Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971)
Rhino
Dec 07, 2021 Web Exclusive
With the first volume of Joni Mitchell’s Archives series offering material that leads up to her 1968 debut album, Archives Vol. 2 picks up the torch from there and runs up to some late ’70/early ’71 sessions for her classic album Blue. Aside from the rewards to be found in hearing her albums released during these years, the five CDs (also in a 10-LP limited edition) in this set offer a unique embarrassment of riches, with nearly six hours of unreleased home, studio, and live recordings.
The set begins in late ’67/early ’68 with home demos as well as recordings from Jane Lurie’s Chelsea, Manhattan apartment, which was the setting for the song “Chelsea Morning.” A two-set performance at Ottawa, Canada’s Le Hibou Coffee House in March of ’69 was recorded by Jimi Hendrix. Along with various session tracks, radio and TV appearances include a ’69 Dick Cavett broadcast and a ’71 BBC TV show, and there’s a “Big Yellow Taxi/Bony Moronie” medley from 1970’s Greenpeace Benefit Concert for Amchitka. Among the sets other live highlights are her complete Carnegie Hall debut from February 1969 (available separately as a 3-LP set) and an In Concert BBC Radio broadcast from October of ’70, where James Taylor joined her in the second half of the show.
Spanning key years for Mitchell as a recording artist, Archives Vol. 2 richly fleshes out the period, providing a worthy companion to her early albums and a fascinating window into her development as an artist. (www.jonimitchell.com)
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Average reader rating: 4/10
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