This album from 1991 saw Joni Mitchell and her ex-husband Larry Klein in the producer’s chair, for her first release in the 90’s.
The album opens with the atmospheric title track written in 1988 “Night ride home”. The impression of the night is conveyed to the listener by the use of a sound sample, which is that of chirping cicadas, the sound effect runs for the whole length of the song. This sound is what holds all the instruments used on the track along with the signature sound of Joni’s acoustic guitar playing style. At the start of the track along with the opening lines “Once in a while, in a blue moon, there comes a night like this, like some surrealist, invented this, 4th of July, night ride home” as the artist finishes this line the sublime bass playing of Larry Klein begins adding a deep rich texture to the track, along with the addition of Bill Dillon’s pedal steel guitar playing underlining lines in the song such as “we love the open road”. The percussion touches by Alex Acuņa and Larry Klein finish off the sound of the song, as the vocals and music begin to fade the sound of the cicadas get louder for a second or two and then they
too start to disappear.
As the following track “Passion Play (when all the slaves are free)” starts Larry Klein’s bass is heard to announce along with Joni’s picking out the main theme of the track on her acoustic guitar, as well as sing the main vocal Ms Mitchell has supplied her own backing vocals. Bill Dillon’s guitar fills just behind the sound of the acoustic guitar punches out lines “in Exxon Blue” to great effect. The use of percussion played with a slightly eastern feel by Alex Acuņa and Larry Klein make this a standout track in my opinion.
For the song “Cherokee Louise” the artist has added to the pot-purri of sounds Wayne Shorter on soprano saxophone along with Vinne Colaiuta playing snare drum using brushes, which gives the overall sound of jazz to the arrangement which is underpinned by Karen Peris singing backing vocals to Joni’s main vocal track.
The next song “Windfall (everything for nothing)” appears to be about people who sponge off someone else, this song has Joni playing keyboards as well as all the guitar parts and all the vocal parts with Vinne Colaiuta on drums along with Larry Klein playing bass to great effect.
With the song “Slouching towards Bethlehem” Joni has married a poem by W.B. Yeats together with a traditional acoustic guitar sound to give a the song a folkie sound, with the Larry Klein bass playing giving a backdrop for all the other elements on the track such as the rock steady drum work of Vinne Colaiuta and the other percussion parts by Joni, Alex Acuņa and Larry Klein himself.
The following song in the running order “Come in from the Cold” was the track lifted by Joni Mitchell’s record company to be released as a single all be it in a edited form, the song went from a seven minute and thirty second masterpiece to half its length. For me this is the key track on the whole collection, as its lyrics sound autobiographical in nature. As the words talk of the early stirrings of attraction, with lines such as “I feel your legs under the table, leaning in to mine, I feel renewed, I feel disabled, by these bonfires in my spine” these words tell me of the over whelming feelings of someone’s first love. This track has Joni credited with playing acoustic guitar, bilatron, keyboards, and all the vocal parts.
Another key song of this album for me is “Nothing can be done” as it’s the only song that Larry Klein has written the music and Joni has written the lyrics. With the different writing style of Larry, the bass playing of himself along with the percussion work of Alex Cuņa carry the main theme of the track with guitar fills by Bill Dillon along with the vocals of David Baerwald supporting the main vocal track by Joni. The song “The only Joy in town” finds Joni in a playful mood with parts of the track such as her oboe playing giving the song a strange melancholy feel and yet playful at the same time.
With the song “Ray Dad’s Cadillac” we the listener are treated to a song of young love and memories of love lost, with the use of Wayne Shorter’s soprano saxophone highlighting lines in the song such as “I’ll be blackboard blind on Monday” gives me the sense of how deep the singer feelings where at the time.
To close this collection Joni has chosen to again sing of love lost, “Two grey rooms” talks of days gone by when she was to shy to approach the object of desire.
This is a collection of songs that takes repeated listening to appreciate the complex arrangements and the undercurrent of deep emotions exposed bare by the artist, as with all Joni’s Mitchell’s albums she gives you everything warts and all.
An exceptional recording with superb songs by a more mature singer songwriter, who is still clearly ahead of any up and coming new artist in this genre, in my humble option.
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Night ride home
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Nice review but I could never get into Joni Mitchell :-)
n13roy 05.04.2005 13:53
Very well written and informative review there. I think you got the feel of this album just about right. Not heard much by Joni Mitchell for years....Roy
MAFARRIMOND 16.06.2004 14:50
Loved the review. Joni's music takes quite a bit of repeated listening to fully appreciate it. Maureen
Night Ride Home Passion Play (When All The Slaves Are Free) Cherokee Louise Windfall ... more
The (Everything For Nothing) Slouching Towards Bethlehem Come In From The Cold Nothing Can Be Done Only Joy In Town The Ray's Dad's Cadillac Two Grey Rooms
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Jun 16th, 2004
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