Why Joni Mitchell thought David Crosby’s production damaged her debut album
A debut album is rarely ever perfect. More often than not, it’s the sound of an artist figuring out their style, finding their voice and forging early collaborative relationships. Even the biggest artists have been through this daunting initial process, and Joni Mitchell is no exception.
Released in 1968, Song to a Seagull provided the future folk legend’s first full-length offering. It provided a glimpse at her poetic prowess, as well as spawning some lyrical preoccupations that would come to define her entire catalogue and career. Freedom, love, and California all found their place on Song to a Seagull, just as they would find their place on Blue and Court and Spark.
The record also immediately situated Mitchell in the folk realm, an area she would occupy for years to come. Song to a Seagull provided a first glimpse at those twinkling guitar melodies and wavering, wandering vocals that have defined Mitchell’s beloved sound. Though she would eventually venture into jazzier and more electronic realms, it was this sound that would earn her initial success.
Song to a Seagull, then, was a solid debut on almost all accounts. It did exactly what a first album should – provided Mitchell with a space to test out her early artistry, to set the stage for an ensuing legacy. But there was one aspect of the album that the songwriter herself was disappointed by – the production.
For her debut, Mitchell linked up with songwriter and producer David Crosby of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash fame. The pair had a working relationship as well as a romantic one, with Crosby not only producing Song to a Seagull but acting as a muse for Mitchell’s songwriting, inspiring tracks such as ‘The Dawntreader’.
Although they had a close relationship, Mitchell wasn’t entirely happy with Crosby’s work on the album. Mark Howard, who remixed the record for Mitchell, recently revealed her thoughts on the original LP during a conversation with AllDayVinyl. According to the producer, Mitchell believed that Crosby “misproduced” Song to a Seagull.
“‘He made me double my guitar and for all these years I’ve never liked it,’” Howard quoted Mitchell as saying, “‘I never liked that first record.’” When it came to remixing it, the producer had to rifle through Crosby’s supergroup recordings to fit the songs back together. He then mixed it alongside Mitchell, as she smoked on the sofa.
“It was just more levels than anything,” he explained. It’s likely that most casual listeners would have no issue with the original production, but it’s clearly something that irked Mitchell. After releasing her debut album, she would favour self-production in the years that followed. Her sophomore record, Clouds, would see her collaborate with Paul A. Rothchild, but the next six albums she put out were entirely on her own.
That run of albums included the enduring beauty of Blue, the jazzy stylings of Court and Spark, and the experimentalism of The Hissing of Summer Lawns. As she honed her style of songwriting after her debut, she also honed her production style, relying on her own ear rather than the help of others. This decision clearly served her well, producing some of her most well-known and well-loved material.
Still, her supposedly “misproduced” debut album remains essential listening for Mitchell fans. Revisit Song to a Seagull below.
