Joni Mitchell unveils new box set, ‘Asylum Albums (1972-1975)’
Joni Mitchell has unveiled the latest instalment of her archival box-set series. The Asylum Albums, slated for release on September 23rd, features remastered versions of For The Roses, Court and Spark, and Mitchell’s live double album Miles of Aisles. To mark the announcement, the singer-songwriter has also shared a remastered version of ‘You Turn Me On I’m a Radio’.
Mitchell first signed to Asylum Records in 1972 after working with Reprise Records on some of her best-known albums. She would stay with the label until 1979, concluding her contract with the release of Mingus, which saw the singer-songwriter collaborate with jazz icon Charles Mingus.
The forthcoming collection is the third instalment of Mitchell’s archival series, arriving after Vol 1: The Early Years (1963 – 1967) and Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971).
News of The Asylum Albums comes shortly after Mitchell’s surprise appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, which marked her first live performance in years. The singer joined Brandi Carlile for covers of ‘A Cae Of You’ and ‘Both Sides Now’, and she even played the guitar solo from ‘Just Like This Train’.
During an interview with CBS Mornings, the folk-icon revealed that she re-learned the guitar by watching “videos on the internet” after suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015. “I’m looking at videos that are on the net to see where I put my fingers,” she said. “It’s amazing what an aneurysm knocks out – how to get out of the chair. You don’t know how to get out of a bed. You have to learn all these things by rote again. I was into water ballet as a kid, and I forgot how to do the breaststroke. Every time I tried it, I just about drowned, you know? So, a lot of going back to infancy almost. You have to relearn everything.”
Mitchell went on to tell CBS that she’s on the road to recovery and may well have further live shows ahead of her. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for The Asylum Albums, out on September 23rd.
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