Joni Mitchell – Ladies of the canyon (2LP, 45 RPM, Box, 1STEP, SuperVinyl)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
Joni Mitchell – vocals, guitars, keyboards [click here to see more vinyl featuring Joni Mitchell]
Crosby, Stills & Nash - vocal chorus on "The Circle Game" (credited as The Lookout Mountain United Downstairs Choir) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Crosby, Stills and Nash]
Milt Holland – percussion
Teresa Adams – cello
Paul Horn – clarinet, flute
Jim Horn – baritone saxophone
Cello arranged by Don Bagley
Written by Joni Mitchell
2LPs, Box
Numbered limited edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
UD1S (UltraDisc One-Step)
Heavy Press : 180g SuperVinyl
Record color : black
Speed : 45 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Record Technology Incorporated
Label : Mobile Fidelity
Original Label : Reprise
Recorded 1969–1970 at A&M, Los Angeles
Engineered by Henry Lewy
Produced by Joni Mitchell
Reissue produced and mastered by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab
Cover illustration by Joni Mitchell
Originally released in April 1970
Reissued in 2023
Tracks:
Side A:
- Morning Morgantown
- For Free
- Conversation
Side B:
- Ladies of the Canyon
- Willy
- The Arrangement
Side C:
- Rainy Day House
- The Priest
- Blue Boy
Side D:
- Big Yellow Taxi
- Woodstock
- The Circle Game
Awards:
Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums – Ranked 731
Reviews:
“This wonderfully varied release shows a number of new tendencies in Joni Mitchell's work, some of which would come to fuller fruition on subsequent albums. "The Arrangement," "Rainy Night House," and "Woodstock" contain lengthy instrumental sections, presaging the extensive non-vocal stretches in later selections such as "Down to You" from Court and Spark. Jazz elements are noticeable in the wind solos of "For Free" and "Conversation," exhibiting an important influence that would extend as late as Mingus. The unusually poignant desolation of "The Arrangement" would surface more strongly in Blue. A number of the selections here ("Willy" and "Blue Boy") use piano rather than guitar accompaniment; arrangements here are often more colorful and complex than before, utilizing cello, clarinet, flute, saxophone, and percussion. Mitchell sings more clearly and expressively than on prior albums, most strikingly so on "Woodstock," her celebration of the pivotal 1960s New York rock festival. This number, given a haunting electric piano accompaniment, is sung in a gutsy, raw, soulful manner; the selection proves amply that pop music anthems don't all have to be loud production numbers. Songs here take many moods, ranging from the sunny, easygoing "Morning Morgantown" (a charming small-town portrait) to the nervously energetic "Conversation" (about a love triangle in the making) to the cryptically spooky "The Priest" (presenting the speaker's love for a Spartan man) to the sweetly sentimental classic "The Circle Game" (denoting the passage of time in touching terms) to the bouncy and vibrant single "Big Yellow Taxi" (with humorous lyrics on ecological matters) to the plummy, sumptuous title track (a celebration of creativity in all its manifestations). This album is yet another essential listen in Mitchell's recorded canon.” AllMusic review by David Cleary
UltraDisc One-Step : Instead of utilizing the industry-standard three-step lacquer process, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's new UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) uses only one step, bypassing two processes of generational loss. While three-step processing is designed for optimum yield and efficiency, UD1S is created for the ultimate in sound quality. Just as Mobile Fidelity pioneered the UHQR (Ultra High-Quality Record) with JVC in the 1980s, UD1S again represents another state-of-the-art advance in the record-manufacturing process. MFSL engineers begin with the original master tapes and meticulously cut a set of lacquers. These lacquers are used to create a very fragile, pristine UD1S stamper called a "convert." Delicate "converts" are then formed into the actual record stampers, producing a final product that literally and figuratively brings you closer to the music. By skipping the additional steps of pulling another positive and an additional negative, as done in the three-step process used in standard pressings, UD1S produces a final LP with the lowest noise floor possible today. The removal of the additional two steps of generational loss in the plating process reveals tremendous amounts of extra musical detail and dynamics, which are otherwise lost due to the standard copying process. The exclusive nature of these very limited pressings guarantees that every UD1S pressing serves as an immaculate replica of the lacquer sourced directly from the original master tape. Every conceivable aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the most perfect record album available today.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.19 / 5