Customer Reviews

The Hissing of Summer Lawns

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

COURT AND SPARK won Joni Mitchell the commercial acclaim her songs had won courtesy of other artists. But she's always had a cynical attitude towards the music business, as "Free Man In Paris" off COURT AND SPARK indicated. And while this album made the top 5 on its release, it was her very effective raspberry to the powers that be that run the industry. Except for the opening "In France They Kiss On Main Street", THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS is the epitome of anti-commercial. Joni reaches new emotional heights with songs like "Shades Of Scarlett Conquering", "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow", and "Shadows & Light". "Scarlett" is probably Joni's best-written song ever, while "Shadows" manages to encompass all the majestic sounds of an orchestra with just a chorus of female voices and a synthesizer. If that wasn't enough, there's the African drum sound of "The Jungle Line" which didn't exactly prove to be anti-commercial, but in fact inspired the world music dabblings that Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, and Sting would base much of their careers on. When released in late 1975, THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS was called by ROLLING STONE magazine as one of the worst albums of the year. For the time, it probably was a unanimous sentiment, but now that time has passed, and Joni Mitchell's career is looked at as a whole, it ranks as one of her most ambitious (and, to the uninitiated, impenetrable) works. As a first album to buy, this is not a wise move. But when you get deeper into her music, you'll find THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS to be quite rewarding.

Almost 30 years after it was recorded, The Hissing of Summer Lawns remains a gem.

It shines with a newness, uniqueness and originality that belies its age.

In this set, Mitchell examines the nature of human relationships via a number of set-piece scenarios.

The songs have layers of meaning that are gently peeled back by melody lines that beguile and hypnotise.

The title track with its " ...blue pools in the squinting sun ..." draws us in with its descriptive and pointed analogies of a shallow, loveless and materialistic life.

Again, in Harry's House " ... a helicopter lands on the Pan-Am roof like a dragon-fly on a tomb ..." Mitchell draws on superbly crafted images in her scathing indictment of manipulative, but ultimately mediocre, people who achieve the meaningless lives they deserve.

Edith and the Kingpin is again an insightful observation of an unlikely, and probably unenduring, coupling.

Don't Interrupt the Sorrow and Shades of Scarlet Conquering are rich in imagery and irony.

Overall, the narratives are wrapped in strong soft rock melody lines laced with contemporary jazz nuances.

Great art endures and that may be why The Hissing of Summer Lawns still shines these many years after its initial release.

FIVE STARS for the poetry and superb musicality of it.

Alright- I bought this album on my 17th birthday. On the way home from the mall, I put the CD into the player in the car. After the first tune my buddy took it out and opted to listen to Yes! Hey, Yes is wonderful, but so is Joni! 9 times out of 10, you will meet people like this. People who don't seem to quite "get it" or see the depth in an album like this, Hissing in particular. It makes you feel alone! Really does. I wish I could meet every single one of you who give this album 5 stars. Where have you been all of my life? We could probably assemble a very creative band.

The actual melodies of the album are super duper original. I actually have the sheet music for the album which was printed in '76...and just a brush through some of the notation quickly reveals "not so standard" note usage and changes. That's interesting. It's a 70's thing. A lot of writers of the period could do this. A prime example, and I really hate to trail off, is the song "Children and All that Jazz", by Joan Baez which was also released in 1975 (The album is called "Diamonds and Rust" and Joni appears on it...so does the LA Express!).

When I arrived home and listened to the album properly, it didn't take anymore than 6 minutes to release the insanity commited to tape in '75. I'm not interested in dissecting every song here because I know that we all hold particular melodies dear to ourselves for different reasons, but let me just say this. I realize that "Edith and the Kingpin" is generally considered the "gem" of the album, but I have a different opinion. For myself, Shades Of Scarlett Conquering is what can almost move me to tears. Shades Of Scarlett Conquering is the best writing on the album, as far as notational content is concered and lyrical content. It isn't really even the subject at hand (but believe me, it's a good one), it's the lyrical execution. How would you write lyrics like that? So unobvious, so professional and matured. Try it. It will be very hard. But for myself, more importantly, it's the music. Amazing arranging, she knows how to arrange! That buddy of mine eventually said, "well *this* song is pretty cool".

In any case, I also though I'd share a little amusing tale with you. A friend slept over at my house a couple years ago, and we couldn't sleep for some reason. So finally at 5 am we walked to the McDonalds in town, for coffee and hash browns. There are speakers wired outside of this particular McDonals, always playing music at relatively loud volumes outside. As we arrived, "Edith and the Kingpin" was blaring through the speakers...it had just started. I stood outside, very tired- borderline hallucinating, wondering "is this real?".

I have been a big fan of Joni Mitchell from the time I first heard "Help Me" and "Raised on Robbery" on the FM radio in the late seventies when I was attending junior high. I don't think that there is a recording artist who is better able to convey the complex states of mind we find ourselves in while falling in (or out) of love, nor is anyone quite as capable of creating the sense of confusion that comes with adulthood, stasis, or money. Those of you who are familiar with her music know this, of course.

For some reason, I never listened to this album until I purchased it last month. While I immediately recognized that I was listening to a recording that was as moving and brilliant as "Blue," "Court and Spark," or "Hejira," I realized that "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" was really something quite different; less restrained and coherent, but more sophisticated. Behind the lazy lounge-jazz stylings of these songs is a sensibility reminiscent of Joyce or Woolf.

It is interesting to me that this album was poorly received when it was released at the end of 1975, and that it has been largely ignored ever since.

It is my hope that "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" someday gets the recognition that it deserves. I believe that it belongs among the top ten or top five albums of all time.

I was one of the music lovers that rejected Joni's delving into experimentalism and stronger jazz elements in her songs. At the time I only had ears for hard rock with a few (but not too many) rock ballads thrown in.

This year I began exploring Joni's catalog that I had ignorred so many years. I was prompted by checking one of her recent CDs out from the library. Taming The Tiger.

Court and Spark had always been in my all time top 10 favorites list, but I wanted to see what else she had done in the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s that I had missed.

Just bought this album along with Hejira. I love them both but especially this album and The Jungle Line! Hypnotic.

Didn't find a single song that I don't like on it. And many that I love.
But like I said. I wasn't ready for this until my music tastes matured. I think the alternative/modern rock era has had that affect on me. Listening to softer, beautiful songs like Dave Mathews Band, Counting Crows, Sting, etc. had taught me to love, prepared the way for me to return to Joni.

Joni, thanks for the vast collection of beautiful music you've shared with the world!

I lick my chops everytime I see Joni - finally - honored by Gen X'ers, as I was one who watched her - and this gorgeous album - trashed and demonized by the once oh-so-important Rolling Stone. Naturally, that's when I parted company with the Stone's opinion on ANYTHING, and maintained my allegiance to Joni throughout the years (even when she faltered, as on WILD THINGS). I can't add much to the eloquent critiques preceeding me, except that "Edith and the Kingpin" remains one of the top five cinematic gems in pop history, and a fine piece of poetry to boot. As for Rolling Stone, let 'em eat cake, Joni. You're a goddess.

I must say right off that "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" is my second favorite Joni cd, following only "Hejira," her very poetic release from 1975.

Now, Joni Mitchell changes her style quite often, and I think that is what makes her such an incredible artist. This album is the one that I would classify the most as rock and roll. It is certainly not folk, jazz, folk-rock, or folk-jazz. It's not mystical like "Hejira" or "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter," "Mingus" had a style of it's own based on the music of Charles Mingues, and "Wild Things Run Fast" has strong tones of country in it.

Every song on "Summer Lawns" is very unique and lyrical. The opening track of "In France they Kiss on Main Street" sets the tone of the whole album--rebellion against the hollowness of fame and money. And through the album's numerous tracks, there is a very provocative tone which captivates the listener...the style is so original and the music and poetry so well written that you can't help but listen to this album again and again. I definitely reccommend this for a starter on Joni's music, even though it doesn't have the folk style which made her famous on it on albums such as "Song to a Seagull," "Ladies of the Canyon," and "Blue." It is well done, and it is worth every penny.

This album marked the first serious departure for Joni Mitchell from the mainstream pop music scene. Considering the popularity and influence which 'Court & Spark' demonstrated after it's release, "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" was all but dismissed by popular music critics at the time. Rolling Stone even bestowed it's own brand of 'appreciation' for Mitchell, calling it the Worst Album of the Year. Overlooking their myopic opinions of Joni, anyone who bought this album knows it's a true classic. It set musical trends at the time introducing native African drums and percussion and paving the way for Sting and Paul Simon a decade later. 'Summer Lawns' confronts much of the same themes as most Mitchell albums: relationships, childhood experiences and the lonliness and disconnectedness of a maturing artist. The melodies, at first, are not that easy to grasp. They're distinctively Joni's and bear repeated listenings. After a while though, songs like "Don't Interrupt the Sorrow", "The Jungle Line", "The Boho Dace", "Harry's House" & the title track will sink into your consciousness. Her poetry is as clear and sharp as ever. She can cut to the heart of the matter like no one else, describing an emotion or reaction with such clarity that you sometimes think her powers are more arcane than musical. This album, once again, placed her into another category which most artists aspire to: uniquely original and wholly undefineable! When the last words about the history of pop music are written, they will be: joni, Joni, JONI.

I've just read "john's" ("Lucious. Very luscious.") sweet and ruefully funny review of this album ("I wish I could meet every single one of you who gave this album 5 stars. Where have you been all my life?") and am still smiling in recognition--John, honey, I feel you, I really do.

I myself was 17 years old going on 18 when this album debuted 30 years ago and was by then a Joni fanatic, having discovered her, quite by accident, as a restless adolescent-- I'd ditched school one day, and not knowing what else to do with myself, had wandered into a neighborhood branch of the Public Library, where in the course of my aimless browsing I was astonished to encounter a record album section (I'd had no idea the library's collection included music, especially popular music) and found gold: the albums "Clouds" and "Song to a Seagull."

Mind you, at the time I had no idea who Joni Mitchell was (though the lyric for "Both Sides Now" rang a few bells thanks to the then-constant AM radio airplay of Judy Collins's beautiful cover) but I was so entranced by Mitchell's lush cover art and so intrigued by the stunning poetry of her lyrics--the only time I could recall ever seeing folk-rock writing on this level was in the gatefolds of my brother's Dylan albums--that I ditched school again the next day and came rushing back with my library card. Who was this extraordinary artist-poet? I HAD to get these records home and hear her voice...

I did, and was devastated. Suffice to say that in those young years, anyone who knew me knew my birthday and/or Christmas gift of choice was music-- and my favorite female singer-songwriter was now Joni Mitchell. (Sorry, Carly; we can still be friends, right? Carly? Hello?) By the time "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" was being released I was old enough to have a little money of my own and couldn't get to the nearest record store fast enough.

As everyone has remarked here, "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" was pretty roundly panned when it debuted; as I recall, one idiotic review was actually titled "Does Joni Mitchell Know What She's Singing About?" I was dumbfounded, both by the rather mean-spirited drubbing Mitchell was taking and by what I considered the short-sightedness of the criticism. "Hissing" was indeed dense and challenging, but that seemed to me the album's strength, not its weakness. Was this record so ahead of its time that all those overfed, supposedly hip, smarty pants music critics didn't know any other way to respond to it except to reject it and then fault Mitchell for their own cluelessness? No wonder Mitchell was and remains so cynical about the music business. What happened, Rolling Stone, et al?

Well, I am very pleased-- along with so many of the rest of you Amazon reviewers-- to see that time has proven us right and those critics wrong. "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" is a towering musical accomplishment, influencing the work of many other artists over time. And I am as moved today by its haunted and haunting masterpiece, "Shades of Scarlett Conquering," as I was the very first time I heard it, so many years ago. "Luscious," indeed, John.

Take that, Rolling Stone.

Interestingly, I'm a big Zappa fan, and Joni's music is pretty much as far removed from Frank's as you can get. But you know what? This CD just freaks me out. "Edith and the Kingpin" has to be one of the most moving songs ever written--I don't weep over many songs, but I do over this one, time after time. The whole CD (and many of her other CDs) is just pure, no nonsense, honest emotion--emotion that just happens to come from a truly amazing musician. Buy it.