Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark (Half-speed Mastering, Unsealed)
Rarity, Unsealed (Good conditions : good conditions for the vinyl, little damages on sleeve)
Joni Mitchell – Vocals, Piano, Clavinet [click here to see more vinyl featuring Joni Mitchell]
Backing Vocals – David Crosby [click here to see more vinyl featuring David Crosby]
Backing Vocals – Graham Nash [click here to see more vinyl featuring Graham Nash]
Backing Vocals – Susan Webb, Cheech & Chong
Electric Piano – Joe Sample
Drums, Percussion – John Guerin
Woodwind, Reeds – Tom Scott
Bells – Milt Holland
Bass – Max Bennett
Electric Guitar – Larry Carlton
Bass – Wilton Felder, Jim Hughart
Electric Guitar – Jose Feliciano, Wayne Perkins, Dennis Budimir
Electric Guitar - Robbie Robertson [click here to see more vinyl featuring Robbie Robertson]
Trumpet – Chuck Findley
Arranged by Joni Mitchell, Tom Scott
Written by Joni Mitchell, Annie Ross, Wardell Gray
1LP, Gatefold
Original analog Master tape : YES
Half-Speed Mastering
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Record Technology Incorporated
Label : Nautilus Recordings
Original Label : Asylum Records
Recorded in 1973 at A&M Studios, Hollywood
Engineered by Henry Lewy
Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Remastered [Half Speed Master] by Jack E. Hunt
Originally released in January 1974
Reissued in 1980
Tracks:
Side A:
- Court And Spark
- Help Me
- Free Man In Paris
- People's Parties
- Same Situation
Side B:
- Car On A Hill
- Down To You
- Just Like This Train
- Raised On Robbery
- Trouble Child
- Twisted
Awards:
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time – Ranked 110
Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums – Ranked 116
Included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
Reviews:
“Joni Mitchell reached her commercial high point with Court and Spark, a remarkably deft fusion of folk, pop, and jazz which stands as her best-selling work to date. While as unified and insightful as Blue, the album -- a concept record exploring the roles of honesty and trust in relationships, romantic and otherwise -- moves away from confessional songwriting into evocative character studies: the hit "Free Man in Paris," written about David Geffen, is a not-so-subtle dig at the machinations of the music industry, while "Raised on Robbery" offers an acutely funny look at the predatory environment of the singles bar scene. Much of Court and Spark is devoted to wary love songs: both the title cut and "Help Me," the record's most successful single, carefully measure the risks of romance, while "People's Parties" and "The Same Situation" are fraught with worry and self-doubt (standing in direct opposition to the music, which is smart, smooth, and assured from the first note to the last).” AllMusic Review by Jason Ankeny
"Working with saxophonist Tom Scott's fusion group L.A. Express, Mitchell settles into a folk-pop-jazz groove that remains a landmark of breezy sophistication, particularly on the Top Ten single 'Help Me.' Strange but true: A cover of 'Twisted' by the scat-jazz vocal group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross closes the album - with stoner comics Cheech and Chong singing backup." Rolling Stone Magazine
Half-speed mastering
In half-speed mastering, the whole mastering process is slowed down to half of the original speed. A typical 33 1/3 rpm record is cut at 16 2/3 rpm. The source material is also slowed down (reducing the pitch in the process) meaning the final record will still sound normal when played back. Slowing the whole process down allows more time, which means the end result sounds better and is more efficient — allowing engineering to minimize the effects of inherent limitations within the vinyl format. The result is a more accurate and more open high-frequency response in the half speed vinyl when compared with a normal speed recording.
Ratings :
AllMusic : 5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.29 / 5