Dog Eat Dog (Joni Mitchell album)

Dog Eat Dog
Studio album by Joni Mitchell
Released	October 1985
Recorded	1984-1985
Genre	Pop/Rock, Experimental, Jazz
Length	43:25
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 Rainstorm (1988)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	(B+)[2]
Rolling Stone	(mixed) [3]

Dog Eat Dog is the twelfth album by 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 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 indicated.

1. "Good Friends" – 4:25
2. "Fiction"– 4:14 (Mitchell, Larry Klein)
3. "The Three Great Stimulants"– 6:11
4. "Tax Free"– 4:19 (Mitchell, Larry Klein)
5. "Smokin' (Empty, Try Another)"– 1:43
6. "Dog Eat Dog"– 4:41
7. "Shiny Toys"– 3:27
8. "Ethiopia"– 5:53
9. "Impossible Dreamer"– 4:30
10. "Lucky Girl"– 4:02

Personnel

• Joni Mitchell – vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, sound effects
• 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", "Shiny Toys"
• Joe Smith – spoken vocals on "Fiction"
• Rod Steiger – spoken vocals on "Tax Free"
• 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", "Shiny Toys"
• James Taylor – background vocals on "Tax Free", "Dog Eat Dog", "Shiny Toys"
• Amy Holland – background vocals on "Tax Free"

References

1. ^ Ruhlmann, William (2011 [last update]). "Dog Eat Dog - Joni Mitchell | AllMusic". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r13219. Retrieved 19 July 2011. 
2. ^ Robert Christgau review
3. ^ Rolling Stone review