"How does it sound?

- Well, you can really see where James Taylor, uhh...you've really got to listen to the background...you know so much of the guitar playing sounds just like him...the electric parts, I guess.

"Does she have a lot of piano in it?

- Not really. Not so distinctive. But she's got practically everything else on it, everything else that you might expect from her, that is, a lot of different instruments.

"Do you think it's prettier than Ladies of the Canyon?

- Technically better.

"Technically better? What do you mean?

- The music is better. She's doing a lot of more complicated arrangements. Musically it's almost perfect, you know.

"I don't even know who else is playing with her on that album.

- It doesn't say. It's very plain. On the inside are all the words. And on the back it has all the titles of the songs....the front has Blue Joni Mitchell and you open it up and there are her words. Oh wait a minute...down here I see something...Stephen Stills bass guitar on "Carey", James Taylor on "California", and "All I Want", "A Case Of You". Sneaky pete, pedal steel guitar.

"Yeah, he's from the Flying Burrito Brothers.

- Uhh..engineer....Henry Lewey. Lewey?

"Lewey, yeah.

(long pause)

"How long have you had it?

- Just this afternoon.

"How many times have you heard it?

- Once, I'm on my second now.

"Bet you can really believe her when she sings that line about 'being strung out on another man'.

- Oh, that's in "California, yeah, I think the best song on the album is "The Last Time I Saw Richard".....the writing is really nice, very involved....her singing is really fantastic. It's the last song on the album, yeah, "The Last Time I Saw Richard"...great lines in here...'Oh I hate you some, I hate you some I love you some I hate you when I forget about myself I love you when I forget about me'.

"Well, she's always more or less in love, isn't she?

- (chuckle)...more or less... (long pause) I don't know, she just doesn't seem as open as on the other albums.

"As open?

- ....No...or maybe she's just more sophisticated.

"Ahaa!

- That's what I'd say about this album as compared to the other ones...more sophisticated, that's a good word......like on the other ones she was just coming along and on this one she's arrived.

"Well, if she's arrived here, where do you think she's gonna go next?

- What?...She's arrived.

"Oh...are there any of her paintings or drawings on the album?

- No. None at all....(long pause)...'I'm so hard to handle, I'm selfish and I'm sad, now I've gone and lost the best baby I've ever had'.

(laughter)

"I don't think her voice will ever sound better.

- Better than what, on Ladies of the Canyon?

"No, better than on what you're hearing now.

- Oh.

"Hey, you know I've been taping this, huh?

- No, I didn't. Are you really?

"Well, there was no other way I could do this review, I don't have the album, and if I did, I probably wouldn't have the time to listen to it. Besides, I wanted to find out how the tape would pick up your voice through the phone.

- Well, I don't think I said anything important or enlightening about it.

"Oh, don't worry about that. You see, it's all in the presentation.

some bros. & a blonde