The third in a series of box sets from Joni Mitchell’s vast archives, has been released via Rhino Records. The expansive collection, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975), follows the first two editions in the acclaimed series. The new edition, released on October 6, 2023, spans the remarkably fertile creative period in which the singer-songwriter earned significant critical and commercial acclaim with such songs as “Raised on Robbery,” “Help Me,” “Free Man in Paris.” The set, on 5-CDs and a 4-LP cutdown version, includes a wealth of previously unreleased material including a 1971 impromptu studio session with Graham Nash and David Crosby, as well as demos and alternate studio takes, and concert recordings. Listen to many of those as well as a demo version of “Help Me,” Mitchell’s 1974 Grammy nominee for Record of the Year and her biggest chart hit, a version of “Raised on Robbery” with Neil Young & the Stray Gators, a never-before-heard song, “Like Veils Said Lorraine,” and others, below.
From the August 17 announcement: 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—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 phenomenal run of albums—1972’s For The Roses, 1974’s Court And Spark (which earned a Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year), 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.
Listen to “Help Me” (demo) followed by a remaster of the complete recording
Joni Mitchell Archives Vol 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975), the newest entry in the ongoing, GRAMMY-winning series, arrives one month before Mitchell turns 80 on Nov. 7. It includes an accompanying book featuring photos and a conversation about this period between Mitchell and longtime friend Cameron Crowe.
2020’s Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) won a 2022 GRAMMY Award for Best Historical Album. It was followed by 2021’s Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971). This latest collection begins with an exclamation point: 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 Nash-Crosby recording session at Wally Heider Studios in Hollywood.
From there, listeners are treated to early demos and alternate versions from sessions from For The Roses, Court And Spark, and The Hissing Of Summer Lawns; historic live show recordings, including the entirety of Mitchell’s triumphant 1972 return to Carnegie Hall and a definitive gig with her Court And Spark backing band Tom Scott & the L.A. Express; and tracks from sessions cut alongside James Taylor, Nash, and Neil Young.
On Sept. 7, Mitchell unveiled a never-before-heard song, “Like Veils Said Lorraine,” which she wrote and recorded as a demo in late 1971/early 1972 at A&M Studios in Hollywood, Calif. From the collection’s liner notes… “Lorraine was the real-estate woman who showed me properties. She had a Marlene Dietrich kind of look. It’s an account of our conversation. At some point, I switched to another realtor, and found the property where I would live. It wasn’t on the market, but it called out to me. Houses are important to me, and I know how to pick them. I investigated it and I found out who owned it. I paid what she wanted, and she thought she took me. I thought I got a deal. (laughs) So we were both happy.”
Many more audio clips, along with the complete track listing for Joni Mitchell Archives Vol 3, appear below the Amazon links. When you buy something using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting Best Classic Bands.
JONI MITCHELL ARCHIVES VOL 3: THE ASYLUM YEARS (1972 TO 1975)
Full Track Listing
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:
Down To You
Court And Spark
Car On A Hill
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)
The legend, who has suffered from a variety of serious health issues over the years, has made a significant comeback in the past year. She performed her first publicly announced concert in 23 years on June 10, 2023 when she presented her “Joni Jam” at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Wash. That followed a surprise performance at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival.
