#110 Joni Mitchell, 'Court and Spark' (1974)

Previously #114

‘Court and Spark’ was the most successful record of Mitchell’s career, her only #1, in fact, and it’s easy to see why; this album is so straight forward and easy to listen to in comparison to her other records. Not saying that she’s not easy to listen to in general, but albums like ‘The Hissing Of Summer Lawns’ (#258) and ‘Hejira’ (#133) are a bit more abstract, bearing a heavy Jazz influence, whereas this album is straight forward folk pop. Second single, ‘Help Me,’ was the only #1 single of her career, mirroring the success of, and perhaps buoying the album.

Her sublime voice floats through a record of beautiful melodies telling stories of real people; ‘People’s Parties,’ ‘The Same Situation,’ ‘Car On A Hill,’ practically all of them tell a story. ‘Down To You’ is another highlight and actually won Mitchell a Grammy. Just when you think the album is over, we’re hit with a complete shift in tempo on the final song, ‘Twisted’ (is it just me, or does this song remind anyone else of the theme from ‘The Nanny’?). The song is a cover of a Scat Jazz song by Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross and features backing vocals by Cheech and Chong (yes, really!). A perfectly enjoyable album from start to finish.

#rs500albums