Joni Mitchell
Miles of Aisles

THE REVIEW

I read something about the "Court and Spark" tour from which this "Miles of Aisles" was derived.

It seems that it kicked off after a few years during which Joni Mitchell had retired from the scene. It seemed to me that it was a moment of crisis. A lot of things were simmering in her head at that time, there was the fact that she no longer wanted to be considered one of the symbols of the hippy movement, and there was the fact that her music had become something too personal and she no longer felt comfortable presenting it in person before an audience. She even got to the point of thinking that she would never perform again.

To help her regain the confidence necessary to resume live activity, she needed a band behind her that she felt in tune with and could give her music a new look. Evidently, The L.A. Express, led by jazz saxophonist Tom Scott, managed to show her that they had the right qualities to achieve both results, because it was with that band that she finally brought her gentle derriere back to a stage.

Considering this state of affairs, I confess that I don't understand the choice of cramming the documentary record of that tour with pieces performed acoustically in the old-fashioned way: her alone, her voice, and the instrument she accompanies herself with (guitar, piano, or dulcimer). The record contains quite a bit of material; when it was released, it was published as a double vinyl. The acoustic part occupies about half of it (sides 2 and 3 of the good old vinyl), and the pieces from it turned out a bit too faithful to the studio versions, lacking the variety one expects from a live performance. In short, it seems to me a choice somewhat in contradiction with what I've read was Joni Mitchell's felt need for renewal during that period.

The L.A. Express takes the spotlight on the first side of the vinyl, and it's the part of the record I prefer. Four songs characterized by particularly clever arrangements in my opinion, which give them a whole new life. Delightful R&B as far as "You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio," "Big Yellow Taxi," and "Woodstock" are concerned. The latter in particular is quite reworked compared to the studio version, both in terms of rhythm and the fullness of the music, even the melody of the vocal line is altered. The final result is very beautiful, despite losing the dreamlike atmosphere that characterizes the original. Someone has wanted to find an influence of the cover by "Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young," but personally I find them to be two very different versions of the same piece.

The first side also features the piece I consider the most interesting of the bunch: "Rainy Night House." A pop-jazz arrangement, Joni Mitchell's voice capable of impressive evolutions, and as the cherry on top, an instrumental passage in which the music decisively veers into jazz territory.

The band timidly reappears with the clarinet solo at the end of "Both Sides Now," at the end of side 3, then decisively makes its presence known again on side 4, but not with the same results as on side 1 in my opinion. "Carey" and "The Last Time I Saw Richard" follow in succession, the former characterized by an arrangement that I find somewhat unsuitable in terms of rhythm, and the latter performed with an accompaniment that feels a bit light and fails to give it a different light from the studio version. Two previously unreleased tracks close it out: "Jericho," pleasant but somewhat soporific and especially invisible compared to the version from "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter," and "Love or Money" that I just can't seem to enjoy; I wouldn't know what else to say.

One of the many points of interest for this record is the opportunity to hear Mitchell's voice, now with a mature timbre, on pieces from her earliest repertoire.

The music on the record mainly comes from "Blue," "Ladies of the Canyon," and "For The Roses," probably because it had never been proposed in concert before that tour.