Joni Mitchell Blue 50 Digital EP Available Today With Five Unreleased Songs, Archives Vol. 2 Out In November

Artist Name
JONI MITCHELL
Release Date

JONI MITCHELL BLUE CELEBRATES

50 YEARS WITH NEW DIGITAL EP

Blue 50 (Demos & Outtakes) Is Available Today Digitally With Five Unreleased Tracks From The Making Of Blue That Will Also Appear On Next Mitchell Archive Release

Debuting On November 12, The 5-CD And Digital Collection

Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971)

Will Explore The Period Leading Up To Blue Through

Nearly Six Hours Of Unreleased Home, Studio, And Live Recordings

 

LISTEN NOW

 

Limited Edition 10-LP Version Of Archives Vol. 2 Available For Pre-Order Now Exclusively At JoniMitchell.com

 

Blue Era Images HERE

 

LOS ANGELES – Tomorrow will be the 50th anniversary of Joni Mitchell’s masterpiece, Blue. To celebrate, Rhino is releasing two new collections that offer different perspectives on one of the greatest albums ever made and the inspired period of creativity that made it possible.

 

Rhino kicks off the celebration today with the release of Blue 50 (Demos & Outtakes), a digital EP that debuts five unreleased recordings from the making of Blue that will appear on the upcoming Archives collection. The striking cover of the BLUE 50 EP features the original Blue color treatment with a previously unseen alternate photo of Mitchell by Tim Considine from the same show as the original.

Each track on Blue 50 (Demos & Outtakes) is a standout, including the demos for “California” and an early version of “A Case Of You” that features different lyrics from those heard on the final album. There are also two alternate takes on the EP. The first is a version of “River” that adds French horns, unlike the album version, which features Mitchell solo on piano. The other alternate take is for “Urge For Going.” Mitchell originally wrote the song in the mid-Sixties and often included in her early live sets. She later revisited the song during the sessions for Blue, recording a version that included strings, that differs from the version that was later released as the b-side to her 1972 hit “You Turn Me On, I’m A Radio.” The final unreleased song is the studio recording for “Hunter,” another song that was cut from Blue at the last minute that Mitchell later performed live but never officially released on an album.

 

All five of these tracks will also be included in JONI MITCHELL ARCHIVES VOL. 2: THE REPRISE YEARS (1968-1971), which will be released on November 12 as a 5-CD set ($64.98) as well as digitally. The music will be available the same day exclusively at www.JoniMitchell.com as a 10-LP set ($249.98) on 180-gram vinyl, limited to 4,000 copies. All orders on the official Joni Mitchell store come with an exclusive 7”x7” art print featuring a never-before-seen illustration by Mitchell from the era.

 

The tracks on ARCHIVES VOL. 2 have been sequenced chronologically to follow Mitchell in real time through one of the most creative periods of her career. The collection uncovers several unreleased Mitchell originals, including “Jesus” recorded in 1969 at her friend Jane Lurie’s New York apartment in Chelsea, which also served as the setting for the song “Chelsea Morning.”

 

Other highlights include Mitchell’s performance at Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa on March 19, 1968 that was recorded by Jimi Hendrix and a concert at the Paris Theatre in London on October 29, 1970 that was broadcast on the BBC. The latter includes several songs destined to appear on Blue the following year: “Carey,” “River” and “My Old Man.” In addition, singer-songwriter James Taylor joined Mitchell to perform with her during the second half of the show.

 

Among the other treasures on ARCHIVES VOL. 2 is Mitchell’s complete Carnegie Hall debut, recorded on February 1, 1969, a few months before the release of her second album, Clouds, which would win Mitchell her first of nine Grammy Awards. In addition to its inclusion on ARCHIVES VOL. 2, the concert will also be released separately on October 29 as a 3-LP set on 180-gram vinyl for $59.98, with an exclusive 180-gram, white vinyl version, limited to 3,000 copies, available at www.JoniMitchell.com.

 

Like its predecessor, ARCHIVES VOL. 2 includes a booklet illustrated with many unseen photos from Mitchell’s personal collection as well as new liner notes featuring conversations about the time period between writer/filmmaker Cameron Crowe and Mitchell.

 

ARCHIVES VOL. 2 serves as a companion to The Reprise Albums (1968-1971) boxed set, which arrives on July 2 in 4-CD, 4-LP, and digital versions. It includes newly remastered versions of Blue (1971) and the three albums that came before it: Song To A Seagull (1968), Clouds (1969), and Ladies Of The Canyon (1970).

 

JONI MITCHELL

BLUE 50 (DEMOS & OUTTAKES)

Digital EP Track Listing

 

1.    “A Case Of You” - Demo

2.    “California” - Demo

3.    “Hunter”

4.    “River” - with French horns

5.    “Urge For Going” - with strings

 

 

JONI MITCHELL ARCHIVES VOL. 2: THE REPRISE YEARS (1968 TO 1971)

Full Track Listing

 

Disc One

Joni’s home (late 1967/early 1968)

1.    “Midnight Cowboy” – Version one

2.    “The Dawntreader” – Demo with vocal overdub

3.    “Song To A Seagull”

4.    “Midnight Cowboy” – Version two

Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (late 1967/early 1968)

5.    “The Way It Is”

6.    “Turn Around” – Incomplete

Home Demo, Joni’s home (late 1967/early 1968)

7.    “I Had A King” – Demo with piano overdub

8.    “Roses Blue” – Demo with peacock harp overdub

9.    “The Fiddle And The Drum” – Piano demo

Song To A Seagull Session, Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA (January 24, 1968)

10. “Jeremy”

11. “Conversation”

12. “Both Sides Now”

13. “The Gift Of The Magi”

Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (early 1968)

14. “It’s Easy”

15. “Another Melody”

Live at Canterbury House, Ann Arbor, MI (March 10, 1968)

16. Introduction

17. “Jeremy”

18. “Songs To Aging Children Come”

 

Disc Two

Le Hibou Coffee House, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Recorded by Jimi Hendrix (March 19, 1968)

First Set

1.    “Night In The City”

2.    “Come To The Sunshine”

3.    Intro to “The Pirate Of Penance”

4.    “The Pirate Of Penance”

5.    “Conversation”

6.    “The Way It Is”

7.    Intro to “The Dawntreader”

8.    “The Dawntreader”

Second Set

9.    “Marcie”

10. Intro to “Nathan La Franeer”

11. “Nathan La Franeer”

12. Intro to “Dr. Junk”

13. “Dr. Junk”

14. Intro to “Michael From Mountains”

15. “Michael From Mountains”

16. “Go Tell The Drummer Man”

17. Intro to “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”

18. “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”

19. Intro to “Sisotowbell Lane”

20. “Sisotowbell Lane”

21. Intro to “Ladies Of The Canyon”

22. “Ladies Of The Canyon”

Studio Session, Western Recorders, Hollywood, CA (May 31, 1968)

23. “Come To The Sunshine”

Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (summer 1968)

24. “My Second Album”

25. “Lambert, Hendricks & Ross”

26. “The Pirate Of Penance”

Top Gear BBC Radio Broadcast, London, England (recorded September 23, 1968)

27. Intro to “Chelsea Morning”

28. “Chelsea Morning” – with the John Cameron Group

29. Intro to “The Gallery”

30. “The Gallery”

31. Intro to “Night In The City”

32. “Night In The City” – with the John Cameron Group

 

Disc Three

Live at Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY (February 1, 1969)

First Set

1.    “Chelsea Morning”

2.    A Valentine for Joni

3.    “Cactus Tree”

4.    “Night In The City”

5.    “I Had A King”

6.    “Blue Boy”

7.    My American Skirt

8.    “The Fiddle And The Drum”

9.    Spoony’s Wonderful Adventure

10. “That Song About The Midway”

11. “Both Sides Now”

Second Set

12. “Marcie”

13. “Nathan La Franeer”

14. Intro to “The Gallery”

15. “The Gallery”

16. “Hunter”

17. “Morning Morgantown”

18. Intro to “Get Together”

19. “Get Together”

20. Intro to “The Circle Game/Little Green”

21. “The Circle Game/Little Green”

Encore

22. “Michael From Mountains”

 

Disc Four

Live at Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY (February 1, 1969)

1.    Intro to “Urge For Going”

2.    “Urge For Going”

Clouds Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (spring 1969)

3.    “Conversation”

4.    “Blue Boy”

5.    “The Priest”

Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (mid 1969)

6.    “Jesus”

7.    Playing piano and vocalizing

The Dick Cavett Show ABC TV Broadcast, New York City, NY (Recorded August 18, 1969)

8.    “Chelsea Morning”

9.    “Willy”

10. “For Free”

11. Interview

12. “The Fiddle And The Drum”

Ladies Of The Canyon Demo Session, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (late 1969)

13. “Woodstock”

Live at Centennial Auditorium, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (November 1, 1969)

14. “As I Lie Thinking In My Backyard On August 2nd”

15. “Roses Blue”

16. “Rainy Night House”

Ladies Of The Canyon Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (late 1969)

17. “Ladies Of The Canyon” – with cellos

18. “Blue Boy” – with recorder coda

In Concert BBC TV Broadcast, (recorded September 3, 1970)

19. “All I Want”

Blue Demo Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (September 1970)

20. “A Case Of You”

21. “California”

 

Disc Five

In Concert BBC Radio Broadcast, Paris Theatre, London England (recorded October 29, 1970)

1.    Introduction

2.    “That Song About The Midway”

3.    Intro to “The Gallery”

4.    “The Gallery”

5.    “Hunter”

6.    Intro to “River”

7.    “River”

8.    “My Old Man”

9.    “The Priest”

10. This is a mountain dulcimer

11. “Carey”

12. “A Case Of You” – with James Taylor

13. Intro to “California” – with James Taylor

14. “California” – with James Taylor

15. Intro to “For Free” – with James Taylor

16. “For Free” – with James Taylor

17. Intro to “The Circle Game” – with James Taylor

18. “The Circle Game” – with James Taylor

19. Intro to “You Can Close Your Eyes” – with James Taylor

20. “You Can Close Your Eyes” – with James Taylor

21. “Both Sides Now”

22. Intro to “Big Yellow Taxi”

23. “Big Yellow Taxi”

Blue Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (late 1970/early 1971)

24. “Hunter”

25. “River” – with French horns

26. “Urge For Going” – with strings

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