Joni Mitchell-Court and Spark (1974)


 

Artist: Joni Mitchell

Title: Court and Spark

Label: Asylum

Format: LP 

Cat: 7E-1001

Year of Release:1974

Country and Year of Edition: US 1974 Santa Maria pressing 

Sell Price: $19.99 VG/vG "Same Situation" label, "The Same Situation" sleeve

Discogs Last Sold: 2/27/23 G/G $3.00

Low:$2.00

Median: $6;00

Average: $9.73

High: $99.33 NM/VG+ 2/3/23

Current low price: $3.00

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 66

Have/Want: 9570/938

Where Sold: Santa Fe, NM

Time it took to sell:  1 year

Where and When Purchased: Facebook lot

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A

Sad To See It Go: No

I've had copies of this album along with Blue since the early 80's, and I always thought the canonizers considered these two her twin towers over For The Roses and Ladies of the Canyon.  I always liked Blue a little more than this, but I guess I never really gave Court and Spark it's due.  I bought a couple copies in small lots last year with the suspicion that at least one would flip.  I was correct, it went for 20 in the same order Hijira also got 20.

The inescapable Billboard #7 AM hit "Help Me" comes after the great piano proclamation that is the title track.  Jose Feliciano comes out to solo in the style of Duane Allman on "Free Man In Paris".  I thought it might be him even though he was already gone in 1974.  Crosby and Stills join for the other top 40 hit of the record.  "Raised on Robbery" was the other single but that peaked at #65 and that was the other song I seemed to remember as a radio hit with it's Robbie Robertson wha guitar and ready for prime time sax.

Part of what kept me at arms length was the 70's background vocals that come off a little jarring.  As if all that confusion should be bottled up in one head and not leading an army in unison.  Perhaps coached taking a crack at an Aretha style background vocals approach, but it doesn't seem like white bread R&B.  Joni's got her own thing goin' which makes me respect even her most commercial work if not enjoy it outright.

Since Joni was dating Cheech briefly, she enlisted him with Chong on the first cover she recorded, jazz singer Annie Ross.  I just found out this factoid today, which makes my gut feeling about her younger years seem spot on.  Cheech and Chong recruited as Lambert and Hendricks hot off "Earache My Eye".  

Why the hell not?

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