Nearly 50 years' worth of critical efforts to solve Mitchell's mysteries
have now been rounded up in Barney Hoskyns's Joni: The
Anthology....what comes through most consistently is a possessive
impulse, a desire to really know an artist whose fierce privacy has
often seemed at odds with the impression of intimacy conveyed by her
music. --The Atlantic
Nine Grammys. More than ten million albums sold. Named one of the
greatest singers and songwriters of all time by Rolling Stone. Joni:
The Anthology is an essential collection of writings on Joni Mitchell
that charts every major moment of the famed troubadour's extraordinary
career, as it happened.
From album reviews, incisive commentary, and candid conversations,
Joni: The Anthology includes, among other things, a review of
Mitchell's first-ever show at LA's Troubadour in June of 1968, a 1978
interview by musician Ben Sidran on jazz great Charles Mingus, a
personal reminiscence by Ellen Sander, a confidant of the Los Angeles
singer-songwriter community, and a long director's cut version of editor
Barney Hoskyns' 1994 MOJO interview. A time capsule of an icon, the
anthology spans the entirety of Joni's career between 1967-2007, as well
as thoughtful commentary on her early years.
In collecting materials long unavailable, rare, or otherwise difficult
to find, Joni: The Anthology illuminates the evolution of modern rock
journalism while providing an invaluable and accessible guide to
appreciating the highs--and the lows--of a twentieth century legend.
"Once I crossed the border, I began to write and my voice changed. I no
longer was imitative of the folk style. My voice was then my real voice
and with a slight folk influence, but from the first album it was no
longer folk music. It was just a girl with a guitar that made it look
that way."--Joni Mitchell, 1994
