Discography

Don Juan's Reckless Daughter

Release date:  December 1977



Image Gallery [click/touch to enlarge]

Album Notes

COTTON AVENUE
Guitar and Vocal Joni Mitchell
Bass Jaco Pastorius
Drums John Guerin

TALK TO ME
Guitar and Vocal Joni Mitchell
Bass Jaco Pastorius

JERICHO
Guitar and Vocal Joni Mitchell
Bass Jaco Pastorius
Drums John Guerin
Bongos Don Alias
Soprano Sax Wayne Shorter

PAPRIKA PLAINS
Piano and Vocal Joni Mitchell
Bass Jaco Pastorius
Drums John Guerin
Soprano Sax Wayne Shorter
Orchestrated and Conducted by Michael Gibbs

OTIS AND MARLENA
Acoustic Guitar and Vocal Joni Mitchell
Electric Guitar Larry Carlton
Snare Drum John Guerin
Piano Michael Colomber

THE TENTH WORLD
Congas Clave Don Alias
Congas Coffee Cans Manolo Badrena
Congas Cowbell Alejandro Acuna
Surdo (Bass Drum) Airto
Bongos Jaco Pastorius
Vocals Manolo Badrena (Lead Joni Mitchell Don Alias Chaka Khan Alejandro Acuna

DREAMLAND
Vocals Joni Mitchell Chaka Khan
Surdo (Bass Drum) Airto
Cowbells Jaco Pastorius
Congas Manolo Badrena
Shakers Alejandro Acuna
Snaredrum and Sandpaper Blocks Don Alias

DON JUAN'S RECKLESS DAUGHTER
Guitar and Vocal Joni Mitchell
The Split Tongued Spirit El Bwyd
Bass Jaco Pastorius
Ankle Bells Alejandro Acuna
Shaker Don Alias
(In Spirit) Bobbye Hall and Manolo Badrena

OFF NIGHT BACKSTREET
Vocals Joni Mitchell, J.D. Souther Glenn Frey
Bass Jaco Pastorius
Drums John Guerin
Orchestrator Michael Gibbs

THE SILKY VEILS OF ARDOR
Guitar and Vocals Joni Mitchell

Recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood by Henry Lewy and Steve Katz
Ordhestra recorded at Columbia Studio C in New York by Frank Laico
Additional recording at Basing Street Studio in London
Assistant Engineer Robert Ash
Mastered at A&M Studios, Los Angeles by Bernie Grundman

Jaco Pastorius appears courtesy of Epic Records and Columby Productions, Inc.
Wayne Shorter appears courtesy of Columbia Records
John Guerin appears courtesy of Caribou Records and the L.A. Express

Chaka Khan appears courtesy of ABC Records, Inc.
Airto appears courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, Inc.

All songs written and composed by Joni Mitchell
Except "The Tenth World" written by Joni Mitchell, Don Alias, Manolo Badrena, Alejandro Acuna, Airto and Jaco Pastorius

All songs © 1977 Crazy Crow Music BMI except:
Jericho © 1974 and 1977 Crazy Crow Music BMI
Don Juan"s Reckless Daughter © 1976 and 1977 Crazy Crow Music BMI
Dreamland © 1975 and 1977 Crazy Crow Music BMI
Talk To Me © 1976 and 1977 Crazy Crow Music BMI
Used by permission All rights reserved
Personal Management Elliot Roberts Design Joni Mitchell Art Direction Glen Christensen Photography Norman Seeff Photoprints Keith Williamson Thanks to Krims for part of the magic

Reviews of the album from the Library:

Transcriptions of songs from the album:

Comments:

Log in to make a comment

Caleb on

It is very clear to me from reading the comments that different people see different things in Joni's work. In my opinion, this was the album in which Joni lost her mojo. Up through Hejira, Joni had sung her songs with great feeling and sincerity. Starting with this album, her singing lacked those qualities. Instead, she substituted style for sincerity. She transformed herself into a lounge act. I never liked anything else she did after Hejira (though those early albums are still my favorite music). There's one exception: Otis & Marlena is one of my favorite songs -- but I hated everything else on this album, and still do. Joni, you never understood what it was that made you the greatest singer-songwriter of our time. You threw it all away with this album.

Apoena on

With this record I learned Joni doesn't really have weak ones, just those you ain't prepaired for yet.

tuttifrutti on

I came to Joni's music via "Mingus", which is an amazing album. Then, many years later, I bumped into "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" double LP, and bought it on a whim. The music and the singing floored me. It is now my absolute favourite Joni Mitchel album, although I have yet to hear "Blue" and "Hejira".

I also adore "Court and Spark" and "The Hissing Of Summer Lawns", but this album talks directly to me. I am also blown away by the sound quality on this record (I prefer the way vinyl record sounds).

perryrossa on

It's hard to express how much this album means to me.

I first heard it on a journey through the Four Corners, not long after it was freshly-minted. From the opening notes of the Overture, I felt it strike an instant connection with the landscape of sun, sky, rock, ancient silence and rare waters. It was only many years later I learned that at the time she was exploring Georgia O'Keefe's art, which must of course been the influence I was hearing.

As an ecologist, I've always lived in a world of wounds, and struggled with the failures of our lifestyle even as I've strived to restore something of value to leave our children. As a lover, I've had my share of triumphs, heartbreaks and reconciliations; and as a sometime anthropologist I know there are better, greater paths that have been lost and may still yet be regained, though it will likely take many decades of struggle and cultural self examination. Through all these journeys, I've left pieces of myself in secret, wild places of the West and Midwest that I can return to in my mind, guided by this music.

For me, this album captures all of this - a life's journey and the conflict and struggle of opposites; the desires, denial, vision, passion, defeats, victories and, ultimately, fulfillment. Whenever I travel West, I must hear this album as the landscape opens and the cares fall away from my soul. Nothing sums it up better than Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, my favorite Joni song of all time. This album leads my own Desert Island Collection.

Thank you, Joni, for the gifts of your music, your art, and especially for this incredible work of genius. And of course for always believing in yourself. We have been blessed.

1greatmusic on

Any album that features as astonishingly epic a piece as « Paprika Plains » deserves at least four stars. Stunning. That cut is worth the price of the album...

JuanM on

hello, im home listening to this sacd cd, and wow, that voice, the drums, the guitars, the bass, etc. sounds like they are around me. so so pretty, what a great album. so gorgeous, i hope joni is doing fine, wherever she may be. by the way i love this website, so much stuff to look at and read.

pt8648 on

One of the most underrated albums ever recorded.

Jamie on

Just heard the cd for the first time, with excellent sweet sounding studio monitors in an acoustically beautiful room. Am blown away by the incredible musical/sound engineering artistry. This has been a peak aesthetic experience so I want to thank you, Joni, and all others involved in your masterful collaboration. While being familiar with the title of the product for many years, I had absolutely no idea about the recording masterpiece I was missing out on.
Again, thank you so much!
Best wishes.

afriendofspirit on

So unbelievably underrated, even by Joni devotees...the lyrics to the more straight-forward songs follow so well on the heels of Hejira, and I feel like this is Joni showing her more fun-loving side after the introspection of that album. Talk to Me, Jericho, the title track, and Off Night Backstreet are all among my favorites...and the "experimental" stuff blows me away as well, its no wonder this is the one that got Charlie Mingus' attention!

groeneveldp on

besides of Joni's hits I am not so familiar with her music, but this album I bought in the year when it was released and I still listen to it.

an album from an outstanding quality: the songs, the recording and the atmosphere wich is also due to the tribute from Jaco Pastorius and from other weather report members, but the combination of the guitar, vocals and his bassplaying has never done before and has never been done afterwards.

you are the only female singer/composer I have in my record collection. thanks Joni for having recorded this album.
grtngs, paul.