Court and Spark is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriterJoni Mitchell. Released by Asylum Records in January 1974, it infuses thefolk rock style of her previous albums withjazz elements.
Mitchell did not release a new album in 1973, the first year she had not done so in her professional career. Her previous offering,For the Roses, was released in November 1972 to critical and commercial success, and Mitchell decided to spend the whole of the next year writing and recording a new album that revealed her growing interest in new sounds—particularlyjazz. During 1973 her stage appearances were fewer than in previous years. She performed in April in a benefit concert at theSir George Williams University Auditorium and then appeared live again in August, twice at The Corral Club, accompanied byNeil Young.
Mitchell spent most of 1973 in the recording studio creatingCourt and Spark. Mitchell and engineerHenry Lewy called in a number of top L.A. musicians to perform on the album including members of theCrusaders, Tom Scott'sL.A. Express, cameos fromRobbie Robertson,David Crosby andGraham Nash and even a twist of comedy fromCheech & Chong.
On December 1, 1973,Asylum Records released a single, her first in over a year, "Raised on Robbery".[12] The single reached No. 65 on theBillboard Singles Chart in February 1974.[13] In January 1974,Court and Spark was released, and met with widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. Its success was reaffirmed when the follow-up single, "Help Me", was released in March. It received heavy radio airplay and became Mitchell's first and only top 10Billboard single, peaking at No. 7 on the Hot 100 in the first week of June, and reaching No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Court and Spark became a big seller that year, peaking at No.2 on theBillboard album chart[23] and staying there for four weeks. The album topped the USCashbox andRecord World charts for one week each.[24][25]
In a July 1979 interview withCameron Crowe forRolling Stone, Mitchell recounted playing the newly completedCourt and Spark toBob Dylan, during which he fell asleep.[26] She later suggested that Dylan was probably trying to be "cute" in front of label bossDavid Geffen, who was also present.[26]
Fleetwood Mac singerStevie Nicks recalled takingLSD to the album: "I was with my producer, at his house, with a set of speakers that were taller than that fireplace, and I was in a safe place. And I sat there on the floor and listened to that record… That was a pretty dynamic experience."[27]
In 2003, the album was ranked number 111 onRolling Stone magazine's list of the500 Greatest Albums of All Time,[31] 114 in a 2012 revised list,[32] and 110 in a 2020 revised list.[10]
