Imaginatively unusual and subtle harmonies abound here, never more so in her body of work than on the remarkable "Songs to Aging Children Come," which sets floridly impressionistic lyrics to a lovely tune that is supported by perhaps the most remarkably sophisticated chord sequence in all of pop music. Mitchell's classic singer/songwriter standards "Chelsea Morning" and "Both Sides Now" respectively receive energetically vibrant and warmly thoughtful performances. Forthright lyrics about the unsureness of new love ("I Don't Know Where I Stand"), misuse of the occult ("Roses Blue"), and mental illness ("I Think I Understand") are very striking. The sketches presented of lovers by turns depressive ("Tin Angel"), roguish ("That Song About the Midway"), and faithless ("The Gallery") are vividly memorable. government to a bitter friend, dispenses with instrumental accompaniment altogether. "The Fiddle and the Drum," a protest song that imaginatively compares the Vietnam-era warmongering U.S. Guitar alone is used in accompaniment, and the variety of playing approaches and sounds gotten here is most impressive. Vocals here are more forthright and assured than on her debut and exhibit a remarkable level of subtle expressiveness. Quote Clouds is a stark stunner, a great leap forward for Joni Mitchell. This excellent debut is well worth hearing. David Crosby's production is simple and effective. Character studies such as "I Had a King" and "Nathan la Franeer" are painfully bleak in contrast to the lithe domestic scene of "Sisotowbell Lane" and the winsomely reserved love song "Michael From Mountains." Unusual in her oeuvre are the overlapping dialogue prose manner of "The Pirate of Penance" and the jaunty honky tonk stylings of "Night in the City." Mitchell sings in a light, gossamer, at times diffident manner vocal harmony is sparingly employed here.
"Marcie" utilizes poignant, twisting music set to desolately lonely lyrics about a jilted woman the recurrent use of red and green imagery in the verses is especially clever. Conversely, "Cactus Tree" explores the downside of a no-strings-attached approach to life, the fear of committing to a relationship (ironically wedding these words to a hopeful melody and pulsating guitar texture). "Song to a Seagull" has graceful and vivid lyrics about the joys of freedom set to a haunting, wide-ranging vocal line. Verses are substantive and highly charged, exhibiting careful workmanship. Numbers such as "Marcie," "Michael From Mountains," "The Dawntreader," and "The Pirate of Penance" effectively utilize sophisticated chord progressions rarely found in this genre. What sets this release apart from those of other confession-style singer/songwriters of the time is the craft, subtlety, and evocative power of Mitchell's lyrics and harmonic style. "Out of the City and Down to the Seaside," by contrast, is a celebration of nature and countryside, mostly containing selections of a charming, positive, or more outgoing nature. Side one, subtitled "I Came to the City," generally exhibits songs about urban subjects that are often dour or repressed in some way.
Quote Joni Mitchell's debut release is a concept album.
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