Of the three, I'd put DED first, followed by WTRF, and
bringing up the rear, the mediocre (but let's face it
-we're talking JONI mediocrity here - we should all be
so mediocre!) CMIARs.
Some point on each...
1. Wild Things Run Fast -
"Chinese Cafe" - for some reason, this one just
doesn't do it for me as much as it seems to do for so
many others on this list - I don't NOT like it, it
just seems to go on too long for my liking. However
(am I contradicting myself?) I do wish she had done
MORE of Unchained Melody (like maybe the whole thing?)
I wonder if she could be persuaded to do that one in
full on her next orchestral album? There's so much
longing in her voice in this song.
I love "Moon At The Window" - my favourite song on the
whole album
"Be Cool" - I like it but don't love it
"Underneath The Streetlight" - not a great song, but
very joyful - has some annoying bits in it
"Love" - another one that I like, but don't love. It
would seem blasphemous NOT to like it in any case.
2. Dog Eat Dog (Joni goes punk)
Perhaps it IS overproduced, but of the three, this is
the only one I bought in CD format. (OK, I lied. I
do have CMIARS in CD format, only because I never
bought it as an LP when it first came out. I think if
I had already had it as an LP, I wouldn't have rushed
out to buy the CD once the turntable bought the farm).
There is a cohesiveness in DED that doesn't seem to
be there in the other two IMO.
My favourites on this one are:
Fiction
The Three Great Stimulants
Dog Eat Dog
Impossible Dreamer - there are some "God" moments in
the singing in this.
Lucky Girl - I love the funny syncopated beat on this.
3. Chalk Mark In a Rainstorm
Here are the songs I like from this one:
My Secret Place
Lakota (esp. the chanting)
A Bird That Whistles - OK, so Joni didn't write it,
but I love the way she does this one. It's not great,
but I like it just the same.
And one that I love - The Beat Of Black Wings - this
song alone is worth the price of admission!
--- Don Rowe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Okay, we've talked down Joni's 80s catalog until
> we're
> blue in the face, and we in the DEDMAS (that's the
> "Dog Eat Dog Musical Appreciation Society" for you
> newcomers!) are out of breath running wind-sprints
> to
> the defense.
>
> But it always seems like we look at the "Unholy
> Trinity" comparatively ... and judge it by what came
> before & after. Rarely, if ever, have we looked at
> WTRF, DED & CMIARS on their own.
>
> So lets! ;-) Which of those 3 80s albums do YOU
> think
> is the best? The worst? Why?
>
> Don Rowe
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