Joni Mitchell arrived at a time when popular music was driven by artists who challenged themselves to grow, to evolve alongside a rapidly changing culture. Her four early LPs have been brought together in a box set, The Reprise Albums (1968-1971).
Mitchell emerged from the folk music revival, which gave her a stage on which to perform, but she was less interested in Appalachian traditions or political broadsides than poetry and art song. Songs to a Seagull (1968) was thoughtful, meditative, careful as cut glass. A few of the songs on Clouds (1969) were similarly etched, but others whispered a quest for a wider audience. The sunny optimism of “Chelsea Morning” was carried on a pop melody and “I Don’t Know Where I Stand” was a potential hit—if revamped for country music. The lovely “Both Sides, Now” had already been a hit as covered by Judy Collins.
Ladies of the Canyon (1970) brought her consistent FM airplay with the chirpy environmentalism of “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Woodstock,” which transformed the musical mud-fest into an event of mythic significance. Blue (1971) was one of the finest albums of its kind, deeply personal yet relatable in theme as well as poetic and musical style. Heard was a distant echo of jazz, soon to become a crucial influence on her work.
Mitchell was unusual at a time when women were often singers but seldom songwriters, a pioneer who set precedent for artists as diverse as Liz Phair and Taylor Swift. The Reprise Albums are where she began, but she didn’t stop there.
