Bob, I remember a conversation I had when I was first thinking about an album
of instrumental Mitchell interpretations. I was explaining my plans on the
phone to a longtime friend who really knows the territory on recorded music
(pre-heavy metal, I should add) and at one point he said something like "You
have a very high opinion of JM, don't you? Rank her right up there with Carly
Simon..." (CS is a great favorite of his.)
Well, it was an effort not to laugh in his telephonic face. Joni Mitchell's
originality, musicianship and boldness as a persona in her songwriting are of
a completely different and greater order than those qualities in CK or CS.
They are first-rate singers and so is Joni--that's the only artistic category
where parity exists, IMO.
I've said it onlist several times before, but I don't mind once again
contending that Joni Mitchell is as great a songwriter as there's been in the
English language for the second half of the last century.
LAHM
