The Early Albums and Songs of Joni Mitchell Quiz

Answer: Cactus Tree

The album "Joni Mitchell" is also known to many by the alternative title of "Song to a Seagull". In his interview with Wally Breeze in March 1997, David Crosby confirmed that "Song to a Seagull" was title it was initially going to be released under. David Crosby is credited with producing this album which was released in 1968 on the Reprise label.

Answer: Graham Nash

Graham Nash's father was William Nash. Graham was given his father's Christian name as his middle name. When he moved to the U.S. in the late 60's, he became known to his fellow band members and close friends as Willy. In 1969 Mitchell and Nash started a relationship and they lived together in the house she rented on Lookout Mountain Avenue. During the comparatively short time their relationship lasted, both wrote songs about this time together. Nash's most notable offering was "Our House" which he recorded with Crosby, Stills and Young on the "Deja Vue" album.

Answer: Nazareth

Nazareth, a rock group from Dumfermline in Scotland, recorded a successful cover version of the song, "This flight Tonight". They became familiar with the song, which was on the Joni Mitchell "Blue" album, as they frequently played the album whilst traveling around from gig to gig in their van.

Nazareth met Joni Mitchell at the recording studios in the U.S. whilst on tour there.

Mitchell was so impressed by their version of her song, that at one London gig, she started the show by telling the audience, "I'd like to open with a Nazareth song".

Answer: Clouds

Bill and Hilary Clinton claim to have named their daughter Chelsea after the Judy Collins version of this song. Judy Collins recorded a single of the song in July 1969. This peaked at number twenty-five on Billboards Easy Listening chart and at number seventy-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 1993 Judy Collins performed the song at Bill Clinton's first inauguration as U.S President.

Answer: Miles of Aisles

"Miles of Aisles" was the 1974 live double album which was recorded on her "Court and Spark" tour. She was backed by the pop/jazz group L.A. Express who remained her backing band until 1976. The L.A. Express originally came together in 1973 as the backing band of the saxophonist Tom Scott.

Answer: France

"In France They Kiss on Main Street" is the first song on the 1975 album "The Hissing of Summer Lawns". The song was released as a single and peaked at number 66 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The album was not as well received as her previous album, "Court and Spark". Stephen Holden, in his review for the magazine "Rolling Stone wrote, "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" is ultimately a good collection of pop poems with a distracting soundtrack. Read it first. Then play it".

Answer: False

Joni Mitchell was scheduled to perform at the Woodstock, three-day music and arts festival. She was also due to appear on the Dick Cavett TV show that same weekend. Her manager was concerned that due to the transportation problems of getting in and out of the Woodstock area she would not be able to make the Dick Cavett show.

He urged her to remain in New York. Her manager's fears proved to be unfounded as several artists who had performed at Woodstock made it onto the show with Joni Mitchell as can be seen on the Crosby Stills and Nash DVD, titled "Long Time Gone".

Answer: You Turn Me On I'm a Radio

"You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", was a song written by Joni Mitchell as a sarcastic reply to her record company's request, that she include on her new album, "For The Roses", a radio friendly song. When released as a single it reached number twenty-five on the Billboard Hot 100 and it was her first top 40 hit as a solo artist.

Answer: 1974

The album "Court and Spark", which was released in 1974, was Joni Mitchell's sixth studio album and the first to hint at her growing interest in including jazz influences into her songwriting. Critically acclaimed as a major work, the Canadian disc jockey Geoff Edwards said of it, "It is everything a record should be" "jazz, pop and rock with sensitive and thought-provoking lyrics".

Answer: Clouds

Joni Mitchell has won six Grammy awards during her career. Her first Grammy award was for the album "Clouds" which was voted as Best Folk Performance. She was inducted into the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and in 1981 into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. In addition, in 2002 she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.