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Track Listings
| 1. I Had A King |
| 2. Michael From Mountains |
| 3. Night In The City |
| 4. Marcie |
| 5. Nathan La Franeer |
| 6. Sisotowbell Lane |
| 7. The Dawntreader |
| 8. The Pirate Of Penance |
| 9. Song To A Seagull |
| 10. Cactus Tree |
Product Description
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Also known as Song To A Seagull, Joni's David Crosby-produced debut is simpler and more stark than the meticulous tapestries of her later and more celebrated work. It showcases the fragile Sixties style Crosby called "art-folk": hushed and demure, courtly and mannered. The young Joni sometimes sounds cloyingly virginal, and the flowery mooncalf affectations grate, but her unique sense of rhythm and melody is already blooming, most beautifully on "I Had A King", "Michael From Mountains" and "The Dawntreader". Raw and clear, Joni Mitchell is the sound of arguably the 1970s finest songwriter warming up, her approach, musical and lyrical, coming into focus, her vision ghosting past the boundaries of the folk form. --Taylor Parkes
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Joni Mitchell was already an acclaimed songwriter by the time she recorded her first album. Characteristically, she chose not to include any of her well-known songs on "Song to a Seagull," opting instead for a loosely-constructed song cycle charting her moves from Detroit to New York City and, ultimately, to Los Angeles. The real subject matter, though, is the clash between Mitchell's little-girl fairyland fantasies and the cold, hard reality of life in the big city. Her final destination, L.A., is more tolerant of her fantasy life, but lessons have been learned, and illusions shattered. The record has an odd, brittle beauty, and includes three of her finest songs: "I Had a King" (maybe the best sad divorce song ever), Cactus Tree (a litany of abandoned lovers which established her popular, if largely undeserved, reputation as a classic rock & roll "Old Lady"), and my personal favourite, "Marcie," a small, beautifully-observed tale of a lonely woman in New York which would sound right at home on any of Mitchell's 1990s releases.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A. Ali
Format:Audio CD
I have been a fan of THE GREAT ONE for a good while now, but it was only recently that I discovered this debut Joni Mitchell album. I had not heard much about it so I expected a good effort, nothing more. How wrong I was. Every last track (even the esoteric and odd Pirate of Penance) weaves a beautiful tale that sounds heavenly in Joni's pure performance. My favorites are "Song to a Seagull", "The Dawntreader", "Nathan LaFreneer", "Cactus Tree" and "I Had a King". Though this album predates me by more than a decade (I am a child of the eighties, no less), there is nothing I cannot relate to on it. There is a purity to it which I have never encountered on any other musical venture: no synthetic chords, no vocal enhancements, no audio engineering. Just one's woman's voice and her guitar. Incredible.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I think that the proper measure of whether a musical album can
be considered a masterwork, or masterpiece is whether it stands
the test of time. "Song To A Seagull" is most definitely such
a recording. I first bought this album in vinyl form in 1970
while serving in the Royal Air Force in Bahrain. I was just 19
years old at the time. The fact that I still enjoy listening to
it (the CD version) almost 34 years later speaks for itself.
The music has a purity that is matchless. Joni's crystal clear
voice is complimented by her perfect self accompaniment and the
uncluttered arrangements of the songs allow the quality of the
melodies and lyrics to shine through. Although it's "concept"
is simple, in that the listener is taken on a music journey
from a city to the seaside, it is absolutely superb.
This album would be considered brilliant by an established
artist. Because this was Joni's first album, it only under-
lines just how great her talent is.
If you like this album, check out Joni's album "Hits" which
contains "Urge For Going"
In my opinion, it is the most atmospheric song she has ever
written. She seems to have captured the very essence of
Winter.
be considered a masterwork, or masterpiece is whether it stands
the test of time. "Song To A Seagull" is most definitely such
a recording. I first bought this album in vinyl form in 1970
while serving in the Royal Air Force in Bahrain. I was just 19
years old at the time. The fact that I still enjoy listening to
it (the CD version) almost 34 years later speaks for itself.
The music has a purity that is matchless. Joni's crystal clear
voice is complimented by her perfect self accompaniment and the
uncluttered arrangements of the songs allow the quality of the
melodies and lyrics to shine through. Although it's "concept"
is simple, in that the listener is taken on a music journey
from a city to the seaside, it is absolutely superb.
This album would be considered brilliant by an established
artist. Because this was Joni's first album, it only under-
lines just how great her talent is.
If you like this album, check out Joni's album "Hits" which
contains "Urge For Going"
In my opinion, it is the most atmospheric song she has ever
written. She seems to have captured the very essence of
Winter.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
This CD will take you to another world!
This is without hesitation my favorite CD of all time. Joni Mitchell carries you away to the most unlikely places and paints the most vivid pictures imaginable. Read more
Published on April 17 2003 by "scottrenno"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Joni Mitchell's Debut Album Is Like Paintings Done Via Music
Recorded in the midst of the Vietnam War and surrounded by sweeping social changes, Joni Mitchell's 1968 debut album "Song to a Seagull" is an elegant and timeless microcosm. Read more
Published on April 4 2003 by M. Hart
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not your average debut
Joni Mitchell came out of the early-to-mid-60s folk scene, but her music defies categories such as folk, rock, folk-rock, etc. Read more
Published on Dec 17 2002 by MurrayTheCat
5.0 out of 5 stars
captivating
I recently picked this up and am quite SHOCKED by the sheer beauty and timelessness of this record. For quite a few years I sat on her records from Ladies of the Canyon through to... Read more
Published on Dec 14 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Pop Album Ever Released?
There is no criticism that I have of this album whatsoever, and I can't make that claim about nearly anything else in the universe. Read more
Published on Dec 12 2002 by Trevor
5.0 out of 5 stars
"listen my children, and you will hear . . ."
Those critics who shabbily state that such-and-such work of music is "stuck in its time", "sophomoric", "seems dated", and similar appellations--were... Read more
Published on Jun 3 2002 by Phil Rogers
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most underrated Joni CD
This album has so often been deprecated by fans and critics of the great Mrs. Mitchell. Too verbose and sophomoric! Too gloomy! Poorly-recorded! Stuck in its era! Read more
Published on Sep 16 2001 by "scottanth"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth a look for any Joni fan
Being a huge Joni fan after buying BLUE, which I spent my entire summer vacation listening to incessantly, I was loaned a copy of this album. Read more
Published on Sep 30 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars
So many other great songs could have been used for her first
Before Joni Mitchell released her first album, her songs had been recorded by artists like Judy Collins, Tom Rush, and George Hamilton IV. Read more
Published on Sep 7 2000 by 32-year old wallflower
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like This
So I have a tendency to like what is incredible, and Joni Mitchell has written some incredible songs. This is the album that establishes the existence of Joni Mitchell for me. Read more
Published on May 25 2000 by Bruce P. Barten
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