I didn’t know what to expect when I embarked on this monthlong exploration of Joni Mitchell’s discography.

I knew no more than a handful of her songs very well and had zero knowledge of the ebbs and flows of her 40+ year career. I understood that she is an iconic singer-songwriter who inspired a generation of artists, but I didn’t know exactly how or why.

After dozens of hours listening to every one of Mitchell’s studio albums, I now have a pretty well-formed picture of her wild path. But I still don’t know exactly what to make of it. It is certainly a far more unpredictable and uneven journey than I imagined.

Mitchell’s best-known and most widely beloved songs were all released during her first seven years of recording. A non-rabid fan could hold on to those six albums and disappear the next 13 and not really miss a thing. I didn’t expect that.

I didn’t expect a trio of increasingly experimental jazz albums that left behind such quaint concepts as choruses and memorable melodies. How fascinating that a woman with such a gift for crafting “traditional” songs would choose to leave that behind and even look down on some of her most enduring compositions.

I didn’t expect an iconoclast like Mitchell to succumb so completely to the production style of the 80s, and churn out songs that play like parodies of that decade’s musical crimes.

I didn’t expect such a unique talent to release forgettable, tame, adult contemporary albums in the 90s.

Through all of that, though, Mitchell did manage to sprinkle a few gems. When I eventually whittle down these 19 albums to my official Joni Mitchell Playlist, I’ll end up including at least one track from each of her 19 albums.

But it will be dominated by her work from the early 70s.

Ultimately, despite quite a few disappointments, I’m glad I embarked on this journey because it did expose me to those early albums. I finally embraced Blue as an all-time masterpiece, and I found so much to love on the albums surrounding it.

I discovered my problem with Mitchell’s vocals was restricted to a handful of songs, and was a silly reason to resist her music for so long.

I also got an illuminating glimpse into Mitchell’s life. The love affairs, the controversies, the stories behind the poetry. The daughter she gave up and found again. The voice she wielded like a scalpel, then wrecked, then lost completely.

Of course, me being me, I need to wrap up this deep dive with a list. All 19 Joni Mitchell studio albums, ranked from worst to best:

19. Mingus (1979)
18. Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (1977)
17. Dog Eat Dog (1985)
16. Wild Things Run Fast (1982)
15. Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm (1988)
14. Both Sides Now (2000)
13. Travelogue (2002)
12. Taming the Tiger (1998)
11. Shine (2007)
10. Song to a Seagull (1968)
9. Court and Spark (1974)
8. Turbulent Indigo (1994)
7. Hejira (1976)
6. Clouds (1969)
5. The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)
4. Night Ride Home (1991)
3. For the Roses (1972)
2. Ladies of the Canyon (1970)
1. Blue (1971)

🎵 Part of the Joni Mitchell Deep Dive 🎵
This post is part of my exploration of Joni Mitchell’s studio catalog.
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