people carrying a large snake (both were embossed on the original vinyl album cover). Both men and snake are superimposed on the Beverly Hills suburbs, with Mitchell's own house marked in blue (green for the UK issue) on the back cover. Reception The album initially received harsh criticism. In Rolling Stone, Stephen Holden wrote that the album's lyrics were impressive but the music was a failure. "If The Hissing of Summer Lawns offers substantial literature, it is set to insubstantial music... Four members of Tom Scott's L.A. Express are featured on Hissing, but their uninspired jazz-rock style completely opposes Mitchell's romantic style... The Hissing of Summer Lawns is ultimately a great collection of pop poems with a distracting soundtrack. Read it first. Then play it." Critic Robert Christgau called the musical accompaniment "the most ambitious of her career," but criticized Mitchell's choice of session musicians and opined that "only on a couple of cuts--"The Jungle Line" and "Don't Interrupt the Sorrow"--do these skillful sound effects strengthen the lyrics. The result is that Mitchell's words must stand pretty much on their own." However, the record's reputation has grown in stature over the years. Music writer Howard Sounes has called The Hissing of Summer Lawns Mitchell's masterpiece, "an LP to stand alongside Blood on the Tracks". Prince, a lifelong fan of Mitchell, had loved the album, praising it in interviews. Critic Jessica Hopper of Pitchfork noted that the album was originally felt as a betrayal by some listeners, but stated that while "it doesn't have the rhapsodic rep as Blue, it's unquestionably one of Mitchell's finest albums, and it is certainly her most timeless." Accolades In 1977, at the 19th Grammy Awards, Mitchell was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the album. It was voted number 217 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. in 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 258 in the 2020 edition of its 500 greatest albums of all time. Track listing Personnel Track numbering refers to CD and digital releases of the album. Joni Mitchell – vocals, acoustic guitar (tracks 1–4, 9), Moog (2), piano (5, 9), keyboards (7), ARP and Farfisa (10) Victor Feldman – electric piano (1, 5), congas (4), vibes (5), keyboards and percussion (6)