Joni Mitchell - All I Want

September 3, 1970 http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.htm... Watch the full show: http://thesixtiesarchive.blogspot.com...

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In 1979 Mitchell reflected, "The Blue album, there's hardly a dishonest note in the vocals. At that period of my life, I had no personal defenses. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes. I felt like I had absolutely no secrets from the world and I couldn't pretend in my life to be strong. Or to be happy. But the advantage of it in the music was that there were no defenses there either."

The album was influenced by jazz, particularly the music of Miles Davis. Mitchell used alternative tunings on her guitar to allow easier access to augmented chords and notes in unexpected combinations. * In 2003, Blue was ranked #30 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the highest placement for a female artist * In 2000, Blue won the top spot in Chart's '50 Greatest Canadian Albums of All Time' (Blue was third place in 1996 and 2005) * In 2007, Blue was ranked second in Bob Mersereau's book The Top 100 Canadian Albums, behind Neil Young's Harvest (which was the second-place finisher in all three Chart polls) * In 2001, Blue was ranked #14 on VH1's list of the '100 Greatest Albums of All Time', the highest album by a female artist to appear on the list. * Blue was also voted #13 on Hotpress Magazine's 'Top 100 Albums Ever', by various other artists * In 2002, Q Magazine named "Blue" the 8th Greatest Album of All-Time by a Female Artist. * Blue was voted #66 in Channel 4's countdown of the '100 Greatest Albums' * In 2006, Blue was listed among Time Magazine's 'All-Time 100 Albums' * In 1999, Blue was given the honor of a Grammy Hall of Fame award, which is given to recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance" * In 2004, Pitchfork Media ranked the album #86 on its list "Top 100 Albums of the 1970s".

Several songs reference Joni Mitchell. The song "Our House" by Graham Nash refers to Nash's brief affair with Mitchell at the time Crosby, Stills Nash and Young recorded the Déjà Vu album. Led Zeppelin's "Going to California" was said to be written about Robert Plant and Jimmy Page's infatuation with Mitchell, a claim that seems to be borne out by the fact that, in live performances, Plant often says "Joni" after the line "To find a queen without a king, they say she plays guitar and cries and sings." Jimmy Page uses a double dropped D guitar tuning similar to the alternative tunings Mitchell uses. The Sonic Youth song "Hey Joni" from their acclaimed Daydream Nation album is named for Mitchell. Sonic Youth also uses a wide variety of alternate guitar tunings. Alanis Morissette also mentions Joni in one of her songs, "Your House." British folk singer; Frank Turner mentions Joni in his song 'Sunshine State'. Fellow Canadian songwriter Ferron invokes Mitchell to open the song "Maya": "Last night I dreamed Joni Mitchell cut her hair and changed her name to Gaia. And she spoke to me in a confident air and said...'You better push the edge of Maya.'"

Melody Green wrote in "No Compromise, the life story of Keith Green", that her husband Keith Green and some friends found Joni's Southern California home security gate was open and they sang in her front lawn until she came out. She invited them all in and Green entertained her for a while on her piano.

Also, on the 2004 album eMOTIVe by A Perfect Circle, Maynard James Keenan covered Mitchell's song Fiddle and the Drum.

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[kevlancaster100]

Her natural speaking voice is as beautiful as her singing voice

[newfella1]

I just loves it when she says "dynamite girl"

[Kevin Thorpe]

Sublime-bloody sublime.

[beachgirl68]

This song stirs something deep within. It makes me sad and hopeful for love at the same time. Love Joni's freedom

[Maurice la montagne]

ok...

[Amanda Boutwell]

This song was on the L word

[MsSpy]

What a treat to hear this song in such a primitive state. Makes you feel like you're in her living room, playing around with ideas.

[Ruth Bentley]

So true, what grace she had in her movements, too.  I have never heard a singer who lifts my heart like Joni. Perhaps, (like many artists,) her troubles actually made her even better because her heart and soul were open so much and I hear her sing with her whole heart like this in so many of her songs!

[paisleybabee]

Wow! Thank you!

[Ohcomeon369]

Well of course you know she was a wee girl when she wrote this--the 70s. It's from the "Blue" Album. I just never heard the genesis of any of her songs before. Don't know that she was uncertain, I think the piece simply hadn't jelled yet.

[Talcupp]

It's really different from the record. How great to hear her still working on it. Is she uncertain about the lyrics in the beginning?

[twinoak170]

I wish this had no end.