Joni Mitchell Companion: Four Decades of Commentary [Import] [Paperback]

Stacy Luftig (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: Music Sales Ltd (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028653335
• ISBN-13: 978-0028653334
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,724,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lifetime Companion for All Things Joni, December 29, 1999

By 

Vince Lavieri - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joni Mitchell Companion: Four Decades of Commentary (Paperback)

Reviewing this book is going to be as difficult as writing about Joni's music, because there are not enough superlatives in the language to say what needs to be said without redundency. This is an essential book, necessary reading for any fan or student of Joni Mitchell. Stacey Luftig has put together an extraordinary collection of reviews, articles, columns, interviews, pictures, and emotions that refect the vast ouevre of Joni Mitchell's work, from the first artist days in 1966 to the 3 July 1999 tribute in Joni at Central Park. The range of this book is incredibly vast. The casual music observer will be introduced to this most gifted artist. The dedicated fan will discover information and concepts that astound, even after thirty-plus years of loving and following Joni. Each album and the various phases of Joni's life and musical development are covered, with true insights continually offered in an accessable manner. Musicians seeking technical information on how to play like Joni will find their rewards, too. This companion book consists of well-selected pieces from the fullness of Joni's career to date, in an attractive, readable, and helpful format, with a thorougness and professionalism that makes this a serious study of things Joni. This is not a wild-eyed fan's tribute; it is a contribution to the literature on music and the study of this most complex and influential artist... and it is loving and fun... it has a great beat, and you dance to it! The contents of this book may have been available, scattered and uncollected, prior to this book's publication; to have this array of material in one place, accessable, is truly a companionable idea. This reader is in awe of what Luftig has accomplished in this major addition to our knowledge and appreciation of the gift and music of Joni Mitchell.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice job: blanced, infomative and objective, January 9, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joni Mitchell Companion: Four Decades of Commentary (Paperback)

This was a really nice effort on Stacey Luftig's part. Joni has been the object of fascination and scorn for several decades, it's nice to have a compendium of sorts where the full picture emerges of a Canadian farm girl transformed into a folk singer, rock star, jazz dilletante, all the while maintaining her artistic integrity. She has left such an indeligible mark on the history of popular music. One major slam, though: it's incredible to think in a book with this much obvious research that Rickie Lee Jones would be confused (in the photograph with Bonnie Raitt) for Joni Mitchell. For shame...

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the RLJ pic in the JM book, June 5, 2001

By 

Vince Lavieri - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Joni Mitchell Companion: Four Decades of Commentary (Classic Rock Albums) (Paperback)

I have elsewhere reviewed this book, and praised it. I see that this book is slammed because one picture of Rickie Lee Jones is identified as Joni Mitchell. That is not a reflection on the author but on the publisher. The printed material in the book is Luftig's great labor of love and compliation, great coverage of Joni's career. The publisher slapped in a few pictures and the publisher, not the author, is responsible for the mistake in identifying who is who in the picture. Then again, the publisher spelled Stacey's first name wrong on the book cover. I should add that I do not know Stacey Luftig but I admire her work, and it is unfair to blame her for mistakes that were not hers. The book itself is a rich resource.