Dog Eat Dog (Joni Mitchell album)

Dog Eat Dog
Studio album by Joni Mitchell
Released October 1985
Recorded 1984-85
Genre Pop rock, experimental, new wave
Length 43:30
Label Geffen
Producer Joni Mitchell, Larry Klein, Thomas Dolby, Mike Shipley
Joni Mitchell chronology
Wild Things Run Fast
(1982)		 Dog Eat Dog
(1985)		 Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm
(1988)
Singles from Dog Eat Dog
  1. "Good Friends"
    Released: November 1985
  2. "Shiny Toys"
    Released: April 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB+[2]
Rolling Stone(mixed) [3]

Dog Eat Dog is the 12th studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released in 1985. It was her second album for Geffen Records. The album was a departure for Mitchell due to its synthetic sound (featuring production work by British synthesiser musician Thomas Dolby). Lyrically, the album dealt with prominent issues in mid 1980s society, such as Reaganism, televangelists, consumerism and famine in Ethiopia. One of Mitchell's more unusual songs, "Smokin' (Empty, Try Another)" was recorded by sampling the sound of the cigarette machine in the hall of the studio where Wild Things Run Fast was recorded. "Good Friends" was recorded as a duet with Michael McDonald; a video was produced for the song using film animation by Jim Blashfield. "Shiny Toys" and "Good Friends" were released as singles; "Shiny Toys" was also released in a 12" Extended Dance Single format, remix by François Kevorkian, and had a more complete lyric than the album version, featuring spoken voice by Thomas Dolby ("I LOVE being out on the golf course!").

Track listing

All tracks written by Joni Mitchell, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Good Friends" 4:25
2."Fiction"Joni Mitchell, Larry Klein4:14
3."The Three Great Stimulants" 6:11
4."Tax Free"Joni Mitchell, Larry Klein4:19
5."Smokin' (Empty, Try Another)" 1:43
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Dog Eat Dog"4:41
7."Shiny Toys"3:27
8."Ethiopia"5:53
9."The Impossible Dreamer"4:30
10."Lucky Girl"4:02

Personnel

  • Joni Mitchell – vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, sound effects, cover painting
  • Michael McDonald – vocals on "Good Friends", background vocals on "Tax Free"
  • Larry Klein – keyboards, synthesizers, bass, programming; spoken vocals on "Fiction"
  • Thomas Dolby – keyboards, synthesizers, programming; spoken vocals on "Fiction" and "Shiny Toys"
  • Joe Smith – spoken vocals on "Fiction"
  • Rod Steiger – spoken vocals (evangelist speech) on "Tax Free"
  • Bob "Zyg" Winard – spoken vocals on "Shiny Toys"
  • Michael Landau – guitar
  • Steve Lukather – guitar on "Smokin' (Empty, Try Another)"
  • Larry Williams – flute, tenor saxophone on "Shiny Toys"
  • Kazu Matsui – shakahachi [sic] on "Ethiopia"
  • Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone on "Impossible Dreamer", tenor saxophone on "Lucky Girl"
  • Jerry Hey – trumpet, flugelhorn, horn arrangement on "Shiny Toys"
  • Gary Grant – trumpet, flugelhorn on "Shiny Toys"
  • Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, samples
  • Alex Acuña – bata drum on "Impossible Dreamer"
  • Michael Fisher – percussion samples
  • Don Henley – background vocals on "Tax Free", "Dog Eat Dog" and "Shiny Toys"
  • James Taylor – background vocals on "Tax Free", "Dog Eat Dog" and "Shiny Toys"
  • Amy Holland – background vocals on "Tax Free"
Technical
  • Mike Shipley - engineer, mixing
  • Bob "Zyg" Winard, Dan Marien - assistant engineers
  • Glen Christensen - art direction

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ruhlmann, William (2011). "Dog Eat Dog - Joni Mitchell | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  2. ↑ Robert Christgau review
  3. ↑ Rolling Stone review
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