Thursday, October 19, 2023 9pm ET: Feature LP: Joni Mitchell – Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol 3: The Asylum Years (1972 – 1975) (2023) Part 2

Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972–1975) is a five-disc box set by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on October 6, 2023, by Rhino Records. The box set is the eleventh overall release and third offering of unreleased material from the Joni Mitchell Archives, a planned series of releases containing remastered material from the singer’s personal archives. Formatted in chronological order, the third volume of the series consists of the archived material that was recorded during the first half of Mitchell’s tenure at Asylum Records, which includes the years between the release of her fifth studio album, For the Roses (1972) and her seventh studio album, The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975).

Part 1 (Tracks 1 – 38)
Part 2 (Tracks 39 – 54)

1. “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” 3:58
2. “For the Roses” 4:03
3. “Banquet” 3:13
4. “Lesson in Survival” 3:15
5. “Like Veils Said Lorraine” 2:15
6. “See You Sometime” 3:04
7. “This Flight Tonight” 3:30
8. “Electricity” 3:26
9. “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” 5:22
10. “Big Yellow Taxi” 3:16
11. “Blue” 2:38
12. “For Free” 4:37
13. “Banquet” 3:20
14. “All I Want” 3:38
15. “A Case of You” (intro) 0:39
16. “A Case of You” 4:41
17. “Carey” (intro) 1:29
18. “Carey” 3:19
19. “Lesson in Survival” 3:18
20. “Woodstock” 4:06
21. “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (intro) 0:29
22. “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” 2:54
23. “For the Roses” (intro) 0:37
24. “For the Roses” 3:52
25. “Both Sides Now” 5:42
26. “My Old Man” 3:54
27. “The Circle Game” (intro) 1:50
28. “The Circle Game” 5:57
29. “Medley: Bony Moronie / Summertime Blues / You Never Can Tell” (with James Taylor) 3:59
30. “Electricity” (with James Taylor) 3:32
31. “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (with Neil Young and the Stray Gators) 3:26
32. “See You Sometime” (early version with bass & drums) 3:11
33. “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (early version with bass & drums) 2:58
34. “Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig’s Tune)” (intro) 0:45
35. “Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig’s Tune)” 5:49
36. “Blonde in the Bleachers” (alternate guitar mix) 2:43
37. “Let the Wind Carry Me” (piano/vocal mix) 4:00
38. “Barangrill” (guitar/vocal mix) 2:52
39. “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” (sax guide vocal) 4:17
40. “Sunrise Raga” 3:42
41. “Twisted” (early alternate version) 2:01
42. “Big Yellow Taxi” (intro) 0:59
43. “Big Yellow Taxi” 2:40
44. “Piano Suite: Down to You / Court and Spark / Car on a Hill / Down to You” 12:33
45. “People’s Parties” 3:02
46. “Help Me” 3:31
47. “Just Like This Train” 3:48
48. “Raised on Robbery” 2:55
49. “Trouble Child” 3:54
50. “Raised on Robbery” (early working version) 3:10
51. “Raised on Robbery” (with Neil Young and the Santa Monica Flyers) 3:36
52. “People’s Parties” (early alternate take) 2:50
53. “Trouble Child” (early alternate take) 3:40
54. “Car on a Hill” (early alternate take) 2:37
55. “Down to You” (alternate take) 5:37
56. “The Same Situation” (alt piano/vocal mix) 3:09
57. “Bonderia” 3:21
58. “Introduction” 0:38
59. “This Flight Tonight” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 3:38
60. “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 4:23
61. “Free Man in Paris” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 3:14
62. “The Same Situation” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 3:35
63. “Just Like This Train” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 4:18
64. “Rainy Night House” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 4:16
65. “Woodstock” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 5:04
66. “Cactus Tree” 5:29
67. “Big Yellow Taxi” 3:16
68. “People’s Parties” (intro) 6:06
69. “People’s Parties” 3:02
70. “All I Want” 3:49
71. “A Case of You” 5:04
72. “For the Roses” (intro) 7:52
73. “For the Roses” 4:14
74. “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” (with Tom Scott) 5:30
75. “Blue” 2:48
76. “For Free” (with Tom Scott) 4:40
77. “Trouble Child” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 4:11
78. “Help Me” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 3:58
79. “Car on a Hill” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 2:53
80. “Jericho” (intro) 0:29
81. “Jericho” 3:17
82. “Woman of Heart and Mind” 3:35
83. “In France They Kiss on Main Street” 3:06
84. “Edith and the Kingpin” 3:33
85. “Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow” 2:28
86. “Shades of Scarlett Conquering” 4:52
87. “The Boho Dance” 3:54
88. “Harry’s House” 4:02
89. “Dreamland” 4:08
90. “In France They Kiss on Main Street” (guitar/alternate vocal) 3:25
91. “The Jungle Line” (alternate version) 4:36
92. “Edith and the Kingpin” (alternate version) 3:36
93. “Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow” (alternate version) 4:14
94. “Shades of Scarlett Conquering” (alternate version) 5:41
95. “The Boho Dance” (alternate version) 3:55
96. “Dreamland” (early alternate band version) 4:43

Tuesday, October 17, 2023 10pm ET: Feature LP: Joni Mitchell – Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol 3: The Asylum Years (1972 – 1975) (2023) Part 1

Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972–1975) is a five-disc box set by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on October 6, 2023, by Rhino Records. The box set is the eleventh overall release and third offering of unreleased material from the Joni Mitchell Archives, a planned series of releases containing remastered material from the singer’s personal archives. Formatted in chronological order, the third volume of the series consists of the archived material that was recorded during the first half of Mitchell’s tenure at Asylum Records, which includes the years between the release of her fifth studio album, For the Roses (1972) and her seventh studio album, The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975).

Part 1 (Tracks 1 – 38)

1. “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” 3:58
2. “For the Roses” 4:03
3. “Banquet” 3:13
4. “Lesson in Survival” 3:15
5. “Like Veils Said Lorraine” 2:15
6. “See You Sometime” 3:04
7. “This Flight Tonight” 3:30
8. “Electricity” 3:26
9. “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” 5:22
10. “Big Yellow Taxi” 3:16
11. “Blue” 2:38
12. “For Free” 4:37
13. “Banquet” 3:20
14. “All I Want” 3:38
15. “A Case of You” (intro) 0:39
16. “A Case of You” 4:41
17. “Carey” (intro) 1:29
18. “Carey” 3:19
19. “Lesson in Survival” 3:18
20. “Woodstock” 4:06
21. “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (intro) 0:29
22. “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” 2:54
23. “For the Roses” (intro) 0:37
24. “For the Roses” 3:52
25. “Both Sides Now” 5:42
26. “My Old Man” 3:54
27. “The Circle Game” (intro) 1:50
28. “The Circle Game” 5:57
29. “Medley: Bony Moronie / Summertime Blues / You Never Can Tell” (with James Taylor) 3:59
30. “Electricity” (with James Taylor) 3:32
31. “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (with Neil Young and the Stray Gators) 3:26
32. “See You Sometime” (early version with bass & drums) 3:11
33. “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (early version with bass & drums) 2:58
34. “Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig’s Tune)” (intro) 0:45
35. “Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig’s Tune)” 5:49
36. “Blonde in the Bleachers” (alternate guitar mix) 2:43
37. “Let the Wind Carry Me” (piano/vocal mix) 4:00
38. “Barangrill” (guitar/vocal mix) 2:52
39. “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” (sax guide vocal) 4:17
40. “Sunrise Raga” 3:42
41. “Twisted” (early alternate version) 2:01
42. “Big Yellow Taxi” (intro) 0:59
43. “Big Yellow Taxi” 2:40
44. “Piano Suite: Down to You / Court and Spark / Car on a Hill / Down to You” 12:33
45. “People’s Parties” 3:02
46. “Help Me” 3:31
47. “Just Like This Train” 3:48
48. “Raised on Robbery” 2:55
49. “Trouble Child” 3:54
50. “Raised on Robbery” (early working version) 3:10
51. “Raised on Robbery” (with Neil Young and the Santa Monica Flyers) 3:36
52. “People’s Parties” (early alternate take) 2:50
53. “Trouble Child” (early alternate take) 3:40
54. “Car on a Hill” (early alternate take) 2:37
55. “Down to You” (alternate take) 5:37
56. “The Same Situation” (alt piano/vocal mix) 3:09
57. “Bonderia” 3:21
58. “Introduction” 0:38
59. “This Flight Tonight” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 3:38
60. “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 4:23
61. “Free Man in Paris” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 3:14
62. “The Same Situation” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 3:35
63. “Just Like This Train” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 4:18
64. “Rainy Night House” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 4:16
65. “Woodstock” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 5:04
66. “Cactus Tree” 5:29
67. “Big Yellow Taxi” 3:16
68. “People’s Parties” (intro) 6:06
69. “People’s Parties” 3:02
70. “All I Want” 3:49
71. “A Case of You” 5:04
72. “For the Roses” (intro) 7:52
73. “For the Roses” 4:14
74. “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” (with Tom Scott) 5:30
75. “Blue” 2:48
76. “For Free” (with Tom Scott) 4:40
77. “Trouble Child” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 4:11
78. “Help Me” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 3:58
79. “Car on a Hill” (with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express) 2:53
80. “Jericho” (intro) 0:29
81. “Jericho” 3:17
82. “Woman of Heart and Mind” 3:35
83. “In France They Kiss on Main Street” 3:06
84. “Edith and the Kingpin” 3:33
85. “Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow” 2:28
86. “Shades of Scarlett Conquering” 4:52
87. “The Boho Dance” 3:54
88. “Harry’s House” 4:02
89. “Dreamland” 4:08
90. “In France They Kiss on Main Street” (guitar/alternate vocal) 3:25
91. “The Jungle Line” (alternate version) 4:36
92. “Edith and the Kingpin” (alternate version) 3:36
93. “Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow” (alternate version) 4:14
94. “Shades of Scarlett Conquering” (alternate version) 5:41
95. “The Boho Dance” (alternate version) 3:55
96. “Dreamland” (early alternate band version) 4:43

Thursday, June 1, 2023 5pm ET: Joni Mitchell – Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm (1988)

Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm is the 13th studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on March 23, 1988, by Geffen Records. Her third release on the label, the album features duets with a number of artists such as Peter Gabriel on “My Secret Place,” Willie Nelson on “Cool Water,” Don Henley on “Snakes and Ladders,” and Billy Idol and Tom Petty on the track “Dancin’ Clown.” Henley also performs backing vocals on “Lakota,” and Wendy and Lisa perform backing vocals on “The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms).”

1. “My Secret Place” 5:01
2. “Number One” 3:46
3. “Lakota” 6:25
4. “The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms)” 4:49
5. “Dancin’ Clown” 4:09
6. “Cool Water” 5:25
7. “The Beat of Black Wings” 5:19
8. “Snakes and Ladders” 5:37
9. “The Reoccurring Dream” 3:02
10. “A Bird That Whistles (Corrina, Corrina)” 2:38

Joni Mitchell – vocals, guitar, keyboards, drum programming on 7, 8
Manu Katché – drums, percussion, talking drum on 1, 7; snare drum on 2; background vocals
Steve Lindsey – organ on 2
Larry Klein – bass; keyboards on 1, 3, 4, 8; congas on 6; programming; background vocals on 5
Michael Landau – guitar on 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9; background vocals on 5
Steve Stevens – lead guitar on 5
Wayne Shorter – saxophones on 10
Thomas Dolby – marimba on 5
Peter Gabriel – guest vocalist on 1
Benjamin Orr – background vocals on 2, 7
Don Henley – background vocals on 3, 8
Iron Eyes Cody – guest vocalist on 3
Wendy Melvoin – background vocals on 4
Lisa Coleman – background vocals on 4
Billy Idol – guest vocalist on 5
Tom Petty – guest vocalist on 5
Julie Last – background vocals on 5
Willie Nelson – guest vocalist on 6

Tuesday 12/13/22 9pm ET: Feature LP: Joni Mitchell – For The Roses (1972)

For the Roses is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. It was released in November 1972, between her two biggest commercial and critical successes—Blue and Court and Spark. In 2007 it was one of 25 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

For the Roses is perhaps best known for the hit single “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio”, which Mitchell wrote sarcastically out of a record company request for a radio-friendly song. The single was a success, peaking at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Mitchell’s first top 40 hit released under her own name (as a songwriter, several other performers had had hits with songs that she had written). “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire”, a menacing and jazzy portrait of her then lover James Taylor’s heroin addiction, which was also released as a single, backed with “Blonde in the Bleachers” and the Beethoven-inspired “Judgment of the Moon and Stars” were also popular.

“Banquet” 3:01
“Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire” 4:17
“Barangrill” 2:52
“Lesson in Survival” 3:11
“Let the Wind Carry Me” 3:56
“For the Roses” 3:48
“See You Sometime” 2:56
“Electricity” 2:56
“You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” 2:39
“Blonde in the Bleachers” 2:42
“Woman of Heart and Mind” 2:38
“Judgement of the Moon and Stars (Ludwig’s Tune)” 5:19

Joni Mitchell – vocals, guitar, piano
Tom Scott – woodwinds, reeds
Wilton Felder – bass
Russ Kunkel – drums
Bobbye Hall – percussion
Bobby Notkoff – strings
James Burton – electric guitar on “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire”
Graham Nash – harmonica on “You Turn Me On I’m a Radio”
Stephen Stills – rock and roll band on “Blonde in the Bleachers”

Thursday 12/30/21 6pm ET: RadioMaxMusic Special: The Music of 1980 A to Z – Part 25

This RadioMax special features our Library of music from 1980 A2Z.

We complete our review of the RadioMaxMusic Library of 1980 music. This installment features music from Electric Light Orchestra, Pat Benatar, Dr. Hook, Billy Joel, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Tommy James, Eddy Raven, Lou Rawls, Diana Ross, Ambrosia, Bonnie Raitt and many more. We start our travel into the next segment 1981 next Tuesday.

6pm – 9:30pm ET

Wednesday 12/29/21 8pm ET: RadioMaxMusic Special: The Music of 1980 A to Z – Part 24

This RadioMax special features our Library of music from 1980 A2Z.

We are moving into the final segments of 1980 music. This installment features music from Dickey Lee, Barbra Streisand, Rossington-Collins Band, Jerry Reed, Pat Benatar, Hoyt Axton, Red Rider, Joni Mitchell, Elton John, Rockpile, Romantics, Devo, Poco, Journey and many more. Tomorrow we feature the completion of this segment and start our travel into 1981 next Tuesday.

8pm – 12am ET

Friday 9/24/21 1am ET: Feature LP: Joni Mitchell – Blue (1971)

Blue is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on June 22, 1971 by Reprise Records. Written and produced entirely by Mitchell, it was recorded in 1971 at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California. Created just after her breakup with Graham Nash, and during an intense relationship with James Taylor, Blue explores various facets of relationships from infatuation on “A Case of You” to insecurity on “This Flight Tonight”. The songs feature simple accompaniments on piano, guitar and Appalachian dulcimer. The album peaked at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart, number 9 on the Canadian RPM Albums Chart and number 15 on the Billboard 200.

Today, Blue is generally regarded by music critics as one of the greatest albums of all time; the way Mitchell’s songwriting, compositions and voice all work together are frequent areas of praise. In January 2000, The New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented “turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music”. In 2020, Blue was rated the third greatest album of all time in Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, the highest entry by a female artist. It was also voted number 24 in the third edition of Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). In July 2017, Blue was chosen by NPR as the greatest album of all time made by a woman.

1. “All I Want” 3:34
2. “My Old Man” 3:34
3. “Little Green” 3:27
4. “Carey” 3:02
5. “Blue” 3:05
6. “California” 3:51
7. “This Flight Tonight” 2:51
8. “River” 4:04
9. “A Case of You” 4:22
10. “The Last Time I Saw Richard” 4:15

Joni Mitchell – production, Appalachian dulcimer, guitar, piano & vocals
Henry Lewy – engineer
Gary Burden – art direction
Tim Considine – cover photography
James Taylor – guitar (tracks 1, 4, 6, 9)
Russ Kunkel – drums (tracks 4, 6, 9)
Stephen Stills – bass and guitar (track 4)
Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar (tracks 6, 7)

Thursday 11pm ET: Feature Artist – Joni Mitchell

Roberta Joan “Joni” Mitchell CC (born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Drawing from folk, pop, rock, and jazz, Mitchell’s songs often reflect social and environmental ideals as well as her feelings about romance, confusion, disillusionment, and joy. She has received many accolades, including nine Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Rolling Stone called her “one of the greatest songwriters ever”, and AllMusic has stated, “When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century”.

Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and throughout western Canada, before busking in the streets and nightclubs of Toronto, Ontario. In 1965, she moved to the United States and began touring. Some of her original songs (“Urge for Going”, “Chelsea Morning”, “Both Sides, Now”, “The Circle Game”) were covered by other folk singers, allowing her to sign with Reprise Records and record her debut album, Song to a Seagull, in 1968. Settling in Southern California, Mitchell, with popular songs like “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Woodstock”, helped define an era and a generation. Her 1971 album Blue is often cited as one of the best albums of all time; it was rated the 30th best album ever made in Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In 2000, The New York Times chose Blue as one of the 25 albums that represented “turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music”. In 2017, NPR ranked Blue number 1 on a list of Greatest Albums Made By Women. Mitchell’s fifth album, For the Roses, was released in 1972. She then switched labels and began exploring more jazz-influenced melodic ideas, by way of lush pop textures, on 1974’s Court and Spark, which featured the radio hits “Help Me” and “Free Man in Paris” and became her best-selling album.

Around 1975, Mitchell’s vocal range began to shift from mezzo-soprano to more of a wide-ranging contralto. Her distinctive piano and open-tuned guitar compositions also grew more harmonically and rhythmically complex as she explored jazz, melding it with influences of rock and roll, R&B, classical music and non-western beats. In the late 1970s, she began working closely with noted jazz musicians, among them Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, as well as Charles Mingus, who asked her to collaborate on his final recordings. She later turned again toward pop, embraced electronic music, and engaged in political protest. In 2002, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards.

Mitchell is the sole producer credited on most of her albums, including all her work in the 1970s. A blunt critic of the music industry, she quit touring and released her 17th, and reportedly last, album of original songs in 2007. With roots in visual art, Mitchell has designed most of her own album covers. She describes herself as a “painter derailed by circumstance”.