfork Media7.8/10[8]
Rolling Stone(not rated)[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music[9]

Ladies of the Canyon is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1970. The title makes reference to Laurel Canyon, a center of popular music culture in Los Angeles during the 1960s. The album includes several of Mitchell's most noted songs, such as "Big Yellow Taxi", "Woodstock" and "The Circle Game".

Background

The album is notable for its expansion of Mitchell's artistic vision and its varied song topics (ranging from the aesthetic weight of celebrity, to observation of the Woodstock generation, to the complexities of love). Ladies of the Canyon is often viewed as a transition between Mitchell's folky earlier work and the more sophisticated, poignant albums that were to follow. In particular, "For Free" foreshadows the lyrical leitmotif of the isolation triggered by success that would be elaborated upon in For the Roses and Court and Spark. The sparse, alternate-tuning laden sound of later records comes to the forefront on "Ladies of the Canyon" (one of those "ladies" supposedly being female underground comix pioneer Trina Robbins).[10]

Of all of Mitchell's work, this album is arguably the most related to her long-standing friendships and relationships with Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young (whose hard rock arrangement of "Woodstock" was one of their three radio hits in 1970). A number of the album's songs, including the aforementioned "Ladies of the Canyon" and "Woodstock", feature densely stacked, wordless harmony overdubs reminiscent of David Crosby's oeuvre; Crosby himself has performed "For Free" for many years. "Willy" is an infatuated paean to Graham Nash, whose middle name is William. "The Circle Game", one of the artist's early signature songs, features background vocals from all four, and is a response to Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain". "Big Yellow Taxi" has become a standard over the years, as well as being sampled by Janet Jackson. In 1995 Annie Lennox performed the song "Ladies of the Canyon" and released it as the B-side of her single "No More I Love You's".

The Young and the Restless star Jess Walton stated that she was the owner of one of the houses featured on the album's cover.[11]

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave the album an "A-" and found it "superior to her previous work, richer lyrically and more compelling musically." Christgau said that the album's second half is "almost perfect, and the arrangements are intelligent throughout", but found Mitchell's voice weak and her wordplay inconsistent.[12] In a 1981 review, Christgau gave the album an "A–" and said that, despite the occasional "laughably high school" wordplay, Mitchell's reliance on piano suggests "a move from the open air to the drawing room ... that's reflected in richer, more sophisticated songs."[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Joni Mitchell

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Morning Morgantown"3:12
2."For Free"4:31
3."Conversation"4:21
4."Ladies of the Canyon"3:32
5."Willy"3:00
6."The Arrangement"3:32
Side two
No.TitleLength
7."Rainy Night House"3:22
8."The Priest"3:39
9."Blue Boy"2:53
10."Big Yellow Taxi"2:16
11."Woodstock"5:25
12."The Circle Game"4:50

Personnel

  • Joni Mitchell – guitar, piano, vocals, cover illustration
  • Teresa Adams – cello
  • Paul Horn – clarinet, flute
  • Jim Horn – baritone saxophone
  • Milt Holland – percussion
  • The Saskatunes – bop vocals on "Big Yellow Taxi" (It was in actuality a multi-tracked Joni Mitchell)
  • The Lookout Mountain United Downstairs Choir – chorus on "The Circle Game"
  • Don Bagley – cello arrangement
Technical

References

  1. ^ The Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Incorporated. 1999. p. 599. ISBN 978-0-7172-0131-0.
  2. ^ Ellen Willis (2011). Out of the Vinyl Deeps: Ellen Willis on Rock Music. U of Minnesota Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-8166-7282-0.
  3. ^ Cleary, D. (2011). "Ladies of the Canyon – Joni Mitchell | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  4. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. p. 261. ISBN 0899190251. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |laydate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |laysource= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |laysummary= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 769. ISBN 1-57859-061-2. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ von Tersch, Gary (2011). "Joni Mitchell: Ladies Of The Canyon : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2009-04-08. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  7. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). "Joni Mitchell". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside. pp. 547–548. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved 8 September 2009. Portions posted at "Joni Mitchell > Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  8. ^ "Joni Mitchell: The Studio Albums 1968–1979 | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  9. ^ a b "Joni Mitchell Ladies of the Canyon". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  10. ^ Weller, Sheila (2008). Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a Generation, p. 293. Atria. ISBN 0-7434-9147-5.
  11. ^ "Raising Cane". Soap Opera Weekly. 2007-02-27. p. 20. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (July 30, 1970). "Consumer Guide (12)". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
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