Customer Reviews

Don Juan's Reckless

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have loved this 1977 album ever since I first heard it about four years ago. It has a very different feel than the 1976 album "Hejira" or the 1979 "Mingus" album. Jaco Pastorius' bass lines and fills (often brief overdubs of several basses filling) are dominant on most of the album. I love how the bass harmonics and high-pitched fills meet and complement Joni Mitchell's vocal effects. The overture is chilling.
Jaco uses a very rich and unusual sound on his bass here. This is an absolute MUST-LISTEN for Jaco fans. A lot of overdubbed voicings sneak in here and there. This had not been typical of Mitchell's early albums, and is one of the things that gives this one a special feeling. Another strength is the musicians. She is backed up by exraordinary artists, most of whom are best known from jazz and/or jazz-fusion bands. In addition to Jaco, Wayne Shorter (on soprano sax), drummer John Guerin, Alex Acuña, Don Alias, Manolo Badrena, and Airto (all on percussion) also contribute. Larry Carlton guests on guitar on "Otis and Marlena", and Chaka Kahn sings back-up on "The Tenth World" and "Dreamland". Joni plays guitar and piano equally on this album. Something that really distinguishes this from all her other 70's albums, is the 16+ minute "Paprika Plains"; it features (in addition to Joni's voice, piano, and the band) an orchestra conducted by Michael Gibbs. The mood of the whole recording is really special. I believe the cover art suits the feeling very well. There's an interesting combination of freedom and what's obviously arranged, as well as an interesting combination of humour and seriousness. The performance is freer here than on "Hejira", but still strongly recommended to fans of that album and to people interested in enchanting musical performances and sounds.

I really can't get into this album, but the cover is the best. Joni makes a very convincing pimp, and has all the moves. She can protect me anytime.

There is a lot to this album. First the cover: Joni in black male pimp drag. It's a character she played in a movie "Love" that was never released. (Her "Love" on Wild Things Run Fast was suggested by other contributors to the movie)

The whole format is done in a concerto style. Originally this was a 4 sided album. Side 1 held the main theme. Side 2 was the adagio, Paprika Plains. Side 3 was a theme-varie. Side 4 was a return to the main theme. Now on cd the whole musical landscape is uninterrupted. It should be remastered to bring out the full sound.

The title track is a continuation of Hejira with it's travel theme and just as she did on Hejira, she hid the melodies. It takes a few listenings to HEAR the music. There is a melody here and a message that culminates what she was saying on Hejira.
Paprika Plains is a full sonic adventure. It's never been appreciated, I think, because it's too far above most peoples' understanding. This is Joni the painter painting with music. Her improvised style piano on this piece is also what brought Charles Mingus to contact her and form their collaboration--He heard the painting!

And yes, she played around with "world" music and it became vogue with other artists--just like she was decried when she went full into jazz with the Mingus album and then a few years later when Sting did jazz, it was now cool.

Joni is that eagle that soars and sees all from above; and the snake that experiences the earth up close, first hand.

This album is so light and accessible, perfect music to be listening to as you cruise along the beach, with the top down on your car. I promise you with one listen, you'll be humming along with a big smile on your face, marvelling at Joni's brevity and economy as a composer and wordsmith, in awe of she how can resist the temptation to create pretensious and longwinded songs that one could listen to a million times, but still never truly understand and enjoy. Thanks you so much Joni, you've created the ultimate party record.

with the recent release of "travelogue," i have gone back through the entire treasure chest of joni mitchell's music....from "song to a seagull" all the way through "travelogue." no one, in my mind, has made such a vital contribution to modern music. joni mitchell IS art itself. of all of her gems, this one shines most brightly. from the chilling harmonies of "overture," through the amazing acoustic guitar of "talk to me," onto the dreaminess of "paprika plains," and into the stark lives of "otis and marlena," joni continued to define our musical passage through the decades of the second half of the century. this is an amazing piece of work from a truly amazing artist.

It's not "Blue," or "The Hissing of Summer Lawns," it's better. But if you adore the cute folky love torn Joni of those days give this journey a chance. And if you've never heard anything by Joni buy this album. The musical compositions are beautiful, incorporating jazz and world beat sounds from some of the travels about which she sings. The lyrics are tight and equally poignant now as they were then ('77,) if not more. Joni has always been a writer who was not afraid to say what's on her mind. She explores love, racism, friendship, politics, and so much more, all from her very own and interesting perspective as a woman, a musician, an artist. Any American Woman who calls herself a lover of music must have this album in her collection. Jazz fans please don't let her ego-centric and pretentious comments of the day (about "progressive musicians not being progressive enough") detract from your appreciation of this work. Are we not allowed to make mistakes once in awhile? Was she really that far off base? The fact is this album is STILL progressive today and will be always while there are Britneys and Christinas running around getting all the magazine covers. You wanna hear a real woman sing and play? Someone reckless and polished at the same time? I dare you. And don't miss the wonderful singing of a young Chaka Khan. The perfect accompaniment of Wayne Shorter on sax. And the fabulous bass of Jaco Pastorius.

This album is generally considered to be Joni Mitchell's most daring, her most ambitious, and the one her fans are most opinionated about--you either love it or you hate it, but chances are, if you're a true fan of Joni's you can appreciate it on one level or another. As it stands, it's not nearly as good as some of her masterpieces, but it is a good, strange little album with some phenomenal moments. The highlights? "Talk to Me," which has some of Joni's best dark-humored lyrics. "Jericho," an embittered, cutting, almost wrenching song. "Paprika Plains," certainly the most ambitious song on the album (it's 16 minutes long and features a full symphony orchestra). "Otis and Marlena," which of all Joni's "decay of civilization songs" (see also "Harry's House," "Everything for Nothing," "The Arrangement," "Furry Sings the Blues," etc.) has one of her most inexpressibly beautiful melodies. And the final song on the album, "The Silky Veils of Ardor," is simply radiant and perfectly haunting; its simple, poetic lyric and gorgeous guitar playing are so pure and fine and sorrowful that they could feel right at home on BLUE. Other interesting moments on the album include "The Tenth World," an voodoo-like instrumental piece that has been perfectly described in a review as sounding like a Haitian exorcism. So, that said, DON JUAN never achieves the fullness that some of Joni's other albums have, like HEJIRA, BLUE, and THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS, but it does have some very nice points and is worth checking out for anyone who calls himself a true Joni fan. (And yes, that is Joni herself on the controversial cover, dressed up like a black pimp.)

Oh My God!! Is this one of the hidden gems of popular music!! Well Joni is a genius, her fans know it and you should too. This one cd, release as a double lp in 1978, combines maybe the greatest number of musical styles i've heard outside of Bjork's Post, another great buy. Although this recording was pieced together with old and new songs it holds together remarkably well.(Spoiler) I am going to attempt to interpret this record. This record is basically the sequel to Hejira. Joni is on her way back to LA from the East coast but makes a stop in the Southwest. She begins by going to Cotton Avenue to dance to "all the shiny" music. Before long she finds herself drunk and flirting uncontrollably with "Mr. Mystery". She later pledges an oath to "just like Jericho, let these wall fall down." While she's patching herself up in the women's room, it has started raining and she remembers back to a dream she had when she was a girl, "I dream Paprika Plains, and the turquoise river snaking." As she comes back to reality she decides that she needs to explore more. She buys a ticket for Miami and tells us the ballad of "Otis & Marlena". Two down on their luck Miamians who only get "cartoons and reruns". She find a party where she enters "The Tenth World" and as she heads back to reality she recounts the fun she has had in "Dreamland". When she gets back she is again spurned by her lover who considers her his "Off Night Backstreet". Now she is all alone amid "The Silky Veils of Ardor.

Musically DJRD breaks down like this. Paprika Plains utilizes a full orchestra, a jazz band, and Joni's Piano all in the course of 16 minutes. The Tenth World is a intrumental utilizing Latin Percussion and this theme is extended to Dreamland. Off Night Backstreet utilizes a string section to create a great Motown sound. A ver good album for any Joni Fan.

when i first bought this album i hated it. it wasn't at all like the pop joni i was used to. it sat gathering dust for years. one rainy day i listened to it again while deciding which albums i didn't like would be in my garage sale. i couldn't belive my ears. how could i have overlooked this work of art? had i finally matured enough to appreciate the indictment of concieted western society in "paprika plains"? or the warning to fair and tender school girls in "silky veils of ardor"? or the revelations of the difficulties of male/female communication in "talk to me"? this album is not for those averse to introspection, or who wear rose tinted glasses. this work is now one of my fav's and oft played joni mitchell albums. an intellectual and even sometimes light and fun collection of songs. thanks again joni for opening my eyes and my mind.

A bigger Joni Mitchell fan than me you will not find, but I have to say that this is my least favorite of her 1968-80 output. The album has its moments, but you have to listen to it a few times to be able to find them. "Jericho" is the best song here, although I enjoyed "Dreamland" (with Chaka Khan on backing vocals; gotta love her!), "Talk to Me," "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter," and "Cotton Avenue." As a body of work, the album is too long and tedious, and I really have a hard time listening to it from beginning to end.