Maps of Music

Song to a Seagull (1968)

Where the lyrics of Song to a Seagull take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first sold under the name Joni Mitchell because the printed LP covers cut off its title, which birds spelled out in flight.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1968)

Recording site Sunset Sound — The album was recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California, with David Crosby as producer. Mitchell sang into the studio grand piano, and the extra microphones picked up too much room noise. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Song to a Seagull: debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell
• Released March 1968 by Reprise Records
• Produced by David Crosby
• Originally issued under the title Joni Mitchell because of an LP cover printing error

Background

• Crosby was assigned as producer as part of the deal with Reprise Records, after meeting Mitchell in October 1967
• Mitchell had written songs that became hits for other artists, such as "Both Sides Now" and "Chelsea Morning" by Judy Collins and Dave Van Ronk
• None of those songs were selected for inclusion on this album

Recording

• Recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California
• Crosby wanted Mitchell to sound pure and natural, so he asked her to sing into the studio grand piano
• Extra microphones were set up to capture her voice reverberating off the strings
• The setup also picked up too much ambient noise, causing excessive tape hiss
• Removing the hiss in post-production cost high sounds in the audio range, which gives the album a flat feel

Cover

• Mitchell is credited for the album cover
• Ed Thrasher is credited for art direction

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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

• Record World said of the single "Night in the City" that "The marvelous Joni Mitchell lights up the imagination with this provocative rock."
• Mitchell's earlier songs had become hits for other artists, but none of them were included on this album
• Stephen Stills played bass on "Night in the City"

Reappraisal

• Mitchell later said the album reflects her love of classical music more than folk music
• In 2021 Rhino Entertainment, the catalog arm of Warner Music Group, announced a new mix of the album overseen by Mitchell and mixer Matt Lee
• The new mix was released on June 25, 2021 as part of a special remaster collection of her first four albums
• Mitchell called the original mix "atrocious" and said it "sounded like it was recorded under a Jello bowl"
• The remastered collection is part of the ongoing Joni Mitchell Archives project

Records

• Billboard 200: number 189 (French Wikipedia)
• The album was originally released as Joni Mitchell, so its first release carried a different title from the one used later
• Later editions carry the intended title Song to a Seagull, which is clearly visible on the cover

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

Trivia

• Mitchell has said that "Sisotowbell" stands for "Somehow, in spite of trouble, ours will be ever lasting love".
• The album was dedicated to her Grade 7 English teacher, "Mr. Kratzmann, who taught me to love words".
• Cass Elliot covered two songs from the album: "Sisotowbell Lane" and "I Had a King".
• Judy Collins covered "Michael from Mountains" on her LP Wildflowers, as did Gábor Szabó on his LP 1969.
• Buffy Sainte-Marie recorded "Song to a Seagull" on her album Fire & Fleet & Candlelight issued in 1967.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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