Track Listing
1. Reoccurring Dream, The
2. Windfall, The (Everything For Nothing)
3. Slouching Towards Bethlehem
4. Dog Eat Dog
5. Fiction
6. Beat of Black Wings, The
7. No Apologies
8. Sex Kills
9. Three Great Stimulants, The
10. Lakota
11. Ethiopia
12. Cool Water
13. Tax Free
14. Magdalene Laundries, The
15. Passion Play (The Story of Jesus and Zachius...The Little Tax Collector)
16. Impossible Dreamer
| Details | | Contributing Artists: | Alex Acuna, Benjamin Orr, Brian Blade, Don Henley, Iron Eyes Cody, James Taylor, Thomas Dolby, Vinnie Colaiuta, Wayne Shorter, Willie Nelson | | Producer: | Joni Mitchell (Compilation), Joni Mitchell, Larry Klein, Mike Ragogna (Compilation) | | Distributor: | Universal Distribution | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Personnel: Joni Mitchell (vocals, spoken vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, bass guitar, percussion, drum programming); Willie Nelson, Iron Eyes Cody (vocals); Larry Klein (spoken vocals, keyboards, double bass, bass guitar, congas, percussion, programming); Thomas Dolby (spoken vocals, programming); Rod Steiger (spoken vocals); Michael Landau, Bill Dillon (guitar); Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar); Kazu Matsui (shakuhachi); Wayne Shorter (soprano saxophone); Manu Katche (drums, talking drum, percussion); Brian Blade, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums); Alex Acuna (bata, percussion); Don Henley, James Taylor , Michael McDonald, Amy Holland, Benjamin Orr (background vocals).
Since the early 1970s, Joni Mitchell has been staunchly committed to pushing the musical envelope in ways that heighten and reinvent her formidable skill with melody and lyrics. THE BEGINNING OF SURVIVAL, a selection of cuts from Mitchell's albums between 1985 and 1998, proves she is also a keen critic. Thematically sequenced, it plays like a collection of perfectly aimed social critiques. Whether addressing the perils of consumer culture ("The Reoccurring Dream"), evangelism ("Tax Free"), international affairs ("Ethiopia"), or media ("The Three Great Stimulants"), among other issues, Mitchell's concern for America's eroding spiritual values is incisive and affecting.
Though Mitchell's usual reflections on matters of the heart are not to be found here, THE BEGINNING OF SURVIVAL is nevertheless personal. There is a sense of urgency, and her lyrics are informed by a palpable sense of poignancy and desperation. Musically, too, Mitchell's blend of jazz, folk, pop, and avant-garde flourishes is sweeping and impressive. (There is a noticeable influence of electronic music and montage here, especially on the cuts from the Thomas Dolby-assisted DOG EAT DOG.) A superb compilation of Mitchell's latter-day work, THE BEGINNING also testifies to the stunning, unified vision of this accomplished, socially astute artist.
Editorial Reviews
3 stars out of 5 - [With] rhythms that expand and dart, melodies that drape tuneful bits from lofty heights....They yield their own sort of stark magic.
Rolling Stone
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