The fourth volume of the Joni Mitchell Archives is now available.
Four CDs and six vinyl LPs feature unreleased studio sessions, alternate versions, live recordings, rarities, and a 36-page book with new photos and an in-depth conversation between Joni and Cameron Crowe.
These recordings come from original stereo tapes, Nagra film recordings, multitrack tapes, radio recordings, and cassette tapes—in short, from a variety of sources.
Throughout the second half of the 1970s, Joni continued to forge new creative paths with her fearless and fluid exploration of jazz. Rather than following the same path, she challenged and reinvented her style with a folk fusion that was unparalleled. This innovative sound reached an unprecedented sonic peak and took shape on the Gold Award winning ‘Hejira’ (1976), the Gold Award winning double LP ‘Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter’ (1977), her collaboration with Charles Mingus entitled ‘Mingus’ (1979) and the live album ‘Shadows And Light’ (1980). Channeling the tension and excitement of these records, she delves deeper into this period on this box set.
Available on 6 CDs, 4 LPs (featuring Joni’s personal favourites from the 6 CD set) and digitally, this comprehensive and essential set covers one of the most productive periods of her legendary career. It features stunning live tracks from her time in Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue during her 1975 and 1976 US tour, and pulls back the curtain on early and alternate recordings from the respective sessions for ‘Hejira’, ‘Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter’ and ‘Mingus’. It includes recordings from the Bread & Roses Festival and the anti-nuclear rally, during the 1979 tour, and even includes two tracks from that year’s tour rehearsals. Not to mention, it demonstrates Joni’s versatility and adaptability, with collaborations with many jazz giants such as Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter and Pat Metheny.
Listening to this set will take a long time, but it is well worth the time and effort. It is a real treat to listen to both the demos and the live recordings, which often sound different from the versions you may know from the aforementioned original albums.
Tracks:
Disc One:
Rolling Thunder Revue
Live In Niagara Falls
Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY, November 15, 1975
Recorded by L.A. Johnson & Petur Hliddal
01. Jericho
Live at Harvard Square Theater
Cambridge, MA, November 20, 1975
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Mixed by Sean Brennan
02. Introduction – Bob Neuwirth
03. Edith and the Kingpin
04. Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow
Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, November 21, 1975
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Mixed by Patrick Milligan
05. Introduction – Bob Neuwirth
06. Harry’s House
Live in Bangor
Bangor, ME, November 27, 1975
Recorded by L.A. Johnson & Petur Hliddal
07. A Case of You
Gordon Lightfoot’s House
Toronto, ON, Canada, November 30, 1975
Recorded by L.A. Johnson & Petur Hliddal
08. Woman of Heart and Mind
Live at Montreal Forum
Montreal, QC, Canada, December 4, 1975
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Mixed by Sean Brennan
09. Introduction – Bob Neuwirth
10. Intro to Coyote
11. Coyote
1976 Tour of the United States
Recorded by Stanley Johnston from PA mixes by Brian Jonathan
(Courtesy of the estate of Stanley Tajima Johnston)
Live in Madison
Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI, February 29, 1976
12. Help Me
Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, February 19, 1976
13. Love or Money
14. Free Man in Paris
15. For The Roses
16. Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire
17. Big Yellow Taxi
18. Shades of Scarlett Conquering
Live at Nassau Coliseum
Uniondale, NY, February 20, 1976
19. For Free
Disc Two:
Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, February 19, 1976
01. Intro to Coyote/Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter
02. Coyote/Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter
Live in Madison
Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI, February 29, 1976
03. Just Like This Train
Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, February 19, 1976
04. Shadows and Light
05. In France They Kiss on Main Street
Live at Duke University
Cameron Stadium, Durham, NC, February 7, 1976
06. Traveling (Hejira)
Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, February 19, 1976
07. Edith and the Kingpin
08. Talk To Me
09. Harry’s House/Centerpiece
10. Intro to Furry Sings the Blues
11. Furry Sings The Blues
12. Trouble Child
13. Rainy Night House
Live at Duke University
Cameron Stadium, Durham, NC, February 7, 1976
14. Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow
Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, February 19, 1976
15. Raised on Robbery
16. The Jungle Line
17. Twisted
Disc Three:
Hejira Demos
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, March 1976
Recorded by Henry Lewy; Mixed by Patrick Milligan
01. Furry Sings The Blues
02. Traveling (Hejira)
03. Dreamland
04. Talk To Me
05. Coyote/Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter
06. Black Crow
07. Amelia
08. Blue Motel Room
09. A Strange Boy
Rolling Thunder Revue
Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX, May 16, 1976
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Engineered by
Don Meehan; Mixed by Patrick Milligan
10. Black Cow
11. Intro to Song For Sharon
12. Song For Sharon
Hejira Sessions
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, Summer 1976
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy
13. Refuge of the Roads (Early Mix with Horns)
14. Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (Early Rough Mix)
Disc Four:
Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter Sessions
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy
01. “Save Magic” (Paprika Plains Embryonic Version)
02. Otis and Marlena (Early Rough Mix)
Mingus Sessions
Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy & Jerry Solomon
03. Sweet Sucker Dance (Vocals & Drums Version – Take 5)
04. A Chair in the Sky (Early Alternate Version – Take 6)
05. Sweet Sucker Dance (Early Alternate Version)
Live at Bread & Roses Festival
Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, September 2 & 3, 1978
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy
06. Introduction
07. The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines
08. Intro to A Chair In The Sky
09. A Chair In The Sky
10. Intro to Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
11. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
12. Intro to The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey
13. The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey
Mingus Early Alternate Version
Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY and A&M Studios,
Hollywood, CA, 1978 & 1979
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy & Jerry Solomon
14. A Good Suit and A Good Haircut
15. God Must Be A Boogie Man
16. Solo for Old Fat Girl’s Soul
17. The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines
Disc Five:
01. Sue and the Holy River
Mingus Sessions
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, 1979
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy
02. The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey
Live at May 6 Coalition Rally Against Nuclear Power
National Mall, Washington, D.C., May 6, 1979
03. Introduction – Graham Nash
04. Big Yellow Taxi
1979 Tour Rehearsals
SIR Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Recorded by Joel Bernstein
05. Jericho
06. Help Me
1979 Tour of the United States
Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium
Queens, NY, August 25, 1979
Recorded by Joel Bernstein from PA mix by Ed Wynne
07. Big Yellow Taxi
08. Just Like This Train
09. In France They Kiss On Main Street
10. Coyote
11. Edith and The Kingpin
12. Free Man In Paris
13. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
14. Jaco’s Solo/ Third Stone From The Sun
15. The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines
Disc Six:
01. Amelia
02. Pat’s Solo
03. Hejira
04. Don’s Solo
05. Dreamland
06. Black Crow
07. Furry Sings The Blues
08. Intro to God Must Be A Boogie Man
09. God Must Be A Boogie Man
10. Raised On Robbery
11. Shadows and Light
12. The Last Time I Saw Richard
13. Why Do Fools Fall In Love
Live in Philadelphia
Robin Hood Dell West, Philadelphia, PA, August 28, 1979
Recorded by Joel Bernstein from PA mix by Ed Wynne
14. Woodstock
Live at Greek Theatre
Los Angeles, CA, September 13, 1979
Recorded by Andy Johns & Henry Lewy; Mixed by Patrick Milligan
15. Intro to A Chair In The Sky
16. A Chair In The Sky
