Zack: I had some interesting things to say about this album. Unfortunately, it turns out that Joni Mitchell has some even more interesting things to say, and it’s more entertaining to talk about them. "The Blue album, there's hardly a dishonest note in the vocals,” she said in 1978. “At that period of my life, I had no personal defenses. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes.” Now I’m not, nor have I ever been, a smoker, so I can only speculate as to the meaning of this seemingly irrelevant metaphor. But I’ve come up with several theories. Theory A) she is referencing the transparency of her lyrics and comparing it to some sort of plastic. Maybe she had a cigarette carton on hand at the time or something. I don’t really know. Theory B) she views her genuine approach as a protector against lethal exposure to shitty, commercialist, predictable music. The layer is currently so thin because few other artists are standing up and resisting the movement. Considering the era and some of the other artists floating around at the time (including all the ones that she is romantically linked too), the last bit seems a little shaky. Theory C) this is a completely nonsensical statement and no amount of critical analysis will reveal any deep meaning whatsoever. I’ll let you decide which theory seems more accurate. Blue has a sincerity to it, but there was also a bit of a harder edge than some of Joni Mitchell’s contemporaries/lovers. It was definitely a folk album, but there was a dash of rock sprinkled on top. This helped set it apart from some of the other folk albums we listened to. As good as Blue was, it would be kind of difficult to weigh it against Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited or Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends straight up. But if we classify Blue as a folk-rock album, it’s only real competition is Born to Run by Springsteen (depending on how you classify Springsteen). This little touch to the production helps take Blue from another very good folk album to an exceptionally good folk-rock album.
Favorite Tracks: The Last Time I Saw Richard; All I Want; Little Green
Emily: Folk comes in all flavors, from hippie-style to classic to neo-folk to crazy hybrids with seemingly unrelated genres (folk-punk anyone?). However, when I think of folk, the first thing that comes to my mind is music like Joni Mitchell’s. Blue is simple and stripped-down, folk music in its most basic element. With soft instrumentation, barely more than a piano and a guitar, Mitchell’s introspective lyrics shine through. Each song is a frank portrayal of a different stage of a relationship. Her honest emotions ring true throughout Blue, and that’s what makes it a wonderful breath of fresh folk air.
Favorite Tracks: This Flight Tonight; California; Little Green
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