Joni Mitchell has announced the latest release in her archival series, Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975). The box set is slated for release on October 6.
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By 1972, Joni Mitchell had become a powerful force in the singer/songwriter space, having shared her seminal Blue album the year prior. With all that fame and prestige though came media scrutiny – a fact she was well aware of and not interested in taking in stride. In an effort to stop her name from popping up in the gossip rags, she decided to seclude herself from the world and took to the “asylum” of the Canadian coast.
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There, she had a markedly fruitful creative run. Her time away from the spotlight helped her to produce the records For The Roses (1972), Court And Spark (1974), and The Hissing Of Summer Lawns (1975). Rarities, demos, and live versions of songs from those records will be featured on Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975).
Amongst the track list are live versions of “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Blue,” “A Case of You,” and more. Elsewhere are session recordings with David Crosby, Neil Young, and Graham Nash. In celebration of the release, Mitchell has shared an early version of the Court and Spark track, “Help Me.” Check that out below.
The archival projects are “guided intimately” by Mitchell’s own vision and personal touch. The release will be available in both 5CD / digital version and a 4LP cut-down version. Included in the physical release of the box set will be photos and a conversation about the “asylum years” between Mitchell and longtime friend Cameron Crowe.
Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) will follow on from Mitchell’s At Newport release. That album, shared last month, features recordings from Mitchell’s surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival last year.
(Photo by Jack Robinson/Getty Images)
