There's never a bad time for new (or new to us, anyway) Joni Mitchell music, but fall feels like a particularly appropriate season to lose yourself in her magic. Lucky for us, then, that today sees the release of Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975), the latest entry in Rhino Records' ongoing series that explores the vast untapped archives of rare Mitchell recordings.
The collection traces the years following the immense success of 1970's Ladies of the Canyon and 1971's Blue — albums that changed the course of popular music and still resonate today — during which Mitchell moved to British Columbia's Sunshine Coast and left the misogyny, scrutiny and attention of the famous life behind for a time.
The change of scenery would reinvigorate Mitchell, resulting in For the Roses and kicking off an unreplicable run of albums that cemented Mitchell's already apparent genius. 1974's Court and Spark and 1975's The Hissing of Summer Lawns followed For the Roses and showcased the growing scope of Mitchell's musical talents and interests.
Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) captures this fruitful period, beginning with an early cut of "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire," one of two songs (along with "For the Roses") test-driven during a visit to a Graham Nash David Crosby recording session at Wally Heider's in Hollywood.
Listeners are then treated to early demos and alternate versions from sessions from For the Roses, Court and Spark, and The Hissing of Summer Lawns, plus live concert recordings that include the entirety of Mitchell's 1972 return to Carnegie Hall and a gig with her Court and Spark backing band Tom Scott & the L.A. Express. The collection also features tracks from sessions with James Taylor, Graham Nash, and Neil Young.
The collection is available in a 5CD / digital version and a 4LP cut-down version, both with an accompanying book featuring photos and a conversation about this time in Mitchell's life between the artist and longtime friend Cameron Crowe.
Stream it below.
The collection traces the years following the immense success of 1970's Ladies of the Canyon and 1971's Blue — albums that changed the course of popular music and still resonate today — during which Mitchell moved to British Columbia's Sunshine Coast and left the misogyny, scrutiny and attention of the famous life behind for a time.
The change of scenery would reinvigorate Mitchell, resulting in For the Roses and kicking off an unreplicable run of albums that cemented Mitchell's already apparent genius. 1974's Court and Spark and 1975's The Hissing of Summer Lawns followed For the Roses and showcased the growing scope of Mitchell's musical talents and interests.
Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) captures this fruitful period, beginning with an early cut of "Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire," one of two songs (along with "For the Roses") test-driven during a visit to a Graham Nash David Crosby recording session at Wally Heider's in Hollywood.
Listeners are then treated to early demos and alternate versions from sessions from For the Roses, Court and Spark, and The Hissing of Summer Lawns, plus live concert recordings that include the entirety of Mitchell's 1972 return to Carnegie Hall and a gig with her Court and Spark backing band Tom Scott & the L.A. Express. The collection also features tracks from sessions with James Taylor, Graham Nash, and Neil Young.
The collection is available in a 5CD / digital version and a 4LP cut-down version, both with an accompanying book featuring photos and a conversation about this time in Mitchell's life between the artist and longtime friend Cameron Crowe.
Stream it below.
