Hey Victor;
Had to chime in to add that Jonathan Livingston Seagull is one of my
favorites too. Unlike you, I bought this album soon after it came out. I
had almost forgotten about it -- I'll have to pick up a CD.
Like you, I'm very fond of Joni's first album. Another "seagull" song
with a Joni connection is on Judy Collins' album "Wildflowers". This of
course is the 1967 album with her cover of Both Sides Now, but it also
contains "Albatross", by Judy herself, which actually mentions seagulls
instead in the lyrics. The lovely flute accompaniment also suggests
seagulls swooping about, to me at least. Maybe you could play flute AND
sing this one at an upcoming gig :-)
The new web site mentions that the master tapes for the STAS sessions
were damaged. I had forgotten about this, but Brian Hinton mentions it in
his book on page 87:
"Apparently the master tapes were accidentally damaged, and when they
were restored the high notes had lost their clarity: Joni later said it
sounded 'like we recorded it under a bell jar.' ... My own vinyl copy shares
this airless sound, but the remastered CD is clear as a bell".
So, I guess the folks who have only owned the CD will be puzzled by this
item on the web site, which is now only of historical interest.
The BSN concert in Atlanta was indeed a pleasant evening in Chastain
Park, surpassed only by your gracious hospitality at the pre-concert
get-together.
Paul Pennington
Augusta, Georgia
NP: Judy Collins, "Sky Fell"
