Joni Mitchell Blue - Wow help me Agoners

Of all the artists in my record collection Joni is at the top of the list and "Blue" is my favorite. I understand we were THIS close to a DCC version on LP before they folded--the release was literally weeks away. I cried when I found out it wasn't to be. So what choices do you have? The LP version is best if you have a record deck. After that, make sure your CD version is HDCD which will tell you it is the most recent release remastered by Joe Gastwirt at Ocean View Digital. The sound is not bad and certainly better than the original releases. By every Gastwirt mastered CD up to 1985's "Dog Eat Dog", pull the cork on a bottle of red and sink into a morass of blissful depression.

Just popping back--I just received and listened to the new Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman mastered Blue on Rhino Vinyl. Absolutely to die for. Must more realism and detail with the new version. On my old standard Warner Bros. issue Joni's voice could harden up during some passages, now not at all. I can hear instruments and instrumental lines much more clearly. Differences between types of instruments is also much easier to discern.

Strongly recommended.

I have to say I'm also a huge fan of "Hissing". Love the fretless bass and the dreamy atmospheric sound.

The entire Joni catalogue has been remastered in HDCD. These can almost always be found in the discount bin of your local record store. I bought "For the Roses" since I could NEVER find a decent pressing on vinyl. Engineered by Joe Gastwirt at Ocean View Digital the sound is very good. FWIW, here is my top four Joni list in rank order best to less:

Blue
Court and Spark
For the Roses
Ladies of the Canyon
Hissing
Hejira

I'm not a fan of anything after Hejira.

Thanks Rushton, very interesting. I have to say, on my system this isn't even close. The new Rhino pressing is so much better in every dimension. Who knows, maybe my original Reprise issue really stinks for some reason.