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Bravo! Joni Mitchell Landmark Album “Blue” Is Number 1 on iTunes 50 Years After Its Release (Listen to Unreleased Demos Here)

Roger Friedman
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Bravo! Joni Mitchell Landmark Album “Blue” Is Number 1 on iTunes 50 Years After Its Release (Listen to Unreleased Demos Here)

 

 

Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of Joni Mitchell’s landmark “Blue” album. Cameron Crowe did a lovely interview with her yesterday in the LA Times.

“Blue” has just hit number 1 on iTunes, 50 years to the day after its release. Bravo! It’s also the number 1 Audio CD on amazon.com.

To celebrate the anniversary Rhino has released a digital 5 track EP of demo’s which you can hear right here on Spotify and YouTube.

“Blue” launched Joni’s classic period that went on to include “For the Roses,” “Court and Spark,” “The Hissing of Summer Lawns,” “Hejira,” and “Mingus.” It’s an extraordinary run of albums considering this was all after “Woodstock,” The Circle Game,” “Both Sides Now,” and “Big Yellow Taxi.”

In the interview with Crowe, there’s talk of Joni as producer of her own albums. What they don’t discuss is that with all those records, no producer was ever listed. Henry Lewy was always the engineer. It wasn’t until new editions of the CDs were released in the 2000s that Joni finally took producer’s credit. She did it all. When you listen to the albums beginning with “Court and Spark” she should get retroactive awards for producing. They are works of genius.

The “Blue” demo tracks will be included this fall on October 29th in a Joni Mitchell Archives set, vol. 2.

JONI MITCHELL
BLUE 50 (DEMOS & OUTTAKES)
Digital EP Track Listing

1. “A Case Of You” – Demo
2. “California” – Demo
3. “Hunter”
4. “River” – with French horns
5. “Urge For Going” – with strings

JONI MITCHELL ARCHIVES VOL. 2: THE REPRISE YEARS (1968 TO 1971)
Full Track Listing

Disc One
Joni’s home (late 1967/early 1968)
1. “Midnight Cowboy” – Version one
2. “The Dawntreader” – Demo with vocal overdub
3. “Song To A Seagull”
4. “Midnight Cowboy” – Version two
Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (late 1967/early 1968)
5. “The Way It Is”
6. “Turn Around” – Incomplete
Home Demo, Joni’s home (late 1967/early 1968)
7. “I Had A King” – Demo with piano overdub
8. “Roses Blue” – Demo with peacock harp overdub
9. “The Fiddle And The Drum” – Piano demo
Song To A Seagull Session, Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA (January 24, 1968)
10. “Jeremy”
11. “Conversation”
12. “Both Sides Now”
13. “The Gift Of The Magi”
Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (early 1968)
14. “It’s Easy”
15. “Another Melody”
Live at Canterbury House, Ann Arbor, MI (March 10, 1968)
16. Introduction
17. “Jeremy”
18. “Songs To Aging Children Come”

Disc Two
Le Hibou Coffee House, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Recorded by Jimi Hendrix (March 19, 1968)
First Set
1. “Night In The City”
2. “Come To The Sunshine”
3. Intro to “The Pirate Of Penance”
4. “The Pirate Of Penance”
5. “Conversation”
6. “The Way It Is”
7. Intro to “The Dawntreader”
8. “The Dawntreader”
Second Set
9. “Marcie”
10. Intro to “Nathan La Franeer”
11. “Nathan La Franeer”
12. Intro to “Dr. Junk”
13. “Dr. Junk”
14. Intro to “Michael From Mountains”
15. “Michael From Mountains”
16. “Go Tell The Drummer Man”
17. Intro to “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
18. “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
19. Intro to “Sisotowbell Lane”
20. “Sisotowbell Lane”
21. Intro to “Ladies Of The Canyon”
22. “Ladies Of The Canyon”
Studio Session, Western Recorders, Hollywood, CA (May 31, 1968)
23. “Come To The Sunshine”
Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (summer 1968)
24. “My Second Album”
25. “Lambert, Hendricks & Ross”
26. “The Pirate Of Penance”
Top Gear BBC Radio Broadcast, London, England (recorded September 23, 1968)
27. Intro to “Chelsea Morning”
28. “Chelsea Morning” – with the John Cameron Group
29. Intro to “The Gallery”
30. “The Gallery”
31. Intro to “Night In The City”
32. “Night In The City” – with the John Cameron Group

Disc Three
Live at Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY (February 1, 1969)
First Set
1. “Chelsea Morning”
2. A Valentine for Joni
3. “Cactus Tree”
4. “Night In The City”
5. “I Had A King”
6. “Blue Boy”
7. My American Skirt
8. “The Fiddle And The Drum”
9. Spoony’s Wonderful Adventure
10. “That Song About The Midway”
11. “Both Sides Now”
Second Set
12. “Marcie”
13. “Nathan La Franeer”
14. Intro to “The Gallery”
15. “The Gallery”
16. “Hunter”
17. “Morning Morgantown”
18. Intro to “Get Together”
19. “Get Together”
20. Intro to “The Circle Game/Little Green”
21. “The Circle Game/Little Green”
Encore
22. “Michael From Mountains”

Disc Four
Live at Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY (February 1, 1969)
1. Intro to “Urge For Going”
2. “Urge For Going”
Clouds Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (spring 1969)
3. “Conversation”
4. “Blue Boy”
5. “The Priest”
Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (mid 1969)
6. “Jesus”
7. Playing piano and vocalizing
The Dick Cavett Show ABC TV Broadcast, New York City, NY (Recorded August 18, 1969)
8. “Chelsea Morning”
9. “Willy”
10. “For Free”
11. Interview
12. “The Fiddle And The Drum”
Ladies Of The Canyon Demo Session, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (late 1969)
13. “Woodstock”
Live at Centennial Auditorium, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (November 1, 1969)
14. “As I Lie Thinking In My Backyard On August 2nd”
15. “Roses Blue”
16. “Rainy Night House”
Ladies Of The Canyon Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (late 1969)
17. “Ladies Of The Canyon” – with cellos
18. “Blue Boy” – with recorder coda
In Concert BBC TV Broadcast, (recorded September 3, 1970)
19. “All I Want”
Blue Demo Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (September 1970)
20. “A Case Of You”
21. “California”

Disc Five
In Concert BBC Radio Broadcast, Paris Theatre, London England (recorded October 29, 1970)
1. Introduction
2. “That Song About The Midway”
3. Intro to “The Gallery”
4. “The Gallery”
5. “Hunter”
6. Intro to “River”
7. “River”
8. “My Old Man”
9. “The Priest”
10. This is a mountain dulcimer
11. “Carey”
12. “A Case Of You” – with James Taylor
13. Intro to “California” – with James Taylor
14. “California” – with James Taylor
15. Intro to “For Free” – with James Taylor
16. “For Free” – with James Taylor
17. Intro to “The Circle Game” – with James Taylor
18. “The Circle Game” – with James Taylor
19. Intro to “You Can Close Your Eyes” – with James Taylor
20. “You Can Close Your Eyes” – with James Taylor
21. “Both Sides Now”
22. Intro to “Big Yellow Taxi”
23. “Big Yellow Taxi”
Blue Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (late 1970/early 1971)
24. “Hunter”
25. “River” – with French horns
26. “Urge For Going” – with strings

Snubbed by the Oscars in 2015, Ava Duvernay’s Magnificent “Selma” is On CBS Tonight

Roger Friedman
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Snubbed by the Oscars in 2015, Ava Duvernay’s Magnificent “Selma” is On CBS Tonight

When I saw “Selma” at its first screening in November 2014, I thought this will win all the Oscars. And this was before the John Legend-Common song, “Glory,” was added to it.

As it turned out, “Selma” was totally snubbed. It got a Best Picture nod, and one for the song, and nothing else. Nothing for director Ava Duvernay, or the actors, especially David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King. Or cinematographer Bradford Young, who is Black.

There was even a star studded premiere. But the studio, Paramount, panicked when criticism came out of nowhere saying Duvernay had purposely made President Lyndon B. Johnson look bad in the movie. It was a ridiculous claim, but it snowballed fast. Whichever Oscar publicist came up with this was no doubt proud of themselves. The Oscar race turned to “Birdman” vs. “Boyhood,” good movies that were not nearly as important or well crafted.

The plot twist: “Glory” won Best Song. That was small consolation. Duvernay and Oyelow and Young were all robbed. But the Academy had yet to diversify. If “Selma” were released now, it might be a different story.

So please watch “Selma” Tonight and see what would have been– just seven years ago. A great movie.

Overview: “Truman & Tennessee” Explores the Two Most Famous Creative Eccentrics of Their Wild Time

Regina Weinreich
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Overview: “Truman & Tennessee” Explores the Two Most Famous Creative Eccentrics of Their Wild Time

Literary titans Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams, both Southerners and gay, travelled in the same artistic circles. Friends with Paul and Jane Bowles, Donald Windham, and Gore Vidal, they were also friends/rivals; each called the other “genius.”

The documentary Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation puts them in dialogue using evocative archival footage. The strategy works well for filmmaker Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s examination their lives and art, using the voices of the actors Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto as needed for readings from letters, journals, and key texts. They make talk show appearances, on Dick Cavett and David Frost. Tennessee reveals that in Streetcar Named Desire, both frail Blanche and brute Stanley are parts of him. Truman says writing In Cold Blood nearly killed him. Clips from the movie versions entertain, yes, and show how vital these figures are to American culture.

Having already documented Diana Vreeland, Peggy Guggenheim, and Cecil Beaton in feature length films, the filmmaker may have been most challenged by moving Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation through the film festival circuit during this pandemic year. At long last, it opens in theaters this week. As the film screened at the Hamptons International Film Festival, I spoke to Lisa Immordano Vreeland about this film about both writers rather than making a biopic about each one.

Lisa Immordino Vreeland: “I intended on doing only Truman. We had already seen so much about his crash, I wanted to do his art. Someone suggested adding Tennessee to the mix. I knew his work as a theatergoer, so I had to catch up on the research, which was great to do. I love going through archives; that’s a big chunk of my work. We created this conversation between the two; it was clear how much they overlapped in the creative process.

“Tennessee was older; there was much we could say in an unconventional manner, to create a story in a nonlinear manner. I wanted to talk about the inner lives of these writers, their mad desire to write and create, and frustration surrounding that. A biopic was not at all the intention. I wanted their voices and beautiful images to convey the feeling of what they were saying. This gave us so much freedom narratively and visually.

Tennessee did not attend Truman’s Black & White Ball in 1966—some call it the party of the century. You don’t dwell on it. Why?

“I wanted to show Truman as a writer. The ball had been talked about in so many ways—I wanted to show the gravitas, the inside of these men—the black and white ball was a party in the end. The writing of In Cold Blood was really part of his downfall, the process of waiting, the decline, so we touched upon the party in a light way, showing his frivolous fun side.

Would you have wanted to go?

“Probably. It was a party! It was such a coveted guest list, can you imagine? It was like when Mrs. Vreeland was doing the party of the year at the Met Costume Institute, –that has now become such a celebrity party; the most sophisticated people in the world were at that party. People were calling, negotiating with him, to be invited. My favorite is the Penelope Tree story—she’s a friend—and she had gotten a Betsey Johnson dress and she cut these holes in it, she wore a long black dress with triangles cut out from the waist over black leggings—she looked absolutely amazing and Cecil Beaton asked her to dance! The only young girl there and Cecil Beaton asked her to dance! And that opened up the door for her. People asked, who is this girl? She looks so different. This was before she was modeling! Beaton and Avedon made her a supermodel. I would I have loved to be Penelope Tree? Yes.

What are you working on now?

Gertrude Stein has interested me for years. She straddled art and literature. It’s time to go back to a woman’s story. I am happy to be at the stage when I am delving into my books again. We don’t have a lot of footage so it will be a challenge.

I am in awe that you are brave enough to tackle subjects who are not alive. You have no central interview.

The positive side to that coin is you don’t have to respond to them. You have to get rights from estates. You are dealing with these characters and the legacy anyway. I feel lucky to be able to make these films.

Will Smith Writes an Autobiography: Will It Include Scientology, Infidelity, Failed Private School, Donations to Nation of Islam?

Roger Friedman
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Will Smith Writes an Autobiography: Will It Include Scientology, Infidelity, Failed Private School, Donations to Nation of Islam?

Will Smith has written an autobiography (with Mark Manson). “Will” will be published on November 9th by Penguin Press.

No doubt “Will” covers Smith’s Philadelphia childhood, rapper career, “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and early movie successes with “Bad Boys” and “Independence Day.” All good.

And when you meet Will Smith, he is relentlessly polite, engaging, and cheerful. All that should come across in the book.

But what remains to be seen is how candid and forthcoming Smith will be about real subjects. For example, he and wife Jada Pinkett Smith started their own private school in Calabasas, California in which they placed their own kids, Jaden and Willow. The school was run by a Scientologist and taught the curriculum. At the time, Will said in interviews that he was open to all groups. This was after he and Jada had become swept in Tom Cruise-mania.

Eventually the school went under, and disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

For years, Will and Jada have also run a sketchy 501(c)3 charity that has given money to odd groups including the Nation of Islam.

More recently, rumors of the Smiths’ open marriage bubbled upon on Jada’s Red Table talk show on Facebook. It was certainly made clear just before the pandemic that each of the spouses had led their own lives and that fidelity was not observed.

So as an honest autobiography from Will Smith would be welcome, who knows what “Will” will reveal. But almost certainly, we’ll get the story of how Will became a rare Hollywood mega star, self-made by sheer dint of hard work.

Will and Manson put this video up in 2018. Will said of choosing a publisher, “I’m very confident we’ll go with the…highest bidder!”

RIP “In the Heights” Not Just Here But Everywhere Around the World, a Head Scratcher for Its Time

Roger Friedman
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RIP “In the Heights” Not Just Here But Everywhere Around the World, a Head Scratcher for Its Time

The final weekend tally is in. “In the Heights” est morte.

Not just here, but everywhere.

The Jon M. Chu directed musical could not get past $20 million in its second week of release. It finished its 14 days at $19.6 million. If Warner Bros. keeps it in theaters over the summer “In the Heights” might get near $40 million, but it’s doubtful.

Even worse, the international audience seems to have no interest in it. It made just $2 million this weekend in other countries, the biggest audience being the UK. And they may have come because of the “Hamilton” connection to Lin Manuel Miranda. In Mexico and Spain, where you think there might have been some enthusiasm, there was none.

It’s a headscratcher, but this thing went wrong fast. Even opening the Tribeca Film Festival didn’t help, maybe because Tribeca and Washington Heights are literally almost 200 blocks apart.

The biggest blow was Lin-Manuel, who everyone loves, allowing himself to apologize for his own work. He killed the movie with that mea culpa. If he didn’t believe in his award winning popular musical, who should? If you bow to social media pressure, you will never hear the end of it, friends.

Not a Shock: Edgar Wright’s Documentary about Very Cult Group Sparks Made No Money Over the Weekend

Roger Friedman
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Not a Shock: Edgar Wright’s Documentary about Very Cult Group Sparks Made No Money Over the Weekend

It should come as no surprise that Edgar Wright’s labor of love, a two and half hour documentary about the rock duo called Sparks, made no money over the weekend.

The bigger surprise is that Focus Features released it to theaters. Almost no one has heard of Sparks, and if they did, they were part of a very inside cult clique.

Sparks is Russell Mael and his brother Ron. They’ve been around since 1967, when I was 10. All through the 70s, when the classic rock canon was established, Sparks had no hits at all. None. I’ve never heard of any of their songs or had any interest in them. No one did. I was into everything from the Beatles to Hendrix to Steely Dan, all of the R&B music of the 70s, then punk, new wave, quirky music, Wreckless Eric, and so on. I thought by then Sparks was gone.

They have persisted, the Maels. The documentary explains how that happened. The 80s, 90s, aughts. The brothers are in their 70s. They’ve never collaborated with anyone even remotely well known, participated in any high visibility activity, been cited suddenly as influences.  Their last top 100 album was in 1983 and it peaked at number 88. Their 10 fans probably think I’m some dunderhead too stupid to get them. They’re right! I feel that away about They Might Be Giants, as well. They might have been, but I never got it.

I don’t think I’ve even heard these groups played on Little Steven’s Sirius Radio station, they really get into obscure stuff.

So now, Sparks has sold 3,000 albums this year according to Buzz Angle/Alpha Data. And that’s all in the last couple of weeks thanks to the documentary and press about them. They have a new album on BMG called “A Steady Drip Drip Drip” which is an apt title for their life story.

Over the weekend, Wright’s documentary made $265,000 in over 500 theaters. The per screen average was $496. My guess is this will be the high. Maybe “Sparks” will be a streaming or cable hit. Anything is possible. To me, Sparks will always be a steakhouse on 45th St. where there was a mob hit. Call it an East Coast thing.

I don’t blame Edgar Wright. He’s a famous director, he can get financing and distribution, and this was his passion. He loves music. “Baby Driver” is one of the great films of this century. So more power to him. He’s probably planning a narrative film based on the doc, with Ansel Elgort playing both Maels. I wouldn’t miss it.

 

The Amazing Story of Disney’s “Cruella” and How it Went from Bomb to Unexpected Hit

Roger Friedman
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The Amazing Story of Disney’s “Cruella” and How it Went from Bomb to Unexpected Hit

You know, I really liked “Cruella.” I said so in my review.

Then came the naysayers, and the $30 surcharge to see it on Disney Plus. “Cruella” opened on May 28th against “A Quiet Place 2” and didn’t do so well. In fact, Disney started cutting its theater count and box office starting falling. On Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of last week, “Cruella” dipped significantly below $1 million a day.

But then! Lo and behold! A trend popped up. Down from its high of 3,922 theaters to 3,100, “Cruella” has just had a terrific weekend. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday– respectively $1.5 mil, $1.9 mil, $1.7 mil. It’s up to $64 million US and $138 mil worldwide. Word of mouth must be good, and should be good. Emmas Stone and Thompson are a hoot, the whole thing is a lot of fun. Who cares that Cruella kills her adoptive mother? Get over it!

So maybe they’ll get to $75 million or more. And maybe instead of spending $30 over and above the Disney Plus sub, people are going to the movie theater to see those amazing sets and costumes. They’re award winners, by the way. and must be seen on a big screen.

“Cruella” gets a happy ending, and I’m very pleased. Plus, the soundtrack is a hit, Now we need a Volume 2.

RIP Joan Benny, 86, Daughter of Famed Comedian Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone, Best Selling Author (UPDATED)

Roger Friedman
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RIP Joan Benny, 86, Daughter of Famed Comedian Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone, Best Selling Author (UPDATED)

It does seem that Joan Benny, the beloved daughter of famed comedian Jack Benny and his wife Mary Livingstone, has died at age 86 from pancreatic cancer.

There’s no official word, but several mentions have been made of Joan’s passing on Facebook. A friend, Vivian Serota, confirmed that she placed an obit in the New York Times’ paid obit section today.

According to the Facebook reports, Joan Benny died on June 10th, a week shy of her 87th birthday. She leaves four children and several grandchildren.

Joan was the author of “Sundays at Seven,” a bestselling memoir about her parents. I met her a few times over the years, and being a huge Jack Benny fan, was thrilled. She was a lovely lady.

Official obit:

Joan Benny died peacefully at home on June 10th, just seven days before her 87th birthday. Joan died of Pancreatic Cancer, ironically the same disease which took her famous father, Jack Benny.Joan grew up surrounded by fame, with movie magazines running feature stories about her family. Her first wedding drew huge press attention, mainly because her father paid for an extremely lavish and expensive wedding, despite his professional persona which was notoriously stingy.

Professionally, Joan had her own brushes with fame as she stood in for her mother in the last years of her father’s radio broadcasts. She also appeared as herself in several of the radio and television episodes. She was one of the most memorable contestants on Password in the early 60’s. The most entertaining were the games when her father was her opponent. These Password episodes can still be seen on Youtube.

Joan published “Sunday Nights at Seven” following her father’s death in 1974. Its title was an homage to the day and time when the Jack Benny Show aired. The book consisted of large parts of her father’s unpublished autobiography combined with her own memories and thoughts about growing up with a famous father in the heyday of Hollywood where stars like Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, Ronald Coleman, Joan Crawford and George Burns were frequent visitors.

Ms. Benny leaves behind four grown children, Michael Rudolph, Maria Rudolph, Robert Blumofe and Joanna Meiseles, as well as seven grandchildren.

 

 

Box Office: “In the Heights” Only Made $4 Mil During the Week, Cancel Culture Destroys A Film’s Chances

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “In the Heights” Only Made $4 Mil During the Week, Cancel Culture Destroys A Film’s Chances

What happened here is quite sad.

“In the Heights” made only $4 million during the week, bringing its total through Thursday night to $15.4 million. It’s pretty much DOA. This weekend will be crucial for its future. But I’m afraid the news is bad.

UPDATE: Friday night box office was only $1.4 mil, looking at $4mil tops for the weekend, maybe hitting $20 mil total.

The Jon M. Chu directed adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Broadway hit got great reviews from critics, at one point up to 99%.

But it turned out to be for a very niche audience.

The first big problem was that there was no breakout song for people to hum or whistle, or want to hear on the radio. While the soundtrack sold well this week, it’s not a big crossover hit like “The Greatest Showman.”

Then, disaster stuck as cancel culture came for the movie and anyone who supported it. The Latinx community criticized “In the Heights” for not having Afro-Latin cast members with dark skin. They said it didn’t represent the real community of Dominicans in Washington Heights.

Even Rita Moreno, the EGOT Winner and beloved 89 year old actress, was accosted by the social media lynch mob for voicing her support of the film. She actually apologized! She shouldn’t have done that. Rita Moreno has nothing to apologize for. These stupid people do.

So “In the Heights” is dead, killed by the mob. Its music, culture, colors, ebullience, all wrecked. I hope everyone is happy now.

 

 

“Springsteen on Broadway” Backtracks on Astra Zeneca Vaccinated Fans: Now All WHO Approved May Come

Roger Friedman
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“Springsteen on Broadway” Backtracks on Astra Zeneca Vaccinated Fans: Now All WHO Approved May Come

WHO are you? WHO? WHO?

Springsteen on Broadway has backtracked on its vaccine proclamation, to the relief of Canadians and other international tourists.

The show — sold out, and selling from scalpers at astronomical prices — originally said they’d only accept those who could prove they’d had FDA approved vaccinations.

But now the show says also WHO approved, meaning Astra Zeneca and maybe even Russian Sputnik are okay.

The website now reads:

“Guests will need to be fully vaccinated with an FDA or WHO approved vaccine in order to attend SPRINGSTEEN ON BROADWAY and must show proof of vaccination at their time of entry into the theatre with their valid ticket. “Fully vaccinated” means the performance date you are attending must be:

  • at least 14 days after your second dose of a FDA or WHO approved two dose COVID-19 vaccine, or
  • at least 14 days after your single dose of a FDA or WHO approved single dose COVID-19 vaccine.”

Can you imagine being in Canada and spending a couple thou on tickets only to learn your vaccine was no good? (Actually I can’t imagine either part of that question.)

So good news for all. Frankly, after what I saw around town last night, everyone’s just gone back to pre-times, no proof of vax, no masks, no temp taking. This thing had really better be over!

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