Customer Reviews

Court and Spark

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Court and Spark" takes me back to being a young man of 19 on a warm, spring day in Connecticut. That may seem unimportant to the rest of you, but the song "Help Me" will always take me back to that warm and fuzzy memory. This album should have won the best album of the year at the Grammys in 1974, but for lack of good taste, those inept voters didn't make it a reality. Even without the music, Mitchell's words are inspiring and could stand alone as superior poetry. Hopefully, future generations will discover her awesome talent much like the baby-boomers did. Joni Mitchell is one in a million.

Joni Mitchell's art has evolved a lot over the years and she still is making great music. This album, however, will always be a classic. I always loved "Free Man in Paris" and was sure it was actually about being a free wo-man in Paris. I read recently that it was actually a reference to Mitchell's producer, David Geffen. For me, it will always represent the freedom we know only once in our lives. "Court and Spark" is a sensuous, seductive melody. Simply perfection.

OK. Looking at ALL the other reviews here, obviously this is the wrong type of music for me. Of the 11 tracks, I find only two to be good, two to be OK, and the rest (seven tracks) to stink. First of all, I don't like Joni Mitchell's voice: it's not melodic at all. Second, her songs don't sound "musical" to me. They sound more like someone talking at varying pitches. And before someone says that's the way folksongs are supposed to be, I disagree. For instance, the Brothers Four are folksingers and I absolutely love their "Greatest Hits" album. So, in general, I'd say stay away from this CD. HOWEVER, as a bone to all the people who are going to write bad things about my heritage, I'd like to say that my wife LOVES this CD. Go figure. Anyway, for what they're worth, here are my individual track ratings:

1. Court And Spark -- 1 Star
2. Help Me -- 3 Stars
3. Free Man In Paris -- 3 Stars
4. People's Parties -- 1 Star
5. The Same Situation -- 1 Star
6. Car On A Hill -- 1 Star
7. Down To You -- 1 Star
8. Just Like This Train -- 1 Star
9. Raised On Robbery -- 2 Stars
10. Trouble Child -- 2 Stars
11. Twisted -- 1 Star