Joni Mitchell - Hunter

September 3, 1970 http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.... Watch the full show: http://thesixtiesarchive.blogspot.com/2010/12/joni-mitchell-live-in-concert-s...

Joni Mitchell, CC, (born Roberta Joan Anderson; November 7, 1943) is a Canadian musician, songwriter, and painter.

Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Western Canada and then busking on the streets of Toronto. In the mid-1960s she left for New York City and its rich folk music scene, recording her debut album in 1968 and achieving fame first as a songwriter ("Urge for Going", "Chelsea Morning", "Both Sides Now", "Woodstock") and then as a singer in her own right. Finally settling in Southern California, Mitchell played a key part in the folk rock movement then sweeping the musical landscape. Blue, her starkly personal 1971 album, is regarded as one of the strongest and most influential records of the time. Mitchell also had pop hits such as "Big Yellow Taxi", "Free Man in Paris", and "Help Me", the last two from 1974's best-selling Court and Spark.

Mitchell's contralto vocals, distinctive harmonic guitar style, and piano arrangements all grew more complex through the 1970s as she was deeply influenced by jazz, melding it with pop, folk and rock on experimental albums like 1976's Hejira. She worked closely with jazz greats including Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, and on a 1979 record released after his death, Charles Mingus. From the 1980s on, Mitchell reduced her recording and touring schedule but turned again toward pop, making greater use of synthesizers and direct political protest in her lyrics, which often tackled social and environmental themes alongside romantic and emotional ones.

Mitchell's work is highly respected both by critics and fellow musicians. Rolling Stone magazine called her "one of the greatest songwriters ever," while Allmusic said, "When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century." Mitchell is also a visual artist. She created the artwork for each of her albums, and in 2000 described herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance." A blunt critic of the music industry, Mitchell had stopped recording over the last several years, focusing more attention on painting, but in 2007 she released Shine, her first album of new songs in nine years.

Blue (1971) is the fourth album of Canadian-born singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Exploring the various facets of relationships from infatuation on "A Case of You" to insecurity on "This Flight Tonight", the songs feature simple accompaniments on piano, guitar, and Appalachian dulcimer. Blue was a critical and commercial success, reaching #15 in the Billboard Album charts and #3 in the UK. The single "Carey" reached #93 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. In January 2000, the New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented "turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music."

Despite the success of her first three albums and songs like "Woodstock", 1970 saw Mitchell make a decision to break from performing. After a tough breakup with her longtime boyfriend Graham Nash she set off on a vacation around Europe during which she wrote many of the songs that appear on Blue.

The album was almost released in a somewhat different form. In March 1971, completed masters for the album were ready for production. Originally, there were three old songs that had not found their way on to any of her previous albums. At the last minute, Mitchell decided to remove two of the three so that she could add the new songs "All I Want" and "The Last Time I Saw Richard". "Urge for Going", her first song to achieve commercial success when recorded by country singer George Hamilton IV, was removed. (It was later released as the B-side of "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" and again on her 1996 compilation album, Hits.) Also removed was "Hunter (The Good Samaritan)", which has never appeared on any of Mitchell's albums (however, her live performance of "Hunter" is now available on the Amchitka Concert CD, together with two other songs that later appeared on "Blue", "My Old Man" and "Carey", which she morphs into Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" in a duet with her boyfriend at the time, James Taylor). "Little Green", composed in 1967, was the only old song that remained.

There has been persistent speculation that the album, and particularly the title track, were named after fellow songwriter David Blue, who was a friend and possibly love interest of Mitchell's when the album was released. She has denied the connection.

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[musicloveranthony]

i can't put into words how thankful I am for you having posted this.

[Longtack55]

I hear Joni compared Bob Dylan. Well - she has a better voice, better lyrics, better instrumentally, less cynical, better stage performance (esp' without the entourage) more poetic etc etc.

And she's sooo purty.

[Seasass]

I heard this on the Amchitka CD and loved it. At the risk of having my comment flagged as spam, that is a GREAT CD! Phil Ochs just before his downward slide, James Taylor as he was rocketing to the top, and Joni at the peak of her early period.

[ana1sninja]

I've never heard this song before tonight! Thank you for posting this video. I love seeing anything with Joni Mitchell live. Just gorgeous.

[MusicalErika]

She has a such a beautiful ethereal tone, Ah! I could listen to her all day.

[pilordpilord]

Youve made me so happy with this. Iv waited years to hear it again. I used to have it on an old reel to reel tape recorder, and I always remember it with the sound of my mother wheezing in the backround. Thanks

[freewillietoday]

This has got to be one of the best unpublished Joni Mitchell songs ever!

[ahnmahree]

@musicloveranthony I agree! Thank you!!

[thesongislove]

Just Excellent!!! Wow!