Yahoo Finance Joni Mitchell to Get First Major Vault Collection With ‘Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years’
Among music superstars, Joni Mitchell is among the few whose vaults have remained largely unmined for previously unheard vintage material. That changes in a big way with the Oct. 30 release of “Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967),” a boxed set that will include six hours of material from the years preceding her debut album in 1968.
As the title would indicate, further volumes are being promised by Rhino to come out over the next few years, with Mitchell very much at the helm in all the projects.
“Vol. 1” will arrive as a five-CD set as well as a digital collection. Included in the set are 29 original Mitchell compositions that have never before seen the light of day in any vocal form. The liner notes will feature fresh conversations between the artist and her friend Cameron Crowem as will the volumes to come.
It’s being heralded today by the immediate release of a Canadian radio performance of the perennial “House of the Rising Sun” from 1963, said to represent the earliest recording of her on record. (Listen below.)
As part of the announcement, Mitchell had an amusing statement to make about how she’s come to terms with the label she was slapped with — and rebelled against — in these early years and beyond. “The early stuff, I shouldn’t be such a snob against it,” she said. “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!”
Although the full collection isn’t being released in its entirety on vinyl, the live sets that open and close the boxed set are being cherrypicked for individual 180g LP release. One is the single-disc “Early Joni — 1963,” a radio performance for CFQC AM in Saskatoon, with an LP jacket that sports a self-portrait said to be her first new, publicly released artwork in years. The other vinyl stand-alone is a three-record set, “Live at Canterbury House — 1967.” Each of those two releases will be available in limited-edition white or clear vinyl pressings of 1,500 each; the overall vinyl total for “Canterbury House” is limited to 10,000.
Beyond the many previously unknown tracks, fans will get demo versions of songs that showed up on Mitchell’s first four studio albums, including “Michael From Mountains,” “I Had A King,“ “Chelsea Morning,” “Both Sides Now,” “The Circle Game” and “Little Green.” It will also include her cover of Neil Young’s “Sugar Mountain,” which she says inspired “Circle Game.”
Mitchell’s camp is also engaging with social media after leaving her presence to unofficial fan accounts for years. Beyond launching an official website (www.jonimitchell.com), Mitchell will finally be represented on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and a YouTube channel for news, historical content and merch.
Since a hospitalization in 2015 that alarmed fans, Mitchell has not sung in public or released new recordings. But her recovery has been evidenced by how she has maintained a quieter public profile attending events where she warmly greets well wishers — from her own 70th birthday party at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 2018 to the opening of Crowe’s “Almost Famous” musical in San Diego last year — and friends report that, behind the scenes, she remains a bon vivant and vivacious party host.
The full track list:
Disc One
Radio Station CFQC AM, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (ca. 1963)
1. “House Of The Rising Sun”
2. “John Hardy”
3. “Dark As A Dungeon”
4. “Tell Old Bill”
5. “Nancy Whiskey”
6. “Anathea”
7. “Copper Kettle”
8. “Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)”
9. “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)
1. “Urge For Going”
2. “Born To Take The Highway”
3. “Here Today And Gone Tomorrow”
Jac Holzman Demo: Detroit, MI (August 24, 1965)
4. “What Will You Give Me”
5. “Let It Be Me”
6. “The Student Song”
7. “Day After Day”
8. “Like The Lonely Swallow”
Let’s Sing Out, CBC TV: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada (October 4, 1965)
9. “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)
1. Intro to “Both Sides Now”
2. “Both Sides Now”
3. Intro to “The Circle Game”
4. “The Circle Game”
Live at the 2nd Fret: Philadelphia, PA (March 17, 1967)
Second Set
5. “Morning Morgantown”
6. “Born To Take The Highway”
7. Intro to “Song To A Seagull”
8. “Song To A Seagull”
Third Set
9. “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)
1. “I Had A King”
2. “Free Darling”
3. “Conversation”
4. “Morning Morgantown”
5. “Dr. Junk”
6. “Gift Of The Magi”
7. “Chelsea Morning”
8. “Michael From Mountains”
9. “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
1. “Little Green”
2. Intro to “Marcie”
3. “Marcie”
4. Intro to “Ballerina Valerie”
5. “Ballerina Valerie”
6. “The Circle Game”
7. Intro to “Michael From Mountains”
8. “Michael From Mountains”
9. “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 Track Listing
Side One
1. “House Of The Rising Sun”
2. “John Hardy”
3. “Dark As A Dungeon”
4. “Tell Old Bill”
5. “Nancy Whiskey”
Side Two
1. “Anathea”
2. “Copper Kettle”
3. “Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)”
4. “Molly Malone”
LIVE AT CANTERBURY HOUSE – 1967
3LP Track Listing
Side One: First Set
1. “Conversation”
2. Intro to “Come To The Sunshine”
3. “Come To The Sunshine”
4. Intro to “Chelsea Morning”
5. “Chelsea Morning”
6. Intro to “Gift Of The Magi”
7. “Gift Of The Magi”
Side Two
1. “Play Little David”
2. Intro to “The Dowy Dens Of Yarrow”
3. “The Dowy Dens Of Yarrow”
4. “I Had A King”
5. Intro to “Free Darling”
6. “Free Darling”
7. Intro to “Cactus Tree”
8. “Cactus Tree”
Side Three: Second Set
1. “Little Green”
2. Intro to “Marcie”
3. “Marcie”
4. Intro to “Ballerina Valerie”
5. “Ballerina Valerie”
6. “The Circle Game”
Side Four
1. Intro to “Michael From Mountains”
2. “Michael From Mountains”
3. “Go Tell The Drummer Man”
4. Intro to “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
5. “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
Side Five: Third Set
1. “A Melody In Your Name”
2. Intro to “Carnival In Kenora”
3. “Carnival In Kenora”
4. “Songs To Aging Children Come”
5. Intro to “Dr. Junk”
6. “Dr. Junk”
Side Six
1. “Morning Morgantown”
2. Intro to “Night In The City”
3. “Night In The City”
4. “Both Sides Now”
5. “Urge For Going”
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