Library of Articles

  • Library: Articles

Mitchell Pratfalls Print-ready version

by Steve Esmedina
Triton Times (UC San Diego)
January 7, 1976
Original article: PDF

THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS. Joni Mitchell. Asylum

Joni Mitchell has been threatening a total disaster like this for so long that it's almost a relief that she finally produced it. This is her "Artistic Statement" record in much the same way that "Astral Weeks" is Van Morrison's. The biggest difference is that where Morrison conjures up romantic ambiguity, Mitchell only conjures overweight verbosity. The other, more subtle difference is that Morrison's musicians on "Weeks," Richard Davis, Jay Berliner, John Payne, and Connie Kay created dark, brooding, sinuous textures to accompany the singer's poetic ramblings. "Hissing" has Tom Scott and The Crusaders rummaging through their most tiresome funkifized noodlings. The results are predictable despairing.

Copyright protected material on this website is used in accordance with 'Fair Use', for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis, and will be removed at the request of the copyright owner(s). Please read Notice and Procedure for Making Claims of Copyright Infringement.

Added to Library on September 5, 2018. (4950)

Comments:

Log in to make a comment