Joni Mitchell: A Woman of Heart & Mind / Painting with Words and Music SD-Blu-Ray Review
I can remember those experiences twenty years ago like they were yesterday, breaking up with a college girlfriend, listening to the song ‘Blue’ and thinking damn, does this speak to me. Joni Mitchell has that impact on people who love her music, who respect her not just as a singer-songwriter, but a poet of the life experience.Over the years, I’ve collected all of Mitchell’s work. 2014 has marked a year of major releases for Mitchell. In January, she released ‘Complete So Far’, a fantastic guitar songbook that gives you the heart of all of her works. When Joni Mitchell Blu-Ray was announced as part of her 2014 promotions, I was immediately interested. What interested me most about this disc was that it accomplished something I’ve suggested Blu-Ray companies do more of: compile multiple SD sources on one Blu-Ray.
In the case of Joni Mitchell, this allowed the studio to put together two fantastic works and make a Blu-Ray that is an absolute crash course for those who only know a little bit about Mitchell. The disc begins with the PBS American Masters episode from 2003 devoted to Joni Mitchell. The documentary is straightforward and done in a way that tells not just Joni’s story, but the story of her impact on other artists and the world. Mitchell’s story is a complex one, a young girl who battled through polio; a young woman confronted with a bad marriage; having to give away a child into foster care and suffering the normal self-doubt and worries about the world. A Woman of Heart And Mind is more than a simple recounting of events in the life of an artist. As we follow her life we reach a moment of real redemption for Mitchell, who finds her long lost daughter near the end of the film.
The 11-year old documentary doesn’t include any newer songwriting projects or her recent paintings since 2003, but it gives everyone a crash course on who Joni Mitchell is and why so many other artists are influenced by her.
The second program on this disc is Painting With Words and Music. This 1988 concert features Mitchell and her band covering a lot of the music that draws people to her. I will admit, there are quite a few songs I wish she had done in this concert – but doesn’t every fan want the big numbers? Still, the performances are a big part of why people go to see an artist like Joni Mitchell. Too many acts perform a concert in a way that my father would call a record drop. If you played the record in the background, you couldn’t tell the difference. My father once told me: “A great artist brings something new to every performance because their feelings and thoughts won’t be the same when they perform.” Mitchell’s performance in this concert captures all of that emotion with Larry Klein on bass and Greg Leisz on guitar, Mitchell provides a unique feel for the music that stands apart from her albums and gives the audience a unique experience.
The Song List:1. Big Yellow Taxi2. Just Like This Train3. Night Ride Home4. Crazy Cries of Love5. Harry's House6. Black Crow7. Amelia8. Hejira9. Sex Kills10. The Magdalene Laundries11. Moon at the Window12. Facelift13. Why Do Fools Fall in Love?14. Trouble Man15. Nothing Can Be Done16. Song for Sharon17. Woodstock18. Dream Land
Notice the light black line that begins in her hair and extends to the far right of the screen? It shrinks, grows, tears up and down during performances.. and on a 144" screen, it's completely annoying.The performance contained within Painting With Words and Music is also an upconvert to 1080I. This is an older performance that largely shows its age. Color saturation and general blurriness makes me think of a camera lens coated with vaseline.
It is difficult to watch, and if it weren’t for the fact that I now have this performance again in a better format, it would probably be a ‘1’ or ’1.5’ on the video quality scale.
If this title only provided the DTS-MA soundtracks, I would likely view this title as a near disaster and give the audio quality a 1 or a 1.5. The LPCM track, however, manages to correctly capture these performances without any of the issues that plague the DTS-MA versions. If you buy this disc, chose the LPCM version, every time. As the default audio track, the DTS-MA version will cause quite a few buyers to have a bad feeling about this disc that can be rectified by switching your audio track.
It isn’t often that an artist can reach out into the audience and inspire them to do more than dance and sing along. The first time I listened to Joni Mitchell I was in high school. My introduction was the album Blue, in the days when records were played on record players and the drop of a needle brought music into your house. I had always been a fan of singer/songwriters, and my parents who were long fans of folk music would mix in Joni with the likes of Paul Simon, Crosby Stills & Nash, and so many more. I loved all of it. Their albums built my high school love for music, concerts, and the experience of hearing great music.
Studio: Other
Distributed By: Other
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080I/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1, 1.78:1
Audio: English 5.0 DTS-HDMA, English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, English PCM 2.0
Subtitles:
Rating: Not Rated
Run Time: 1 Hr. 31 Min, 1 Hr. 36 Min
Package Includes:
Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region:
Release Date: 03/25/2014
MSRP: $24.98
The Production Rating: 4/5
I can remember those experiences twenty years ago like they were yesterday, breaking up with a college girlfriend, listening to the song ‘Blue’ and thinking damn, does this speak to me. Joni Mitchell has that impact on people who love her music, who respect her not just as a singer-songwriter, but a poet of the life experience.Over the years, I’ve collected all of Mitchell’s work. 2014 has marked a year of major releases for Mitchell. In January, she released ‘Complete So Far’, a fantastic guitar songbook that gives you the heart of all of her works. When Joni Mitchell Blu-Ray was announced as part of her 2014 promotions, I was immediately interested. What interested me most about this disc was that it accomplished something I’ve suggested Blu-Ray companies do more of: compile multiple SD sources on one Blu-Ray.In the case of Joni Mitchell, this allowed the studio to put together two fantastic works and make a Blu-Ray that is an absolute crash course for those who only know a little bit about Mitchell. The disc begins with the PBS American Masters episode from 2003 devoted to Joni Mitchell. The documentary is straightforward and done in a way that tells not just Joni’s story, but the story of her impact on other artists and the world. Mitchell’s story is a complex one, a young girl who battled through polio; a young woman confronted with a bad marriage; having to give away a child into foster care and suffering the normal self-doubt and worries about the world. A Woman of Heart And Mind is more than a simple recounting of events in the life of an artist. As we follow her life we reach a moment of real redemption for Mitchell, who finds her long lost daughter near the end of the film.The 11-year old documentary doesn’t include any newer songwriting projects or her recent paintings since 2003, but it gives everyone a crash course on who Joni Mitchell is and why so many other artists are influenced by her.The second program on this disc is Painting With Words and Music. This 1988 concert features Mitchell and her band covering a lot of the music that draws people to her. I will admit, there are quite a few songs I wish she had done in this concert – but doesn’t every fan want the big numbers? Still, the performances are a big part of why people go to see an artist like Joni Mitchell. Too many acts perform a concert in a way that my father would call a record drop. If you played the record in the background, you couldn’t tell the difference. My father once told me: “A great artist brings something new to every performance because their feelings and thoughts won’t be the same when they perform.” Mitchell’s performance in this concert captures all of that emotion with Larry Klein on bass and Greg Leisz on guitar, Mitchell provides a unique feel for the music that stands apart from her albums and gives the audience a unique experience.The Song List:1. Big Yellow Taxi2. Just Like This Train3. Night Ride Home4. Crazy Cries of Love5. Harry's House6. Black Crow7. Amelia8. Hejira9. Sex Kills10. The Magdalene Laundries11. Moon at the Window12. Facelift13. Why Do Fools Fall in Love?14. Trouble Man15. Nothing Can Be Done16. Song for Sharon17. Woodstock18. Dream Land
Video Rating: 2.5/5 3D Rating: NA
Notice the light black line that begins in her hair and extends to the far right of the screen? It shrinks, grows, tears up and down during performances.. and on a 144" screen, it's completely annoying.The performance contained within Painting With Words and Music is also an upconvert to 1080I. This is an older performance that largely shows its age. Color saturation and general blurriness makes me think of a camera lens coated with vaseline.It is difficult to watch, and if it weren’t for the fact that I now have this performance again in a better format, it would probably be a ‘1’ or ’1.5’ on the video quality scale.
Audio Rating: 3/5
If this title only provided the DTS-MA soundtracks, I would likely view this title as a near disaster and give the audio quality a 1 or a 1.5. The LPCM track, however, manages to correctly capture these performances without any of the issues that plague the DTS-MA versions. If you buy this disc, chose the LPCM version, every time. As the default audio track, the DTS-MA version will cause quite a few buyers to have a bad feeling about this disc that can be rectified by switching your audio track.
Special Features Rating: 1/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
Reviewed By: MattCR
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