Ladies of the Canyon (album)

Ladies of the Canyon is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on Reprise Records in 1970. It peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.[10][11] The title makes reference to Laurel Canyon, a centre of popular music culture in Los Angeles during the 1960s. The album includes several of Mitchell's most noted songs, such as "Big Yellow Taxi", "Woodstock" and "The Circle Game".

Ladies of the Canyon
Studio album by Joni Mitchell
Released	April 1970
Recorded	1969–1970
Studio	A&M, Los Angeles
Genre	Folk rock pop folk[1][2]
Length	44:33
Label	Reprise Warner Bros.
Producer	Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell chronology
Clouds (1969) Ladies of the Canyon (1970) Blue (1971)
Singles from Ladies of the Canyon
"Big Yellow Taxi" Released: July 1970

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Christgau's Record Guide	A–[4]
MusicHound Rock	4/5[5]
Music Story	[6]
Pitchfork	7.8/10[7]
Rolling Stone	(not rated)[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[9]
Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[6]

Background

The album is notable for its expansion of Mitchell's artistic vision and its varied song topics (ranging from the aesthetic weight of celebrity, to observation of the Woodstock generation, to the complexities of love). Ladies of the Canyon is often viewed as a transition between Mitchell's folky earlier work and the more sophisticated, poignant albums that were to follow. In particular, "For Free" foreshadows the lyrical leitmotif of the isolation triggered by success that would be elaborated upon in For the Roses and Court and Spark. The sparse, alternative-tuning laden sound of later records comes to the forefront on "Ladies of the Canyon".[12]

Of all of Mitchell's work, this album is the most related to her long-standing friendships and relationships with Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young (whose rock arrangement of "Woodstock" was one of their four radio hits in 1970). A number of the album's songs, including the aforementioned "Ladies of the Canyon" and "Woodstock", feature densely stacked, wordless harmony overdubs reminiscent of David Crosby's oeuvre; Crosby himself has performed "For Free" for many years. "Willy" is an infatuated paean to Graham Nash, whose middle name is William. "The Circle Game", one of the artist's early signature songs, features background vocals from all four, and is a response to Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain". "Big Yellow Taxi" has become a standard over the years, as well as being sampled by Janet Jackson. In 1995 Annie Lennox performed the song "Ladies of the Canyon" and released it as the B-side of her single "No More I Love You's".

The Young and the Restless star Jess Walton stated that she was the owner of one of the houses featured on the album's cover.[13]

Critical reception

Reviewing for The Village Voice in 1970, Robert Christgau found Ladies of the Canyon "superior to her previous work, richer lyrically and more compelling musically." He said the album's second half is "almost perfect, and the arrangements are intelligent throughout", but found Mitchell's voice weak and her wordplay inconsistent.[14] Years later in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), he said that, despite the occasional "laughably high school" wordplay, Mitchell's reliance on piano suggests "a move from the open air to the drawing room ... that's reflected in richer, more sophisticated songs."[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Joni Mitchell.

Side one

1. "Morning Morgantown" – 3:12
2. "For Free" – 4:31
3. "Conversation" – 4:21
4. "Ladies of the Canyon" – 3:32
5. "Willy" – 3:00
6. "The Arrangement" – 3:32

Side two

1. "Rainy Night House" – 3:22
2. "The Priest" – 3:39
3. "Blue Boy" – 2:53
4. "Big Yellow Taxi" – 2:16
5. "Woodstock" – 5:25
6. "The Circle Game" – 4:50

Personnel

• Joni Mitchell – vocals, guitars, keyboards, cover illustration
• Teresa Adams – cello
• Paul Horn – clarinet, flute
• Jim Horn – baritone saxophone
• Milt Holland – percussion
• The Lookout Mountain United Downstairs Choir – vocal chorus on "The Circle Game"

Production personnel

• Henry Lewy – engineer, production advice
• Don Bagley – cello arrangement

References

1. The Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Incorporated. 1999. p. 599. ISBN 978-0-7172-0131-0.
2. Ellen Willis (2011). Out of the Vinyl Deeps: Ellen Willis on Rock Music. U of Minnesota Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-8166-7282-0.
3. Cleary, D. (2011). "Ladies of the Canyon – Joni Mitchell | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
4. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 8, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
5. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 769. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
6. "Joni Mitchell Ladies of the Canyon". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
7. "Joni Mitchell: The Studio Albums 1968–1979 | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. November 9, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
8. von Tersch, Gary (2011). "Joni Mitchell: Ladies Of The Canyon : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". web.archive.org. Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
9. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). "Joni Mitchell". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside. pp. 547–548. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved September 8, 2009. Portions posted at "Joni Mitchell > Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
10. Billboard Chart History for Joni Mitchell retrieved 2 June 2018.
11. RIAA Gold and Platinum retrieved July 27, 2020.
12. Weller, Sheila (2008). Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a Generation, p. 293. Atria. ISBN 0-7434-9147-5.
13. "Raising Cane". Soap Opera Weekly. February 27, 2007. p. 20.
14. Christgau, Robert (July 30, 1970). "Consumer Guide (12)". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 14, 2013.