Mitchell, Joni - BOTH SIDES NOW [DVD-A]

[JonUrban]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this 2001 DVD-Audio release on Reprise from Joni Mitchell

[neil wilkes]

This is absolutely divine.
I was wondering for ages about whether or not to buy the beast, as Joni can be great or indifferent - there does not seem to be a middle way.
BUT - this is a new recording, and features a superb orchestral arrangement that perfectly compliments Joni's vocals here - and right from the lush intro of the first track we feel that this is going to be a treat - and it is, all the way through to the finale, a new version of the title track.

It's writen & assembled as that old favourite from the hippy era, a concept album detailing the progress of a relationship from the first flushes through the whole process to the final disillusionment as everything starts to break down.
Beautifully mixed, performed & arranged as well.

Recommended.

[bmoura]

This is absolutely divine.
I was wondering for ages about whether or not to buy the beast, as Joni can be great or indifferent - there does not seem to be a middle way.
BUT - this is a new recording, and features a superb orchestral arrangement that perfectly compliments Joni's vocals here - and right from the lush intro of the first track we feel that this is going to be a treat - and it is, all the way through to the finale, a new version of the title track.

It's writen & assembled as that old favourite from the hippy era, a concept album detailing the progress of a relationship from the first flushes through the whole process to the final disillusionment as everything starts to break down.
Beautifully mixed, performed & arranged as well.

Recommended.

This one is an interesting recording. It's a Direct Stream Digital (DSD) recording mixed to 5.1 Surround Sound by Frank Filipetti of James Taylor "Hourglass" fame.

[k8_fan]

While I'd love to hear Joni's original recordings in DVD-A, I won't be buying this one. She's destroyed her voice and lungs by smoking several packs a day (it's virtually impossible to find a picture of Joni without a cigarette). I hears this version of "Both Sides Now" in the movie "Love, Actually" and it was painful. Lines that had been sung in a single breath on the original were broken into two or even three on this recording:

I've looked at love (breath) from both sides now (breath) from give and take (breath) and still somehow...

It's too much to bear to hear an artist with such an insturment do such damage to it. It's as if Nigel Kennedy used his Stradivarious to hammer in a nail.

[Chris Gerhard]

While I'd love to hear Joni's original recordings in DVD-A, I won't be buying this one. She's destroyed her voice and lungs by smoking several packs a day (it's virtually impossible to find a picture of Joni without a cigarette). I hears this version of "Both Sides Now" in the movie "Love, Actually" and it was painful. Lines that had been sung in a single breath on the original were broken into two or even three on this recording:

I've looked at love (breath) from both sides now (breath) from give and take (breath) and still somehow...

It's too much to bear to hear an artist with such an insturment do such damage to it. It's as if Nigel Kennedy used his Stradivarious to hammer in a nail.

I purchased the CD when this first came out and I thought her voice wasn't as strong as when she was young, but thought she still sounded fine. Although most of the songs on this have been done better by others, I still thought it was a fine effort. Judy Collins has a better voice for the title track in any event. Joni Mitchell is such an incredible songwriter, I hope her original songs last as long as the songs she recorded here. What an enormous talent she is. I don't have a clue how anybody so brilliant could smoke, but that is another matter.

Chris

[daved64]

I don't have a clue how anybody so brilliant could smoke, but that is another matter.

Chris

Go here:
http://www.jusonline.nl/smokers/gallery01.html

[neil wilkes]

This one is an interesting recording. It's a Direct Stream Digital (DSD) recording mixed to 5.1 Surround Sound by Frank Filipetti of James Taylor "Hourglass" fame.

You reckon?
On my copy, it states that it was
"remixed to Surround Sound by Larry Klein & Allen Sides, Ocean Way Studios".
DVD-Audio mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway mastering.

No mention of DSD (you cannot remix DSD unless it is first turned into PCM, as it's not possible to EQ/Mix in single bit systems, as the very act of mixing or using any form of processing turns the whole thing multi-bit) and no mention of Frank Filipetti either.
It's possible the PCM mix was then encoded to DSD, but not the other way around. It might (I do not know for sure) be feasible to mix a DSD stream without it going PCM/Multibit nowadays, but definitely not when this was done. It is one of the single biggest arguments against DSD in general (The fact that by definition, any mixing digitally has to be multi-bit)

[bmoura]

You reckon?
On my copy, it states that it was
"remixed to Surround Sound by Larry Klein & Allen Sides, Ocean Way Studios".
DVD-Audio mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway mastering.

No mention of DSD (you cannot remix DSD unless it is first turned into PCM, as it's not possible to EQ/Mix in single bit systems, as the very act of mixing or using any form of processing turns the whole thing multi-bit) and no mention of Frank Filipetti either.
It's possible the PCM mix was then encoded to DSD, but not the other way around. It might (I do not know for sure) be feasible to mix a DSD stream without it going PCM/Multibit nowadays, but definitely not when this was done. It is one of the single biggest arguments against DSD in general (The fact that by definition, any mixing digitally has to be multi-bit)

The album was recorded in DSD. There were several articles on it at the time it was made. Including comments by Mitchell and Klein about how they would like to see it issued as a Surround SACD.

[oxenholme]

Hate it.

[daved64]

Hate it.

Musically or mix or both? I've played it a few times. Not exactly one I go to often.

[JonUrban]

Hate it.

I don't like it either. It sounds good and all, but it would have been nicer to get a DVD-A of "For the Roses", "Court and Spark", "Blue", "Miles of Aisles", etc., instead.

[oxenholme]

Musically or mix or both? I've played it a few times. Not exactly one I go to often.

Musically. It is (silverline excepted) the only hi-rez disc that I've got rid of. It's a matter of opinion of course, but knowing how superb she can be I just couldn't believe how much I didn't like it.

Why, why, why did they pick this one for the solitary hi-rez release? Surely if they are trying to attract customers to a new medium they could have released something a little more commercial (Hits?) as well?

A little late, I fear, unless DVD Albums catch on.

[bmoura]

Why, why, why did they pick this one for the solitary hi-rez release? Surely if they are trying to attract customers to a new medium they could have released something a little more commercial (Hits?) as well?

The answer undoubtedly is that the album was recorded in Hi Rez (Direct Stream Digital) for Surround Sound and Hi Rez disc release.

I remember hearing the song "Both Sides Now" before the Hi Rez edition came out. It was a playback in DSD right off the Sonoma DSD Master Tape at one of the early DSD/SACD demos put on by Sony & Philips years ago. Very impressive !

[Big Stevie]

Go here:
http://www.jusonline.nl/smokers/gallery01.html

sorry to spoil the fun, but they are glorifying a nasty right-wing dutch politician there as some kind of hero bäh
:thumbsdow

[timbre4]

I own the Both Sides Now DVD-A but haven't played it since it came out. Nice orchestra and effort but....

I went to the trouble of cloning off the 2.0 mix analog style for iTunes and iPod but so far it's iDon't or iSkip when any songs come on from it.

[rusinurbe]

Nice disc picked up recently an E-bay bargain at £7.00

The mix is not over the top but the sound quality is top notch.

The music is good but not Joni's best.

My Wife liked it which means it will get played lots anyway.

for me its stands up much better when cranked up a bit.

10 for the recording quality only 7 for the mix total 8.5 i dont think this is quite a 9 disc so i'll give it 8 subjectvly of course.

having voted just seen the graph there seems to be quite a spread of opinion on this one though !!

[HDJK]

Since I am admittedly not a long time Joni Mitchel fan I had no issues with the music or her voice. I have owned the CD for a couple of years now and the surround mix really helps the mood set by the tunes. A solid 8.

[jarofclay73]

Don't you find it ironic that there is a portrait of her smoking on th cover?