June 22, 2021 was the fiftieth anniversary of Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album Blue. Now acknowledged as one of the greatest albums of all time, Blue has a timeless quality and a sustained popularity that undoubtedly makes it a classic album. It’s also Joni Mitchell at one of her artistic peaks, weaving her inner life into beautifully written and

June 22, 2021 was the fiftieth anniversary of Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album Blue. Now acknowledged as one of the greatest albums of all time, Blue has a timeless quality and a sustained popularity that undoubtedly makes it a classic album. It’s also Joni Mitchell at one of her artistic peaks, weaving her inner life into beautifully written and sensitively arranged songs. In this two hour and twenty five minute video lecture (divided into two parts), acclaimed popular music history expert Dr. Mike Daley sets the stage with a short but vivid biography of Joni, then discusses Blue song by song, analyzing the lyrics and explaining in everyday language the musical structures and compositional techniques. Special attention is paid to Joni’s unusual guitar tunings, which Mike demonstrates and explains on guitar. National Ballet School pianist (and Mike’s wife) Jill Daley makes a special guest appearance performing Joni’s piano parts from Blue and discussing Joni’s music with Mike. The Classic Albums: Blue is a deep dive into this classic album and Mike enriches his lecture with almost one hundred photos, music excerpts and video clips. Also included: a short addendum lecture on the newly released BLUE50, a five-song EP of revealing demos and outtakes from the Blue sessions.

This video can be streamed or downloaded for later viewing, and the video links will remain valid indefinitely. When you purchase The Classic Albums: Blue, please click on the link on your electronic receipt (emailed to you) to download the PDF. That contains the links to the three videos. If you have any problems, just email Mike at mikedaley@gmail.com.