Influential Canadian folk singer-songwriter, Joni Mitchell, recently announced the release of forthcoming boxsets releasing over the next few years, marking the first time Mitchell is opening her vault to the public of previously unreleased recorded material. According to Stereo Gum, “The series kicks off on 10/30 with the release of Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 To 1967), a deluxe 5-CD set featuring nearly six hours of unreleased home, live, and radio recordings leading up to her 1968 debut album, including 29 original Mitchell compositions that have never been released with her vocals.”
Mitchell, whose origins in the music industry date back to the mid 1960s, has recorded a total of nineteen full-length studio albums. Her most recent, and believed to her last, studio album was Shine released back in September 2007, via Hear Music/Universal. On the forthcoming boxset, Mitchell recently shared her cover of “House of The Rising Sun” which according to the above source is “…a 19-year-old Mitchell playing “House Of The Rising Sun” at the CFQC AM radio station in her hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.” This acoustic cover is a tender melancholic, deeply harrowing track that captures Mitchell’s naivety in her early stages, singing in an angelic register that is tragically beautiful. To listen to “House Of The Rising Sun” stream below, via YouTube.
Speaking on the musical allure of Mitchell and her reluctance to listen and eventually releasing early home recordings of previously unreleased demos, Mitchell spoke candidly according to a press release, as previously noted in the aforementioned source, saying:
“The early stuff, I shouldn’t be such a snob against it. A lot of these songs, I just lost them. They fell away. They only exist in these recordings. For so long I rebelled against the term, ‘I was never a folk-singer.’ I would get pissed off if they put that label on me. I didn’t think it was a good description of what I was. And then I listened and … it was beautiful. It made me forgive my beginnings. And I had this realization … I was a folk singer!
Speaking to the musical influence of Mitchell’s seminal works on present day contemporary pop and alternative musical artists, last year Lana Del Rey along with Weyes Blood and Zella Day covered Mitchell’s 1970 song “For Free.” As previously reported, here on mxdwn, “The performer’s cover of “For Free,” was unveiled during a performance in Seattle, Washington. This track appeared on Mitchell’s 1970 album release Ladies Of The Canyon, and was previously teased on Lana Del Rey’s Instagram back in 2017.”
JONI MITCHELL ARCHIVES VOL. 1: THE EARLY YEARS (1963 TO 1967) TRACKLIST:
Disc One
Radio Station CFQC AM, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (ca. 1963)
01 “House Of The Rising Sun”
02 “John Hardy”
03 “Dark As A Dungeon”
04 “Tell Old Bill”
05 “Nancy Whiskey”
06 “Anathea”
07 “Copper Kettle”
08 “Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)”
09 “Molly Malone”
Live at the Half Beat: Yorkville, Toronto, Canada (October 21, 1964)
First Set
10 Introduction
11 “Nancy Whiskey”
12 Intro to “The Crow On The Cradle”
13 “The Crow On The Cradle”
14 “Pastures Of Plenty”
15 “Every Night When The Sun Goes In”
16 Intro to “Sail Away”
17 “Sail Away”
Second Set
18 “John Hardy”
19 “Dark As A Dungeon”
20 Intro to “Maids When You’re Young Never Wed An Old Man”
21 “Maids When You’re Young Never Wed An Old Man”
22 “The Dowie Dens Of Yarrow”
23 “Deportee (Plane Crash At Los Gatos)”
24 Joni’s Parents’ House: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (February 1965)
25 “The Long Black Rifle”
26 “Ten Thousand Miles”
27 “Seven Daffodils”
Disc Two
Myrtle Anderson Birthday Tape: Detroit, MI (1965)
01 “Urge For Going”
02 “Born To Take The Highway”
03 “Here Today And Gone Tomorrow”
Jac Holzman Demo: Detroit, MI (August 24, 1965)
04 “What Will You Give Me”
05 “Let It Be Me”
06 “The Student Song”
07 “Day After Day”
08 “Like The Lonely Swallow”
Let’s Sing Out, CBC TV: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada (October 4, 1965)
09 “Favorite Colour”
10 “Me And My Uncle”
Home Demo: Detroit, MI (ca. 1966)
11 “Sad Winds Blowin’”
Let’s Sing Out, CBC TV: Laurentian University, London, ON, Canada (October 24, 1966)
12 “Just Like Me”
13 “Night In The City”
Live at the 2nd Fret: Philadelphia, PA (November 1966)
14 “Brandy Eyes”
15 Intro to “Urge For Going”
16 “Urge For Going”
17 Intro to “What’s The Story Mr. Blue”
18 “What’s The Story Mr. Blue”
19 “Eastern Rain”
20 Intro to “The Circle Game”
21 “The Circle Game”
22 Intro to “Night In The City”
23 “Night In The City”
Disc Three
Folklore, WHAT FM: Philadelphia, PA, (March 12, 1967)
01 Intro to “Both Sides Now”
02 “Both Sides Now”
03 Intro to “The Circle Game”
04 “The Circle Game”
Live at the 2nd Fret: Philadelphia, PA (March 17, 1967)
Second Set
05 “Morning Morgantown”
06 “Born To Take The Highway”
07 Intro to “Song To A Seagull”
08 “Song To A Seagull”
Third Set
09 “Winter Lady”
10 Intro to “Both Sides Now”
11 “Both Sides Now”
Folklore, WHAT FM: Philadelphia, PA (March 19, 1967)
12 Intro to “Eastern Rain”
13 “Eastern Rain”
14 Intro to “Blue On Blue”
15 “Blue On Blue”
“A Record Of My Changes” – Michael’s Birthday Tape: North Carolina (May 1967)
16 “Gemini Twin”
17 “Strawflower Me”
18 “A Melody In Your Name”
19 “Tin Angel”
20 “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
21 Joni improvising
Folklore, WHAT FM: Philadelphia, PA (May 28, 1967)
22 Intro to “Sugar Mountain”
23 “Sugar Mountain”
Disc Four
Home Demo: New York City, NY (ca. June 1967)
01 “I Had A King”
02 “Free Darling”
03 “Conversation”
04 “Morning Morgantown”
05 “Dr. Junk”
06 “Gift Of The Magi”
07 “Chelsea Morning”
08 “Michael From Mountains”
09 “Cara’s Castle”
10 “Jeremy” (Incomplete)
Live at Canterbury House: Ann Arbor, MI (October 27, 1967)
First Set
11 “Conversation”
12 Intro to “Come To The Sunshine”
13 “Come To The Sunshine”
14 Intro to “Chelsea Morning”
15 “Chelsea Morning”
16 Intro to “Gift Of The Magi”
17 “Gift Of The Magi”
18 “Play Little David”
19 Intro to “The Dowie Dens Of Yarrow”
20 “The Dowie Dens Of Yarrow”
21 “I Had A King”
22 Intro to “Free Darling”
23 “Free Darling”
24 Intro to “Cactus Tree”
25 “Cactus Tree”
Disc Five
Live at Canterbury House: Ann Arbor, MI (October 27, 1967)
Second Set
01 “Little Green”
02 Intro to “Marcie”
03 “Marcie”
04 Intro to “Ballerina Valerie”
05 “Ballerina Valerie”
06 “The Circle Game”
07 Intro to “Michael From Mountains”
08 “Michael From Mountains”
09 “Go Tell The Drummer Man”
10 Intro to “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
11 “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
Third Set
12 “A Melody In Your Name”
13 Intro to “Carnival In Kenora”
14 “Carnival In Kenora”
15 “Songs To Aging Children Come”
16 Intro to “Dr. Junk”
17 “Dr. Junk”
18 “Morning Morgantown”
19 Intro to “Night In The City”
20 “Night In The City”
21 “Both Sides Now”
22 “Urge For Going”
EARLY JONI – 1963 LP TRACKLIST:
Side One
01 “House Of The Rising Sun”
02 “John Hardy”
03 “Dark As A Dungeon”
04 “Tell Old Bill”
05 “Nancy Whiskey”
Side Two
01 “Anathea”
02 “Copper Kettle”
03 “Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)”
04 “Molly Malone”
LIVE AT CANTERBURY HOUSE – 1967 3LP TRACKLIST:
Side One: First Set
01 “Conversation”
02 Intro to “Come To The Sunshine”
03 “Come To The Sunshine”
04 Intro to “Chelsea Morning”
05 “Chelsea Morning”
06 Intro to “Gift Of The Magi”
07 “Gift Of The Magi”
Side Two
01 “Play Little David”
02 Intro to “The Dowy Dens Of Yarrow”
03 “The Dowy Dens Of Yarrow”
04 “I Had A King”
05 Intro to “Free Darling”
06 “Free Darling”
07 Intro to “Cactus Tree”
08 “Cactus Tree”
Side Three: Second Set
01 “Little Green”
02 Intro to “Marcie”
03 “Marcie”
04 Intro to “Ballerina Valerie”
05 “Ballerina Valerie”
06 “The Circle Game”
Side Four
01 Intro to “Michael From Mountains”
02 “Michael From Mountains”
03 “Go Tell The Drummer Man”
04 Intro to “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
05 “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
Side Five: Third Set
01 “A Melody In Your Name”
02 Intro to “Carnival In Kenora”
03 “Carnival In Kenora”
04 “Songs To Aging Children Come”
05 Intro to “Dr. Junk”
06 “Dr. Junk”
Side Six
01 “Morning Morgantown”
02 Intro to “Night In The City”
03 “Night In The City”
04 “Both Sides Now”
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