S.O.D. "Court and Spark" by Joni Mitchell
5/8/2015 This 1974 album of the same title remains Mitchell's most successful work monetarily. It reached #1 in her native Canada and #2 in the U.S. The Village Voice Jazz & Pop Critics Poll named it best album of the year for 1974 and Rolling Stone ranked it at #13 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time List. The RIAA would, in time certify it Double Platinum. As far as the song goes, you should check out the lyrics. Seems the meaning is something like the devil's come a courting.
Joni became very interested in jazz during this time and it's apparent on this album. There are 14 guest musicians contributing to this work including David Crosby, Graham Nash and Cheech & Chong. Mitchell explored just about every genre you can think of but leaned heavily toward jazz and pop. She is normally the soul writer and producer of her songs especially in the 70s and has influenced several musicians of many genres.
Eight Grammy awards she has won along with inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame . Canada has bestowed many honors upon her including her own stamp and Canada's highest citizens honor; Companion to the Order of Canada. Her album "Blue" has been named by Time Magazine as one of the all-time 100 albums ever made. She describes herself as "a painter derailed by circumstance".