1970–1974: Mainstream success Joni Mitchell

mitchell performing in concert @ universal amphitheatre in august 1974

in march 1970, clouds produced first grammy award best folk performance. following month, reprise released third album, ladies of canyon. mitchell s sound beginning expand beyond confines of acoustic folk music , toward pop , rock, more overdubs, percussion, , backing vocals, , first time, many songs composed on piano, became hallmark of mitchell s style in popular era. own version of woodstock , slower cover crosby, stills, nash & young, performed solo on wurlitzer electric piano. album included already-familiar song circle game , environmental anthem big yellow taxi , now-famous line, paved paradise , put parking lot.

ladies of canyon instant smash on fm radio , sold briskly, becoming mitchell s first gold album (selling on half million copies). made decision stop touring year , write , paint, yet still voted top female performer 1970 melody maker, leading uk pop music magazine. on april 1971 release of james taylor s mud slide slim , blue horizon album, mitchell credited backup vocals – along carole king – on track ve got friend . songs wrote during months took off travel , life experience appeared on next album, blue, released in june 1971. comparing joni mitchell s talent own, david crosby said, time did blue, past me , rushing toward horizon .

blue instant critical , commercial success, peaking in top 20 in billboard album charts in september , hitting british top 3. lushly produced carey single @ time, musically, other parts of blue departed further sounds of ladies of canyon. simpler, rhythmic acoustic parts allowed focus on mitchell s voice , emotions ( want , case of ), while others such blue , river , last time saw richard sung rolling piano accompaniment. confessional album, mitchell later said of blue, have, on occasion, sacrificed myself , own emotional makeup, ... singing m selfish , m sad , instance. suffer our loneliness, @ time of blue, our pop stars never admitted these things. in lyrics, album regarded inspired culmination of work, depressed assessments of world around serving counterpoint exuberant expressions of romantic love (for example, in california ). mitchell later remarked, @ period of life, had no personal defenses. felt cellophane wrapper on pack of cigarettes. felt had absolutely no secrets world , couldn t pretend in life strong.

mitchell decided return live stage after great success of blue, , presented new songs on tour appeared on next album, fifth, roses. album released in october 1972 , zoomed charts. followed single, turn me on, m radio , peaked @ no. 25 in billboard charts in february 1973, becoming first bona fide hit single.

court , spark, released in january 1974, saw mitchell begin flirtation jazz , jazz fusion marked experimental period ahead. court , spark went no. 1 on cashbox album charts. lp made mitchell popular act perhaps time in career, on strength of popular tracks such rocker raised on robbery , released right before christmas 1973, , me , released in march of following year, , became mitchell s top 10 single when peaked @ no. 7 in first week of june. free man in paris hit single , staple in catalog.

while recording court , spark, mitchell had tried make clean break earlier folk sound, producing album herself , employing jazz/pop fusion band l.a. express called first real backing group. in february 1974, tour l.a. express began, , received rave notices traveled across united states , canada during next 2 months. series of shows @ l.a. s universal amphitheater on august 14–17 recorded live album. in november, mitchell released album, miles of aisles, two-record set including 2 songs l.a. concerts (one selection each berkeley community theatre, on march 2, , l.a. music center, on march 4, included in set). live album moved no. 2, matching court , spark s chart peak on billboard. big yellow taxi , live version, released single , did reasonably (she released version of song in 2007).

in january 1975, court , spark received 4 nominations grammy awards, including grammy award album of year, mitchell woman nominated. won grammy award best arrangement, instrumental , vocals.