Hear Joni Mitchell's Previously Unreleased Early Recordings
Joni Mitchell Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Joni Mitchell
Courtesy of the artistA treasure trove of mostly unheard early Joni Mitchell recordings has just been released. Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) has 119 tracks, including 29 original songs she wrote and recorded but never put out before now.
On this special edition of All Songs Considered, NPR Music's Ann Powers and I explore these early works of Joni Mitchell and play selections from the new box set from Rhino. This includes some of Joni Mitchell's first-known recordings, like a radio studio recording made in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan when she was just 19-years old. We also hear some live concert recordings, including one made at the Ann Arbor Canterbury House 53 years ago, and demos she made on a home reel-to-reel tape machine. This includes one she made for her mom in 1965. Over the course of this remarkable box set — and nearly six hours of music, we hear Joni Mitchell grow from a singer of folk songs to a playful and sophisticated lyricist with a brilliant voice.