Joni's Come a Long

CONCERT REVIEW 1,1,,,,11111111111111,,,,111, Atlantic LP Release NEW YORK - Atlantic/Atco Joni's Come A Long Way Records senior vice president of marketing Dave Glew has an- NEW YORK - Joni Mitchell, ing her smooth, thick voice with With the house lights up and nounced a 12 album release for (Asylum) has come a long way her able accompaniment on am- her cigarette in hand Joni re- February. The release is headed from her first record, "Song to a plified acoustic guitar. A painfully, turned for a single encore with by the seventh Led Zeppelin al- Seagull to her most recent, bittersweet clarinet solo by Tom "Twisted." Pausing in the middle bum called "Presence" on Swan "The Hissing of Summer Lawns." Scott provided a memorable con- of the song she asked the audi- Song, Bill Wyman's "Stone Her early music was ethereal and clusion to "Cold Blue Steel." ence, "Are you all enjoying your Alone" on Rolling Stone and "A acoustic. Relying heavily on the From her new album Joni per- craziness?" A unanimous yes was Trick of the Tail" by Genesis. simple versatility of her voice and formed songs like "Shades of the reply. The jazz/rock/r&b fusion in guitar she was a one woman Scarlet Conquering," "Shadows Like her songs that speak of music is represented by Billy band. Her contemporary sound and Light" and "Harry's House/ people as, "duplistic cowards of Cobham's sixth album "Life & oozes with the technological Centerpiece." She also introduced some multiplicity torn between Times," "That Is Why You're slickness of electronic music four new numbers, "Don Juan's high ideals and the temptation of Overweight" by Eddie Harris and played in the jazz -oriented ar- Reckless Daughter" and "Coyote" the serpent," Joni is still singing "Aurora" by jazz-violinst Jean- rangements of her back-up band, (both written while she toured to us, about us. She's not the Luc Ponty. Debut albums on At- the L.A. Express featuring Tom with Dylan's Rolling Thunder Re- same Joni Mitchell millions have lantic this month will include Scott. view), "Furry Sings The Blues" and come to know and love. Wiser "Mike Douglas Sings It All" by Clearly, Joni Mitchell's stage a nameless tune with the recur- and more confident, she's an ar- the popular television host and presence and music have become ring refrain, "Come talk to me, tist who's learned to communi- "Lady Bump" by Penny McLean more sophisticated and more am- Mr. Mystery." cate with her audience. Taking of Silver Convention. The At- bitious. It is the vast commercial From "Ladies of the Canyon" chances is a part of this commu- lantic/Atco debut of Wishbone success of "Court and Spark" she performed "For Free," chang- nication. She listened to the audi- Ash is a set called "Locked In." that alilows her the freedom to ing the original lyrics in places: ence requests and they listened Debuting on Big Tree will be introduce new and often pre- "I'll play if you have the money/ to her new ideas. Everyone got "Nanette Workman" and Muscle viously unrecorded material. Even And I have a new song/And I get most if not all of what they came Shoals singer -songwriter "Lenny her dress has evolved into a new pushy," and perhaps the most for. LeBlanc." The final album in the portrayal of her persona. On her moving song of the evening, Kris Nicholson February release is "Columbia - 1973 tour the blue jeans and "Rainy Night House." Here she Princeton Electronic Music Center braids of the late sixties were re- featured her upper octave vocals Casablanca on Finnadar Records. It presents placed by shimmering floor length following the lyrics, "I sing so- Rider to classically composed electronic LOS ANGELES Neil Bogart, gowns and a tint of bleach in her prano in the upstairs choir." - music in Discrete CD -4 Quad. president of Casablanca Records, hair. In 1976 she's sporting a A spirited rendition of "Raised Emphasis in promoting this re- tailored two piece black pant suit or Robbery" was introduced by a has announced the appointment lease will be placed on local Rider as vice and a wide brim hat under which strip tease beat and Joni donning of Allan president print and radio time -buy adver- she tucks her gold locks until she a feathery shawl. The heavy, of Cafe Americana and Rick's tising tied in with dealers to performs "Big Yellow Taxi," when exotic, rhythmic "Jungle Line" Music publishing companies. achieve maximum exposure for she replaces the original hat with closed the show. Shedding her Rider's responsibilities will in- the product. one she says comes from a Ten- guitar, as she did several times clude administrating the publish- nessee Yellow Cab Company. during the evening, she allowed ing companies, as well as handling the acquisition of new writers. European Tour Her show opened with the fa- herself the opportunity to be Rider, a music veteran of ten miliar hit, "Help Me," which she strictly singer/entertainer. Mov- Planned for Tomita ing freely she seemed more re- years, started his career with followed with a tune from "Miles NEW YORK-Isao Tomita, the laxed and more confident than Irving/Almo Music, as profes- of Aisles," "For Love or Money," Japanese musical innovator who on her last tour, especially when sional manager of the west coast and then it was back into "Court is known for his electronically her gut desire to rock and roll branch. Most recently, he was And Spark" territory with "Free created albums of classical music, surfaced in a refined but obvious professional manager of Island/ Man In Paris." Throughout the will make his first stage ap- way. Ackee Music. show the music was over ampli- pearances anywhere when he fied but eventually her voice launches a European concert tour found its way above the band. WEA Branch Meetings March 9 in Munich, Germany. With 'for The Roses" and "Cold The artist brings his synthesizer Blue Steel and Sweet Fire" Joni and his music to stages in Ger- took the stage by herself, back- many, Holland and Great Britain. Sharing the tour, with equal kill- ing on the Continent, will be British rock group Renaissance. A support act for the two British dates is yet to be announced. Tomita will create music from his albums using an eight -track tape console and mixing unit, Moog piano and the Pink Floyd Quadraphonic public address system. Keyboard artist John Tout of the Renaissance will join him with solo piano parts in "Daphnis and Chloe," "Pictures at an Exhibition" and "The Firebird." During the concerts, Tomita, All of WEA's branch managers, controllers and operations managers headquartered through its interpretors, will ex- throughout the U.S. gathered in Burbank recently as the Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corp. plain his techniques of building helmed its round of annual branch management meetings February 4, 5 and 6, at the sounds with a Moog synthesizer company's national headquarters. Joel Friedman, president of WEA, disclosed that the branch management teams met in a series of sales and operational seminars detailing including the sounds of a steam the steps taken by the firm to increase its capacity to best fulfill the needs of their locomotive, woodblocks, whistle customers. Shown following the meetings are Warner-Elektra-Atlantic's home office chimes and orchestration. executive staff and branch managers, from left: Henry Droz, executive VP sales; Stan RCA Records is offering heavy Harris, general manager; Iry Rothblatt, Chicago; Tom Sims, Dallas; Russ Bach, L.A.; George Rossi, N.Y.; Pete Stocke, Philadelphia; Joel Friedman, president; Mike Spence, advertising and promotional sup- Cleveland; Vic Faraci, VP marketing; Don Dumont, Boston; Bill Biggs, Atlanta. port for the tour.

22 RECORD WORLD MARCH 6, 1976