Maps of Music

Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm (1988)

Where the lyrics of Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm take you, and where it was really made.

Peter Gabriel offered Joni Mitchell his own studio after mostly finishing his album So, and the result was a duet.

Key places

Ashcombe House near Bath (1988)

Recording site Ashcombe House — Mitchell and Larry Klein visited Peter Gabriel's studio in early 1986. Gabriel offered its use, and the duet My Secret Place came out of it. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Wool Hall, Bath (1988)

Recording site The Wool Hall — The Wool Hall is listed among the studios where the album was recorded. Its recording role is given in the album's credits. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Village Recorders, Los Angeles (1988)

Recording site Village Recorders — Village Recorders in Los Angeles is one of the studios where the album was recorded during the sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Thirteenth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell
• Released March 23, 1988 by Geffen Records, her third release on the label
• Duets with Peter Gabriel on "My Secret Place" and Willie Nelson on "Cool Water"
• Don Henley on "Snakes and Ladders"; Billy Idol and Tom Petty on "Dancin' Clown"
• Don Henley also provides backing vocals on "Lakota"
• Wendy and Lisa provide backing vocals on "The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms)"
• Themes include contemporary commercialism, the destruction of Native American culture, and water pollution
• "The Tea Leaf Prophecy" tells of Mitchell's parents meeting during World War II
• "The Beat of Black Wings" is about an embittered Vietnam veteran

Background

• Predecessor: Dog Eat Dog (1985)
• Early 1986: Mitchell and Larry Klein visited Ashcombe House near Bath, England
• Gabriel had mostly finished So and offered his studio to Mitchell and Klein
• Mitchell first saw Billy Idol perform at the Grammy Awards and contacted him during the sessions
• Mitchell met Willie Nelson at Farm Aid and invited him to the album
• Mitchell was introduced to Wendy & Lisa through Prince

Recording

• Drum machines used, as on Dog Eat Dog
• Manu Katché, who had played on So with Klein, was brought in for drums
• Mitchell shared the lyrics with Katché, explained their meaning, and outlined the musical ideas for each song
• Wayne Shorter plays saxophones on "A Bird That Whistles (Corrina, Corrina)"
• Mitchell refused Shorter's request for a second take

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

• Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter, born Roberta Joan Anderson in 1943 in Fort Macleod, Alberta.

Formation

• Began singing in Saskatoon nightclubs, then performed in Calgary and Toronto before moving to the United States in 1965.
• Her songs were first recorded by other singers, which helped her sign with Reprise Records.
• Debut album Song to a Seagull was released in 1968.

Career

• Blue (1971) is often cited as one of the greatest albums of all time.
• Court and Spark (1974) moved toward jazz influences and became her best-selling album.
• Collaborated with jazz musicians including Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, and Charles Mingus.
• Won eleven Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
• Returned to live performance in 2022 at the Newport Folk Festival after a 2015 brain aneurysm.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Billboard called it Mitchell's "most commercial sounding effort in years"
• Billboard was complimentary of its "cerebral lyrics" and "shimmering pop hooks"
• Hi-Fi News & Record Review's Fred Dellar said the strongest material was on side two
• Dellar highlighted her cover of "Cool Water" and called it "so immaculately re-shaped it sounds like next year's thing."
• Music Week noted the cameo appearances of musicians such as Thomas Dolby and Don Henley
• Other reviews were mostly very favorable

Records

• Peaked at number 23 in Canada
• Peaked at number 45 on the US Billboard 200
• Peaked at number 26 in the UK
• Improved on the chart position of Dog Eat Dog
• Nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the 1989 Grammy Awards
• Lost the award to Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Wendy & Lisa agreed to provide backing vocals after a discussion at a coffee machine
• The video for My Secret Place was shot on grainy, atmospheric black-and-white film featuring Mitchell and Peter Gabriel
• The video was directed by Dutch photographer and film director Anton Corbijn
• Snakes and Ladders was issued as a pre-release single to radio stations in January 1988
• The Reoccurring Dream was built from samples of TV commercials Mitchell recorded on her VCR for two weeks
• Fourth of July premiered on Channel 4's Wired and was later retitled Night Ride Home

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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