Hits [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Joni Mitchell

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 29, 1996)
• Original Release Date: October 29, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002N9Z
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,024 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #16 in	Music > Pop > Adult Contemporary > Contemporary
  #56 in	Music > Rock > Folk Rock

Track Listings

1. Urge for Going

2. Chelsea Morning

3. Big Yellow Taxi

4. Woodstock

5. Circle Game

6. Carey

7. California

8. You Turn Me on I'm a Radio

9. Raised on Robbery

10. Help Me

11. Free Man in Paris

12. River

13. Chinese Cafe/Unchained Melody

14. Come in from the Cold

15. Both Sides, Now

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

She's only had four bona fide Top-40 American hits, and one was a Miles of Aisles live version of "Big Yellow Taxi" that's not included here. But after almost 30 years, she's finally delivered a 15-song compilation of her signature songs that will be a CD point-of-departure for casual fans and newcomers well into the new millennium. The companion Misses volume is an intriguing curio that might rather more generously have been marketed as a bonus disc. --Jeff Bateman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joni Mitchell 101, July 5, 2000

By	John Jones "Musician" (Chicago IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's never too late to get into Joni Mitchell, and if you're a novice curious about the strengths of one of music's most revered artists, "Hits" is the perfect place to start. This collection covers all of her incarnations and vocal tones: there's the high-pitched chirp that accompanied her folky social commentator days ("Big Yellow Taxi," "Woodstock"), the earnest delivery on confessional pop songs ("Both Sides Now," "Carey"), a maturing voice on her jazzy experiments ("Help Me," "Chinese Cafe") and the nicotine-enhanced smokiness of her 90's pop ("Come in from the Cold"). Largely chronilogical, the artistic evolution the set shows is breathtaking, but the one common thread running through all of the genres and decades is Mitchell's power of lyric and obvious love of her art...she is one of her generation's most respected artists for no minor reason.

The set could have been a touch more complete, however; at an hour's length, there's plenty of room leftover for FM staples like "In France They Kiss on Main Street" and "Coyote," certainly hits in their own right. The title track from "Night Ride Home" might have also been included, as it made a significant dent on contemporary jazz radio upon its release in the early 90's. Still, "Hits" tidily sums up one of the most important bodies of work in popular music. Anyone wondering why Mitchell is so widely respected need look no further than this compilation.

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Well Chosen Anthology, April 9, 2003

By	Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

As single discs Best Of albums go, Joni Mitchell's "Hits" is very well done, collecting 15 of the best and most well known songs of Mitchell's long career. Mitchell is primarily known as a folk singer, but she's always had a rock and roll heart as she shows most particularly on "Big Yellow Taxi" (recently remade to excellent effect by The Counting Crows), the tropical paradise evoking "Carey" and the sweet love song "Help Me" that was one of her biggest hits.

On the folkier side of things, there is the standard "Both Sides Now," which for my money is more tuneful and superior to Judy Collins's hit version of the song. "Woodstock" is a postcard from another era, while the childhood memory-evoking "The Circle Game" is as poigniant as it is sweet. The collection gets a bonus star for including Mitchell's 1991 "comeback" tune "Come in from the Cold," which evokes the strain of being a flower child at heart growing up in the McCarthy-ite 1950s. The CD booklet is also excellent, containing a full lyrics sheet.

Overall, an outstanding single disc anthology album from an important American popular music artist.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So you wanna know Joni..., August 4, 2003

By	ewomack "ewomack" (MN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Joni Mitchell is a musician of surprising breadth. She's experimented with everything from folk to rock to jazz. This CD provides a sampling of just about all of her phases, from the "what was popular" viewpoint.

There are some very familiar songs here. All of us who were conscious during the 1970s have heard "Help Me", "Both Sides, Now" (though probably the Judy Collins version) and "Big Yellow Taxi" (which seems to produce a new cover version every few years, all of them forgettable compared to the version on this CD) numerous times. If you run in folk music circles you know that "The Circle Game" is almost an anthem of folk music (you're almost guaranteed to hear it once at any coffee house open stage).

Some of the absolute highlights are the songs from her album "Blue" (arguably her best): "Carey", "California", and "River". If you enjoy this album, "Blue" is a good album to pick up next. "Hits" is a typical "greatest hits" collection: it provides a glimpse into the oeuvre of an artist, but leaves out a lot.

Joni Mitchell is an argument against those who think that women artists are "just for women" or "too emotional" or "sappy". Being a man, and having a typical male musical upbringing, high female voices were for a long time considered off-limits. That was purely my loss, and I'm glad to be past that phase. Which brings up another point, Joni Mitchell has succeeded in not selling her music with sex (in spite of the infamous Rolling Stone swimming pool pictures, which were an anomaly). There are few female muscians today, or ever, who have succeeded in this. In today's pop market it seems that if you don't flaunt it you won't get it. Joni Mitchell is a refreshing change from the Britney Spears, Madonnas, Chers, and all the rest of the skimpy outfit strutters who cram and have crammed the airwaves.

Overall, this CD is a great starting point to Mitchell's music. If you're impressed by this, give one of her albums (subliminal message: "Blue") a try to find out what this collection leaves out.