( 6 reviews )
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Posted: Feb 18 2008
Since I've come to know of Joni Mitchell, either from the contemporary artists that she has influenced or from her interpretations of old songs, I've come to love the purity of her voice, her range, and versatility when shifting from folk to jazz. I loved that the verbosity of her poetry complements the richness of her melodies. This book is a great collector's item and a great companion to her music, especially if all you have are mp3s of her entire discography and one compilation CD like me. It opens you up to her entire body of work. Most of her songs, for instance, unlike most songs we hear, I noticed to be structured in uniform verses. No real chorus, just a repetition of a couple of lines (usually related to the title) at the end of each verse that serve as some kind of "response", as in a biblical psalm. I've also discovered a couple of songs that I have never heard of and could add to my life's soundtrack. It could have been a lot more, though. First of all, I thought that it contained "poems and lyrics" as suggested by the book title, but since the chapters are named after her albums, I suspected that all of the material here are songs (the web confirmed it). I now wonder if she had any poems that didn't have any music. It would have also been nice if it had notes from the author or publisher. There wasn't even any preface. Or any of her artwork. Or sheet music or chords. Am I asking for too much? I have to admit though (and maybe this was the intention of the publisher) it's sometimes nice to read words, appreciating them, letting them touch you, in their bare form.
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( 5 of 6 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 3 2004
Once again, someone just did not care enough to showcase Ms. Mitchell's work in the manner deserved. Aside from the gorgeous cover photo by Herb Ritts (a much larger version of which was originally published many years ago in "Rolling Stone" magazine), you might as well just pull out your old albums and read the lyrics printed on the covers (not to mention the accompanying beautiful photos and paintings included on all Ms. Mitchell's albums). Maybe someday someone will take the time, effort, and expense to "do the right thing" in terms of Ms. Mitchell's work. Unfortunately, they basically did the "wrong thing" this time around.
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( 3 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 20 2002
`The Complete Poems' covers the Canadian singer's work from her first self-titled album in 1968 through 1994's `Turbulent Indigo.' The book provides a very nice look at the talented songwriter's work without the voice that some find irritating. (I happen to find it beautiful.) Lovers of modern poetry and great lyric writing will enjoy the book immensely. 321 pages
