Doing a 180: Joni Mitchell and The Notting Hillbillies

As our effort to reissue classic albums on 180-gram vinyl continues ever onward, we’re bringing you two very different albums this week: one’s a unique blend of folk, rock, and jazz from a singer-songwriter who’s never been afraid to challenge audiences, while the other is a country-inspired side project from the man who once sang of “Sultans of Swing.”

Joni Mitchell, Hejira: Originally released in November 1976, Mitchell wrote the majority of this album while on a car trip from Maine to Los Angeles, hence the inclusions of songs with titles like “Blue Motel Room” and “Refuge of the Roads.” While not a hit-single machine – only one song, “Coyote,” made even the slightest inroads on that front, and the only place it charted was in Canada, and only at #79 at that – Hejira is generally viewed as one of Mitchell’s classic ‘70s efforts, featuring a more jazz-influenced sound than any of its predecessors but still providing listeners with outstanding material, including the aforementioned favorites as well as “Amelia” and “Black Crow.” It’s perhaps not the best entry point to her career, but for those fans whose musical sensibilities had grown and expanded along with Mitchell’s, Hejira is a very fine piece of work.

The Notting Hillbillies, Missing… Presumed Having a Good Time: Since it hasn’t been that long since we devoted an entire piece to the anniversary of this album’s release, we’ll avoid duplicating the majority of that material – especially since you can read it right here – and just reiterate our closing one-liner about Mark Knopfler’s one-off collaboration with Guy Fletcher, Brendan Croker, Steve Phillips, and Paul Franklin: “It’s a little bit rock, a little bit country, and a little bit blues, but the combination of the three sounds makes for a sometimes jaunty, sometimes mellow listen that’s well worth a reevaluation.”