Clouds (studio album) by Joni Mitchell

From HoldenM 10/17/2023 03:46

A slight step down from Song on a Seagull, but just another collection of exceptional folks songs.

From Jboy56 04/17/2022 15:36

Very beautiful and deep.

Was never crazy about the production and arranging-- but my god, the songs!

This came out first month of freshman year, before we'd really figured out much at all about the other people on the hall. There was a record store right in the freshman dorm, and I scored a copy, brought it back to my room, fired up, and put it on, and was listening entranced, when I slowly became aware of another presence in the room. There was this guy on the hall, a classic turkey, short blond hair, pudgy, wore white pegged jeans and t-shirts with three inch horizontal blue stripes, almost as sallow as the Pillsbury doughboy. Carried his guitar everywhere hoping to learn Byrd and Beatle songs by some sort of osmosis; but his existing repertoire was strictly Boy Scout Jamboree, and the guitar was close to cardboard. He was standing behind me listening to Joni and probably breathing his first cannabis smoke-- and had the archetypal "catching flies" expression, mouth agape and nose tilted. I had, of course, had my own mind blown by music several times, but that was the first time I saw it happen to someone else.

Scott --his name was Scott-- became a fine guitarist and producer, one of the best friends I ever had, and my first mentor as a DJ.

From 2nd-Impressions 10/13/2020 03:32

70/100

Best tracks: Chelsea Morning, Both Sides Now
Worst tracks: Roses Blue, The Gallery, Songs to Aging Children Come

its decent

From Nobodyisemo 06/25/2019 05:43

This doesn't feel like a happy album imo. In fact, I'm gonna put 'Roses Blue' and 'Songs to Aging Children Come' on a Halloween playlist.

From Mercury 10/19/2017 20:07

Joni has been blowing my mind lately. I previously had only a passing knowledge of her work, and in my head I almost thought of Blue as her coming out party, her first great album. I thought of her jazz albums as her most revered albums and perhaps that is true, but I just didn't have a clear picture of her capabilities as a musician or as a lyricist.

For my much more quickie 1968 list I discovered her debut and I was incredibly impressed. I was wondering why that album was not mentioned as one of the great debut albums of the 60s or even of all time. It was delicate, detailed, featured moments of intensely inventive musical expression. And it was number 4 for 68. And as I looked ahead at 69-72, my mouth watered with all the surely great albums I'd get to yap about in the future.

Which brings us to this album, 1969's sophomore album Clouds. And you know what? This is a masterpiece. It takes everything which made Song To The Seagull so vibrant and brilliant to me and turns it up even further. Joni just honed her talents to a bright, razor sharp level here. The lyrics became more personal and biting and, to me, more beautiful, the guitar playing is the same level of insane but more clear and mesmerizing, the arrangements were less busy and have more room to breathe.

And here's the thing, when I hear the songs "Chelsea Morning, "That Song About The Midway", "The Gallery", "I Think I Understand" and "Both Sides Now" I am filled up with an intense affinity for Joni. Like, I am just in love, I feel like I hearing someone I just really like, I empathize, and I just smile and say "Sing it, I feels you". That is a silly point perhaps, but I just want to say that cuz its unique. I don't have that feeling about solo artists much where I just love hearing them speak their minds like I'm hearing a peer and I am just filling up with joy. Dylan on Nashville Skyline and Blood On The Tracks and Freewheelin' and Another Side has that going for it, Townes on Live At The Old Quarter in particular, Joni on this and Ladies of the Canyon and Blue, and there may be a few other examples, but its a rare feeling is all I'm saying.

Okay, and even on the songs which are a bit darker and detached from that feeling of kinship I feel on half this album, songs like "Tin Angel", "Songs To Aging Children" etc, I feel something else almost as powerful. Its like Joni could convey a whole complete world and feeling with some perfectly chosen guitar chords or piano chords and sing out these deep lyrics with such musical prowess that I just instantly buy in.

Okay, and I'm not on my game today expressing why I love this album. Its great! Okay!?

The way she says "I am Dead!" with that strange accent or something on "The Gallery" and the whole chorus just kills me! Its just so impossibly great! The mood and the dark, hypnotic beauty of the opener "Tin Angel", and the unearthly harmonies in "Songs to Aging Children", oh my gosh oh my gosh, the sheer joyeous beauty of the entirety of "Chelsea Morning", the sweet then sad then sweet etc yo-yo of "That Song About The Midway" with its just amazing everything,, and of course the stunning and hall of fame level perspective and joy and reality of "Both Sides Now", etc etc I just love so much about this album.

Now when I laid out these ranks a few days ago, I didn't foresee my sudden upsurge in love for that Steve Young album. So maybe when I get to the rating it will seem strange that this is higher than that. But really, I stand by these rankings. Cuz the highs of this album, the happiness and empathy I feel here is much greater than for Rock Salt and Nails, even if I feel that may be a better all around album.

I will say also that the A Capella (spelling that right? doubtful ryan, doubtful) performance of "The Fiddle and the Drum" grates on me a bit. scratch that, it grates on me a lot. Just annoys me and ruins the whole momentum of the otherwise genius album. Also the song "Roses Blue" is strange and has cool and strange effects and all but it just doesn't work for me by and large. And.... those are the gripes I have.

This album is great, Joni is the greatest vocalist on this list (sorry Tim Buckley) she is one of the best guitarists here. She is top 5 lyricist probably all time. She is/was a greater songwriter with a better ear for music than almost everyone who has ever existed on earth. And she is great. There.

"Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all" - Joni Mitchell

Rating: 9.4/10

A beautiful album. This is in my top three Joni Mitchell records. It's full of absolutely stunning songs, sung wonderfully by Joni. Obviously, Chelsea morning, and, both sides now, are classics, but there are other great songs here in, roses blue, I think I understand, and, the gallery. It truly is all fantastic, genius songs.

From poppmusic 01/08/2015 05:46

Joni's brightest and happiest album- and that's definitely a compliment, not a criticism!

Mitchell's best album, IMO.