Blue (Joni Mitchell album)
| Blue | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Joni Mitchell | ||||
| Released | June 22, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Studio |
A&M Studios (Hollywood, Los Angeles, California) |
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| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 35:41 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Producer | Joni Mitchell | |||
| Joni Mitchell chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |  |
| AllMusic | |
| Robert Christgau | A |
| MusicHound | |
| Pitchfork Media | 10/10 |
| Paul Roland |  |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable) |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Martin C. Strong | 9/10 |
| Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
Blue is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Exploring the various facets of relationships from infatuation on "A Case of You" to insecurity on "This Flight Tonight", the songs feature simple accompaniments on piano, guitar and Appalachian dulcimer. The album peaked at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and number 15 on the Blllboard 200.
Despite the success of her first three albums and songs like "", January 1970 saw Mitchell make a decision to break from performing. In early spring 1970, during a tough breakup with her longtime boyfriend Graham Nash, she set off on a vacation around Europe. From Matala, she sent Nash a telegram asking for her freedom. While on the island of Formentera, she wrote some of the songs that appear on Blue.
Another pivotal experience in Mitchell's life that drove the emergence of the album was her relationship with James Taylor. She had begun an intense relationship with Taylor by the summer of 1970, visiting him on the set of the movie Two-Lane Blacktop, the aura of which is referred to in "This Flight Tonight". The songs "Blue" and "All I Want" have specific references to her relationship with Taylor, such as a sweater that she knitted for him at the time, and his heroin addiction. During the making of Blue in January 1971, they were still very much in love and involved. Despite his difficulties, Mitchell evidently felt that she had found the person with whom she could pair-bond in Taylor. By March, his fame exploded, causing friction. She was reportedly devastated when he broke off the relationship.
The album was almost released in a somewhat different form. In March 1971, completed masters for the album were ready for production. Originally, there were three old songs that had not found their way onto any of her previous albums. At the last minute, Mitchell decided to remove two of the three so that she could add the new songs "All I Want" and "The Last Time I Saw Richard". The two songs removed were:
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