Fifty Year Friday: Joni Mitchell, Clouds; Sly & The Family Stone, Stand!
Released on May 1, 1969, Clouds, is the second album from singer/songwriter extraordinaire, Joni Mitchel.
With impressive blend of strong songs including the likes of “Chelsea Morning”, “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”, the musically radiant ‘Songs of Aging Children Come” and the lyrically emotive “Both Sides, Now”, Clouds is one of those classic albums that appeals to casual and thoughtful listeners alike. By the middle of the 1970s, it seemed as if almost every baby boomer young woman between 18 and 25 had a copy. The acoustic guitar work sparkles, and the lyrics range from solid to perfection. To this very day, I consider “Both Sides Now” to be one of the best examples of simple, accessible, and straightforward, yet significantly meaningful, lyrics seamlessly blended with the equivalent level of music into one of the most memorable pop songs ever. What are some of your favorites from this album?
Track listing [from Wikipedia]
All tracks written by Joni Mitchell.
| Side one | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | “Tin Angel” | 4:09 |
| 2. | “Chelsea Morning“ | 2:35 |
| 3. | “I Don’t Know Where I Stand” | 3:13 |
| 4. | “That Song About the Midway” | 4:38 |
| 5. | “Roses Blue” | 3:52 |
| Side two | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | “The Gallery” | 4:12 |
| 2. | “I Think I Understand” | 4:28 |
| 3. | “Songs to Aging Children Come” | 3:10 |
| 4. | “The Fiddle and the Drum“ | 2:50 |
| 5. | “Both Sides, Now“ | 4:32 |
Musicians
- Joni Mitchell – composer, cover art, guitar, keyboards, producer, vocals
- Stephen Stills – bass, guitar
Everything came together for Sly Stone and his group in the all-out, upbeat, funkadelic Stand! album, released on May 3, 1969. Sly Stone scores big musically and lyrically including the most funky music recorded up to that point in time and a relevant social consciousness befitting a late sixties album.
Track listing [From Wikipedia]
All songs written, produced and arranged by Sly Stone for Stone Flower Productions.
Side One
- “Stand!” – 3:08
- “Don’t Call Me Nigger, Whitey” – 5:58
- “I Want to Take You Higher” – 5:22
- “Somebody’s Watching You” – 3:20
- “Sing a Simple Song” – 3:56
Side Two
- “Everyday People” – 2:21
- “Sex Machine” – 13:45
- “You Can Make It If You Try” – 3:37
Sly and the Family Stone
- Sly Stone – vocals, organ, guitar, piano, harmonica, vocoder, bass guitar on “You Can Make it if You Try”
- Freddie Stone – vocals, guitar
- Larry Graham – vocals, bass guitar (except on “You Can Make it if You Try”)
- Rose Stone – vocals, piano, keyboard
- Cynthia Robinson – trumpet, vocal ad-libs, background vocals on “I Want to Take You Higher”
- Jerry Martini – saxophone, background vocals on “I Want to Take You Higher”
- Greg Errico – drums, background vocals on “I Want to Take You Higher”
- Little Sister (Vet Stone, Mary McCreary, Elva Mouton) – background vocals on “Stand!”, “Sing a Simple Song”, “Everyday People” and “I Want to Take you Higher”
zumpoems 