Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark Demos (Record Store Day Black Friday 2023)

Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark is an important milestone in my development as a musichead. It is the first album that opened my ears to how artistic pop music can be.

This Record Store Day (RSD) release is a collection of demo recordings of eight of the eleven Court and Spark songs. The recordings are not “never heard before” rarities, but rather come from Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972–1975) 5 CD box set that was released in October 2023. This LP is a sampler from that box focused on a section of CD 3.

I have not purchased any of the Joni reissues/archives. My experience with similar Dylan reissues is I spend a lot of money, listen once or twice, and then they gather dust on the shelf. With streaming, I can access the collection for “free.” Don’t worry, Joni has collected plenty of my money over the years. I gave the box a superficial listen on streaming (Tidal) when it first came out. I never really sunk my teeth into it. This RSD release, from this past Black Friday (2023), is the perfect sampler for me, especially its focus on Court and Spark.

Side one of the LP opens with “Piano Suite” which is a medley of “Down To You,” “Court and Spark,” and “Car On A Hill.” It is just Joni’s vocals accompanying herself on piano. It gives me the sense that Joni knew exactly what she sonically wanted Court and Spark (the album) to sound like. The suite was the sonic blueprint for the producer and musicians to work their magic to flesh out Joni’s vision. Not only is it a template of the songs, but it shows how they should weave together to create an album. It is a wonderful glimpse at her creative process. This is the gem of the compilation.

Side one is completed by “People’s Parties.” Here it is just Joni accompanying herself on guitar (including some Joni overdubbed harmonies). Again, it is a pretty clear blueprint for her collaborators.

Side two opens with one of Joni’s greatest hits: “Help Me.” Most of this version is a barebones template of the final product with a solo Joni vocal and guitar. There are some slight lyric differences from the final version. The coolest variation is the song ends with a desperate-sounding cry for help which is absent in the final album version.

“Just Like This Train,” “Raised On Robbery,” and “Trouble Child” are all clear blueprints of the final version (except for “Robbery’s” wonderful overdubbed banshee harmonies).

The Court and Spark Demos are a beautiful gift to Joni fans. I am repeating myself, but I am amazed at how clear a vision Joni had of the final product in these demos. The LP is a fun peek behind Joni’s creative curtain.

Below is a Tidal playlist (24/44.1 MQA) of this RSD LP taken from Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 3. Joni is not on Spotify given her disgust of Spotify accommodating material she objects to (similar to the Neil Young boycott of Spotify).

Listen to playlist in TIDAL: JONI MITCHELL Court and Spark Demos RSD BF 2023