false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256025189m/6172859.jpg 6172859 1 <big><b>Joni Mitchell</b></big> is one of the most celebrated artists of the last half century, and her landmark 1971 album, <I>Blue,</i> is one of her most beloved and revered works. Generations of people have come of age listening to the album, inspired by the way it clarified their own difficult emotions. Critics and musicians admire the idiosyncratic virtuosity of its compositions. <I>Will You Take Me As I Am</i> -- the first book about Joni Mitchell to include original interviews with her -- looks at <I>Blue</i> to explore the development of an extraordinary artist, the history of songwriting, and much more.<P>In extensive conversations with Mitchell, Michelle Mercer heard firsthand about Joni's internal and external journeys as she composed the largely autobiographical albums of what Mercer calls her Blue Period, which lasted through the mid-1970s. Incorporating biography, memoir, reportage, criticism, and interviews into an illuminating narrative, Mercer moves beyond the "making of an album" genre to arrive at a new form of music writing.<P>In 1970, Mitchell was living with Graham Nash in Laurel Canyon and had made a name for herself as a so-called folk singer notable for her soaring voice and skillful compositions. Soon, though, feeling hemmed in, she fled to the hippie cave community of Matala, Greece. Here and on further travels, her compositions were freshly inspired by the lands and people she encountered as well as by her own radically changing interior landscape. After returning home to record <I>Blue,</i> Mitchell retreated to British Columbia, eventually reemerging as the leader of a successful jazz-rock group and turning outward in her songwriting toward social commentary. Finally, a stint with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue and a pivotal meeting with the Tibetan lama ChÖgyam Trungpa prompted Mitchell's return to personal songwriting, which resulted in her 1976 masterpiece album, <I>Hejira.</i><P>Mercer interlaces this fascinating account of Mitchell's Blue Period with meditations on topics related to her work, including the impact of landscape on music, the value of autobiographical songwriting for artist and listener, and the literary history of confessionalism. Mercer also provides rich analyses of Mitchell's creative achievements: her innovative manner of marrying lyrics to melody; her inventive, highly expressive chords that achieve her signature blend of wonder and melancholy; how she pioneered personal songwriting and, along with Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, brought a new literacy to the popular song. Fans will appreciate the previously unpublished photos and a coda of Mitchell's unedited commentary on the places, books, music, pastimes, and philosophies she holds dear.<P>This utterly original book offers a unique portrait of a great musician and her remarkable work, as well as new perspectives on the art of songwriting itself. 6352557 7 4 2009 Will You Take Me As I Am: Joni Mitchell's Blue Period total:46|5:7|4:12|3:10|2:15|1:2| 46 145 86 22 5 2 false false Thu Feb 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Apr 21 10:58:56 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 21 11:04:29 -0700 2009 Will You Take Me as I Am: Joni Mitchell's Blue Period and I can tell you that you are in for a real treat now that it has been published.

I read a lot of books about music and this one is really d...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat May 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 21 09:51:40 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 21 09:52:50 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon May 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 08:53:36 -0700 2009 Fri May 22 08:13:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 26 06:49:32 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 26 07:00:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed May 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 10 10:40:43 -0700 2009 Thu May 21 06:47:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Aug 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 17:41:52 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 13:35:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Aug 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 06:26:54 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 22 06:34:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed May 13 19:29:43 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 20 13:29:53 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 19:29:43 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 12:12:21 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 01 10:46:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Aug 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 08 11:47:27 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 12:55:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jun 21 07:31:23 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 21 07:31:23 -0700 2009 "The way a composer experiences nature can be heard in his music. When someone from the Canadian flatlands, like Joni Mitchell or Neil Young, puts native landscape into music, it doesn't come out like it does in the music of Beethoven or Vivaldi. Flatlanders' early perceptions of landscap...more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Nov 13 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 18:52:07 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 18:55:15 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Mon Sep 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 15:17:38 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 15:21:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Tue Apr 28 10:32:37 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 30 14:06:28 -0700 2009
Like most items about Joni, it's a bit disjointed an...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon May 11 15:57:56 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 19:00:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 17 20:46:49 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 20:49:24 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Jun 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 21 08:16:36 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 21 14:08:52 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 10:12:01 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 13:36:38 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 08:35:57 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 08:46:15 -0700 2009 4 1 false false Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 19:02:15 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 12:16:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=6172859