-.:;:r---== I i Tlw MITCHELL Mystique Joni Mitchell currently enjoys a status within to keep up. I haveafeelingthat most true art­ I suspect that music is simply ameans for Joan the Rock and Folk Establishment which I am ists are basically apolitical creatures--you have Baez of advancing non-musical causes; she certain she never .expected to attain and which to make a choice somewhere along the line sings "Tears of Rage" quite calmly, so deadpan -must be exquisitely uncomfortable; last year's between art and politics-- Dylan made his, and that it is almost camp. On the other hand, pet, Joni has now apparently developed into oddly enough, in opting for music and being Joni Mitchell also sings "The Fiddle and the almost a Totemic Figure ... .in the minds of true to his individual art, he came closer to Drum" calmly (through with angst; Joni is the Her Set of fans; she has emerged as some sort the soul of The People than ever before. Joan anast- queen, anyhow--" ...what will happen of REPLACEMENT for Joan Baez; It's kind of Baez made her choice too; I think, probably, if she tries ...?" and cats crying at the key­ like as though aMiss Folk-Rock America throne for the very reasons Stampfel criticizes her, it holes and everything ...) -- Anyway, this ner­ existed, from which the sweet-voiced and clean­ was not such a hard choice for her to make ... vous calmness is appropriate here, because it minded, but musically tepid Miss Baez is being In fact, I think the shift in priorities may have is a quiet and tentatively affirming song ... so asked to abdicate, so that Joni Mitchell--pro­ been almost a relief in getting her off the hook the basic question of whether the "Tears of musically; scorning "her -music" for long per­ Rage" type of protest song is more or less lific and creative poetess-singer--may succeed iods, laying it aside for the barricades, I wonder effective than a peace song like "The Fiddle her as a more fitting representative of today' s if she realized she was abdicating that invisi­ and the Drum" becomes obscured by the per­ newly-sophisticated and demanding young ble Miss J-RA throne, a throne to which there sonal motivations of the two performers, and music audience .....Evidence of this sur­ would be no returning. Her head may well further confused by the question of vocal prisingly widespread viewpoint was a story in be swimming from the shock of attacks like mannerisms ... There is no more point in vilify­ a recent issue of Crawdaddy titled "In the Stampfel's -- or, what I think is more likely, ing Joan Baez for being what she is and always Sweet By & Baez," by Peter Stampfel--founder she may not actually give a damn, because has been, than there would be point in chastis­ of a group known as The Holy Modal Rounders music never interested her as much as Social ing Joni Mitchell for writing a Can-Am friend­ and long a Greenwich Village folk-rock insider-­ Action anyhow; two years ago when Joan ship song rather than sitting-in downtown at in which Stampfel concluded that "Joan Baez gave a free concert on the Washington Monu­ draft board headquarters ...Some protestors is to Joni Mitchell as Minnie Mouse is to the ment grounds, a rebuttal to the DAR who re­ fired up the records, some poured bottles of White Goddess." Peter obviously feels he has fused to let her use their hall, an estimated their own blood over the records ...Instead, the situation down righteous ..... Personally, crowd of 25,000 turned out for the occasion Joni Mitchell's song says, in effect, 'let's look I think it was agrossly oversimplified statement and stayed for the concert, even though most at the record' -- and the questions our little of a situation that deserves deeper consider­ of them were backed up too far from the Canadian friend asks are not rehetoric; they ation. amplifiers to hear her ...as long as Joan can are heavy questions ..."How did you come/to ·And I wonder about the wisdom of musicians continue to get audiences of this size inter­ trade the fiddle for the drum ..." which all of actively involved in the same areas making such ested in her message, she will not care what us can profitably meditate .. the critics or the Pop Establishment think of sweeping musical judgments--either good or I want to get back to mannerisms, because her; she lives in a whole different world from at the time I reviewed Joni Mitchell's first al­ bad--upon one of their number---not because that of the Fold-Rock Club. Stampfel and other articulate "progressive bum (Pictures I Hear, HP November 1968) •• rock" music players don't have a right to ex­ All this is an attempt to explain, in part, why those mannerisms and what I called her 'sing­ press opinions: they do and should ....but I think comparisons between Joan Baez and ular style' were bothering me a lot; I find, to too often these opinions sound like Pronounce­ Joni Mitchell are irrelevant.. Each one of them my relief and enjoyment in Clouds, that gen­ ments and Edicts, and some musicians are even is into an entirely different thing; they have erally Joni has subdued her histrionic leaning haughtier than critics in thinking that 1heir very similar vocal ranges and both play gui­ so that a Iistener does not feel forced into conclusions are above challenge; when actually, tars ... and, as far as I can tell, that is just admiration for the sheer technical prowess of about all they have in commo·n .... I think that a reporter or observer not person­ her voice at the expense of the mood-building Joni Mitchell is hardly a militant; there is of her songs; the only slightly irritating thing ally involved in the lives of musicians is some­ nothing of the political radical about her. The times in abetter situation for giving an unbiased I noticed about Clouds is that Joni -notably at one anti-war song in her new album Clouds, ease at the bottom as well as at the top of reaction to what is going down in the music "The Fiddle and the Drum," beats as gently her range -- tends to sing at either the extreme itself. Sometimes a personal disagreement-- or as the wings of adove. Where Dylan & Manuel's bottom ("Tin Angel" and "Both Sides Now") a personal affection--for aparticular performer Baez in her Dylan compendium)-rantsand rips, or tbe extreme top ("I Don't Know Where I can be a very large mote in the eye of a friend "The Fiddle and the Drum"(sung a capella by Stand" and the descant for "Songs to Aging with the best intentions in the world. The Joni) soothes and gentles .. .Joni Mitchell's song Children Come") -- t think her avoidance of most acute eye can lose focus from too close­ is not only anti-war, in the sense of formalized, the middle range, rather than mere show-offi­ up; the clubby atmosphere which permeates organized war games; -but also, anti-nihilism and ness -- is an attempt to ensure a variety of progressive pop, rock and folk music today anti-destructivism; and, really, anti being anti .. sound in an album depending almost wholly could be its downfall; All music to the people! · "Can we help you find the p-eace and the star I upon the variants of one flexible voice and The Beatles have always known this axiom and Oh my friend ..." Joni asks; and hearing it, one virtuoso guitar -- no 'production' to speak always practiced it. ...Dylan's Nashville Sky­ you have the feeling that she has searched of ..........Also, I noted that both of the line is solid evidence that he, too, has caught herself for an answer to the jams of the world songs done in the low voice and with such on ... and we realize that what he has been and that this song is the response she has dragged momentum are already famous; Tom searching for all these years, and now found, found -- not a kicker by any means. Joni speaks Rush recorded "Tin Angel," and, of course, is 'The People, Yes!' not only for herself but for those friends, ad­ Judy Collins and God knows who all (Dave Joan Baez has been seeking The People in mirers and devotees who are turning to her Van Ronk ·and Frank Sinatra and peopte like her own way; in the last few years she has words for their unique kind of lyrical com­ that) have sung "Both Sides Now." Apparent­ . become increasingly absorbed in political acti­ fort. It is ridiculous to try to "compare" Joan ly Joni was worried in these two cases about vism ...and at the same time more and more Ba2e singing "Tears of Rage/' to Joni -Mitdlell., · ...,. to · avoid associations with well-knowrr remote from the force-center and the change­ singing "The Fiddle and The Drum" ... sure, versions of her songs; there is a sense of center of popular music; the changes have been it's no contest. .. Some people might say Joan strain and self-consciousness in her phras­ coming very, very fast here and the truth is that doesn't interpret Dylan's words properly, when ings of the two songs, almost a feeling of Joan just hasn't been fast enough on her feet the· fact is that she doesn't interpret, period; embarrassment. The inclusion of two songs '26 I .nttta so long ago may possibly have been world is likely to hive, at one time or another, munications; the Beatles do this as naturally ., il response to the urgings of admirers and encountered the dastardly "artistic" male ...