Joni Mitchell Blue - Wow help me Agoners


I just got this CD and I love the honesty and emotion of it. Her voice is wonderful. I have some of her newer ones, but her voice and her raw emotion are so much better on Blue.

The recording is a little thin and wonder if there is a better version out there? Where do I get it? Last, can you Joni fans tell me which other albums are like Blue. I want to buy more of her stuff, but want the emotion, voice and style of Blue.

I know I should be more familiar with Blue as I am 44, but I just played it for the first time today. Now this is art!
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One of the first concerts I ever attended was Joni Mitchell solo at the troubador in LA right around the time blue was released. It was unbelievable. How can someone channel emotion so?

Blue is one of my all time favorite albums, a desert isle recording. It is best listened to alone late at night or early in the morning.

I own many copies of this recording. The best is my first pressing on vinyl. The vocals and instruments are extremely realistic. The second best is the dcc gold cd, which I sought out years after it went out of print, and for which I paid a pretty penny. Both are exceptional. I use both as system demo discs. The biggest criticism of the recording is its abundant treble energy. Stereophile interviewed Steve Hoffman (?) who remastered this record for DCC and he commented on the difficulties he had taming this energy. The two above versions have smooth treble and palpable realistic detail and timbre. Lesser versions can sound harsh.

Any early joni is excellent but blue is her masterwork.

Just popping back--I just received and listened to the new Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman mastered Blue on Rhino Vinyl. Absolutely to die for. Must more realism and detail with the new version. On my old standard Warner Bros. issue Joni's voice could harden up during some passages, now not at all. I can hear instruments and instrumental lines much more clearly. Differences between types of instruments is also much easier to discern.

Strongly recommended.
Dodgealum, I received my copy yesterday but have not cleaned or played it yet.

I'll bet this limited pressing will sell out fairly quickly if it's as good as you say.
IMO there aren't any other Joni albums like Blue. The problem with JM is that she is a true artist. Hard to pick a favorite. I came into her music when I was in high school and Blue was the album. One album that is largely overlooked is "The Hissing of Summer Lawns". It was the studio followup to Court and Spark and the first one after the Miles of Ailes lp. Critics across the board hated it but it's where Joni found the onramp to the fast lane. She interwove Hendricks Lambert & Ross' "Centerpide" with her own "Harry's House" and every other song had mystical imagery of sometype that surpassed even her previous output. After that everyone else followed her but none came close. Shadows and Light followed Miles of Ailes within two years of each other and I don't think anyone will ever mistake one for the other because how different they are from each other. I like all kinds of music and respect most artist in one way or another but no artist comes close to her musicianship as far as how fast and furious she grew interms of intensity and output. Maybe Steely Dan. Great Thread!