Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943, in Fort Macleod, Alberta), is a legendary Canadian musician and painter. Initially working in Toronto and western Canada, she was associated with the burgeoning folk music scene of the mid-1960s in New York City. Through the 1970s she expanded her horizons, predominantly to rock music and jazz, to become one of the most highly respected singer-songwriters of the late 20th century. Mitchell is also an accomplished artist; she has, through photography or painting, created the artwork for each of her albums, and she often describes herself as a "painter derailed by circumstance."

Geffen era

The 1980s saw Mitchell's lowest recorded output since the beginning of her career. Only three albums of new material appeared, and none of them made an impression. 1982's Wild Things Run Fast was an attempt to return to pop songwriting, including cover versions of "Unchained Melody" and "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care". It was influenced largely by Mitchell's marriage to producer Larry Klein - Mitchell herself referred to the songs in several interviews as "I love Larry" songs. Although the songwriting was solid, the set was released at a time where multi-layered, darker music in the New Wave and New Romantic genres prevailed.

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British synth-pop performer and producer Thomas Dolby was brought on board for Dog Eat Dog (1985), but the synthesizer and drum machine-led arrangements, coupled with some of Mitchell's most strident and angry lyrics, have dated far quicker than Mitchell's earlier work.

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Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm (1988) saw Mitchell collaborating with a wealth of talent, including Willie Nelson, Billy Idol, Wendy and Lisa, Tom Petty and Don Henley. The songs spanned several genres, including a duet with Peter Gabriel on "My Secret Place" that harkened back to "classic" Mitchell material. Although there are some jarring transitions in genre ("Dancing Clown" and "Cool Water"), the multi-layered synthesized sounds on "My Secret Place", "Beat of Black Wings" and "Tea Leaf Prophecy" were a better marraige of Mitchell's voice to electronica.

Related Topics:
Willie Nelson - Billy Idol - Wendy and Lisa - Tom Petty - Don Henley - Peter Gabriel

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