(Folk-Rock, Jazz-Rock) Joni Mitchell - For The Roses - 1972, FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Sometimes her complaints about the men who have failed her sound petulant, but the appearance of petulance is one of the prices of liberation. If this has none of the ingratiating ease of Blue, that's because Mitchell has smartened up--she's more wary, more cynical. Perhaps as a result, the music, which takes on classical colors from Tom Scott's woodwinds and Bobby Notkoff's chamber strings, is more calculated. Where the pretty swoops of her voice used to sound like a semiconscious parody of the demands placed on all female voices and all females, these sinuous, complex melodies have been composed to her vocal contours with palpable forethought. They reward stubborn attention with almost hypnotic appeal.

For the Roses is a 1972 album by Joni Mitchell, between her two biggest commercial and critical successes - Blue and Court and Spark. Despite this, in 2007 it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. It's Mitchell's first, and so far only, album to accomplish this feat.
It is perhaps best known for the hit single "You Turn Me on I'm a Radio", which Mitchell wrote sarcastically out of a record company request for a radio-friendly song. The single was indeed a hit, reaching #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, becoming Mitchell's first top 40 hit released under her own name (as a songwriter, several other performers had had hits with songs that she had written). "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire" — a menacing and jazzy portrait of a heroin addict — and the Beethoven-inspired "Judgement of the Moon and Stars" were also popular. The title song "For the Roses" was Mitchell's farewell to the business; she took an extended break for a year after.
"Banquet" describes a metaphorical table from which "some get the gravy / Some get the gristle... and some get nothing / Though there's plenty to spare". "Barangrill", with its more complex arrangement, is a lighter and sprightly rap which extols the uncomplicated virtues of a roadside truck stop. "Lesson in Survival" is the first of the love songs, about the longing for greater privacy, a sense of isolation, and a love for nature. "Let the Wind Carry Me" contrasts thoughts of a more stable, conventional life with the overpowering need to live with minimal constraints upon one's freedom.
The second side opens with "See You Sometime", which deals with fleeting feelings and romantic competition. "Electricity" extols the simplicity and serenity of the quiet country life against the way in which people in modern society think of themselves unconsciously as machines. "Woman of Heart and Mind" is a portrait of a flawed lover.
The album was critically acclaimed with The New York Times saying "Each of Mitchell's songs on For the Roses is a gem glistening with her elegant way with language, her pointed splashes of irony and her perfect shaping of images. Never does Mitchell voice a thought or feeling commonly. She's a songwriter and singer of genius who can't help but make us feel we are not alone."
A nude photograph of Joni Mitchell was included on the inside cover of the original LP and is included in the CD booklet. The photograph shows the singer from the rear and was taken from a considerable distance; she is shown standing on a rock and staring out at the ocean. This created some controversy at the time.

For the Disposals
Overall Album Score: 9.0 out of 10
An album marking Mitchell's transition from her organic folk-pop to her more lushly produced (i.e. more than just a guitar or a piano and Mitchell's luverly voice) days starting with Court and Spark. Most of these songs are like regular old Mitchell songs from Blue except the odd instrumental touches here and there, some with a jazzy saxophone or a rhythm section or something.
Even though when I tallied up all the song scores, and this one received just about the same score as Blue, for some reason, these songs just don't *strike* me like they did on the previous album. But they're still gorgeous and organic and ... everything that we've come to adore about her ever since she started doing that sort of thing on Ladies of the Canyon. The lyrics are great, as usual (though they're not nearly as personable as they were on Blue ... which is one of the big reasons I don't like this album as much).
Still a memorable effort and something worth getting! This is Mitchell's fifth album and they've all been hits. ....... They'd better not hit anymore, or I'm going to sue for a salted battery. (Oh, if you ever see salt on a battery, don't lick it. It's likely crystallized acid and will melt your taste buds off.)
Overall Album Score: 9.0 out of 10 (Another artistic hit for Joni Mitchell ... I never expected anything less.)
Average Song Score: 9.0 (Good songs all around, I say. Her experimentation with the 'jazzy' side of things was a nice touch ... one that she will expand on, for sure!)
Album Tilt: 9.0 (Certainly, this is a pleasant album to sit though. ... It doesn't strike me a ***GORGEOUS***, though like so many of her previous albums have. It's for that reason, I'm a bit less than overenthusiastic about this! I'm giving it an even 9, though.)
Artist Rating: 9.0 (Always tasteful. Always thoughtful. And she's experimenting a bit, too.)
Track Reviews
Banquet 8.5/10
JONI MITCHELLLLL!!! ... Her vocal performance kind of reminds me of Kate Bush here ... but that's ridiculous, because Kate Bush didn't come out yet! ... But even though this song reminds me of one of my favorite vocalists, I don't really like the vocal performance here. It seems a bit ... "freewheeling?" ... Other than that, it's a good old, regular Joni Mitchell song.
Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire 10/10
Yay! Now this is a high-quality Joni Mitchell song with some jazz saxophone noises in the background (which is beautiful). Yup, this is an exceedingly good Mitchell classic, I says. ... Very pretty, very thoughtful, good vocal performance ... it has EVERYTHING. YAYYYYYYYYYY!!! AND I LOVE THE SAX!!!!!!
Barangrill 8.5/10
Ehhhhhhhhhh... This song doesn't seem very MAGICAL to me. I do like the instrumentation on this song. It's not jazzy, but there's some cello noises on it (I think). Overall, this is a fine song, but ... it's quite obviously not among Mitchell's finest.
Lesson in Survival 8/10
This is far too intimate and tasteful for me to give it a lower rating than this ... but THIS IS BOOOOOORRRRRINGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!! ... It fully deserves that 8, but this really isn't doing much for me.
Let the Wind Carry Me 9.5/10
Good song, I say. Mitchell is at her nicely organic piano singin' a song ... and there's a very 'hippie' chorus sung by Mitchell or a saxophone. ... The melody of this song is gorgeous, and ... lo and behold ... this song even has a quite lengthy instrumental interlude in it. Sure, we all love Mitchell's voice and it's sad when she's not singing in one of her songs, but ISN'T THAT A GREAT INSTRUMENTAL INTERLUDE????? ... Yeah! ... This is among the first Mitchell songs I enjoy specifically for the instrumentation ... Indeed, this is a crossroads!
For the Roses 9.5/10
It's a normal Joni Mitchell song ... BUT IT'S A GREAT JONI MITCHELL SONG!!! ... It's just her, a lovely tune, and her acoustic guitar! ... I'm going to go hug a tree now. ... It's so much fun hugging trees.
See You Sometime 9/10
Another normal Joni Mitchell song! It's just her and the piano. It's a lovely song, beautifully sung ... essential ...
Electricity 8/10
Joni Mitchell goes electric!!! ... Um, this is a perfectly nice song to listen to. I'm getting the whole "boring" vibe here a little bit. I really like Mitchell's voice ... and the instrumentals (which incorporate some percussion instruments that we don't normally hear from Mitchell such as a bongo and tambourine) are nice.
You Turn Me On I'm a Radio 9/10
A fairly upbeat song from Mitchell! It's a very nice melody to listen to, Mitchell's voice is entrancing ... I like her overdubs here (which can sound kind of sloppy sometimes). Yup, it's another fine song! Even uses some harmonica in here. I like it!
Blonde in the Bleachers 10/10
I'm not giving this song a 10 because I like sitting beneath blondes in the bleachers ... NO! IT'S BECAUSE THIS IS A FREAKING AWESOME SONG!!!! A very beautiful song with some utterly gorgeously-played piano. ... And then an actual snare drum comes in and starts playing! And ... did I sense an electric guitar? ... This song was a 10 without all that instrumental stuff at the end, but ... she's starting to do weird instrumental stuff in the studio!
Woman of Heart and Mind 9/10
Yay! Another good Joni Mitchell song! ... I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!! ... Good melody, pretty song! It's a normal song, but ... I like normal songs.
Judgement of the Moon and the Stars (Ludwig's Theme) 8.5/10
It's five freaking minutes long! ... I don't know why I can't totally like this song, other than the fact that it's aesthetically pleasing. Mitchell's increased use of instrumentals are seen here (with sort of a "symphonic" instrumental interlude). The song is sort of rambly like they were on A Song For a Seagull ... but it doesn't completely pick up on that "magic" vibe I so crave from listening to Joni Mitchell.