Blue [GOLD CD]

Joni Mitchell

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 16, 1999)
• Original Release Date: June 1971
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Gold CD
• Label: Dcc Compact Classics
• ASIN: B00000IARU
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #431,237 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. All I Want

2. My Old Man

3. Little Green

4. Carey

5. Blue

6. California

7. This Flight Tonight

8. River

9. Case of You

10. Last Time I Saw Richard

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Joni Mitchell would go on from this 1971 recording to make more popular, more ambitious, and more challenging albums, but she's never made a better one. Working with minimal accompaniment (Stephen Stills and James Taylor are two of the four sidemen), the Canadian thrush summoned an involving song cycle of romance found and lost. Though Blue is an uncommonly intimate representation, it's also astonishingly open and gracious. Songs such as "All I Want," "Carey," "California, and "A Case of You" work equally well as poetry and pop music. DCC's 24-karat-gold version of the 10-song collection offers superior sound quality for a higher price then the standard Warner Bros. CD. --Steven Stolder

Product Description

Digitally remastered reissue of her landmark 1971 album on a 24 karat gold CD from DCC. Reaching #15 on the Billboard charts (and remaining on the charts for well over a year), it contains 10 tracks, including 'All I Want', 'Carey', 'California' and 'Blue'. Comes packaged in a standard jewel case within a full color die-cut slipcase cover. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes; It may be worth buying this high-end version of Blue, February 1, 2000

By	ILikeAmazon "ilikeamazon" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This is not a review of Joni Mitchell's BLUE album, an acknowledged five-star-plus masterpiece. Rather, since I own three versions of this CD, including this expensive DCC version, I thought I'd write a helpful review for those considering this gold disk purchase.

The three versions of Blue I own are: 1) Reprise 2038-2, 2) Reprise 2038-2/HDCD 3) DCC GZS-1132 (gold disk). I played each CD back through a very expensive high-end stereo system. The digital front end included a dedicated transport and Audio Alchemy DTI PRO 32 in 20-bit mode and a AA DDE 3.0 DAC. The 20-bit enhancement was turned off during HDCD playback (which it has to be for HDCD to work). Associated playback equipment: Plinius 8150 amp and Dynaudio 1.8MkII speakers.

First, let me say that most normal human beings with average stereos will be perfectly happy with the generic BLUE disk. You can hear the famous sustain pedal lift on the song "Blue" better, in fact, on the Reprise non-HDCD version (maybe some compression?). The HDCD version sounds somewhat better (smoother). I was mainly listening to the quality of Joni's vocals during the listening sessions, however.

That said, the DCC gold CD produces superior vocals. Joni's vocals have a round, three dimensional "tubey" sound that floats in front of you and never sounds the least bit shrill (which the vocals on the Reprise non-HDCD do, but only in comparison). The vocals take on a beautiful luster. It's hard to describe why the DCC disk sounds better. The sound is more LP-like, without losing resolution or dynamics.

Is is worth the extra money for the DCC version? If you have a high-end stereo and can appreciate the fine job that Steve Hoffman of DCC did on the remastering, then by all means: This is the only CD version you should own. Otherwise, the other CD versions should sound perfectly acceptable on less persnickety equipment.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most impressive audio CD I've heard., October 31, 1999

By A Customer

The DCC release of "Blue" is the most incredibly beautiful and detailed "high end" audio CD I own. The natural fidelity and delicate rendering of string instruments and, of course, her voice, is well worth the additional cost for long time fans. Note for example the acappella intro to the title track "Blue" at the end of which you can actually hear her lift her foot from the sustain pedal of the piano! Aside from the beautiful audio, the songs themselves stand the test of time as her best effort ever and one of the greatest albums of all time both from a lyical and performance standpoint.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Money in a Great Stereo System, March 11, 2000

By	ILikeAmazon "ilikeamazon" (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

I have three versions of Joni Mitchell's Blue: Two Reprise versions (one regular, one HDCD) and the DCC Gold disk. The DCC version sounds smoother and more "tubey" than the other disks. Joni's voice soars in a round, coherent, less edgy fashion on the DCC version. In some ways, it also sounds more dynamic. In most normal stereo setups, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. But if you have $5,000 of gear, by all means, the DCC version sounds beautiful! (Please see the expanded review, below).