Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm is the only Joni album that i have not bought. I keep
hearing these comments such as those made by Azeem. Not motivating to say the least.
Personally I have chalked Jonis art in the 80s tho three things. She was changing from
a chik to a mature woman but in the process she was sliding down the slippery slope of
boredom and writers block. happens to the best. She began to listen to too many
outside influences. Things changed dramatically in the 80s in the music business in
every way. Evereything from the equipment to production values to her personal life
and judging from the material she had really changed and IMHO drifted into a limbo of
ambivalence only to be confroonted by her contractural demqands of the record company.
In her prior stuff she is the protagonist. In her 80s stuff she is being tossed on a
sea of forces. I think she writes in Good friends about being in an auto accident
which was her dental problem and the physical infirmaties. Ami!
ds!
t that she is tossed around in l
ove, haggling with geffen hangover, and in general being bummed out about what was
going on in the world (Three Great Stimulants). It is not suprising to me that Joni
went through the Horse Lattitudes of creativity. the production values suffer as she
tries to supplant personal creativity with other peoples creativity which just doesnt
ring true to experienced Joniphiles ears. yet of course some will defend the works in
various ways. WTRf doesnt do a thing for me outside of Chinese Cafe and furthermore
sounds like an album in which sparks of production ideas were attempted to comprise
entire song fabrics. It doesnt work for me at all. But having said that its all part
of the big picture of the total body of her work. I can easily accept that. When they
make a movie about her life this part will focus on her life as opposed to her music.
