783. Joni Mitchell--Ladies of the Canyon (1970) (2)

1. Morning Morgantown (?) (3+)
2. For Free (?) (2)
3. Conversation (?) (2)
4. Ladies of the Canyon (?) (2)
5. Willy (?) (2)
6. The Arrangement (?) (2+)
7. Rainy Night House (?) (2)
8. The Priest (?) (2+)
9. Blue Boy (?) (2)
10. Big Yellow Taxi (8)
11. Woodstock (6+)
12. The Circle Game (1+) 

REVIEW: I like the two well-known songs but didn't hear much from the other tracks that I liked. And I vaguely recall "The Circle Game"--must have heard it as a youngster--and my dislike for that one brought it down a notch. A 2.




ED'S TAKE:1. Morning Morgantown (8) NOT one of my favorite Joni tunes but she's listenable enough for me to enjoy even her lesser tunes without reservation.
2. For Free (9) Perhaps a bit overly self-congratulatory at her respect for the street musician but it still works....the piano and that voice!
3. Conversation (8) I usually don't like Joni's upbeat songs as much, but I like this one.
4. Ladies of the Canyon (8) Another lesser tune for me...a bit too fey if that's the word. But I love the voice(s)
5. Willy (9) I missed this one. When I was making a mix of my favorite Joni songs some months ago, I don't even remember listening to this for possible inclusion. I wonder why?
6. The Arrangement (10) A favorite from this album
7. Rainy Night House (10) Another favorite although I prefer the live version she does elsewhere. She does a high note there that is absolutely chilling.
8. The Priest (8)
9. Blue Boy (10) Another one I missed in considering in my "favorite" mix.
10. Big Yellow Taxi (9) Another upbeat one I like...fun and cynical
11. Woodstock (10) I LOVE THIS! Maybe, for some, CSN's version is MORE an ode to rock n roll because of the "sound" but this IS a favorite of mine as songs go.....the song, the vocal, the arrangement....EVERYTHING! I even, sometimes, hear a bit of "questioning" in the lyric, wondering what Woodstock will represent in the whole scheme of things (she wasn't there).....
12. The Circle Game (8)

OVERALL RATING: 9

DISCUSSION: Once, many years ago, Rachel and I decided to experiment with a "listening hour" where we'd each pick an album and we'd listen together. One of my first was a Joni Mitchell album and I KNEW our experiment wouldn't work. I think, at some point later, she referred to Joni as "the headache woman". I'm not certain she still feels that way because I seldom play her thru the speakers when she's in earshot. (Protecting Joni from further insult, no doubt). It's simply NOT my wife's style of music. (We DO share "Louie Louie", "Wooly Bully", Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Dylan and lots of others, so no harm, no foul)

What can I say? I am a Joni fan although her earlier folk stuff sounds a bit lacking to me now. This was such a big album in its time and only logs in at #783 making me guess that my favorite Joni albums won't make it at all. My favorite is one that hardly anyone picks for anything..."For the Roses". Then there's "Hissing of Summer Lawns". "Blue", while not as popular as this one or "Court and Spark" is on EVERY critics list all the time and WILL be here somewhere and I'm glad. It is another favorite of mine. 

There is no doubt. My TWO "headache women" ARE Joni and Laura Nyro. Their voices and their styles are a matter of taste (isn't everyones?).....As great a songwriter as they both are/were, I sometimes think either of them could cover ANYTHING and make it sound wonderful. Part of it was their voices and part was their innate taste in instrumental accompaniment. 

ed

784. The Doobie Brothers--The Captain and Me (1973; #7) (4)

1. Natural Thing (?) (2+)
2. Long Train Runnin' (8)
3. China Grove (7+)
4. Dark Eyed Cajun Woman (?) (3+) (echoes of The Thrill Is Gone)
5. Clear As the Driven Snow (?) (1+)
6. Without You (?) (2)
7. South City Midnight Lady (?) (3)
8. Evil Woman (?) (-)
9. Busted Down Around O'Connelly Corners (?) (-)
10. Ukiah (?) (5)
11. The Captain and Me (?) (2+)

REVIEW: I have this album back home, but I can only remember tracks 2 & 3, which of course are classic rock radio staples. I like those two and was impressed with Ukiah. I give it a 4, with a good chance to move up.


ED'S TAKE:
784. The Doobie Brothers--The Captain and Me (1973; #7) 

1. Natural Thing (6)
2. Long Train Runnin' (9) a very nice groove
3. China Grove (6)
4. Dark Eyed Cajun Woman (8)
5. Clear as the Driven Snow (7)
6. Without You (7)
7. South City Midnight Lady (5)
8. Evil Woman (6)
9. Busted Down Around O'Connelly Corners (8)
10. Ukiah (8)
11. The Captain and Me (8)

OVERALL RATING 7

DISCUSSION: My memory of pre-Michael McDonald Doobies is a good one....I particularly remember seeing them on tv in concert and their band energy and the 2 vocalists were quite entertaining. The problem here is that even with that positivity, some of the songs don't "catch me". I mean, they're all listenable but at least have something "missing". I realize, Mark, that such seemingly MAJOR criticism (it's NOT to me) still being a "7" and not a "2" is head shaking stuff but it again is part of my emphasis here on how I feel about actually listening to these albums. I could enjoy listening to this album with some reservation, namely, some of the songs are only average. (Average. BTW, is "5"). But my feelings about their band dynamic and their vocalists bring those "5" songs up a notch or two. 

ed.

786. Warren Zevon--The Wind (2003; #12) (3)

786. Warren Zevon--The Wind (2003; #12) (3) 

1. Dirty Life and Times (?) (3+)
2. Disorder in the House (w/ Bruce Springsteen) (5)
3. Knockin' on Heaven's Door (8)
4. Numb As a Statue (?) (4) (guitarist here sounds like Jackson Browne's--anyone know who it is?)
5. She's Too Good for Me (?) (4)
6. Prison Grove (?) (3)
7. El Amor di Mi Vida (?) (5) (close to a like)
8. The Rest of the Night (?) (5+) (liked it on first listen)
9. Please Stay (?) (5)
10. Rub Me Raw (?) (4+)
11. Keep Me In Your Heart (?) (3)

REVIEW: This has nowhere to go but up. I'd say it surpasses the Drive-By Truckers as my favorite album with which I wasn't too familiar with (though I had heard his cover of the Dylan tune here, and perhaps the duet with Springsteen, which sounded familiar). At times as haunting and painful to listen to as Johnny Cash's America series; both artists recording with an awareness of their fatal conditions. At other times, uplifting. Just a remarkable album, and I hope to add it to my collection. Only a 3 now, but going higher for sure.


ED'S TAKE786. Warren Zevon--The Wind (2003; #12)

1. Dirty Life and Times (10)
2. Disorder in the House (w/ Bruce Springsteen) (10)
3. Knockin' on Heaven's Door (10)
4. Numb As a Statue (9)
5. She's Too Good for Me (10)
6. Prison Grove (10)
7. El Amor di Mi Vida (8)
8. The Rest of the Night (8)
9. Please Stay (10)
10. Rub Me Raw (9)
11. Keep Me In Your Heart (10)....a heartbreaker.

OVERALL RATING : 10

DISCUSSION: It would be easy to let Zevon's death and his near death condition during the making of this album make one overate the album. It doesn't need any special considerations. It is a beauty. I've been a fan since his second album (yes, I went back and got the first)....a real loss but there's quite a rich catalog to keep any interested party listening with pure enjoyment. 

RIP Warren.

787. The GoGos--Beauty and the Beat (1981, #1) (3)

787. The GoGos--Beauty and the Beat (1981, #1) (3)

1. Our Lips Are Sealed (9) (sounds as good today as when it came out!)
2. How Much More (?) (2)
3. Tonite (?) (2)
4. Lust to Love (?) (2)
5. This Town (2)
6. We Got the Beat (8)
7. Fading Fast (?) (2)
8. Automatic (?) (2+)
9. You Can't Walk In Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep) (?) (2+)
10. Skidmarks on My Heart (?) (2+)
11. Can't Stop the World (?) (2+)

REVIEW: What a joy it is to hear (and see) this stuff again! The two big hits were filled with such unbridled exuberance and the passion of youth. I remembered only one other song, This Town, which I didn't care for. But Our Lips Are Sealed may have been the very first video I saw on MTV, shortly after graduating from high school. I give it a 3 overall.

789. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins--Rabbit Fur Coat (2006; #88) (2)

789. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins--Rabbit Fur Coat (2006; #88) (2)

1. Run Devil Run (?) (2)
2. The Big Guns (?) (2)
3. Rise Up With Fists!! (?) (3)
4. Happy (?) (2)
5. The Charging Sky (?) (2)
6. Melt Your Heart (?) (3)
7. You Are What You Love (?) (5)
8. Rabbit Fur Coat (?) (2)
9. Handle With Care (7+)
10. Born Secular (?) (2)
11. It Wasn't Me (?) (2+)
12. Happy (Reprise) (?) (3)

REVIEW: Nothing wrong with this. I give it a 2 for now.

791. 10,000 Maniacs--Our Time in Eden (1992) (2)

791. 10,000 Maniacs--Our Time in Eden (1992) (2)

1. Noah's Dove (?) (3)
2. These Are Days (6)
3. Eden (?) (3)
4. Few and Far Between (?) (3)
5. Stockton Gala Days (?) (4)
6. Gold Rush Brides (?) (3)
7. Jezebel (?) (3)
8. How You've Grown (?) (3)
9. Candy Everybody Wants (6)
10. Tolerance (?) (3)
11. Circle Dream (?) (2)
12. If You Intend (?) (2)
13. I'm Not the Man (?) (3)

REVIEW: Well, you can tell I haven't played this CD much, as I only know the two popular songs from it. I like those two fairly well, but nothing from the rest of it caught my ear. I give it a 2.


ED'S TAKE:

791. 10,000 Maniacs--Our Time in Eden (1992)

1. Noah's Dove (10)
2. These Are Days (8)
3. Eden (9)
4. Few and Far Between (8)
5. Stockton Gala Days (7)
6. Gold Rush Brides (9)
7. Jezebel (9)
8. How You've Grown (9)
9. Candy Everybody Wants (9)
10. Tolerance (8)
11. Circle Dream (9)
12. If You Intend (8)
13. I'm Not the Man (9)

OVERALL RATING: 8 (NOT the sum of its parts)

DISCUSSION: Natalie's voice was always quite appealing to me. The songs she sang were not. While I don't mind the fact that this one didn't have many "hits", the songs "non-descriptness" work individually better than as an album. There are simply not enough REAL highs. I still find listening to Merchant quite appealing (I saw her live with the Maniacs) but this is NOT an album I'd want to listen to in one sitting, except as background.

792. Neil Young--Live at Massey Hall 1971 (2007: #6)

792. Neil Young--Live at Massey Hall 1971 (2007: #6)

1. On the Way Home (?) (2)
2. Tell Me Why (5)
3. Old Man (8)
4. Journey Through the Past (?) (2)
5. Helpless (8)
6. Love in Mind (?) (3)
7. A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold Suite (?) (2/9)
8. Cowgirl in the Sand (5)
9. Don't Let It Bring You Down (3)
10. There's a World (?) (3)
11. Bad Fog of Loneliness (?) (2)
12. The Needle and the Damage Done (5)
13. Ohio (9)
14. See the Sky About to Rain (?) (2)
15. Down By the River (3)
16. Dance Dance Dance (?) (3)
17. I Am a Child (?) (2)

REVIEW: Good stuff...didn't realize he had released anything since "Living with War" in '06(?). If I were to rate it, it would get a 6--not to be confused with its highest chart position shown above--but I don't want that to go into Valerie's records, so forget I said that :-)

ED'S TAKE

792. Neil Young--Live at Massey Hall 1971 (2007)

1. On the Way Home (9)
2. Tell Me Why (10) A REAL favorite from "After the Goldrush"
3. Old Man (10)
4. Journey Through the Past (10)
5. Helpless (10)
6. Love in Mind (10)
7. A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold Suite (10) ....a beautiful, if misunderstood, song.
8. Cowgirl in the Sand (10)
9. Don't Let It Bring You Down (10)
10. There's a World (8)
11. Bad Fog of Loneliness (8)
12. The Needle and the Damage Done (10)
13. Ohio (10)
14. See the Sky About to Rain (9)
15. Down By the River (10)
16. Dance Dance Dance (8)
17. I Am a Child (10)

OVERALL RATING : 10

DISCUSSION: Amidst a lot of superlatives, Neil Young HAS been my favorite singer for a long, long time. As a matter of fact, often I have listed his "After the Goldrush" as my favorite album....Period. I can't think of another album in my lifetime I've listened to more times.....even the older ones. So, for me anyway, the ratings here reflect more how I feel about the songs.....the vocals are consistent and superlative for me. Frankly, I DID enjoy "A Man Needs a Maid" without the orchestration.