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A review by saareman
Court and Spark by Sean Nelson
3.0
Unfocused Without Spark
Review of the Continuum paperback edition (November 20, 2006), prior to the 33 and 1/3 series now published by Bloomsbury Academic.
I've enjoyed several of the 33 and 1/3 series of books about various favourite recordings, but I have to admit that Sean Nelson's Court and Spark just doesn't capture the sheer joy and exuberance of that album. The book takes a long time getting into gear. Even the writer himself says at about the 30% mark that he hasn't forgotten what the book was supposed to be about, while excusing his introductory diversions.
Nelson spends a considerable amount of time extolling the greatness of what is arguably Joni Mitchell's top run of album recordings, stretching from "Blue" (1971) to "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" (1975) but the focus doesn't begin to centre on "Court and Spark" until page 41 and then is over by page 101 (the book is only a total of 126 pages).
"Court and Spark" was a major transitional album in Mitchell's recording career. It marked her change from folk singer to pop singer with hints of the jazz-fusion to come. It began her several album association with the jazz group L.A. Express as her backup band. It was the height of her mass market recording popularity, as later albums became more jazzy and experimental. This book does note all of those important points but somehow misses the mark in capturing the magic of it all. Regardless, a 3-star "Like", because it is still about Joni Mitchell
Review of the Continuum paperback edition (November 20, 2006), prior to the 33 and 1/3 series now published by Bloomsbury Academic.
That's one thing that's always, like, been a major difference to me between, like, the performing arts to me and being a painter. Like a painter does a painting, and he does a painting. That's it. You know, he's had the joy of creating it and he hands it on a wall somewhere, somebody buys it, somebody buys it again or maybe nobody buys it and it sits up in a loft somewhere till he dies, but he's never - nobody ever says to him - nobody ever said to Van Gogh, "Paint a Starry Night again, man!" - an excerpt of Joni Mitchell's patter between songs on the live album "Miles of Aisles" (1974), expressing the rut of having to perform the same songs in the same style over and over again.
I've enjoyed several of the 33 and 1/3 series of books about various favourite recordings, but I have to admit that Sean Nelson's Court and Spark just doesn't capture the sheer joy and exuberance of that album. The book takes a long time getting into gear. Even the writer himself says at about the 30% mark that he hasn't forgotten what the book was supposed to be about, while excusing his introductory diversions.
Nelson spends a considerable amount of time extolling the greatness of what is arguably Joni Mitchell's top run of album recordings, stretching from "Blue" (1971) to "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" (1975) but the focus doesn't begin to centre on "Court and Spark" until page 41 and then is over by page 101 (the book is only a total of 126 pages).
"Court and Spark" was a major transitional album in Mitchell's recording career. It marked her change from folk singer to pop singer with hints of the jazz-fusion to come. It began her several album association with the jazz group L.A. Express as her backup band. It was the height of her mass market recording popularity, as later albums became more jazzy and experimental. This book does note all of those important points but somehow misses the mark in capturing the magic of it all. Regardless, a 3-star "Like", because it is still about Joni Mitchell