Miles Of Aisles - JONI MITCHELL****

You Turn Me On I'm A Radio/Big Yellow Taxi/Rainy Night House/Woodstock/Cactus Tree/Cold Blue Steel & Sweet Fire/Woman Of Heart & Mind/A Case Of You/Blue/Circle Game/People's Parties/All I Want/Real Good For Free/Both Sides Now/Carey/The Last Time I Saw Richard/Jericho/Love Or Money

Miles Of Aisles was the first live album from the folk-rock singer songwriter Joni Mitchell. It comes towards the end of her most creative period, and the songs make an interesting comparison with the studio versions. (US:2 UK:34)

“The songs are true to the spirit of the studio recordings, but take on a life of there own with Joni's superb delivery and a masterful job by her backing band.”

“The selection of material offers a fantastic overview of Mitchell’s highlights up to that point. Backed up by a competent band, her sound is richer and more boastful. The main reason for this, however, is not the arrangements alone, but rather the fact that she had begun to sing in the lower regions of her voice range. On the one hand this makes her feel less fragile and hippie-girlish, but on the other hand, she sounds more self-confident, more versatile and somehow more emancipated than before.”

“Her ability to go from disenchanted cynicism to freeing grace is part of what has kept me a fan. You can find some Joni to comfort you during your blackest moods or grief. And you can find some to help you soar over the treetops when life feels beautiful and everything is right in the world.”

“Joni's a nervous live performer and is at her best in front of small audiences. On this tour she was playing huge arenas and sounds terrified a lot of the time. While guitarist Robben Ford adds some much-needed grit, the LA Express' super-slick backing verges on soulless. Plus, the electric arrangements add little to the previously released acoustic songs, indeed, in some cases the songs now lumber where once they waltzed.”

“All of the ingredients for a classic album are there, and Miles Of Aisles is certainly a stunning collection of songs with winning performances. But sometimes the band and Mitchell don't quite meld, where her voice is strangled by the unwelcome rhythmic structure. Also, the band sometimes veer too close to a standard mid-'70s LA jazz session sound, which does not necessarily suit Mitchell's complex pieces. Nevertheless, it's a thoroughly enjoyable album with some highly skilled performances and imaginative re-arrangements of originally solo-based material.”