Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell Special Edition combines two previously released videos/DVDs, 1999's Painting with Words and Music along with 2003's Woman of Heart and Mind. These are both excellent discs to have, the one problem being that some of the "bonus" tracks on Woman of Heart and Mind turn out to be some of the performances from Painting with Words and Music and so the consumer is getting a bit of déjà vu and double exposure. That's not as egregious as pulling the live performances off of Marianne Faithful's Dreaming My Dreams and re-releasing the DVD with only the biography narrative and interviews, but it shows a disturbing trend among name artists having their material released and re-released in the same fashion; Greg Lake another case in point with CDs and DVDs that contain variations on the same title, with some of the same recordings. The Susan Lacy written and directed biography has so much information packed into the story that the producers could easily have gone back into the vaults and beefed up the bonus aspect of this package. Yet, despite that one glitch in the perceived value, the added punch of having both discs in one collection is worthwhile, the documentary footage on Woman of Heart and Mind indexed and most compelling. How can one resist hearing the creation of the song "Woodstock," or the personal memories of David Crosby, David Geffen, Larry Klein, Mitchell herself and many others? Plus, there are some additional bonus features on both discs and a four-page paper insert with two pages for each respective DVD inside this convenient package, so the verdict is, the Joni Mitchell Special Edition is something to cherish and hold on to. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide