Joni Mitchell (1968)
Don't be fooled by the cover's flower-child
psychedelia. Spooky, lovely stuff, and built to last. B+
Clouds (1969)
Except for period biggies ''Chelsea Morning'' and ''Both Sides Now,'' it's generic folkie crooning. D
Ladies of the Canyon (1970)
''Big Yellow Taxi,'' ''Woodstock,'' ''The
Circle Game,'' and the title song, celebrating brownie-baking earth
mothers. A true hippie artifact. B-
Blue (1971)
The one Mitchell album everybody dotes on, and rightly so. Lacerating perfection. A+
For the Roses (1972)
A few first-rate
songs, but dominated by monochromatic piano and squealing woodwinds. C
Court and Spark (1974)
Cheerful, sexy, sophisticated. The
posthippie Joni arrives, and she's nobody's fool. A
Miles of Aisles (1974)
Live album, with lovely, grown-up versions of Mitchell's early stuff. B
The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)
Luscious and complicated. Lots
of people thought it was overwrought; years later, Prince said how much he dug it. Guess who was right? A+
Hejira (1976)
Songs about traveling life's highway — and boy, can you feel those wheels. The best of the best. A+
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1977)
Brave plunge into jazz. Crazily ambitious, and more lovable than many fans say. But you have to listen 10 or 20 times. B-
Mingus (1979)
Jazz again, but this time she's seriously lost. Charles Mingus' dying wish was that Mitchell put words to his music;
it's a grating fit, but with a few redeeming moments. C
Shadows and Light (1980)
High-energy live performances of '70s songs, which need the greater finesse of their studio versions. B
Wild Things Run Fast (1982)
Smart lyrics; ''Chinese Cafe.'' But
tries too hard for rock & roll badness. C
Dog Eat Dog (1985)
Sledgehammer electronics and Mitchell's outrage at the Reagan era make this a terrific catharsis. A
Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm (1988)
Much-praised return to her earlier introspective style, but flat and uneven. C-
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