OK, so I'm late with announcing this month's JMDL tribute cd, #35 in the (n)ever-popular series...but here's the rundown.
First, let me thank those kind souls who helped me round up these recordings: Pearl Weisberg David Lahm My kid sister, Chris (not a JMDL'er but a real pal nonetheless!) Now, on to the tunes: Jonathon King - Free Man In Paris: Most famous for his hit "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", sounds like Davey Jones from The Monkees. The Yale Spizzwinks - The Circle Game: Very pretty male acapella chorus from the early 70's. Brad Swanson - Both Sides Now: Ya just gotta love this roller rink version! It is the cheesiest ever but I LOVE it, reminds me of a Lowrie Genie commercial. Madeline MacNeil - Michael From Mountains: Her Urge For Going was on an earlier volume, I'm not crazy about her vocal but her hammer dulcimer playing is very nice. Ted Lehman - Woodstock/Big Yellow Taxi: This is great live bar-brand rock and roll! The girl singing Woodstock sounds like Janis, so if you ever wondered what a Janis cover of a Joni tune would sound like, you gotta check this out. Oddly enough, the BYT sounds very different. Anyway, this is a great 10-minute plus epic opus. Jo Collins - Carey: From Ireland, this one a touch of Celtic in it...very pretty. The Allan Sisters - Both Sides Now: Remember The Allan Sisters? Me neither. Gini & Dr. Joe - Tin Angel: Gini is a NY cabaret singer. Again, I'm not too keen on the vocal, but I love the fact that they tackle such a lesser-done song, and the piano accompaniment is fine. Eric van Aro - Nathan La Franeer: This one's just out this year, again an obscure song, and a very different interpretation. Leora Cashe - I Don't Know Where I Stand: GREAT jazz version! And you can hear it at: http://www.leoracashe.com/ The Dutch Canadian Choir of Calgary - Both Sides Now: It's Dutch! It's Canadian! It's 2...2...two countries in 1! Eddie From Ohio - Big Yellow Taxi: Another JMDL-only treat! From a live recording, unreleased from this Virginia group. Mimi Fox - Joni Mitchell Medley: Man Oh Man!! You acoustic guitarists (and everyone else I would think) would love this one, as Mimi plucks her way through a gorgeously executed medley of Blue, All I Want, Woodstock...this one's a real gem. Jerry Granelli/Jamie Saft - Rainy Night House: From another 2002 release, this is a very dark version...but then again RNH is sort of a dark song. Nina - Both Sides Now: Ever heard of Nina? Me neither, but at least she's a pretty Scandinavian! Lesley Olsher - Little Green: Lesley is actually a cousin (?) of our own Laurent. While I like the instrumentation here, the vocal gets really helium-like, making it hard to fully enjoy. Laura Canoura - La Ultima Vez Que Vi A Richard: If there's another Uraguayan Joni cover, I don't know of it. This one is pretty nice, Laura gives it a very dramatic reading. Doogie White - This Flight Tonight: From the Nazareth Tribute cd! Doesn't sound much different from the other metal TFT covers. Caterina Valente - Both Sides Now: A pretty version...interesting bit o' Joni cover trivia, Caterina's son is none other than Eric van Aro, the singer of track # 9. So that's this month's issue...a mixed bag, like all of them. Bob NP: Shawn, "Polaroids"
