HEIGHTS JANUARY The Joni Mitchell: A Big Girl Now [NEW …jonimitchell.com › library › originals...
1
The Heights Review FILL 'ER UP!! by J. Campbell Moriarity Running On Empty is a very suitable title for Jackson Browne's newest album, the story of a travelling band, set to music. Surprisingly enough, this record displays few of the major characteristics of such previous Browne releases as The Pretender and Late For The Sky. In place of his usual soul-searching lyrics and somewhat morose melodies sre tunes that are upbeat and pleasantly rambling. The primary reason for this departure from his usual style is his increased depen- dence on other songwriters'material. The album includes Danny O'Keefe's "The Road," and a Maurice (Earth, Wind & Fire) Williams composition, "Stay." "Running On Empty" is also Browne's first live album (although only part was done in front of an audience, the rest having been recorded "live" in hotel rooms and on the band bus), and this also contributes to the different tex- ture of the album. The title song is well donerock & roll, but it is also quite certainly Jackson Browne, sporting David Lindley's excellent fiddle and Browne's unmistakable lyrics. (". . .1 look around for the friends I used to turn to/To pull me through/Looking into their eyes I see them running too. . .") "Love Needs A Heart" is a bittersweet, melancholy love song capturing the essence of being forced to walk away from love. On "Rosie," Browne shows himself to be more than competent on the piano, with which he provides the only accompaniment to the song. Browne is also the sole vocalist on "Rosie," except for a light harmony on the chorus. It is an outstanding song, both musically and lyrically. Unfortunately. Running On Empty suffers from a decided excess of filler, including an almost obligatory CB song called "Shakey Town" ("Now that's a big ten-four/From your back door/Just put the hammer down"), and a distinctly disappointing"The Load Out." With these two exceptions, Running On Empty is an accomplished and relatively diverse album. Although it takes new stylistic directions, it unquestionably bears Jackson Browne's personal stamp, and is ultimately a fine album. Joni Mitchell: A Big Girl Now by Kevin J. Nolan Joni Mitchell's not a little girl any longer. The days when she'd giggle self-conciously while warbling about paradise and parking lots are as far behind her as thechildhood of any adult. Similarly, her artistic adolescence is also behind her; the whistful, breathy vocal tones that were the hallmark of "Blue" and "For The Roses" have mellowed into a smokey, self-confident voice that could only be described as mature. Mitchell is still fascinated with love lost and found, but her perspective on the subject has wholly shifted from naive con- fusion to an attitude that is somewhat tired and often a bit jaded. The Hissing of Summer Lawns began the transition. Coming on the Heels of Court and Spark and a live set, her two most com- mercially accessible efforts, hissing was something of a shock. The smiling, wide- eyed, gosh-l-just-love-you-all Joni her fans had all known had become cool and distant, wrapped in a cloak of petulance and brooding. The trend continued with Hejira. Less musically complex, it still portrayed Mitchell as a rich, slightly faded socialite who'd come to view life with a decided bitter streak. By this time, she had also becomethe ideal metaphor for the end of the sixties; goodbye to San Francisco and hello to Hollywood. The Summer of Love was over, and its participants were virtually obligated to embrace the values of a society they'd hoped to obliterate. Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is the culmination of all that is good, and all that.is bad, about the "new" Joni Mitchell. And appropriately, its dominant theme is that of looking back to her past. Not looking back longingly, nor with any great nostalgia, it is more analytical than anything else. She's not yearning to go back, nor is she terribly sorry it's over. She merely wants to step aside and have a look at it. The album's strongest point is its instrumentation. Backed mostly by veteran jazzmen (Jaco Pastorious' bass is essential to the album's sound, and Larry Carlton, Wayne Shorter and Aierto also contribute), the album takes the basic churning guitars, flying bass and subtle percussions of.Hejir; and makes them less monotonous, more tex- tured. On Hejira, each song was given the same basic rhythms, distinguished by £ single, slight touch; Neil Young's harping or "Furry Sings the Blues," or Larry Carlton.'/* ethereal guitar on"A Strange Boy." Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, on the othei hand, displays a greater instrumental ver- satility without sacrificing the essence of the sound. Mitchell's guitar is sparser. Pastorious' bass more complex and unpredictable, highlighting the dreamlike haze through which Mitchell views her past. The album has been lushly produced, and the sound is rich and vibrant, but subtle jttst the same. The swirling "Cotton Avenue" and the hypnotic percussion-onlybacking of "Dreamland" are but two of the more musically notable points of the album. Unfortunately, while Reckless Daughter highlights some of Mitchell's most shining talents, it exposes some of her worst conceits at the same time. One of the most endearing characteristics of her earlier days as a songwriter, an ability to laugh at herself, has all but disappeared. Where once the idea of bad guys in Big Yellow Taxis running around paving paradise was enough to give her the giggles, she now intones lyrics just as pretentious and silly with an unsmiling intensity most people would reserve for the word of God. Mitchell is a skilled poetess to be sure; it was, in fact, her dawning awareness of this on For. the Roses that first suggested her change in stylistic direction. But she has come to regard herself so highly as a writer that she now seems convinced that every thought that occurs to her is laden with profundity. "Talk To Me," for exam- ple, turns out to be nothing more that the ramblings of a silly, drunk girl hanging off the arm of a guy probably about to punch her in the teeth to shut her up. Real cute. The idea undoubtedly struck her as terribly funny, but the listener gets the feeling that you had to be there. So it goes with most of Reckless Daughter. Mitchell always had a talent for giving common thoughts and feelings a uni- que life with her words, but the ideas behind much of Reckless Daughter are just too ordinary to hold much attention. This self- indulgence occasionally works its way into the instrumentation as well; the seven- minute percussion party, "The Tenth World," must have been gangs of fun for Joni and Co. to do, but the energy level that is reached by the climax of the track is hard- ly worth waiting for. surprisingly, the track which would be most likely to prove over- introspective actually works rather well. "Paprika Plains." Mitchell's first attempt at an epic is hampered by its length (over 16 minutes) and by its use of the American Indian as a rather predictable metaphor for the lost innocence of Earlier Times. But with a large portion of the original lyrics left unsung, supplanted by a flowing instrumen- tal bridge that nicely avoids being tedious, the piece winds up being quite effective, and, in fact, one of the most satisfying pieces of the album. There is a lot to like about Don Juan's Reckless Daughter. It is an entertaining and well thought-out album, beautiful to listen to, at least casually. But it is an extremely private album, and leaves its audience par- ticularly those who expect it to be thought- provoking too much on the outside. Joni Mitchell will be in some trouble if she does not remember by her next album that she is still playing for people. Boston-Boston More Disco Inferno by Don Nathan It's funny. If you took away the mirror balls and hissing cymbals, it could have been a late 60's psychedelic experience. But it is 1978, and Boston-Boston is most certainly the epitome, if not the culmination, of the disco scene. Wednesday night was a special night at Boston-Boston, located at 15 Landsdowne Street, sight of several aborted efforts at dis- cos. The famous Meco Cantina Band, which gave unto us the Star Wars theme and the music from Close Encounters, was to per- form, so the press was invited to the spec- tacle. And a spectacle it was. After digging up some clothes that might be suitable for the "fashionable attire" requirement of Boston-Boston, we set off through the rain and lakes that used to be! the streets of Boston. As soon as you enter the front door of Boston-Boston, you know you're in the right place. A foyer bathed in pink and purple light. The musicvibrating in the floors, despite being a goodly distance from the dance floor. Lots of guys in black pants and expensive haircuts. And, from around the corner, swirling multi-colored lights dancing off the curved walls. After checking our coats (for a fee of $.50- -incidental but unnecessary), we entered the main room, passing by the Omelette Room, which is dominated by tape recorded bird chirpings. Before seeing the actual dance floor, we were met by a gigantic mirror ball suspended overhead. It was about six feet in diameter, and an object that I would never like to have landon my head.Continuing past this shimmering globe, we at last reached the dance floor. I suppose that everyone knew that it was our first visit to Boston-Boston, from the way two sets of eyes popped out and two jaws hit the floor. Every kind of light and special effect that had ever graced a dane floor, and many that had not, were there Four smaller mirror balls (about two feet ii diameter) were suspended from the ceiling with neon rings about them, a la Satuta Pink, red and purple lights spinning am slashing to the thudding of the music, alter, nating with countless strobes. The post holding up the ceiling were covered witl mirrors, which were in turn enveloped by rings of neon, which got progressively largei as they climbed towards the roof. And, a< the creme dc la crerrie, a fog descending ovei the floor, although it created more of a haze than anything else. The pride and joy of Boston-Boston however, is their sound system. And, as mj ear drums will readily attest, their claims of "best on the coast" is quite justified. closest thing I have ever heard to thosi speakers is when a 35mm cannon went off ir my ear. The bass comes through your ears feet, knees, and any other part of your body that happens to be within 40 feet of the speakers. After strolling around the place for a while, ogling at the sights, it was deemed time to put down some vodka in the true BC style. At $1.75 a drink, I was not about to become roaring drunk. The bartenders were all made up in white makeup with blue ? ? eyebrows, "stars and other markings. (Presumably in honor of the Star Wars evening). I talked to one of the bartenders, Mykal, who said he got his job at Boston-Boston because he needed a night job, but did not want to be as subservient as a waiter. He also wanted "a little flash." He got it. One of the cashiers got her job because she used to go dancing there all the time and when there was an opening, she took it. It gets "packed like sardines" all the time, she said, despite the large size dance floor. Due to a pair of 9:00 classes, we were unable to remain at the Disco Wonderland for very long. So, after polishing off the drinks and taking a spin on the dance floor, we retrieved our coats, with thestrains of the Bee Gees pounding into the heads of everyone within miles, while visions of John Travolta danced in their heads. Obviously, there is a great segment of the BC population that ranks disco with such things as mud, dog spleens, and other atrocities. While labelling disco a crime against humanity is a bit much, it has never been one of my favorite genres of music. However, Boston-Boston goes beyond being a place to go disco-dancing. It is worth going there just to see and experience the lights, sounds and effects. You come out remembering the drug films that showed you what an LSD trip was. . .only this is legal and has no h.irmfi:! side effects. Willthis become the new Boston disco palace? Anne Marie Lesniak JANUARY 30, 1978 THE HEIGHTS 8-9 THE HEIGHTS JANUARY 30. 1978 [NEW JERSEY) Next week, the Heights Revue will be publishing an in-depth look at the strange phenomenon that is called New Jersey. Many prominent local social analysts will be con- tributing, as well as the foremost psychologist in the area. In an effort to get a feel for the stu- dent body's opinion on this matter, we ask you to complete the questionnaire below, and drop it off in the Heights office, McElroy 113. | Are you in favor of New Jersey? j | [jYes HNo j \&£.MtK£Wef\S Max & CoTHHH Bby Dornenburgi , UoaVe r\Qkk. _ tl t M° problem. ,nWo'ii Dontdoonc. it./na.K-j- tte He 13 hh doesn't / tX>Wdi s 0 /ixstfr OSrtc poM besides J&flVfLr r com& up uJitK ar\ nohodu e*/en A *\ x~t\ M L iy r ~ j ? /\ \ \ ? "" - ~- '?-"'' " x '"" \u25a0 " "J2orri<en6c4 r<9
Transcript of HEIGHTS JANUARY The Joni Mitchell: A Big Girl Now [NEW …jonimitchell.com › library › originals...
-
The Heights Review
FILL 'ER UP!!by J.Campbell Moriarity
Running On Empty is a very suitable titlefor Jackson Browne's newest album, thestory of a travelling band, set to music.Surprisingly enough, this record displaysfew of the major characteristics of suchprevious Browne releases as The Pretenderand Late For The Sky. In place of his usualsoul-searching lyrics and somewhat morosemelodies sre tunes that are upbeat andpleasantlyrambling.
The primary reason for this departurefrom his usual style is his increased depen-dence on other songwriters'material. Thealbum includes Danny O'Keefe's "TheRoad," and a Maurice(Earth, Wind & Fire)Williams composition, "Stay." "RunningOn Empty" is alsoBrowne's first live album(although only part was done in front of anaudience, the rest having been recorded"live" in hotel rooms and on the band bus),and this also contributesto the different tex-ture of the album.
The titlesong is well donerock & roll, butit is also quite certainly Jackson Browne,sportingDavid Lindley's excellent fiddle and
Browne's unmistakable lyrics. (". . .1 lookaround for the friends I used to turn to/Topull me through/Looking into their eyes Isee them running too. . .") "Love Needs AHeart" is a bittersweet, melancholy lovesong capturing the essence of beingforced towalk away from love.
On "Rosie," Browne shows himself to bemore than competent on the piano, withwhich he provides the only accompanimentto the song. Browne is also the sole vocaliston "Rosie," except for a light harmony onthe chorus. It is an outstanding song, bothmusically and lyrically.
Unfortunately. Running On Empty suffersfrom a decided excess of filler, including analmost obligatory CB song called "ShakeyTown" ("Now that's a big ten-four/Fromyour back door/Just put the hammerdown"), and a distinctly disappointing"TheLoad Out."
With these two exceptions, Running OnEmpty is an accomplished and relativelydiverse album. Although it takes newstylistic directions, it unquestionably bearsJackson Browne's personal stamp, and isultimately a fine album.
Joni Mitchell: A Big Girl Nowby Kevin J. Nolan
Joni Mitchell's not a littlegirl any longer.The days when she'd giggle self-conciouslywhile warbling about paradise and parkinglots are as far behind her as thechildhood ofany adult.Similarly, her artisticadolescenceis also behind her; the whistful, breathyvocal tones that were the hallmark of"Blue" and "For The Roses" havemellowed into a smokey, self-confidentvoice that could only be described asmature. Mitchell is still fascinated with lovelost and found, but her perspective on thesubject has wholly shifted from naive con-fusion to an attitude that is somewhat tiredand often a bit jaded.
The Hissing of Summer Lawns began thetransition. Coming on the Heels of Courtand Spark and a live set, her two most com-mercially accessible efforts, hissing wassomething of a shock. The smiling, wide-eyed, gosh-l-just-love-you-all Joni her fanshad all known had becomecool and distant,wrapped in a cloak of petulance andbrooding. The trend continued with Hejira.Less musically complex, it still portrayedMitchell as a rich, slightly faded socialitewho'd come to view life with a decidedbitterstreak. By this time,she had alsobecometheideal metaphor for the end of the sixties;goodbye to San Francisco and hello toHollywood. The Summer of Love was over,and its participants were virtually obligatedto embrace the values of a society they'dhoped to obliterate.
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is theculmination of all that is good,and all that.isbad, about the "new" Joni Mitchell. Andappropriately, its dominant theme is that oflooking back to her past. Not looking backlongingly, nor with any great nostalgia, it ismore analytical than anything else. She'snot yearning to go back, nor is she terriblysorry it's over. She merely wants to stepaside and have a look at it.
The album's strongest point is itsinstrumentation. Backed mostly by veteranjazzmen (Jaco Pastorious' bass is essentialto the album's sound, and Larry Carlton,Wayne Shorter and Aierto also contribute),the album takes the basic churning guitars,
flying bass and subtle percussions of.Hejir;and makes them less monotonous, more tex-tured. On Hejira, each song was given thesame basic rhythms, distinguished by £single, slight touch; Neil Young's harpingor"Furry Sings the Blues," or Larry Carlton.'/*ethereal guitar on"A Strange Boy." DonJuan's Reckless Daughter, on the otheihand, displays a greater instrumental ver-satility without sacrificing the essence of thesound. Mitchell's guitar is sparser.Pastorious' bass more complex andunpredictable, highlighting the dreamlikehaze through which Mitchell views her past.The album has been lushly produced, andthe sound is rich and vibrant, but subtle jttst
the same. The swirling "Cotton Avenue"and the hypnotic percussion-onlybacking of"Dreamland" are but two of the moremusically notablepoints of the album.
Unfortunately, while Reckless Daughterhighlights some of Mitchell's most shiningtalents, it exposessome of her worst conceitsat the same time. Oneof the most endearingcharacteristics of her earlier days as asongwriter, an ability to laughat herself, hasall but disappeared.Where once the idea ofbad guys in Big Yellow Taxis runningaround paving paradise was enough to giveher the giggles, she now intones lyrics justaspretentious and silly with an unsmilingintensity most people would reserve for the
word of God. Mitchell is a skilledpoetess tobe sure; it was, in fact, her dawningawarenessof this on For. the Roses that firstsuggested her change in stylistic direction.But she has come to regard herself so highlyas a writer that she now seems convincedthat every thought that occurs to her is ladenwith profundity. "Talk To Me," for exam-ple, turns out to be nothing more that theramblings of a silly, drunk girl hanging offthe arm of a guy probably about to punchher in the teeth to shut her up. Real cute.The idea undoubtedly struck her as terriblyfunny, but the listener gets the feeling thatyou had to be there.
So it goes with most of RecklessDaughter. Mitchell always had a talent forgiving common thoughts and feelings a uni-que life with her words, but the ideas behindmuch of Reckless Daughter are just tooordinary to hold much attention. This self-indulgence occasionally works its way intothe instrumentation as well; the seven-minute percussion party, "The TenthWorld," must have been gangs of fun forJoni and Co. to do, but the energy level thatis reached by the climax of the track ishard-ly worth waiting for. surprisingly, the trackwhich would be most likely to prove over-introspective actually works rather well."Paprika Plains." Mitchell'sfirst attempt atan epic is hampered by its length (over 16minutes) and by its use of the AmericanIndian as a rather predictable metaphor forthe lost innocence of Earlier Times. But witha large portion of the original lyrics leftunsung, supplanted by a flowing instrumen-tal bridge that nicely avoids being tedious,the piece winds up being quiteeffective, and,in fact, one of the most satisfying pieces ofthe album.
There is a lot to like about Don Juan'sReckless Daughter. It is an entertainingandwell thought-out album, beautiful to listento, at least casually. But it is an extremelyprivate album, and leaves its audience par-ticularly those who expect it to be thought-provoking too much on the outside. JoniMitchell will be in some trouble if she doesnot rememberby her next album that she isstill playing for people.
Boston-Boston
More Disco Infernoby Don NathanIt's funny. If you took away the mirror
balls and hissing cymbals, it could have beena late 60's psychedelic experience. But it is1978, and Boston-Boston is most certainlythe epitome, if not the culmination, of thedisco scene.
Wednesday night was a special night atBoston-Boston, located at 15 LandsdowneStreet, sight of several aborted efforts at dis-cos. The famous Meco Cantina Band, whichgave unto us the Star Wars theme and themusic from Close Encounters, was to per-form, so the press was invited to the spec-tacle. And a spectacle it was.
After digging up some clothes thatmightbe suitable for the "fashionable attire"requirement of Boston-Boston, we set offthrough the rain and lakes that used to be!the streets of Boston. As soon as you enterthe front door of Boston-Boston, you knowyou're in the right place. A foyer bathed inpink and purple light. The musicvibrating inthe floors, despite being a goodly distancefrom the dance floor. Lots of guys in blackpants and expensive haircuts. And, fromaround the corner, swirling multi-coloredlights dancing off the curved walls. Afterchecking our coats (for a fee of $.50--incidental but unnecessary), we entered themain room, passing by the Omelette Room,which is dominated by tape recorded birdchirpings.
Before seeing the actual dance floor, wewere met by a gigantic mirror ballsuspended overhead. It was about six feet indiameter, and an object that I would neverlike to have landon my head.Continuing pastthis shimmering globe,we at last reached thedancefloor.
I suppose that everyone knew that it wasour first visit to Boston-Boston, from theway two sets of eyes popped out and twojaws hit the floor. Every kind of light and
special effect that had ever graced a danefloor, and many that had not, were thereFour smaller mirror balls (about two feet iidiameter) were suspended from the ceilingwith neon rings about them, a la SatutaPink, red and purple lights spinning amslashing to the thudding of the music, alter,nating with countless strobes. The postholding up the ceiling were covered witl
mirrors, which were in turn enveloped byrings of neon, which got progressivelylargeias they climbed towards the roof. And, a<the creme dc la crerrie, a fog descending oveithe floor, although it created more of a hazethan anythingelse.
The pride and joy of Boston-Bostonhowever, is their sound system. And, as mjear drums will readily attest, their claimsof "best on the coast" is quite justified.closest thing I have ever heard to thosispeakers is when a 35mm cannon went off irmy ear. The bass comes through your ears
feet, knees, and any other part of your bodythat happens to be within 40 feet of thespeakers.
After strolling around the place for awhile, ogling at the sights, it was deemedtime to put down some vodka in the true BCstyle. At $1.75 a drink, I was not about tobecome roaring drunk. The bartenders wereall made up in white makeup with blue
? ?
eyebrows, "stars and other markings.(Presumably in honor of the Star Warsevening).
I talked to oneof the bartenders, Mykal,who said he got his job at Boston-Bostonbecause he needed a night job, but did notwant to be as subservient as a waiter. Healso wanted "a little flash." He got it. Oneof the cashiers got her job because she usedto go dancing there all the time and whenthere was an opening, she took it. It gets"packedlike sardines"all the time,she said,
despite the large size dance floor.Due to a pair of 9:00 classes, we were
unable to remain at the Disco Wonderlandfor very long. So, after polishing off thedrinks and taking a spin on thedance floor,weretrieved our coats, with thestrains of theBeeGees pounding into the heads ofeveryone within miles, while visions of JohnTravolta dancedin their heads.
Obviously, there is a great segment of theBC population that ranks disco with suchthings as mud, dog spleens, and otheratrocities. While labelling disco a crimeagainst humanity is a bit much, it has neverbeen one of my favorite genres of music.However, Boston-Boston goes beyondbeinga place to go disco-dancing. It is worth goingthere just to see and experience the lights,sounds and effects. You come outremembering the drug films that showed youwhat an LSD trip was. . .only this is legaland has no h.irmfi:! side effects.
Willthisbecomethe new
Bostondisco
palace?
AnneMarie
Lesniak
JANUARY 30, 1978THE HEIGHTS8-9THE HEIGHTS JANUARY 30. 1978
[NEW JERSEY)Next week, the Heights Revue will be
publishing an in-depth look at the strangephenomenon that is called New Jersey. Manyprominent local social analysts will be con-tributing, as well as theforemost psychologistin the area. In an effort to get afeelfor thestu-dent body's opinion on this matter, we ask youto complete the questionnaire below, and dropit off in the Heights office, McElroy 113.
| Are you in favor of New Jersey? j
| [jYes HNo j
\&£.MtK£Wef\SMax & CoTHHH Bby Dornenburgi, UoaVe r\Qkk. _
tl t M° problem. ,nWo'iiDontdoonc.it./na.K-j- tte He 13hh doesn't /tX>Wdi s 0 /ixstfr OSrtc poM besides J&flVfLrr com& up uJitK ar\ nohodu e*/en A
*\ x~t\ M L iyr ~ j? /\ \ \ ? ""
- ~- '?-"'' " x '"" \u25a0 " "J2orri
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