Ladies of the Canyon

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Ladies of the Canyon is Joni Mitchell's third studio album and was released in 1970 on Reprise Records. The title refers to Laurel Canyon, the neighbourhood in Los Angeles where the pop music of the sixties flourished and where she lived herself, in the house that Graham Nash would later sing about in Our House. The album includes Big Yellow Taxi, Woodstock and The Circle Game.

The album shows a broader artistic outlook than her earlier work, with songs about fame, the Woodstock generation and the complexity of love. It is often seen as a transition between the folk-like beginnings and the more refined records that followed. Dense, wordless harmonies recall David Crosby, and in The Circle Game Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sing along. Robert Christgau thought it better than her earlier work. Big Yellow Taxi became a standard and is often used to draw attention to environmental injustice.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Morning Morgantown3:13Apple Music ↗
2. 2For Free4:31Apple Music ↗
3. 3Conversation4:27Apple Music ↗
4. 4Ladies of the Canyon3:33Apple Music ↗
5. 5Willy3:00Apple Music ↗
6. 6The Arrangement3:34Apple Music ↗
7. 7Rainy Night House3:24Apple Music ↗
8. 8The Priest3:41Apple Music ↗
9. 9Blue Boy2:54Apple Music ↗
10. 10Big Yellow Taxi2:15Apple Music ↗
11. 11Woodstock5:29Apple Music ↗
12. 12The Circle Game4:51Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗