Joni Mitchell's revered 1971 album Blue will turn 50 this June, and as part of her ongoing archival release series, the Canadian artist will mark the occasion with remasters of her first four albums.
Forthcoming collection The Reprise Albums (1968-1971) contains remastered reissues of Mitchell's 1968 debut Song to a Seagull, 1969's Clouds, 1970's Ladies of the Canyon and 1971's Blue.
The Reprise Albums arrives on June 25 as a four-CD set, as well as a four-LP limited-edition box limited to 10,000 copies.
Both editions feature audio remastered by Bernie Grundman, while Song to a Seagull notably features a new mix overseen by Mitchell herself. "The original mix was atrocious," Mitchell said of producer David Crosby's initial effort. "It sounded like it was recorded under a jello bowl, so I fixed it!"
Meanwhile, the set's cover art is previously unseen self-portrait Mitchell painted during the time period, recently rediscovered in one of her old sketchbooks. A remastered version of Blue standout "A Case of You" can be heard below.
The Reprise Albums also includes an essay written by Brandi Carlile.
"In my opinion, Blue is the greatest album ever made," the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter wrote of Mitchell's widely heralded LP. "Blue didn't make me a better songwriter. Blue made me a better woman... No matter what we are dealing with in these times we can rejoice and know that of all the ages we could have lived through, we lived in the time of Joni Mitchell."
Mitchell's latest archival release follows 2020's The Early Years (1963-1967), which included nearly six hours of unreleased home, live and radio recordings, with 29 previously unreleased songs.
Mitchell's most recent album, 2007's Shine, was treated to its first-ever vinyl issue in 2020. In 2017, her life and work were examined in biography Reckless Daughter.
Pre-order The Reprise Albums (1968-1971).
Forthcoming collection The Reprise Albums (1968-1971) contains remastered reissues of Mitchell's 1968 debut Song to a Seagull, 1969's Clouds, 1970's Ladies of the Canyon and 1971's Blue.
The Reprise Albums arrives on June 25 as a four-CD set, as well as a four-LP limited-edition box limited to 10,000 copies.
Both editions feature audio remastered by Bernie Grundman, while Song to a Seagull notably features a new mix overseen by Mitchell herself. "The original mix was atrocious," Mitchell said of producer David Crosby's initial effort. "It sounded like it was recorded under a jello bowl, so I fixed it!"
Meanwhile, the set's cover art is previously unseen self-portrait Mitchell painted during the time period, recently rediscovered in one of her old sketchbooks. A remastered version of Blue standout "A Case of You" can be heard below.
The Reprise Albums also includes an essay written by Brandi Carlile.
"In my opinion, Blue is the greatest album ever made," the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter wrote of Mitchell's widely heralded LP. "Blue didn't make me a better songwriter. Blue made me a better woman... No matter what we are dealing with in these times we can rejoice and know that of all the ages we could have lived through, we lived in the time of Joni Mitchell."
Mitchell's latest archival release follows 2020's The Early Years (1963-1967), which included nearly six hours of unreleased home, live and radio recordings, with 29 previously unreleased songs.
Mitchell's most recent album, 2007's Shine, was treated to its first-ever vinyl issue in 2020. In 2017, her life and work were examined in biography Reckless Daughter.
Pre-order The Reprise Albums (1968-1971).