# Taming the Tiger

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1998 studio album by Joni Mitchell

Taming the Tiger Studio album by Joni Mitchell Released September 29, 1998 Genre Adult alternative jazz[1] Length 43:17 Label Reprise Producer Joni Mitchell Joni Mitchell chronology Misses (1996) Taming the Tiger (1998) Both Sides Now (2000)

Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating AllMusic [2] Encyclopedia of Popular Music [3] Entertainment Weekly A−[4] Q [5] Robert Christgau [6] The Rolling Stone Album Guide [7]

***Taming the Tiger*** is the sixteenth studio album by the Canadian musician [Joni Mitchell](/source/Joni_Mitchell). Released on September 29, 1998, through [Reprise Records](/source/Reprise_Records), it is the follow-up to the successful *[Turbulent Indigo](/source/Turbulent_Indigo)* (1994). The album was, at the time, widely believed to be her last of completely original material; this would be disproved with the release of *[Shine](/source/Shine_(Joni_Mitchell_album))* in 2007.

Contributors to *Taming the Tiger* include [Larry Klein](/source/Larry_Klein) on bass and [Wayne Shorter](/source/Wayne_Shorter) on saxophone. The album combines the jazz stylings of much of her work with a textured, [ambient](/source/Ambient_music)-esque sound, indebted to her use of the Roland VG-8 virtual guitar system.

*Taming the Tiger* did not achieve the same level of success as its predecessor, peaking at number 86 in Mitchell's native Canada and number 75 in the US. However, it received positive reviews from critics and was considered a continuation of a return to form which started with *[Night Ride Home](/source/Night_Ride_Home)* (1991).

## Background

*Taming the Tiger* features prominent use of the Roland VG-8 virtual guitar system. This setup allowed Mitchell to switch between different alternate tunings with the press of a button rather than having to retune the guitar between each song – the frustration of which was a main factor in her decision to give up touring after 1983.[8] While the guitar remained in standard tuning, its sound would be processed to create the sound of the alternative tuning she had chosen. The unique sound of the guitar, described by [David Yaffe](/source/David_Yaffe_(music_critic)) in *Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell* as "a computerized approximation of a guitar with a head cold", created a more atmospheric, ambient sound which is prevalent throughout the album.[9]

## Notable covers

"Man from Mars" was covered by [Kristen Vigard](/source/Kristen_Vigard) in the 1996 film, *[Grace of My Heart](/source/Grace_of_My_Heart)*.[10] "Man from Mars" was also covered by [Chaka Khan](/source/Chaka_Khan) in 2000 for her live concert DVD *The Jazz Channel Presents Chaka Khan*.

## Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by Joni Mitchell; except where indicated

1. "Harlem in Havana" – 4:25

1. "Man from Mars" – 4:09

1. "Love Puts on a New Face" – 3:46

1. "Lead Balloon" – 3:38

1. "No Apologies" – 4:17

1. "Taming the Tiger" – 4:18

1. "The Crazy Cries of Love" (music: Joni Mitchell; lyrics: [Don Freed](/source/Don_Freed)) – 3:54

1. "Stay in Touch" – 2:59

1. "Face Lift" – 4:41

1. "My Best to You" (Gene Willadsen, [Isham Jones](/source/Isham_Jones)) – 2:52

1. "Tiger Bones" – 4:18

## Personnel

**Musicians**

- Joni Mitchell – vocals, backing vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion; bass (tracks 2, 5, 10)[11]

- Femi Jiya – spoken vocals (barker) on "Harlem in Havana"

- [Michael Landau](/source/Michael_Landau) – low lead guitar on "Lead Balloon"

- [Greg Leisz](/source/Greg_Leisz) – [pedal steel guitar](/source/Pedal_steel_guitar)

- [Wayne Shorter](/source/Wayne_Shorter) – saxophone

- [Larry Klein](/source/Larry_Klein) – bass

- [Brian Blade](/source/Brian_Blade) – drums

- [Mark Isham](/source/Mark_Isham) – trumpet (track 8)

**Production**

- Dan Marnien, Tony Phillips, Femi Jiya – engineer

- Joni Mitchell, Dan Marnien – mixing

- Joni Mitchell, Robbie Cavolina – art direction

## Charts

Chart performance for Taming the Tiger Chart (1998) Peak position Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[12] 86 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 79 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[14] 25 UK Albums (OCC)[15] 57 US Billboard 200[16] 75 Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] 90

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-RSAlbum_1-0)** Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). ["Joni Mitchell"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110731021221/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/joni-mitchell/albumguide). [*The New Rolling Stone Album Guide*](/source/The_New_Rolling_Stone_Album_Guide). London: Fireside. p. [547](https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/547). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7432-0169-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7432-0169-8). Archived from [the original](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/joni-mitchell/albumguide) on July 31, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Chrispell, J. (2011). ["Taming the Tiger – Joni Mitchell | AllMusic"](http://www.allmusic.com/album/r374853). *allmusic.com*. Retrieved July 19, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Larkin, Colin](/source/Colin_Larkin) (2011). "Mitchell, Joni". [*The Encyclopedia of Popular Music*](/source/Encyclopedia_of_Popular_Music) (5th concise ed.). London: [Omnibus Press](/source/Omnibus_Press). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-85712-595-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-85712-595-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Tucker, Ken (2011). ["Taming the Tiger Review | Music Reviews and News"](http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,63735,00.html). *[Entertainment Weekly](/source/Entertainment_Weekly)*. Retrieved July 19, 2011.{{[cite magazine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_magazine)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Maconie, Stuart (2011). ["JoniMitchell.com Library: Still Hard: Q, October 1998"](http://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=248). *jonimitchell.com*. Retrieved July 19, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Christgau, R. (2011). ["Robert Christgau: CG: joni mitchell"](http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=joni+mitchell). *robertchristgau.com*. Retrieved July 19, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [The Rolling Stone Album Guide – Joni Mitchell](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/joni-mitchell)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Uncut_8-0)** Lewis, John (May 19, 2017). ["Lost cats, rediscovered daughters and the love of a new synth guitar. The end - perhaps..."](https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=5054) *jonimitchell.com*. Retrieved March 1, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Billboard_9-0)** Enos, Morgan (September 29, 2018). ["Joni Mitchell's 'Taming the Tiger' Turns 20: Why the Spaced-Out Album Deserves More Applause"](https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/joni-mitchell-taming-the-tiger-album-8477480/). *Billboard*. Retrieved March 1, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Schinder, Scott; Schwartz, Andy (2008). *Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends who Changed Music Forever*. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 429. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780313338472](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780313338472).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Joni Mitchell - Taming the Tiger - paintings"](http://jonimitchell.com/paintings/view.cfm?id=233).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Canada_12-0)** "[Top RPM Albums: Image 7035](https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.7035&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.7035.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.7035)". *[RPM](/source/RPM_(magazine))*. [Library and Archives Canada](/source/Library_and_Archives_Canada). Retrieved April 7, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Germany_Joni_Mitchell_13-0)** "[Offiziellecharts.de – Joni Mitchell – Taming the Tiger](https://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-28702)" (in German). [GfK Entertainment charts](/source/GfK_Entertainment_charts). Retrieved April 7, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Norway_Joni_Mitchell_14-0)** "[Norwegiancharts.com – Joni Mitchell – Taming the Tiger](https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Joni+Mitchell&titel=Taming+the+Tiger&cat=a)". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_UK2_15-0)** "[Official Albums Chart on 4/10/1998 – Top 100](https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/19981004/7502/)". [Official Charts Company](/source/Official_Charts_Company). Retrieved April 7, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Billboard200_Joni_Mitchell_16-0)** "[Joni Mitchell Chart History (*Billboard* 200)](https://www.billboard.com/artist/Joni-Mitchell/chart-history/TLP)". *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*. Retrieved April 7, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ac_Scotland_17-0)** "[Official Scottish Albums Chart on 4/10/1998 – Top 100](https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-albums-chart/19981004/40/)". [Official Charts Company](/source/Official_Charts_Company). Retrieved 28 April 2024.

v t e Joni Mitchell Discography Studio albums Song to a Seagull (1968) Clouds (1969) Ladies of the Canyon (1970) Blue (1971) For the Roses (1972) Court and Spark (1974) The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975) Hejira (1976) Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1977) Mingus (1979) Wild Things Run Fast (1982) Dog Eat Dog (1985) Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm (1988) Night Ride Home (1991) Turbulent Indigo (1994) Taming the Tiger (1998) Both Sides Now (2000) Travelogue (2002) Shine (2007) Live albums Miles of Aisles Shadows and Light Amchitka, The 1970 Concert That Launched Greenpeace Joni Mitchell at Newport Compilation albums Hits Misses The Beginning of Survival Dreamland Songs of a Prairie Girl Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, a Ballet, Waiting to Be Danced Joni's Jazz Archives series Box sets Volume 1: The Early Years (1963–1967) The Reprise Albums (1968–1971) Volume 2: The Reprise Years (1968–1971) The Asylum Albums (1972–1975) Volume 3: The Asylum Years (1972–1975) The Asylum Albums (1976–1980) Volume 4: The Asylum Years (1976–1980) Auxiliary releases Early Joni – 1963 Blue 50 (Demos & Outtakes) Live albums Live at Canterbury House – 1967 Live at Carnegie Hall – 1969 Singles "Chelsea Morning" "Big Yellow Taxi" "Carey" "California" "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" "Raised on Robbery" "Help Me" "Free Man in Paris" "In France They Kiss on Main Street" "Coyote" "My Secret Place" Notable songs "Both Sides, Now" "The Fiddle and the Drum" "Woodstock" "The Circle Game" "Little Green" "Blue" "This Flight Tonight" "River" "A Case of You" "The Last Time I Saw Richard" "Down to You" "Twisted" "Two Grey Rooms" Tribute albums Back to the Garden River: The Joni Letters A Tribute to Joni Mitchell Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration Related articles L.A. Express Blackface controversy Category

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Taming the Tiger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taming_the_Tiger) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taming_the_Tiger?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.