While Joni Mitchell's third album remains true to her folk roots we can hear her expanding into more sophisticated compositions and complex music making. Joni Mitchell's LADIES OF THE CANYON is fascinating for many reasons. At the time Joni was living in Laurel Canyon (in the hills of LA) surrounded by musicians and artists who reveled in the lifestyle of the counter-culture. This was an era of creativity and change, experimentation and expression.
LADIES OF THE CANYON includes the radio-friendly "Big Yellow Taxi", "Woodstock" and "The Circle Game" all classic Joni Mitchell.
I love this album for its beautiful songwriting, the variety of compositions, impeccable guitar and piano playing, Joni's creative vocal melodies, social comment and observations of the time. Joni Mitchell achieved all this while pushing her creative powers to greater levels, plus she illustrated the album cover. What a lady!
NOTE: Crosby, Stills, Nash, (& Young) had a hit single with their hard rock version of "Woodstock". The song can be found on their album DEJA VU (1970).
SINGLES:
- "Big Yellow Taxi"