After releasing an album a year since her distinguished 1968 debut set ‘Songs to a Seagull‘, the four that followed, ‘Clouds‘ (1969), ‘Ladies of the Canyon‘ (1970), ‘Blue‘ (1971) and ‘For the Roses‘ (1972), each a striking example of her unique gift for conveying deep emotion in the confines of a song, Canadian singer-composer Joni Mitchell spent most of 1973, a couple of benefit shows aside, away from public gaze.
Boasting a body of work notable not only for its outstanding lyrical candour but also her innovative musicianship, 30-year-old Mitchell had conquered worlds far removed from those of mere songwriting mortals. With ‘Blue‘ in particular, an album beyond compare in relating the bittersweet dimensions of the human condition, she was recognized as the supreme artist in the field, this sudden pause as the ’70s continued to unfold serving as a moment to take stock on what had been achieved, while establishing a point from where the way ahead could be embraced.
Indeed, if such an interlude represented Mitchell stopping to catch breath (in truth hours were spent at A&M studios in Los Angeles redefining the texture of her music), then on reappearing what came to pass simply put, was breathtaking – COURT and SPARK (January 1974), the most musically ambitious album she had yet released.
Having previously wrapped her resonant ruminations on love, loss and the flagging spirits of the Woodstock generation in folk-pop melodies, Mitchell retains an element of country-rock in her musical stylings but moves with great assurance into the realms of light-jazz, which is now used as the main platform for her compelling imagery.
To fully explore these new artistic intentions, Mitchell joined forces with a jazz-rock ensemble named Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, a six-strong troupe consisting of Scott (trumpet), Joe Sample (piano), Larry Carlton (guitar), Max Bennett (bass), John Guerin (drums) and Chuck Findley (piano). While she maintains a link to past presentations with the appearance of David Crosby and Graham Nash on backing vocals, the desire to follow through on different strands of creativity are evident in the diverse backgrounds of contributing guitarists Jose Feliciano, top notch sessioneer Wayne Perkins and her fellow Canadian Robbie Robertson of The Band.
After delegating production duties to long-serving studio sideman Henry Lewy on ‘For the Roses‘, Mitchell resumes her role as producer and in the process establishes a sound now closer in essence to Steely Dan than Stephen Stills.
Unconventional as it is by the traditional contours of a singer-songwriter album, this inventive approach paid a host of dividends, some immediate, others long term – ‘Court and Spark‘ quickly becoming the biggest-selling album she would ever release (a status it retains in achieving double-platinum sales) and latterly being ranked at 110 on a 2020 list by Rolling Stone magazine of the 500 Greatest Albums of all-time.
Beginning with the title-track of this 11-track collection, the somewhat downbeat piano chords played by Mitchell (who switches between keyboards and guitar across the album), have an experimental feel, creating the notion she is feeling her way toward the body of the song.
When the words arrive the scenario is not dissimilar to that conjured on ‘For Free‘ a suitably eloquent piece from ‘Ladies of the Canyon‘, the narrator intrigued by a street musician she chances upon, (‘He was playing on the sidewalk/For passing change‘), experiencing fascination as well as an element of fear:
‘It seemed like he read my mind/He saw me mistrusting him/And still acting kind/He saw how I worried, sometimes/I worry sometimes.’
Decorated by the feint strains of a pedal steel guitar and understated rhythm section, she is encouraged to leave behind a life of wealth and acclaim to share with him, (‘And you could complete me/I’d complete you‘), a more authentic existence. By the end of the episode, Mitchell, who later revealed something of the sort happened to her in Berkeley, moves on, realizing this is not the moment to swop comfort and fame for a reckless romantic adventure.
As the meaning of the title becomes clearer, courtship and the sparks of affection it ignites, so does the principal theme of the album, namely the complexities of romance set against the simplicity of personal freedom – Mitchell in the final verse deciding her interests are best served by withdrawal back to a familiar if more fitful state of being:
‘His eyes were the color of the sand/And the sea/And the more he talked to me, you know/The more he reached me/But I couldn’t let go of L.A./City of the fallen angels.’
Built upon shimmering acoustic guitar work, airy backing vocals and gently creaking horns, ‘Help Me‘ is immediately more upbeat in melodic structure, yet the dichotomy between individual autonomy and finding assurance in a love affair is felt by both parties (‘We love our lovin’/But not like we love our freedom‘) in this entanglement.
Sensing her heart is about to be given up (‘Help me/I think I’m falling/In love too fast/It’s got me hoping for the future/And worrying about the past‘), these feelings have clearly brought with them a sense of trepidation, as following on from her description of him as ‘A sweet-taIking-ladies man‘, she is wary her commitment may not be reciprocated, (‘Are you going to let me go there by myself/That’s such a lonely thing to do‘).
Reflecting, however, on this apparently undulating relationship had the reward of providing Mitchell with the biggest hit single of her career. An engaging tune, mixed with wistful resignation in the way she delivers the lyric, doing much to carry ‘Help Me‘ to a highest placing of number 7 on the U.S. charts.
Written from the perspective of her manager and Asylum label head David Geffen (the company for whom she now recorded) and based on a trip taken together to the French capital, ‘Free Man in Paris‘ is a collection of his observations on the L.A. music scene.
Relishing the temporary absence from being in constant demand, (‘I deal in dreamers/And telephone screamers‘), in adopting a persona that is not her own, Mitchell delivers the vocal in a relaxed manner. The light-rock melody, shaped by the guitar contributions of the writer and Feliciano, floats like an evening breeze down a Parisienne boulevard – although the city in Southern California from whence they came is evoked in the harmonies of Crosby and Nash.
For Geffen this excursion has provided a break from the badgering of clients and while giving thought to ceasing a role he often feels is thankless, (‘Lately I wonder what I do it for‘), the prospect of simply walking away, while tempting, has too many implications to be seriously considered, ‘You know I’d go back there tomorrow/But for the work I’ve taken on/Stoking the star maker machinery/Behind the popular song.’
Relaying scenes from a social gathering where she feels ill at ease, ‘People’s Parties‘ is sharp articulation of those seeking attention through cool detachment or overplaying their joy at being present, ‘Some are friendly/Some are cutting/Some are watching it from the wings/Some are standing in the centre.’
Throughout a song that given its pointed observational nature and acoustic guitar affectations is the one which most evokes the sombre serenity of ‘Blue‘, Mitchell never quite loses her feeling of discomfort amidst the throng – wishing for all the world she was better equipped to thrive in such situations:
‘I wish I had more sense of humor/Keeping the sadness at bay/Throwing the lightness on these things/Laughing it all away.’
This track segues into ‘Same Situation‘ a deeply affecting piano ballad heard by some as taking its inspiration from her dalliance with actor Warren Beatty. In broader context the crux is finding balance between matters of the heart and aspirations to creating high art, all the time seeking out territory where the two (‘Caught in my struggle for higher achievements/And my search for love/That don’t seem to cease‘) can co-exist.
Supported by a tasteful string arrangement, Mitchell ruminates on troubling uncertainties, (‘I asked myself when you said you loved me/Do you think this can be real?‘), feeling conflicted in her soul-searching when considering the man to whom she is currently attached:
‘You’ve had lots of lovely women/Now you turn your gaze to me/Weighing the beauty and the imperfection/To see if I’m worthy‘.
Ultimately it appears this is not the juncture where she discovers resolution in her quest to find love/work-load equilibrium, or indeed the fulfilling liaison she craves, ‘Still I sent up my prayer/Wondering who was there to hear/I said Send me somebody/Who’s strong and somewhat sincere‘ – such a plea no doubt evolving from the pained, heartfelt experience documented in ‘Car on a Hill.’
Despite the sophisticated jazz-inflections that captivate from the opening mix of saxophone and acoustic guitar, the exuberance felt at the start of this affair has not been sustained and while she remains committed, he, according to her account, is treating their standing as a couple in cavalier fashion.
The immediacy of the lyric is emphasised in the small details of background noises and time passing, her longing for him to arrive tempered by disappointment that borders on despair:
‘I’ve been sitting up waiting for my sugar to show/I’ve been listening to the sirens and the radio/He said he’d be over three hours ago/I’ve been waiting for his car on the hill.’
Her dejection eventually manifests in both literal and metaphorical manner (‘Fast tires come screaming around the bend/But there’s still no buzzer‘), the despondency even more pronounced when she begins reflecting on just how quickly passion can dissipate, feeling at this moment more stupid than cupid:
‘It always seems so righteous at the start/When there’s so much laughter/When there’s so much spark/When there’s so much sweetness in the dark.’
Mitchell also puts the sometimes fleeting nature of love under scrutiny in ‘Down to You‘ – which finds desire and reality (‘Everything comes and goes/Marked by lovers and styles of clothes‘) on either side of a very fine line.
At just over five and a half minutes, the longest track on the album eludes to the difficulty of sustaining romance especially when faced with growing emotional reticence from the other person, Mitchell on piano and accompanied by sweeping orchestration, finding flaws in their co-existence and with her partner:
‘Constant stranger/You’re a kind person/You’re a cold person too/It’s down to you/It all comes down to you.‘
Through the middle stanza her piano playing ebbs and flows as it intertwines with the strings and woodwind instruments. The piece, while developing a baroque feel, is far from abstract – the harmonies of Crosby and Susan Lee winning a 1974 Grammy award in Best Arrangement for Accompanying Vocalists category, ‘Court and Spark‘ while nominated in the best album section losing out to ‘Fulfillingness’ First Finale‘ by Stevie Wonder.
Once again there is resonance to be found in the minutiae, Mitchell reminded of her insecurities by a man and woman enraptured with one another (‘In the morning there are lovers in the street/They look so high‘), their apparent happiness contrasting sharply with the disconnect she feels:
‘Everything comes and goes/Pleasure moves on too early/And trouble leaves too slow/Just when you’re thinking/You’ve finally got it made/Bad news comes knocking/At your garden gate.‘
Using a rail journey as a metaphor for the vagaries of life and love, ‘Just Like This Train‘ rolls along through an easy mix of acoustic and electric guitars, Carlton on the latter coming up with any number of fluent lines.
The lyric finds Mitchell at her most candid and self-analytical, ‘I used to count lovers like railroad cars/I counted them on my side/Lately I don’t count on nothing/I just let things slide‘. The railway references are cleverly inserted into an unfolding narrative that blends observations through the trip with home truths her conscience needs to hear, (‘I can’t find my goodness/I lost my heart/Oh sour grapes‘).
Her bitter consternation, believed to be based on a painful break-up with Jackson Browne who left her for model Phyllis Major in 1972, duly induces the most caustic line, ‘Dreaming of the pleasure I’m gonna have/Watching your hairline recede/My vain darling‘, she would ever write.
In contrast ‘Raised on Robbery‘ is an infectious hoot, Mitchell singing from the standpoint of a good-time girl honing in on a bar customer watching an ice hockey game (‘He was drinking for diversion/He was thinking for himself/A little money riding on the Maple Leafs‘) on television.
Set to heady mix of saxophone, funky clavinet and the punchy electric guitar breaks of Robertson, she has designs on scoring free drinks, Mitchell revealing intriguing details of the woman’s past, ‘We had a little money once/They were pushing through a four lane highway/Government gave us three thousand dollars/You should have seen it fly away/First he bought a ’57 Biscayne/He put it in the ditch/He drunk up all the rest/That son of a bitch‘.
But her best persuasions fail in having the desired effect, the overtures only serving in causing him to leave:
‘You know you ain’t bad looking, I like the way you hold your drinks/Come home with me honey/I ain’t asking for no full-length mink/Hey, where you going, don’t go yet/Your glass ain’t empty and we just met/You’re mean when you’re loaded/I was raised on robbery.’
It is only a brief diversion, however, in the overall studiousness of the album, ‘Trouble Child‘ an unflinching portrait of her spell undergoing therapy, a haunting trumpet refrain over ominous piano notes adding to the depiction of restless melancholy:
‘They open and close you/Then they talk like they know you/They don’t know you/They’re friends and they’re foes too/Trouble child/Breaking like the waves at Malibu.’
In what amounts to an about face, the album closes with her rendition of ‘Twisted‘ a song from 1952 composed by Annie Ross and saxophonist Wardell Gray. The first song on a Mitchell album not to be self-written, there is undisguised glee in the way she performs this satirical take on psychoanalysis.
Sung with scat-style emphasis, the background vocals of comedy duo Cheech and Chong provide an extra comedic touch and while a surprising way to end such an earnest collection, it dispelled any notion of her not having a sense of humour.
Using one of her own paintings for the eye-catching cover, ‘Court and Spark‘ was released to ecstatic reviews. Buoyed by the critical and commercial success of the record Mitchell went on the road with L.A. Express, performances from this period of touring captured on the enjoyable double-live set ‘Miles of Aisles‘ (November 1974) which brought her another huge-selling album (U.S. 2/Canada 13) before the year was out.
By embracing jazz motifs to shape her songs, with ‘Court and Spark‘ Mitchell showed she had moved on from the conventional singer-songwriter framework of an album, the record page one of a new chapter – these new possibilities explored to the full on subsequent releases, ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns‘ (1975), ‘Hejira‘ (1976) and ‘Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter‘ (1977).
While the ongoing influence of the musicians with whom she was operating would inform the music, (Scott and the L.A Express predominant on all three of those albums), all through the words maintained their engrossing, erudite quality.
‘Court and Spark‘ began the move toward increased jazz-orientation, but her lyricism remained, as it would continue, pure and refined.
JONI MITCHELL – COURT and SPARK (Released January 17 1974):
Court and Spark/Help Me/Free Man in Paris/People’s Parties/The Same Situation/Car on a Hill/Down to You/Just Like This Train/Raised on Robbery/Trouble Child/Twisted;
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