Joni Mitchell – Archives Vol.3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) 5CD Box Set

Joni Mitchell – Archives Vol.3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) 

Come 1972, Joni Mitchell’s singular songwriting talent and poetic gifts were undeniable. Fresh off the back-to-back Platinum-certified releases of 1970’s Ladies of the Canyon and 1971’s Blue — totemic albums whose artfulness and ubiquity would influence generations of songwriters — Mitchell had grown wary of mounting media scrutiny. Everything from her style choices to romantic partners became the subject of far more gossip column inches than were ever dedicated to the lifestyle minutiae of her male counterparts.

In response, she had pulled back, announcing an early retirement from the stage in 1970 and moving to the quiet expanses of British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. It was a fruitful change of scenery. Inspired by her proximity to nature and refreshed by the peaceful seclusion, she began constructing the songs that would become For The Roses. This respite thrust Mitchell into a remarkably fertile creative period, yielding a run of albums — 1972’s For The Roses, 1974’s Court And Spark, and 1975’s The Hissing Of Summer Lawns — that would simultaneously expand and refine the scope of her music. Her adventurous, intricate arrangements and growing formidability as a bandleader injected these songs with a clarity of purpose, a potent muscularity, and a sense of possibility — it is among the most exciting eras of a near peerless career.

This era comes into even greater focus on Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975), out October 6, 2023 on Rhino Records. It’s the latest entry in Rhino’s ongoing, GRAMMY-winning series exploring the vast untapped archives of rare Joni Mitchell recordings — a project guided intimately by Mitchell’s own vision and personal touch. Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) will be available both in a 5CD / digital version and a 4LP cut-down version, both with an accompanying book featuring photos and a conversation about this period between Joni Mitchell and longtime friend Cameron Crowe

Tracklist:
CD One:
Graham Nash David Crosby Session
Wally Heider Studios, Hollywood, CA, Dec. 13, 1971
    1.    Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire
    2.    For The Roses

For The Roses Demos
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, late 1971 / early 1972
    3.    Banquet
    4.    Lesson In Survival
    5.    Like Veils Said Lorraine
    6.    See You Sometime

Live at Carnegie Hall
New York City, NY, Feb. 23, 1972
    7.    This Flight Tonight
    8.    Electricity
    9.    Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire
    10.    Big Yellow Taxi
    11.    Blue
    12.    For Free
    13.    Banquet
    14.    All I Want
    15.    Intro to A Case Of You
    16.    A Case Of You
    17.    Intro to Carey
    18.    Carey
    19.    Lesson In Survival
    20.    Woodstock
    21.    Intro to You Turn Me On I’m A Radio
    22.    You Turn Me On I’m A Radio
    23.    Intro to For The Roses
    24.    For The Roses

CD Two:
Live at Carnegie Hall [cont.]
New York City, NY, Feb. 23, 1972
    1.    Both Sides Now
    2.    My Old Man
    3.    Intro to The Circle Game
    4.    The Circle Game

For The Roses Early Sessions
Wally Heider Studios, Hollywood, CA, Apr. 16-21, 1972
    5.    Medley: Bony Moronie/Summertime Blues/You Never Can Tell - with James Taylor    
    6.    Electricity - with James Taylor
    7.    You Turn Me On I’m A Radio - with Neil Young & The Stray Gators
    8.    See You Sometime (early version with bass & drums)
    9.    You Turn Me On I’m A Radio (early version with bass & drums)

Live at Royal Festival Hall
London, England, May 5, 1972
    10.    Intro to Judgement Of The Moon And Stars (Ludwig’s Tune)
    11.    Judgement Of The Moon And Stars (Ludwig’s Tune)

For The Roses Sessions
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, Jul-Aug, 1972
    12.    Blonde In The Bleachers (alternate guitar mix)
    13.    Let The Wind Carry Me (piano/vocal mix)
    14.    Barangrill (guitar/vocal mix)
    15.    Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire (sax guide vocal)
    16.    Sunrise Raga
    17.    Twisted (early alternate version)

James Bay Benefit Concert
Paul Sauvé Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Apr. 15, 1973
    18.    Intro to Big Yellow Taxi
    19.    Big Yellow Taxi

CD Three:
Court And Spark Demos
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, Summer 1973
    1.    Piano Suite:
a.    Down To You
b.    Court And Spark
c.    Car On A Hill
d.    Down To You
    2.    People’s Parties
    3.    Help Me
    4.    Just LIke This Train
    5.    Raised On Robbery
    6.    Trouble Child

Wild Tales [Graham Nash] Session
Rudy Records Studios, San Francisco, CA, Aug. 25, 1973
    7.    Raised On Robbery (early working version)
    8.    Raised On Robbery – with Neil Young & The Santa Monica Flyers

Court And Spark Sessions
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, Sep.-Oct., 1973
    9.    People’s Parties (early alternate take)
    10.    Trouble Child (early alternate take)
    11.    Car On A Hill (early alternate take)
    12.    Down To You (alternate version)
    13.    The Same Situation (alt vocal/piano mix)
    14.    Bonderia

Live at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Los Angeles, CA, Mar. 3, 1974
    15.    Introduction
    16.    This Flight Tonight – with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express
    17.    You Turn Me On I’m A Radio – with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express
    18.    Free Man In Paris – with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express
    19.    The Same Situation – with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express
    20.    Just Like This Train – with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express

CD Four:
Live at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion [cont.]
Los Angeles, CA, Mar. 3, 1974
    1.    Rainy Night House – with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express
    2.    Woodstock – with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express
    3.    Cactus Tree
    4.    Big Yellow Taxi
    5.    Intro to People’s Parties
    6.    People’s Parties
    7.    All I Want
    8.    A Case Of You
    9.    Intro to For The Roses
    10.    For The Roses
    11.    Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire – with Tom Scott
    12.    Blue
    13.    For Free – with Tom Scott
    14.    Trouble Child – with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express  
    15.    Help Me – with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express
    16.    Car On A Hill – with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express

CD Five:
Live at New Victoria Theatre
London, England, Apr. 22, 1974
    1.    Intro to Jericho
    2.    Jericho

Live at Wembley Stadium
London, England, Sep. 14, 1974
    3.    Woman Of Heart And Mind

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns Demos
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, 1975
    4.    In France They Kiss On Main Street
    5.    Edith And The Kingpin
    6.    Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow
    7.    Shades Of Scarlet Conquering
    8.    The Boho Dance
    9.    Harry’s House
    10.  Dreamland

The Hissing Of Summer Lawns Sessions
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, 1975
    11.    In France They Kiss On Main Street (alternate version)
    12.    The Jungle Line (guitar/alternate vocal)
    13.    Edith And The Kingpin (alternate version)
    14.    Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow (alternate version)
    15.    Shades Of Scarlet Conquering (alternate version)
    16.    The Boho Dance (alternate version)
    17.    Dreamland (early alternate band version)

Label: Rhino Records
Released: 2023