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Shadows and Light (Joni Mitchell album)

Shadows and Light is the second live album by Canadian musician Joni Mitchell. It was released in September 1980 through Asylum Records, her last release for the label. It was recorded in September 1979 at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, California.[1]

Shadows and Light
Live album by
Joni Mitchell
ReleasedSeptember 1980
RecordedSeptember 1979
VenueSanta Barbara Bowl (Santa Barbara)
GenreFolk jazz, jazz fusion
Length83:54
LabelAsylum
ProducerJoni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell chronology
Mingus
(1979) 		Shadows and Light
(1980) 		Wild Things Run Fast
(1982)
Singles from Shadows and Light
  1. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"
    Released: September 1980

For the album, Mitchell was backed by a band of acclaimed jazz and fusion musicians consisting of guitarist Pat Metheny, bassist Jaco Pastorius, drummer Don Alias, keyboardist Lyle Mays, and saxophonist Michael Brecker. The vocal group the Persuasions appear on the title track and a cover of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love".

Overview

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Shadows and Light was recorded during Mitchell's 1979 summer tour and used equipment of the Record Plant in Sausalito.[1] The recordings of "Furry Sings the Blues", "Dreamland", and "God Must Be a Boogie Man" were taken from PA mix cassette recordings.[1] Much of the material comes from Court and Spark (1974) onward, the only exceptions being "Woodstock" and the cover of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love".

Reception

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Commercial performance

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Shadows and Light peaked at number 38 on the Billboard 200.[2] "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" was released as a single and peaked at number 102 on the Hot 100.[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [4]

Reviews for Shadows and Light were positive. Writing for Rolling Stone, Stephen Holden called the album "a surprise and a triumph" and considered it "one of a handful of great live rock albums".[5] Holden praised Mitchell's backing band as "the finest ensemble that [she] has worked with", and called her vocal performance "exhilarating".[5] He went on to list the performances of "Edith and the Kingpin" and the title track as "the record's biggest stunners", feeling that the former's "spare live setting" worked to "uncover a mythic yarn of seduction and corruption" and praised the latter's pairing with "Why Do Fools Fall in Love".[2]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Vik Iyengar praised the renditions on the album to be more energetic than their studio counterparts; however, he also felt that many live versions were "not different enough" than the original studio versions.[3] In a piece commemorating the album's 40th anniversary, The Economist called the album "unjustly overlooked" and also highlighted its title track, stating that Mitchell's collaboration with the Persuasions gave the song "a new, organic richness".[6]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Introduction"—1:51
2."In France They Kiss on Main Street"Joni Mitchell4:14
3."Edith and the Kingpin"Mitchell4:10
4."Coyote"Mitchell4:58
5."Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"
6:02
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines"
  • Mitchell
  • Mingus
4:37
2."Amelia"Mitchell6:40
3."Pat's Solo"Pat Metheny3:09
4."Hejira"Mitchell7:42
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Black Crow"Mitchell3:52
2."Don's Solo"Don Alias4:04
3."Dreamland"Mitchell4:40
4."Free Man in Paris"Mitchell3:23
5."Band Introduction"—0:52
6."Furry Sings the Blues"Mitchell5:14
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Why Do Fools Fall in Love"
2:53
2."Shadows and Light"Mitchell5:23
3."God Must Be a Boogie Man"Mitchell5:02
4."Woodstock"Mitchell5:08

Notes:

  • "Black Crow", "Don's Solo" and "Free Man in Paris" omitted from first CD release.
  • "Don's Solo", "Dreamland", "God Must Be a Boogie Man" and "Woodstock" omitted from VHS and DVD.
  • VHS and DVD releases feature two extra tracks, "Jaco's Solo" and "Raised on Robbery", and include a different version of "Furry Sings the Blues".

Personnel

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Musicians

Production

Charts

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Chart performance for Shadows and Light
Chart (1980) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] 70
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] 73
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[9] 40
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] 25
UK Albums (OCC)[11] 63
US Billboard 200[12] 38
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums[13] 38

References

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  1. ^ a b c Joni Mitchell (September 1980). Shadows and Light (liner notes). Asylum Records.
  2. ^ a b c "Joni Mitchell Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Iyengar, Vik (2011). "Shadows and Light – Joni Mitchell | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  5. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (November 13, 1980). "Joni Mitchell's live album is a surprise and a triumph". Joni Mitchell. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  6. ^ D.B. (August 27, 2020). "Joni Mitchell's "Shadows and Light" at 40". The Economist. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0261b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  9. ^ "Charts.nz – Joni Mitchell – Shadows and Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Joni Mitchell – Shadows and Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  11. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  12. ^ "Joni Mitchell Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. October 25, 1980. p. 45. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
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