Michael, that is Joni's wrist area, visible as it is- disconnected from the rest of her arm- because it exits her coat/cape sleeve and her left hand is stuck in her coat pocket.
Unless you imagine Joni's bracelet (or watchband)is a ring that's typically placed around phallus? ;-)
Joni Mitchell's Hejira Reissued AAA on 180g Vinyl
Not that it’s any of my business, but I was disappointed reading that Joni Mitchell had nixed Taylor Swift’s playing her in a biopix. “All you’ve got is a girl with high cheekbones” she’s reported to have said.
But reading further it turned out that Mitchell was against the project based upon the material not necessarily because of Swift’s casting. Detractors who dismiss Taylor Swift as a shallow corporate creation aren’t being fair. She seems like a smart young woman—and I’m not saying that just because she’s a vinyl advocate—who has charted her own path, or at least it seems that’s the case. In a gutsy move Swift pulled her music from Spotify’s free stream.
It could be argued that Swift is playing the “pop chick” much like Mitchell played the “hippie chick” early in her career because at the time that was where the natural musical point of entry. Whether that’s true about Swift remains to be seen. Certainly the challenge of playing a complex, brilliant and uncompromising artist like Joni Mitchell would help reveal Swift's depth or lack thereof.
For Mitchell Court and Spark was the “bridge” album between her folk period and her move to jazz, which was fully accomplished with the release of 1975’s Hissing of Summer Lawns (which those of us still in adolescent mode called “Pissing on Summer Lawns) that many found dense, inaccessible and more precious and self-conscience than Paul Simon at his worst.
On Hejira Mitchell bridges and jazz/folk divide with an album rooted in her early folk self but with a jazzy overlay anchored by Jaco Pastorius’s hypnotic undulating bass lines and Mitchell’s open tuned chorused electric guitar. Extra credit is due all of the musicians playing on this album but especially guitarist Larry Carlton and drummer John Guerin, who often had to hop time signature mid-tune.
In Arabic the word “hijra” means “journey”. The songs, written mostly during a solitary cross-country car ride from Maine to Los Angeles have an elastic, shimmering rhythmic pulse that suggest movement and restlessness.
Mitchell sings about fellow “solo traveler” Amelia Airhart and in “Song For Sharon”, a painful confessional about marriage and freedom set against a trip to visit the Mandolin Brothers vintage instrument shop on Staten Island, N.Y (the owner of which, Stan Jay, recently passed away at age 71) she lays bare a conflicted soul.
Mitchell sings of a meeting with the blues veteran Furry Lewis and of roads, motel rooms, flight and of “taking refuge in the roads” all set to melodies that can’t be hummed and song constructions that lack the expected turn arounds, verse/chorus repetitiveness and connecting bridges.
For many listeners back in 1976 habituated to those conventions, Hijera came across as impenetrable (though the lyrics are far more straightforward than they are metaphorical), overly linear and a-melodic. For those comfortable seeing Ms. Mitchell as a “lady of the canyon, seeing the beret-wearing ice queen on the highly stylized front cover was more an encounter with a stranger than reconnection with an old friend.
The album wasn’t a big seller relative to many of Mitchell’s previous releases but it remains one of her most fully realized and thematically consistent artistic statements both musically and lyrically and one that stands well the test of time.
This new reissue cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering and pressed at RTI is sonically superior to the original in every way. There’s far less if any compression (if any)). Dynamics are far greater, imaging well-clarified and soundstaging far more expansive and deep. In every way the reissue beats the original’s sonics. It's a difficult cut too, because the sides are long. The lackluster reproduction of Norman Seef's striking cover photo of Mitchell disappoints and the reissue does not include the original's raised lettering (though it does include the original's striking inner sleeve). However, it costs $24.95, which for an AAA mastering and RTI pressing these days is quite reasonable. And can someone tell me what that veiny, phallic thing is popping up from the highway?
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COMMENTS
Phallic?
Submitted by anomaly7 on Sun, 2014-11-30 10:48
Another great re-issue
Submitted by SimonH on Sun, 2014-11-30 13:01
I got this as a US import into the UK a month or two ago - put it on my turntable and was blown away by it - great, good value re-issue - hats off Asylum/Rhino - keep them coming!
Hi folks. First time posting
Submitted by Jorge on Sun, 2014-11-30 13:09
Hi folks. First time posting here.
To me this reissue stands as one of the best of the year. As good as the Beatles and Neil Youngs boxes
And speaking about Chris Bellman Ive never been dissapointed by any of his remasters. Kudos to Mr Bellman
Have the original LP
Submitted by Jim Tavegia on Sun, 2014-11-30 13:27
Been a while so will have to listen to it today.
Is it this release?
Submitted by isaacrivera on Sun, 2014-11-30 13:42
http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/98048/Joni_Mitchell-Hejira-Vinyl_Record
There is no Rhino or AAA mastering pressing info :(
That's it
Submitted by Bigrasshopper on Sun, 2014-11-30 20:18
A.S. can be really slow sometimes filling in the descriptions, but yes this is the new reissue. I ordered my Joni Mitchell / Hejira along with Charles Mingus / Tijuana Moods / Charles Munch A Stereo Spectacular / The Beatles 1967-1970, so I'll have to wait a little longer.
I really am more a fan of the Joni as folk singer although I'm a big fan of Hissing of Somer Lawns, which took me some time to appreciate but became as important to me as Blue or Court and Spark. I missed this one entirely somehow. On learning it was being remastered with care, I listened to it streamed from iTunes over headphones and it just didn't strike me. Then someone I respect told it was there favorite Joni album, so I went ahead and preordered it. You see, I've learned that sometimes you have to experience an album "full on" inorder to get it. From what Micheal said, sounds like I'm going to hear all of what it has to tell me.
Now I don't wish to appear too demanding, but can Chris or Bernie or Kevin, please remaster For The Roses for LP, my current favorite Joni.
After Hejira you might be interested in...
Submitted by SimonH on Sun, 2014-11-30 14:26
Amongst other Rhino issues you might like the check out is the Capatin Beefheart "Sun Zoom Spark; 1970-71" 4lp Box - "cut from the Original Analog Masters" - with CB inscribed in the deadwax. I have a UK copy which I think might be an Optimal Pressing - can anyone tell me about the US press? Anyway I have been really enjoying it - not knowing the records before, and a pleasure to listen to, especially after trying a couple of the Springo lp's out of that box (also with a CB scribe) where i had to take a rain check before .........
There is no Rhino?
Submitted by eeilbacher on Sun, 2014-11-30 19:50
I ordered this just the other day, expecting it Wed. There is no Rhino or mention of AAA on either MusicDirect or Acoustic Sounds. It is actually listed as Elektra AELE 1087 on Acoustic Sounds and Elektra with a SKU number on MD. Are these different pressings than the one you're reviewing here. Court and Spark, Summer Lawns and Blue all mention Rhino on MD and Wild Things lists ORG 45rpm.
I will disappointed if I got the wrong one, all three of the Rhino's are superb as you say this one is. Can you clarify?
Should Be the Same One...
Submitted by Michael Fremer on Sun, 2014-11-30 20:08
Asylum was part of Elektra at the time.... the problem is with the online vinyl vendors lack of consistency in how they list reissues (I'll hear from them on that in private emails!).
Yes, please do that !
Submitted by Bigrasshopper on Sun, 2014-11-30 20:29
It would be great if they could include the labels album number along with the own abbreviated code.
That would make life on our "analog planet" a little easier.
yes some stunned retailers
Submitted by waves on Mon, 2014-12-01 22:11
The retailers know very well that an enormous part of the interest in vinyl is for the quality and musical nuance of the medium. Myself, I'm sick of vinyl that's promoted as "180 gram reissue!" with no other particulars.
Question: So how could it NOT occur to them to list the details of the reissue, especially of a complicated and wonderful album like this?
Answer: Either the right hand and the left aren't talking, or they can be just STUNNED at what they do!
So Mr F, when you get their private emails please tell them that their sales will be better if they do their job better aka include the information!
Hejira is my favorite Joni
Submitted by John G on Mon, 2014-12-01 05:17
Hejira is my favorite Joni Mitchell album. Song for Sharon and Furry Sings the Blues are outstanding songs. I was delighted when I heard about this being reissued. Nice to hear that you feel it's better than an original pressing. This album seems like a good candidate for a 45 RPM reissue due to its length.
great album...
Submitted by firedog55 on Mon, 2014-12-01 06:47
...in any format. My favorite of hers. But every time I hear it I think about untimely passing of Jaco Pastorius, a truly great musician.
Jaco and Max Bennet
Submitted by audiotom on Mon, 2014-12-01 20:01
I have 5 copies of this slbum
Never found a quiet one
This lp delivers and I usually like the enhanced airiness in original pressings
My favorite Joni with Court and Hissing in the trifecta
Jaco's work is incredible on this record
That said
Max Bennet also plays bass on this album (and the two prior)
More understated but beautiful as well
Great artists...
Submitted by Rick Tomaszewicz on Mon, 2014-12-01 10:47
...often transcend their original genre, and accompanying fan base. When young, their natural talents grow within comfortable, familiar and relatively simple country, folk, pop and blues. Once they realize their capabilities, they wander into world music, jazz, classical and other more complex forms, or even experiment with "cross-contamination". They lose their original fan base, who accuse them of becoming pretentious, high falutin' and losing their way.
The great artist is smart, talented and curious. Many fans just can't keep up and don't understand experimentation isn't about keeping them happy; it's about the artist's journey, which they'll pursue at the risk of hunger. Of course, such experimentation often results in failure, but that doesn't mean the artist should humbly return to their roots.
But...sometimes, an artist does return to their roots at the end of their career. They explore their roots in the context of all they've learned along the way.
So endeth the sermon.
Been watching the "Guitar Sessions" on cable a lot...
Submitted by Jazzfan62 on Sun, 2014-12-07 06:01
And one thing you realize is that there is an almost uniform hatred of the record producing labels. The labels had such power and stranglehold on the artists that they basically dictated what the artist could do. My opinion is that there is some of what you are saying, but most true musical artists want to grow and venture out. The artists that finally get enough record selling power to start dictating a little more of their own path finally get to do what they wanted to do for a very long time. You hear it over and over again how these artists had breakout artistic albums, but they had to fight, sometimes for years, to get the labels to back the different direction.
Also, I'm continually shocked by how smart many of these artists are. Even in rock bands, the is generally a main leader that is remarkable savvy and intelligent. They may have been (or are) drug heads at times, but there is many times a true genius in the mix.
I think Taylor Swift can fall into that category because she has true talent at the root, versus someone like Hillary Duff or Brittany Spears. Christina Aguilara is example of a pop artist that could do almost anything she wants because of the purity of her voice. Some of the Jazz stuff she has sang is really amazing.
The Dreaded "O" Word
Submitted by Rick Tomaszewicz on Sun, 2014-12-07 09:17
I can't be the only one who, upon hearing Aguilera sing, thought her voice so strong and pure she might do opera. (It's like she's slumming while singing pop music.) But opera is profoundly hard work w/o the $ and fame pop can generate. And, opera's full of talented people who've paid their dues and are intolerant of dilettantes. Why would a gifted pop artist work that hard and expose themselves to potential humiliation?
The Dreaded "O" Word
Submitted by Rick Tomaszewicz on Sun, 2014-12-07 09:18
I can't be the only one who, upon hearing Aguilera sing, thought her voice so strong and pure she might do opera. (It's like she's slumming while singing pop music.) But opera is profoundly hard work w/o the $ and fame pop can generate. And, opera's full of talented people who've paid their dues and are intolerant of dilettantes. Why would a gifted pop artist work that hard and expose themselves to potential humiliation?
Stan Jay
Submitted by Paul Boudreau on Mon, 2014-12-01 14:09
I didn't know that Stan Jay had passed away. Very sad. I e-mailed him last March to ask about a case for a '67 Gibson B-25-12 (an acoustic 12-string) and he was kind enough to quickly reply, even though I hadn't bought it from him. A classy guy.
Phallic Thing
Submitted by StonedBeatles1 on Tue, 2014-12-02 01:46
Is this a similar thing as your old observations from the original US White Album Poster?
If so, your thereapist needs to have his/her license revoked! :)
Jaco blah blah
Submitted by tcinoz on Tue, 2014-12-02 03:21
One thing that's as predictable as winter snow in Canada is that any mention of this album will spawn a flurry of references to Jaco Pastorius and his brilliant bass playing. The funny thing is, on my three favourite tracks - Amelia, Furry Sings the Blues and Song for Sharon - he doesn't even play! Maybe I'll get to appreciate Jaco's contributions more on this reissue. :)
Joni: under the hood
Submitted by cundare on Tue, 2014-12-02 12:12
For those of you, like me, who have been obsessed with JM's work since the 1970s, I highly recommend Lloyd Whitesell's musicological analysis of her catalog "The Music of Joni Mitchell." Not a short read -- I've been digging through it page by page for nearly a year. It covers, in some form, every track she recorded on a commercial studio or live release, and devotes individual chapters to melody, harmony, thematic personae, and lyrics. Until reading it, even I never appreciated the sophistication of the lyrics on her first two albums. You really need the entire catalog at hand for reference when you read the book, but it's well worth the effort -- if you're a true Joni fan and can read short score snippets.
By the way, Mike, I don't want to make you self-conscience, but please fix the typos in paragraphs 4 & 5. To everyone else, if that last sentence of mine just seems wrong, the typos have been fixed & the in-joke is no longer relevant.
Finally, I totally disagree that one can characterize "Hissing" as a transition album to a jazz sensibility that fully emerged on "Hejira." (If that's what you were really saying.) Instead, I see a relatively linear progression (to longer melodic lines, jazzier phrasing, more complex harmonies, and more idiosyncratic forms) emerging as far back as "Blue" and culminating in "Mingus." Each album spanned a range of forms and that range slowly shifted with each new release, but it's hard to call one album "pop" and another "jazz" until you hit the brick wall that was "Mingus." I don't consider "Hejira" to be more or less "jazz" than the preceding or immediately following albums, despite the upgrading from Tom to Weather Report. Little of "Hejira" swings and there are no extended solos (unless you count he ongoing dialog between Joni & Jaco). Yes, who knows how to properly define "jazz." Compare "Hejira" to Billie Holiday's later work and I guess you'd have a point. And "Blue Motel Room" does swing, sure. But compare "Hejira" to "Mingus," or to just about any jazz performed contemporaneously with "Hejira"'s release, and it becomes clear that Joni's body of work is far too nuanced to accommodate sweeping statements. Even mine.
Mikie has company
Submitted by doak on Tue, 2014-12-02 13:17
My (former) GF also "noticed" the d*ck sprouting from the road.
I was mystified too but when she presented this oddity as Show & Tell at an audio club meeting a third party promptly ID'd it as Jonis hand and no one else saw the w*ng. How em-bare-ass-ing. Haha.
Hejira Reissued
Submitted by soundescape on Tue, 2014-12-02 18:03
I own six different pressings of "Hejira", but this one betters them all in every way -- magnificent: it has allowed me to rediscover its complex pleasures, and reminded me how brilliant a record "Hejira" is. Thank you Joni! Thank you Chris Bellman!
Could someone please re-issue "For the Roses"? And while you're at it, "Both Sides Now"? I remember reading in Stereophile, at the time of its release, that there is an analogue master of "Both Sides Now", although the recording has never, to my knowledge, been released on LP.
I'll stick with my original
Submitted by rakalm on Wed, 2014-12-03 05:58
Not one of my favorites, I have what I believe is an early pressing, &E -1087 A-1-SP. I'll stick with that. I have almost everything she has released. No need for a reissue here. Now Blue, LOTC, were another story. Worn to death. The reissues are superlative. Love Joni to death. Not just for women.
Why do most folks overlook
Submitted by Amos on Wed, 2014-12-03 09:35
Why do most folks overlook "For The Roses?" It's the link, not "Court and Spark." I have watched her other albums get the RTI and Bernie treatment, but keep waiting for this one. In the meantime I'll keep listening to my promo, UK and German copies. Would also love "Mingus" and the two live albums. Not to mention Hancock's "The Joni Letters."
for the roses
Submitted by jpg r on Tue, 2014-12-09 15:28
i agree...."for the roses" is the linking album.
Airhart? Earhart!
Submitted by thomoz on Thu, 2014-12-04 19:09
Hissing was the first Joni lp I bought, primarily for "The Jungle Line".
I never saw the "big deal" of Jaco playing on a pop record. He played better elsewhere, IMHO.
What a great sounding album
Submitted by skipgiles on Fri, 2014-12-05 13:56
Thanks for the recommendation Mike. I was unfamiliar with this gem and it's shockingly good. So glad I read Analog Planet for these kind of tips.
illiteracy
Submitted by Pennywhistler on Fri, 2014-12-05 13:59
"self-conscience". Yeah, right.
Amelia Airhart, Right.
<< In Arabic the word “hijra” means “journey”. >>
But the album is called "Hejira, isn't it.
Hey, the exam...
Submitted by Rick Tomaszewicz on Fri, 2014-12-05 14:44
...wasn't supposed to be till Monday.
But, if you insist:
Wanderers include the Beatles, Zappa, Dylan, Miles, Bowie, Byrne, Newman and of course Joni. You know who they are. Stewart did so when he lost his voice and started singing the American songbook. Gaga and Swift may even join this group. A dead giveaway is when they start doing Broadway or movie scores. I won't be surprised if The Roots also join this group.
Stay-at-homers include Cash, Sinatra, ZZ, Cohen, many country, blues and urban artists...you know who they are; they mine the same vein over and over. One might also say they're just refining their craft.
Yes, I know that Japanese artists say to do a small thing well rather than a big thing poorly. But, you have to admire risk-taking artists, even when they fail. It's a very American outlook.
This is Yoni Mitchell we are talking about . . .
Submitted by Drtrey3 on Tue, 2014-12-09 09:37
so the thing in the road actually IS a phallus.
Trey
some of the mood/ambience is lost
Submitted by jpg r on Tue, 2014-12-09 15:16
one of my fave joni albums. it has a 4 in the morning feeling about it. and i think some of that is lost in the remaster. it sounds more "hi-fi" then the original, everything is more up front, as if one moved up several rows in the listening auditorium. usually a good thing with a harder rock album, but in this case, i feel it sounds a bit better sitting further back. a purely subjective opinion of course.
Plus and minus
Submitted by Oystein on Fri, 2014-12-12 08:31
Thanks to you Michael I bought the new version, and it is certainly a joy, e g playing my C flute to Amelia. Some veils removed (easy to hear with my Lyra Atlas pickup). I go for the "all in all, more information" rule, so I will keep this remaster, but the original too. Like jpg says it is stronger in some ways. I think tape wear may come into it, dont know, but even if Joni's voice is clearer and more present, for example, something has happpened that I am not sure I like. So "sonically superior to the original in every way" may be a bit strong, but it is certainly worth it, for me. I also bought another album today; Marillion: Sounds that cant be made. In parts, this is a great album. But the sound is disappointing, digital-like, hard, flat especially in the louder parts of the recording. They put it out on two 180g LPs AS IF it was an audiophile recording, but sadly, once more, it isn't.
Tape wear?
Submitted by Oystein on Fri, 2014-12-12 08:50
I am no expert on this, but I have made many tapes with a Revox A77, and wonder, for example, if the master tapes have been regularly rewound - if not, the magnetic information may detoriate. I can often hear a kind of smattering when I play tapes I have not played for many years. This kind of problem may increase a wish to clean up the sound, some of it has to be done anyway, and "fix" it in a way that some discerning listeners don't like. I don't know how relevant it is in the Hejira case, but I think that the starting point is often how to get better sound from the tape, not just to "go right" (purely analog) from the tape. I agree with jpg - some of the 4 in the morning feeling is lost on a lot of remasters I have bought - but some are clearly better than others, and this is one (along with e g The Doors on Analog Production in 45 rpm). Even if it does not all sound good (or better than the original), all in all, there is more musical information. In that case, for me, the remaster is worth it.
Rhino Reissue Sucks
Submitted by Jazzwallah on Sat, 2014-12-20 22:58
I have been a Joni Mitchell fan since I heard "Chelsea Morning" in 1969 and have bought all the recordings as they came out and they are still in good condition in my collection. I have been buying the reissues of Joni Mitchell prior to this one and have liked them. What happened to Hegira? This one sucks. Sad, because It has always been a special records for me.
1) Her voice is not front and centre as it should be. This is a Joni Mitchell record after all and her music is about words for heavens sake not the instrumental backing that has pushed her in the background.Listen to the cut "Hegira" on an original recording and then on this damn fool reissue.
2) She also emphasized Jaco's solos above the jangling guitars including her own and it is almost lost on this track.
3) On an interview with Tavis Smiley http://jonimitchell.com she is very dismissive about Rhino and also complains about this on her 4CD reissue "Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced (4CD)".
4) I think the artist's original intentions should be maintained and respected on any reissue and not be subject to some Hi-Fi engineers vision. I have heard a lot of reissues that are truly atrocious because the engineer has changed the mix. Too many toys for the boys. Maybe Mr. Fremer likes this one as he seems to struggle with Joni's poetic images as he admits in his review. Buy a second hand vinyl recording of Hegira and listen to what Ms. Mitchell wanted you to hear. Give this one a miss.
Thanks for this review
Submitted by jdgjr on Mon, 2014-12-22 09:36
I have a copy of this that I bought used awhile back, it plays but has some significant groove wear. After reading this review I ordered this new one and have ben listening to it over and over since FedEx dropped it off last Friday. Wonderful to finally hear it with a nice quiet background. I am a long time fan of Joni and she is one of the few people whom I would mention in the same breath with Lennon/McCartney, Richard Thompson, and Leonard Cohen. I appreciation your point on Taylor Swift and I respect her, but I cannot imagine looking back at her years from now and seeing anything that resembles Joni Mitchell's career.
Thanks for this review
Submitted by jdgjr on Mon, 2014-12-22 09:36
I have a copy of this that I bought used awhile back, it plays but has some significant groove wear. After reading this review I ordered this new one and have ben listening to it over and over since FedEx dropped it off last Friday. Wonderful to finally hear it with a nice quiet background. I am a long time fan of Joni and she is one of the few people whom I would mention in the same breath with Lennon/McCartney, Richard Thompson, and Leonard Cohen. I appreciation your point on Taylor Swift and I respect her, but I cannot imagine looking back at her years from now and seeing anything that resembles Joni Mitchell's career.
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