Joni Mitchell to release new archival series — listen to her first known recording now
The first instalment, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 – 1967), will be available Oct. 30
Joni Mitchell just announced that she's launching a series of archival releases, starting this fall with a five-CD set covering the years leading up to her debut album, 1968's Song to a Seagull.
According to jonimitchell.com, the release will feature "nearly six hours of unreleased home, live, and radio recordings," including 29 never-before-heard, original compositions by Mitchell. It also includes Mitchell's 1967 cover of Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain," which the singer has said inspired the song "The Circle Game." A 40-page booklet filled with unreleased photos from Mitchell's personal collection will accompany the CDs, as well as new liner notes that include conversations between Mitchell and writer/filmmaker Cameron Crowe, who wrote the oft-cited 1979 Rolling Stone cover story of Mitchell.
In tandem with the announcement, Mitchell released her 1963 performance of "House of the Rising Sun" at the CFQC AM radio station in Saskatoon — which she says is her earliest known recording.
Joni Mitchell Archives Volume 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) is available for pre-order via jonimitchell.com.