In retrospect the tracks seem more innocent, but in the lyrics Mitchell herself alludes to a change that has come. From 'Free Man In Paris' we have the disappointment and pessimism of "The way I see it, he said, you just can't win it, everyone's in it for their own gain, you can't please them all", from 'Down To You', "Everything comes and goes, marked by lovers and styles of clothes, things that you held high, and told yourself were true, lost or changing as the days come down to you", and from 'Just Like This Train', "I went looking for a cause, or a strong cat without claws, or any reason to resume, and I found this empty seat, in this crowded waiting room". Joni wasn't moving on without having a last say.

Couple such lyrics together with a musical style that not only sounded commercial, but produced commercial success like Mitchell had never known, and you are left with a landmark, transitional LP. Some resented that Mitchell had abandoned her more stripped down folk and blues numbers in favor of polished productions featuring the likes of Tom Scott's brassy L.A. Express, bold background vocals from David Crosby and Graham Nash, Susan Webb, and even Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. Robbie Robertson, Joe Sample, Jose Feliciano and Larry Carlton make instrumental contributions as well. Whatever your reaction to the changing landscape, it was hard to argue with the Top 100 success of 'Raised On Robbery' (#65), 'Free Man In Paris' (#22), and 'Help Me' (#7). The artist who had spent so much energy trying to change the world seemed to have been changed by the world.

All that being said, 'Court and Spark' is, in my opinion, only a marginal Joni Mitchell album. Aside from the single releases, only a few songs on the album are truly distinctive, and most, such as the title track, 'People's Parties', 'The Same Situation', 'Car On the Hill', 'Down To You' and 'Just Like This Train' sound more like traditional Joni than transitional Joni. Only 'Trouble Child' strikes a distinctive chord, and in a rarity Mitchell concludes the LP by recording a composition not penned by herself, Ross and Grey's 'Twisted'. You can certainly speculate on the choice, as it puts a light and humorous spin on the introspection and self-consciousness Mitchell had often explored in previous works.

'Court and Spark' is by no means a poor album, but it certainly acts as a divider between the early focus of Mitchell's work and where she was heading as she moved into her jazz-influenced albums of the mid-1970's. It has some great songs, though most were thoroughly overplayed, and contains more mediocre songs than you might expect on the album that some would say is Mitchell's finest. Lyrics are included, though any other liner notes are sparse.