Court and Spark is the record where Joni Mitchell stopped writing folk songs and started writing arrangements. Working alongside the jazz players of Tom Scott's L.A. Express, she built 1974's most sophisticated pop album around unresolved chords, close harmony and lyrics that hold their subjects at arm's length before pulling them close. 'Help Me' and 'Free Man in Paris' get the attention, but 'Down to You' and 'The Same Situation' are where the writing goes deepest. This Rhino High Fidelity edition is cut from the analog tape. Street date: October 16.