THE 50(ISH) GREATEST ALBUMS OF ALL TIME
Reds, Greens, Oranges and Blue.
Album #44 : Joni Mitchell — Blue
Perhaps it is a self-fulfilling prophesy, but this feels like a very autumnal album. And so it is fitting I am giving it its first proper listen on a Sunday walk. Care to join me?
First things first, it looks sunny but it is cold out. Wrap up properly because it is a proper, crisp autumnal day. Bright and fresh, sunglasses and scarves weather. All I Want plays as we leave the flat and head across the car park to start out walk proper.
We reach Hotspur Street and turn left, then quickly right, then left. Making our way around the perimeter of the children’s playground which I am convinced is quicker than the other way, even though both routes are two sides of a square.
Now, down Queen Margaret Drive as Joni Mitchell sings about her old man, (who don’t need no piece of paper from the city hall, keeping us tied and true). We’ll stay on the right hand side of the road and look across at the cafés and shops — the brave punters sitting on the last sun they’ll see all year, testing the warmth to it’s limits. Extracting every last drop of vitamin D.
Crossing the road now and down the slope, we join the Kelvin Walkway. The river on our right as we head towards Finnieston, we are immediately transported from a bustling city centre to the countryside. At this point the walkway is far lower than any road and so it feels like cheating — escaping into some country path and looking up at the bridges and cars who don’t know what they’re missing. Joni sings on about a new baby, ‘call it green’ she sings — it would be appropriate if the leaves weren’t already brown and orange and red.
Keep on the pathway, passed that path I followed once that let to an idea about a novel I never wrote (one day maybe), under the bridge and passed Inn Deep. Some punters are starting early, or carrying on nicely, in the pseudo-outside archway area of the bar.
Onwards again, still down the pathway, into Kelvingrove Park. By this time California is playing, the best song on the album for my money, you may disagree. The park isn’t quite Californian in nature, but there is plenty of sunshine and love in the air, nonetheless. We come up out of the park onto Kelvin Way, glance to our left and see a girl in her twenties rooting through the leaves, foraging for the best ones. Maybe she’s making an old school collage? Oh, no, we glance back and see she’s posing for a photo — presumably for Instagram. On another day I would have internally scolded her but today I wonder why — why do I care what she does with her Sunday afternoon? You do you, random park girl.
A little further down, a couple are sharing an ice cream. It is 10 degrees, we think, where are you even getting an ice cream from? It’s a proper cone as well. Now I want an ice cream, you remind me it’s October in Glasgow.
Back onto the roads and as Blue draws to a close, penultimate track A Case of You is quite fitting as we arrive closer to our real destination. We are, of course, at the beer shop. We’re here to buy cans.
Oh you thought this was just a wholesome, sunny meander?
Let’s discuss that on the way back.
Thanks for reading — over the course of 2021, I’ll be reviewing 50(ish) of the greatest albums ever recorded. You can see the list here:
There is also a playlist featuring the best song from each album here.
