Review of Joni Mitchell: Shadows And Light

Introduction

This is one of those discs that turn up from time to time, featuring an artist that I`m largely unaware of. Joni Mitchell is a name that I have heard certainly, but I can`t say the same for her music. The name conjures up images of guitars and caftans, verbose lyrics and songs that tell stories and have messages. I suppose the genre I`m looking for is `folk`, although I may be barking up the wrong tree completely. That`s how unprepared I am for this particular disc. Anyway, I`ll try and avoid excessive subjectivity and keep my attention on the disc itself.

This disc contains over an hour of a concert Joni Mitchell performed in 1979, the track-list is up above for your perusal. The performance includes live footage interspersed with video and newsreel footage. Special guests on stage are The Persuasions.

Video

The picture on this disc is in the 4:3 ratio. For twenty-year-old video footage, it isn`t half bad. The image is soft certainly, but clear throughout and quite colourful. The only video artefacts really obtrusive are some screen-burn causing reflections and glares, other than that the image is perfectly acceptable.

Audio

There are two soundtrack choices on this disc, uncompressed LPCM Stereo, as well as a DD 5.1 track. The stereo is quite strong and strident, with everything sounding clear as a bell. The concert sounds very good indeed with the instruments and vocals nicely balanced, with audience noise appreciative but never overpowering. The DD 5.1 remix is a little mellower and the experience is certainly more enveloping; however I did feel that the vocals sounded oddly hollow. The bottom line is that I found the Stereo track to be the more rewarding experience.

Features

The sole extra on this disc is a Tour Photo Diary, although you have the choice of sitting through a slideshow with music in the background, or clicking through the pictures yourself. The menu transitions are quite nice to look at too.

Conclusion

I wasn`t a Joni Mitchell fan before I watched this disc, and having seen it, I haven`t been converted. I have been entertained though, as the concert is bright and pleasant to listen to, and I did find my foot tapping from time to time.

Is it value for money though? For your R.R.P you`re getting 1 hour and 15 minutes of music, the sound quality is outstanding compared to many live performances, although the DD 5.1 didn`t really shine in comparison to the Stereo for me. The image quality is as good as you can get for a video recording of this age. The extras are a little disappointing, there certainly could have been more. If you are a fan of Joni Mitchell and have been looking forward to this concert, then you know exactly what you are getting, and I don`t see any technical reason why this disc should be avoided.