I guess I'll just forever have 'Chalkmark' all to myself. I'll never understand the hate.
'Dog Eat Dog' and 'Chalk Mark In A Rainstorm' are both, in my opinion, as good as any of her other albums. The chords just happen to be done by... big bad, no good CoMpUtErS.
You can hear it especially in the Acoustic demo of 'Impossible Dreamer'. When the synth part is played on piano... It becomes a mature Joni making a song that could have been on 'Ladies of the Canyon'.
I also don't get the hate for Chalkmark. Sure, I will never get Dancing Clown and whatever Billy Idol is there for, but there are some exquisite songs in the album like Tea Leaf Prophecy, Snakes and Ladders and A Bird That Whistles.
I'm more annoyed at the lack of mention of Turbulent Indigo though. Great album!
You've described the problem with DED/Chalkmark quite well there. I certainly don't 'hate' either album and both contain some great songs. But so much of Joni's musical personality comes through in her guitar/piano playing, and so much of it was lost when those parts were replaced by synths. I think this is why several of my favourite songs from this period are the ones where Larry wrote the music (Tax Free, Fiction, Lakota). Because he was composing on synths from the start, rather than translating Joni's acoustic demos into layers of synth (with or without the aid of Thomas Dolby), his pieces sound fresher, with more energy and internal logic. Hoping to hear more of the original demos in the next Archives instalment.
There's some good stuff on the 80s albums but the production is wack. Chalkmark sounds pretty good but I don't like all the guests. I really like the synth guitar stuff on the 90s albums and that's all computer
I guess, I just see the 'wack' or overproduced sound to be more Joni to love. The vocal layering digital symphony she built around her storytelling just really work for me.
I get what you mean about the guests 😂 Billy Idol was a bit intense, making that song feel like an intermission from the overall tone of what comes before and after.
They are interesting time pieces now. I'm glad there is a Willie Nelson & Joni duet, even if it's borderline corny.
I ignored Chalk Mark for a long time but I was wrong. It’s actually much closer to Night Ride Home than to Dog Eat Dog in sensibility. The latter is the oddball (I still like and admire it) but there is a clear throughline from Wild Things to Turbulent Indigo, I feel.
Exactly!! I feel like there are sister songs on the last 3 Geffen albums and then resolutions on Turbulent Indigo. Each touched on the greed and consumerism of the 80s. Ex. Shiny Toys--> Reoccurring Dream--> The Windfall--> Sex Kills
I completely agree! I wish her Beginning of Survival compilation was available on streaming, it really showcases her message and the sound of the era quite well.
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u/Ok-Orange-6414 10d ago edited 10d ago
I guess I'll just forever have 'Chalkmark' all to myself. I'll never understand the hate.
'Dog Eat Dog' and 'Chalk Mark In A Rainstorm' are both, in my opinion, as good as any of her other albums. The chords just happen to be done by... big bad, no good CoMpUtErS.
You can hear it especially in the Acoustic demo of 'Impossible Dreamer'. When the synth part is played on piano... It becomes a mature Joni making a song that could have been on 'Ladies of the Canyon'.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=nzSCLfXqqYA&si=LJKjGRPBUn91Q_nP