Joni Mitchell Archives Vol 4: Asylum Years (1976-80) Box Coming

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The slipcase cover of the 4-LP highlights edition

The significant presentation of Joni Mitchell’s vast untapped archives continues with the news of recordings and performances from her innovate period with Asylum Records from 1976-1980. Rhino has announced Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980), a period in which the extraordinary singer-songwriter continued to creatively break ground with her fearless and fluid exploration of jazz. The collection, coming on 6-CDs and 4-LPs (highlights) on October 4, 2024, includes powerful live tracks from her time in Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue during the 1975 and 1976 tour of the U.S., along with previously unissued material from original stereo reels, cassette tapes, CD-Rs, and even a radio broadcast. The CD set is available to pre-order in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here. The LP collection can be pre-order in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.

From the August 8 announcement: Rather than tread the same path, Mitchell challenged and reinvented her style with a folk fusion like no other. Ascending to an unrivaled sonic peak, this innovative sound took shape across the gold-certified Hejira [1976], the double-LP Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter [1977], her collaboration with Charles Mingus entitled Mingus [1979], and live album Shadows and Light [1980]. The latest collection is the logical companion to those remastered studio albums that were reissued on June 21. [Details here.]

Listen to “Intro To Coyote / Coyote” at The Forum, Montreal, December 4, 1975

This GRAMMY-winning series explores Mitchell’s rare recordings — a project guided intimately by her own vision and personal touch. The newest set’s 4-LP edition specifically consists of her personal favorites from the 6-CD version. Each edition includes a book with never-before-seen photos and liner notes comprising a deep dive discussion between Mitchell and longtime friend Cameron Crowe. As part of their candid conversation, she shares intimate anecdotes, memories, and stories from that five-year creative run.

This comprehensive and essential set spans one of the most prolific periods of her storied career. It boasts the live tracks from her time in Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, pulls back the curtain by showcasing early recordings and alternate takes from the respective sessions for Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, and Mingus, covers the Bread & Roses Festival as well as the Anti-Nuclear Rally. Finally, Vol. 4 chronicles her 1979 tour, even showcasing two tracks from the rehearsals. Tracks include her collaborations with jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorious, Wayne Shorter and Pat Metheny.

Newly mixed tracks came from multi-track tapes, while a handful of hi-res digital tracks have been sourced from the Bob Dylan Archives. The collection includes performances of such well known songs as “Help Me,” “Free Man in Paris, “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Raised on Robbery.” See the complete track listing below.

Previous editions of Mitchell’s Archives are available here.

This October 19-20, Mitchell will be headlining her own “Joni Jam” at the Hollywood Bowl featuring special guests, her first Los Angeles headlining shows in more than two decades.

Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) 6-CD Track Listing

Disc One:

Rolling Thunder Revue

Live In Niagara Falls
Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY, November 15, 1975
Recorded by L.A. Johnson & Petur Hliddal

1. Jericho

Live at Harvard Square Theater
Cambridge, MA, November 20, 1975
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Mixed by Sean Brennan

2. Introduction – Bob Neuwirth
3. Edith and the Kingpin
4. Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow

Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, November 21, 1975
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Mixed by Patrick Milligan

5. Introduction – Bob Neuwirth
6. Harry’s House

Live in Bangor
Bangor, ME, November 27, 1975
Recorded by L.A. Johnson & Petur Hliddal

7. A Case of You

Gordon Lightfoot’s House
Toronto, ON, Canada, November 30, 1975
Recorded by L.A. Johnson & Petur Hliddal

8. Woman of Heart and Mind

Live at Montreal Forum
Montreal, QC, Canada, December 4, 1975
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Mixed by Sean Brennan

9. 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