All songs written by Joni Mitchell except "Twisted" (Ross/Grey).

Composer: Joni Mitchell.

Personnel: Joni Mitchell (vocals, guitar, piano, Clavinet, keyboards, background vocals); Joni Mitchell; Cheech & Chong (vocals, background vocals); Dennis Dudimir (electric guitar); Victor Feldman (keyboards, percussion); Jim Hughart, Max Bennett, Wilton Felder (bass instrument); Chong, Tommy Chong, Cheech Marin (background vocals); Graham Nash (vocals, harmonica, background vocals); David Crosby, Susan Webb (vocals, background vocals); Dennis Budimir, José Feliciano, Larry Carlton, Robbie Robertson, Wayne Perkins (guitar, electric guitar); Tom Scott (reeds, woodwinds, wind); Chuck Findley (trumpet); Joe Sample (electric piano, keyboards); John Guerin (drums, percussion); Milt Holland (percussion, chimes).

All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.

Photographer: Norman Seeff.

Arrangers: Joni Mitchell; Tom Scott.

Joni Mitchell reached her commercial high point with Court and Spark, a remarkably deft fusion of folk, pop, and jazz which stands as her best-selling work to date. While as unified and insightful as Blue, the album -- a concept record exploring the roles of honesty and trust in relationships, romantic and otherwise -- moves away from confessional songwriting into evocative character studies: the hit "Free Man in Paris," written about David Geffen, is a not-so-subtle dig at the machinations of the music industry, while "Raised on Robbery" offers an acutely funny look at the predatory environment of the singles bar scene. Much of Court and Spark is devoted to wary love songs: both the title cut and "Help Me," the record's most successful single, carefully measure the risks of romance, while "People's Parties" and "The Same Situation" are fraught with worry and self-doubt (standing in direct opposition to the music, which is smart, smooth, and assured from the first note to the last). ~ Jason Ankeny

COURT AND SPARK completed Joni Mitchell's transition from folk-singer to sophisticated rock auteur. In addition to her meticulously crafted melodies and evocative, image-rich lyrics, the songs here are breezy and immediately appealing. This is in part due to Tom Scott's L.A. Express, a sinuous jazz-based combo, but also to Mitchell's knack for pop hooks, which abound on COURT AND SPARK. The album's accessibility made it Mitchell's most commercially successful, yet the personal intensity and insight of her songwriting never wavers.

"Help Me" was a hit single, as was "Free Man in Paris," an expansive pop frolic that is reputedly a dig at industry mogul David Geffen. Mitchell returns to the terrain of piano balladry on "The Same Situation" and "Down to You"; yet even on these, as on the excellent social satire "People's Parties," one can hear the influence of jazz on her vocal phrasing and intonations. The rock-&-roll romp "Raised on Robbery" and the bluesy, comic swing of "Twisted" mix things up a bit, showing the artist's increasing ability to master and manipulate any form. COURT AND SPARK is one of Mitchell's finest albums, confirming her standing as one of the most important and subtle talents of the rock era.