Turbulent Indigo

Joni Mitchell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1994)
• Original Release Date: October 25, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002MVH
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,853 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Her best release in years, July 25, 2000

By 

M. Anderson (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Turbulent Indigo (Audio CD)

This was the first Joni Mitchell cd I bought, and is it ever an eye-opener. Her voice is so deep and so rich, you'd think she was related to Sarah Vaughn or Anita Baker, and the music never distracts from her voice. Her choice of topics here is certainly serious, with song titles like Sex Kills and Turbulent Indigo. And her disdain and utter shock at people's immoralities show on Not To Blame, Magdalene Laundries, and Borderline. But my two favorites are those that end the disc, Yvette In English and Sire of Sorrow. Yvette is almost light and breezy, while Sire of Sorrow evokes memories of Coyote from Hejira. This release certainly was deserving of its Grammy Award.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Painfully poetic, July 13, 2000

By 

Donn Hart (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turbulent Indigo (Audio CD)

Each time I give "Turbulent Indigo" a spin I am consistently amazed at how dark and depressing the lyrics are, and yet, the sheer, pure beauty of the music doesn't exactly make this an album to slit your wrists by. Take "The Sire of Sorrow," for example. It has a repugnant lyrical theme of a man whose livelihood has been taken away by some unnamed "tireless watcher," presumably God. But at the same time, that amazing guitar work, arm in arm with Joni harmonizing with herself, make you simply want to sing along, and half the time, you don't even think about the depressing quality of the lyrics.

The same holds true for basically every song on the record. "Not to Blame" is about a famous man (could it be O.J. Simpson?) who beat his wife to death, but everyone just said "She was out of line, you're not to blame," and Joni questions why, saying "Not one wet eye around her lonely little grave said 'He was out of line girl, you are not to blame.'" Again, repugnant theme said in a beautiful way with a fantastic arrangement.

Other album highpoints: "Borderline," "Yvette in English," "Sex Kills," and "The Magdalene Laundries," about nasty people who hide behind masks of morality (remind you of any government types who happen to be ordained churchpeople, hmm?).

To sum up, among her nineties recordings, I'd rank this one pretty high up there, and it's easily, IMHO, one of her top 5 best albums ever. It's worth your money, you can trust me on this one.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Turbulent Indigo ~ Joni Mitchell, September 15, 2003

By 

Thijs (Groesbeek, Gelderland Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turbulent Indigo (Audio CD)

Joni Mitchell makes her comeback complete, after the beautiful Night Ride Home. This collection of songs equal the best of her earlier work. She talks about a lot of subjects, from the oppression of women on The Magdalene Laundries (about Irish nuns in a convent) and Not To Blame (about women who are abused.)
The way the people see artists and vice versa is the subject of the title track, with references to Vincent van Gogh (who she imitates on the album sleeve. Another highlight are the complex guitar tunings from Joni. This album has won two grammys in 1996, one for best pop album, winning over Madonna, Mariah Carey and Annie Lennox. The second was another deserved one, for the recording package. The paintings in the sleeve are incredible beautiful and burst with colours and shapes. Turbulent Indigo is one of my favourite albums and stands in the top three of my most beloved albums from Joni Mitchell!