{"id":142481,"date":"2023-11-12T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-12T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/?p=142481"},"modified":"2023-11-12T08:14:18","modified_gmt":"2023-11-12T16:14:18","slug":"review-joni-mitchell-archives-vol-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/review-joni-mitchell-archives-vol-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: \u2018Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 3\u2019 Takes a Deep Dive Into Her Creative Breakthroughs of the Early \u201970s"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

These are happy days for Joni Mitchell fans. First the pioneering songwriter and guitarist returned to the stage after recovering from a near-fatal brain aneurysm\u2014making a stunning surprise appearance at Newport Folk Festival in 2022, followed in 2023 by a full-blown Joni Jam at the Gorge in Washington state, both spearheaded by Brandi Carlile. Meanwhile, the accolades and awards for Mitchell have been piling high, along with, it seems, rising appreciation of her contributions among musicians and listeners alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Joni<\/a>
Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972\u20131975), Rhino<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And now comes a remarkable new view into one of the most transformational periods in her music, through Rhino Records\u2019 release of Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972\u20131975)<\/a>. <\/em>This new volume spans a time when she made multiple breakthroughs\u2014as a songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader\u2014from For the Roses<\/a><\/em> to Court and Spark<\/a><\/em> and The Hissing of Summer Lawns<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The set is surely not for the casual listener. The four-LP version<\/a> includes 40 tracks, while the full digital\/five-CD collection<\/a> offers a whopping 96\u2014almost six hours total of demos, early\/alternate studio takes, and concert sets, including Mitchell solo at Carnegie Hall in 1972 and with Tom Scott and the L.A. Express in Los Angeles in 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This deep-dive approach allows you to consider songs from multiple angles. If you love, say, \u201cCold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire,\u201d in the full digital\/CD release you\u2019ll hear a gorgeous guitar and voice demo recorded during a 1971 visit to Graham Nash and David Crosby\u2019s recording session; a solo performance well before For the Roses<\/em> came out; a working mix where she sings a guide track for saxophone; and a live duet with Tom Scott. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the major musical developments in this period was Mitchell really going off the grid with guitar tunings, with songs like \u201cBarangrill\u201d (D A C F# A D), \u201cFor the Roses\u201d (G G D G B D), and \u201cWoman of Heart and Mind\u201d (B F# C# E B D#), and an attendant opening up to more complex harmonies. At the same time, she was leaving behind the strumming and conventional fingerpicking of songs like \u201cBig Yellow Taxi\u201d and \u201cThe Circle Game\u201d to develop her own free-form type of fingerstyle. You can hear all this in detail on the many solo tracks from the studio and stage\u2014a feast for Mitchell guitar fans. (This is admittedly a guitar-centric perspective: there are lots of piano\/vocal tracks on the release as well.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Especially with Court and Spark,<\/em> when her guitar became part of a thicker instrumental mix, it\u2019s a revelation to hear solo demos of songs like \u201cHelp Me,\u201d \u201cJust Like This Train,\u201d and \u201cTrouble Child.\u201d All the supple rhythms, rich harmonies, and moving lines of the fully orchestrated versions are present in her guitar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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