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Don Juan's Reckless Daughter

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Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
Original cover used for all physical releases and streaming services on or before April 29, 2024.
Studio album by
Joni Mitchell
ReleasedDecember 13, 1977
Recorded1977
Studio
Genre
Length59:38
LabelAsylum
Producer
  • Joni Mitchell
  • Henry Lewy
  • Steve Katz
Joni Mitchell chronology
Hejira
(1976) 		Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
(1977) 		Mingus
(1979)
Alternative cover
Alternative cover used for all physical releases and streaming services after April 29, 2024.
Alternative cover used for all physical releases and streaming services after April 29, 2024.
Singles from Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
  1. "The Tenth World"
    Released: 1977 (France)
  2. "Jericho"
    Released: February 1978
  3. "Off Night Backstreet"
    Released: 3 March 1978 (UK)

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is a 1977 double album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Her ninth album, it is unusual for its experimental style, expanding even further on the jazz-influenced sound of Mitchell's previous recordings. Mitchell has stated that, close to completing her contract with Asylum Records, she allowed this album to be looser than anything she had done previously.[7]

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter was released in December 1977 to mixed reviews. It reached No. 25 on the Billboard charts and attained gold record status within three months.

The album is also notable for Mitchell's controversial use of blackface on the cover.

Background and content

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Much of the album is experimental: "Overture" is played with six simultaneous guitars, some in different tunings from others, with vocal echo effects; "The Tenth World" is an extended-length instrumental of Latin percussion; "Dreamland" features only percussion and voices (including that of Chaka Khan).

"Paprika Plains" is a 16-minute song played on improvised piano and arranged with a full orchestra; it takes up all of Side 2. In it, Mitchell narrates a first-person description of a late-night gathering in a bar frequented by Indigenous peoples of Canada, touching on themes of hopelessness and alcoholism. At one point in the narrative, the narrator leaves the setting to watch the rain and enters into a dreamstate, and the lyrics – printed in the liner notes but not sung – become a mixture of references to innocent childhood memories, a nuclear explosion and an expressionless tribe gazing upon the dreamer. The narrator returns inside after the rain passes. In speaking to Anthony Fawcett about working on "Paprika Plains", Mitchell said:

The Improvisational, the spontaneous aspect of this creative process – still as a poet – is to set words to the music, which is a hammer and chisel process. Sometimes it flows, but a lot of times it's blocked by concept. And if you're writing free consciousness – which I do once in a while just to remind myself that I can, you know, because I'm fitting little pieces of this puzzle together – the end result must flow as if it was spoken for the first time.[7]

"Off Night Backstreet" was released as a single backed with "Jericho", but did not chart. "The Tenth World" was also released as a single in France.

Two of the album's songs had previously been released: "Jericho" by Mitchell on her 1974 live album Miles of Aisles and "Dreamland" by Roger McGuinn on his 1976 album Cardiff Rose.

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter featured contributions from prominent jazz musicians, including four members of Weather Report – Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Manolo Badrena, and Alex Acuña.

Artwork

[edit]
Main article: Joni Mitchell blackface controversy

The original album artwork depicted a photomontage of shots taken by Norman Seeff, later arranged by Mitchell with a camera lucida and set on an orange-and-blue colour backdrop selected by Glen Christensen. Most prominently, Mitchell is featured in blackface with a pimp outfit and afro wig. In the inner sleeve, she appears in blackface again with a speech bubble reading "Mooslems, Mooooslems! Heh, Heh, Heh." This reference to Muslims echoes the line "While Muslims stick up Washington" in the song "Otis and Marlena", which itself refers to the 1977 Washington, D.C., attack and hostage taking that involved the Black Muslim Hanafi Movement.[8]

Mitchell's use of blackface became one of the most controversial moments of her career, widely criticised as racist in subsequent years.[9][10][11]

On 29 April 2024, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter was given a new album cover on music streaming services. The new cover features a photo of Mitchell with a dog, an outtake from the 1985 photo sessions for the later album Dog Eat Dog. A subsequent box set, The Asylum Albums, and standalone physical reissue also use the new cover.[12][13] No announcement was made about the change nor any official reason given, and Mitchell has not commented on the matter.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[16]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[17]
The Great Rock Discography5/10[4]
MusicHound Rock[18]
Pitchfork6.1/10[19]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[20]

Rolling Stone opined that "the best that can be said for Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is that it is an instructive failure," writing that "it's sapped of emotion and full of ideas that should have remained whims, melodies that should have been riffs, songs that should have been fragments."[21] The Globe and Mail concluded that "many of the novel sounds that marked her shift to the fully electric, pop-oriented sound have gone bland for lack of detailed attention."[22]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Joni Mitchell, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Overture – Cotton Avenue"6:41
2."Talk to Me"3:45
3."Jericho"3:22
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Paprika Plains"16:21
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Otis and Marlena" 4:09
2."The Tenth World"Joni Mitchell, Don Alias, Manolo Badrena, Alex Acuña, Airto Moreira, Jaco Pastorius6:45
3."Dreamland" 4:38
Side four
No.TitleLength
1."Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"6:36
2."Off Night Backstreet"3:20
3."The Silky Veils of Ardor"4:01

Personnel

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Musicians

  • Joni Mitchell – vocals, guitars; piano on "Paprika Plains"
  • Jaco Pastorius – bass guitar; bongos on "The Tenth World"; cowbells on "Dreamland"
  • John Guerin – drums
  • Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone on "Jericho" and "Paprika Plains"
  • Alex Acuña – congas, cowbell & backing vocals on "The Tenth World"; shakers on "Dreamland"; ankle bells on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
  • Don Alias – bongos on "Jericho"; congas, claves & backing vocals on "The Tenth World"; snare drum & sandpaper blocks on "Dreamland"; shakers on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
  • Manolo Badrena – congas, coffee cans & lead vocal on "The Tenth World"; congas on "Dreamland"; credited "in spirit" on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
  • Airto Moreira – surdo on "The Tenth World" and "Dreamland"
  • Larry Carlton – electric guitar on "Otis And Marlena"
  • Michel Colombier – piano on "Otis And Marlena"
  • Chaka Khan – backing vocals on "The Tenth World" and "Dreamland"
  • Glenn Frey, JD Souther – backing vocals on "Off Night Backstreet"
  • Michael Gibbs – orchestral arrangements and conductor on "Paprika Plains" and "Off Night Backstreet"
  • Bobbye Hall – credited "in spirit" on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
  • El Bwyd – "the split-tongued spirit" vocals on "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"

Production

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
Chart (1977–1978) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[23] 39
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[24] 28
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 20
US Billboard 200[26] 25
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums[27] 23
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[28] 24

References

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  1. ^ Christopher, Currie (March 8, 1998). "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter". Tentative Reviews.
  2. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (April 25, 2019). "Herbie Hancock and Joni Mitchell: Music & Lyrics". Jazz Times. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "Joni Mitchell: The Studio Albums 1968–1979 | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. November 9, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Strong, Martin C. (2006). "Joni Mitchell". The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 712. ISBN 1-84195-860-3.
  5. ^ Hoskyns, Barney (2002). "Back Catalog: Joni Mitchell". Blender. Retrieved August 27, 2023. A double album of oblique, angular jazz-rock, with Joni's cool nuances a underpinned by jungly percussion and Jaco Pastorius's alternately growly/plangent bass lines
  6. ^ Zimmer, Dave (December 3, 1982). "Joni Mitchell: Wild Things Run Fast". BAM. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Joni Mitchell Biography from jonimitchell.com Archived August 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved August 22, 2008
  8. ^ "Otis and Marlena". Joni Mitchell.com. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Resnikoff, Paul (February 3, 2022). "Joni Mitchell Faces Accusations of Racism as Blackface Images Resurface". Digital Music News. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  10. ^ Hall, James (November 8, 2023). "The strange story behind Joni Mitchell's 'outrageous' blackface experiment". The Telegraph. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  11. ^ Echols, Alice (November 25, 1994). "Library: Articles Search articles Search articles Thirty Years With a Portable Lover". LA Weekly. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) [5CD]". Joni Mitchell.com Store. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  13. ^ "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (2024 Remaster) [2LP]". Joni Mitchell.com Store. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  14. ^ Bond, Nick (June 6, 2024). "Fresh controversy around Joni Mitchell's infamous 'blackface' album cover". News.com.au. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  15. ^ Ruhlmann, W. (2011). "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter – Joni Mitchell | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  16. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 8, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  17. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Mitchell, Joni". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  18. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 769. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  19. ^ "Joni Mitchell: The Studio Albums 1968–1979 | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. November 9, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  20. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). "Joni Mitchell". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. London: Fireside. pp. 547–548. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved September 8, 2009. Portions posted at "Joni Mitchell > Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  21. ^ Maslin, Janet (2011). "Joni Mitchell: Don Juan's Reckless Daughter : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  22. ^ McGrath, Paul (January 18, 1978). "Joni's gone bland". The Globe and Mail. p. F2.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5539a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  26. ^ "Joni Mitchell Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  27. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. January 21, 1978. p. 69. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  28. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2024. 37. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
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