Joni Mitchell - Blue

"…As remastered from the original master tapes by maestro Steve Hoffman, Blue has weathered well the ravages of time and storage…the 180-gram reissue features quieter surfaces that dramatically enliven low-level resolution, increase dynamic range, and permit the contributions of 'sidemen' like Stephen Stills and James Taylor to shine…Most significantly, there's a near elimination of the gritty texture that sometimes dogged Joni's vocal peaks." – Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound, June/July 2007

"…the reissue has far greater presence and physicality and is more immediate, dynamic, detailed and especially transparent. To their credit, Gray and Hoffman didn't try to mess with the original's intent. They've remained true to it while improving upon it in every way. Highest recommendation, and a most highly anticipated reissue that lives up to every high expectation." Music = 11/11; Sound = 10/11 – Michael Fremer, www.musicangle.com

"…An awesome collaboration between the great Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman – as well as some major hunting in the tape vaults to get to the original tapes – has given us, I think, a masterpiece of vocal repertoire in what is considered a high-point album for Mitchell…A great disc with great sound." – Richard S. Foster, Hi-Fi+, Issue 50

One of the truly great recordings. An audiophile favorite for years. NOW MASTERED BY KEVIN GRAY and STEVE HOFFMAN at ACOUSTECH MASTERING and PRESSED AT RTI!!!

Without a doubt, one of the most important and influential artists in all of contemporary music, Joni Mitchell is much more than a legendary icon of the singer-songwriter art form. Since her 1968 debut LP, the five-time Grammy winner has released a long string of stellar albums as emotionally powerful as they are stylistically diverse. This is her 1972 poetic masterpiece, now on 180-gram HQ vinyl. Featuring such memorable songs as "Carey," "All I Want" and "California."

"This is a really wonderful album; Joni just laid it all out there for the world to hear. Brave, especially back in the day…I feel that this new version is the true giant killer. Unlike the original 1970's pressings, this new version was mastered without ANY added compression whatsoever, making it a true problem child in cutting (of our own making) but I wouldn't have it any other way. After many spoiled lacquer masters and one too many Altoids, it was finished to everybody's satisfaction. The effort was worth it. The ebb and flow of the music is totally intact. Parts were cut, plated and pressed at Record Tech (RTI) and the actual 1971 Reprise master tape (as recorded and mixed at A&M Recording Studios) was used in disk cutting, bypassing the usual/"EQ'd and Compressed Cutting Master" completely. Unlike the DCC, most of the songs on this vinyl version were cut without ANY equalization at all so this will be the closest you will ever be able to get to the sound of the true master tape of Blue. It was exciting to work on and I'm sure it will please y'all." – Steve Hoffman, mastering engineer

play pause	1. All I Want
play pause	2. My Old Man
play pause	3. Little Green
play pause	4. Carey
	5. Blue
	6. California
	7. This Flight Tonight
	8. River
	9. A Case Of You
	10. The Last Time I Saw Richard

Customer Reviews (4.35 Stars) 20 person(s) rated this product.

Sucked me right in posted on 03/02/2019 5 Stars Reviewer: RWC Finally got this, along with the new release of Court and Spark. The first listen was practically a religious experience. This is one of those albums that was in constant rotation throughout late high school and college, and for sometime beyond. Perhaps my old copy is just played to death, but the clarity, texture, dynamic range, and silent background of this release sucked me right in. My brother, who was eight years older than I, introduced me to JM, along with much other music, long before many of my peers were aware. Hearing this again in such beautiful sound sucked me into its core. My brother has been gone for some time now, as is the college girlfriend for whom this was a favorite record, and so are the late summer nights in my little apartment where I heard it played over and over from the neighbor's window. But all that and more came back as I listened; the sound is so captivating. This is what music can do. Grateful for this new release.

Bought It For My Wife - 5 Stars For That! posted on 10/01/2012 4 Stars Reviewer: Kenny Fleshman I like to slip a wife-favorite LP into an order. She puts up with my record hobby and is thrilled when I pull out something like this. We listened to the whole thing together (she got the hot seat) and she loved it. I think the recording is very good, but not QRP level good. It's a great album, although not my favorite Joni LP, but it was worth it to keep my wife in the loop on my music system and ignoring the recipts on the debit card.

Very nice... posted on 03/12/2010 5 Stars Great album and a great recording. Background noise is non-existent. Could listen to this one over and over.

Incredible Album but not satisfied with this remaster posted on 04/29/2009 3 Stars Gotta agree with the "few" - but it seems that all "my" Warner Bros/Rhino remasters have alot of noise in certain areas. And I've got a great system and cartridge. Remasters from Mobile Fidelity and Speakers Corner are incredibly "quiet & rich" - yet this album and the first James Taylor have alot of noise, almost "static", in the high ranges. It's quite hard to listen to it.

Absolute genius posted on 09/16/2008 5 Stars True poesy from a muse with Canadian roots and worldly insight. 'Must-have' lists are overdone, but Blue should be on everyone's. The sound: Blacker than black on the silent passages and great range without any stridency in the upper registers. This recording will give you goose bumps!

A singer's singer! posted on 05/28/2008 5 Stars Reviewer: Steve S., McLean, NY Although I had known of Joni for a long time, I always thought of her as just another folk singer (not all that crazy about that genre) until I was introduced to her jazz explorations -- notably "Mingus" and "Shadows and Light." Since then I've acquired some of her older stuff on CD -- Blue, Ladies of the Canyon, For the Roses -- and have marveled at her poetry, her incredible harmonic and melodic gifts, and her ability to communicate on such a personal level. She has a terrific vocal range and her intonation is dead on. This 180g vinyl release of her classic "Blue" showcases her vocals in a way that earlier releases can't approach. Such warmth and clarity. "Case of You" began and had I not known better I could have sworn she was in my living room strumming her guitar and singin' 'bout her man.

fantastic clarity and voicing posted on 03/23/2008 5 Stars Reviewer: william the vinyl shows off Joni Mitchell's voice beautifully-a great album

Gorgeous! posted on 02/16/2008 5 Stars Reviewer: montysano There are several negative reviews of this new "Blue", but I surely can't hear the "nasal tone" that they hear (and I think I have a decent ear). The biggest thing I notice: even on my best copy of the original release, Joni's vocals get a bit harsh during the more forceful passages. They're rendered much better here. "Blue" must have been a challenge to record and to master: her voice, here at it's height, could go from whisper soft to meter-pegging in an instant. "The instrument placement is now vague"? Crank "Carey" up nice and loud: the dimensionality is amazing. My copy plays dead quiet, and the dynamic range is huge. No complaints here. It's a fine reissue of this landmark recording; Lord, she was amazing.

Songs Are Like Tattoos: An Indelibly Beautiful LP posted on 11/07/2007 5 Stars Reviewer: Christopher Pereira Blue has been, will always be my desert-island record, and so for thirty five years I have searched for the perfect "Blue". I own pressings from Canada, France, Germany, USA, Japan, and Great Britain. With Blue, Joni Mitchell set the unmatched standard for the singer/songwriter genere, and with this pressing - quiet, dynamic, detailed - Rhino has put an end to my search. This is The Perfect Blue. As Joni says, "songs are like tattoos" and this is an indelibly beautiful record. I am most grateful to Steve Hoffman and to Rhino Records for their exemplary work on this splendid record. (More, please!)

Unforgetable posted on 10/11/2007 5 Stars Played on a fine playback system with a fine wine is an unforgetable experience This disc is a must for any Mitchell fan.

How to ruin a classic posted on 09/07/2007 2 Stars Reviewer: Tony Once again I've been taken in by the hype and have wasted money. My original copy sounds sweeter, more open, more expressive, more natural and above all a lot more musical than this crass abomination of a remastering job. I lasted three tracks with the Hoffman effort, by which time I'd completely lost interest. I put on my original copy and listened from start to finish; it became obvious again why 'Blue' is considered an all-time classic.

bad remaster posted on 06/11/2007 1 Stars Was very dissapointed with this reissue after reading all the good things about it.Not very well done in my opinion.I have a 2nd issue white label that kills it in all aspects and cost me 50 cents.Of 4 other domestic issues i own-the new one comes in last place by a wide margin!I hope the rest of this series gets better results!

Simply Gorgeous Sound & Music! posted on 06/04/2007 5 Stars Reviewer: Charles This LP sounds absolutely amazing! I have an original first pressing of Blue on Reprise and this version by Hoffman/Gray is substantially better. If anyone tells you otherwise their turntable isn't setup correctly or they have something funky going on with their gear. I wish they could all sound this good.

Save your money-search out the original pressing. posted on 05/30/2007 3 Stars Reviewer: Michael Kaplan Compared to the original pressing the Rhino reissue has a somewhat nasal tonal balance and a loss of imaging. The reissue is more dynamic but Joni voice does not sound natural and the instrument placement is now vague. Listen carefully to the first cut especially the closing bars. If you cannot find the original pressing the Rhino reissue is still worth owning.

Blue Reborn posted on 04/24/2007 5 Stars Reviewer: Badmusic I have the original of this LP, and this new release is much, much better. Highly recommended!

Perfection on Vinyl posted on 04/04/2007 5 Stars Reviewer: Vinyl_Fan What can you say about one of the most prolific artists in music history? Joni Mitchell’s album “Blue” is about as good as it gets. Although I was born after the significance of this album, I can still listen to songs like 'Blue' and 'River,' close my eyes and somehow, feel as though I was there. Her ability to weave such powerful storytelling into her music is something very few artists can do. A true testament to an artist’s skill is how their work holds up over time. Ms. Mitchell’s music proves this over and over. If you do not currently own this album, you may want to consider adding it to your collection. You won’t be sorry!

The Poet With The Gifted Voice posted on 04/03/2007 4 Stars Is there anything else that can be said of Joni Mitchell? She's probably got the highest intelligence quotient of any singer in history. And Blue is certainly one of her most notable albums; well recorded so that if it errs it does so by omission rather than commission. Cary, California, and Blue in particular certianly do captivate. The one thing I couldn't figure out was if this latest album was just a reissue of the original '71, or if Joni recorded it all over again in the present day? Not overly important, given that if anything she's gotten better with age. Well, gotta get back to listening. So much music, so little time. Take care, Chad. And thanks for keeping vinyl alive for all these years, when most of us had given up on it.

A good copy of Blue (at last) posted on 03/07/2007 5 Stars Reviewer: Sparky Shaver Of course, we all know this is classic Joni. Great pressing but, on my system, loud vocals on this release can sound a bit shrill. But not all the time. We know the music. We know this is a record to die for example of Joni at her best with her voice mature but still girlish and vulnerable. All In all, a wonderful purchase.

BLUE Spectacular re-master! posted on 02/25/2007 5 Stars Reviewer: Ross Jervis Exquisite, quintessential, and just so damn good is how I can only describe this delicious piece of RTI Gray/Hoffman re-mastered vinyl. Wow! This record has meant so much to me and I’ve listened to it countless times, it has always spoken to me and now my soul can really feel it. I’ve had it on ‘regular’ vinyl, ‘regular’ cd, and cd with HDCD and none of these come close to the total nakedness and beauty of this version. The vocals are just so right there, so palatable, so sexy and humanely textured. I believe Hoffman when he says this is as close to the master that we will ever get. Just spectacular! I’m going to buy some back ups. Wondering when Chad will get his hands on the Sinatra Capital master tapes? Ross Jervis, Erie PA

Joni On Fire posted on 01/27/2007 5 Stars Reviewer: Scott Sena It's a pleasure to finally hear this album "as nature intended". This album was recorded with a lot of mindrange punch, and for all these years, dynamics were compressed on LP until now. It takes a better-than-average cartridge to track this. Kevin Gray went through a few laquers before getting this right, and it's been well worth the effort. Another wonderful job by RTI and everyone involved. To cut this to disc as raw and powerful as it was mixed to master was a real challange. There's nothing quite like BLUE.

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