Hot on the heels of the release of Joni Mitchell's The Asylum Albums (1972-1975) in "Quadio" quadraphonic surround, another entry in the singer-songwriter's acclaimed Archives series is on the way.  On June 21, The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) will arrive on 5 CDs, 6 LPs, and digital formats, completing this chapter of Mitchell's extraordinary career.

Whereas 1972-1975 represented the peak of Mitchell's hitmaking years, 1976-1980 captured her in innovative, experimental mode.  Following the tour for 1975's The Hissing of Summer Lawns, she embarked on a period of personal rediscovery and restless creativity which would manifest itself in the singular albums collected on this box set: Hejira (1976), Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1977), Mingus (1979), and the live Shadows and Light (1980). All four albums have been newly remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog stereo master tapes, and they're housed in a box adorned with a portion of one of Mitchell's paintings.  The full painting will be replicated as an insert in both the CD and LP packages.

Mitchell was keenly aware that her new musical explorations might not be to the tastes of the fans who propelled, for instance, Court and Spark to No. 1; she asserted that she was moving from the "hit department" to the "art department."  But those who stood by her were rewarded with a suite of albums that, if not as immediately accessible, were products of a fertile imagination and musical ambition.  She was joined by numerous jazz greats including Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Larry Carlton and Pat Metheny on guitars, Michael Brecker on saxophone, Don Alias on percussion, and Weather Report's Jaco Pastorius and Wayne Shorter on bass and sax, respectively.

Hejira, Mitchell's eighth studio album, was inspired by a series of three cross-country trips.  Its striking title was created from the Arabic word for "departure" or "exodus," most usually referring to Muhammad's travels from Mecca to Medina in 622.  In some ways, it's a transitional album between Mitchell's "pop" era and her experimental "jazz" period, featuring musical alumni (Tom Scott, Chuck Findley, Victor Feldman, Max Bennett, John Guerin, Larry Carlton) and, most prominent of her new collaborators, Jaco Pastorius.  Old friend Neil Young guested on "Furry Sings the Blues" playing harmonica.  Lead single "Coyote," reportedly written about Mitchell's relationship with playwright-actor Sam Shepard, was the lead single.  It characterized the album's incisive, sprawling lyrical approach and experimental arrangements, with Pastorius' multi-layered bass standing out on the track.

Mitchell followed up Hejira with the double album Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, enlisting a wide array of players including John Guerin, Airto Moreira, Wayne Shorter, Larry Carlton, French composer-conductor Michel Colombier, Don Alias, Alex Acuna, Manolo Badrena, and Jaco Pastorius.  Old friends Glenn Frey and JD Souther lent their vocals to "Off Night Backstreet" while Chaka Khan sang on "The Tenth World" and "Dreamland."  Don Juan's was Mitchell's most experimental album to date; an Overture was played by six guitars in various tunings with vocal effects; "Dreamland" showcased just percussion and voices.  The 16-minute side-long "Paprika Plains" melded improvisational piano with a full orchestration; "The Tenth World" was a Latin jam credited to Mitchell with percussionists Moreira, Alias, Badrena, Acuna, and Pastorius.  (Jaco played bongos on the track.)  For its presentation within this box set, it appears that Don Juan's has been given a new cover, replacing the original on which Mitchell donned blackface.

She continued in the jazz vein of Don Juan's with Mingus.  Bandleader-composer-bassist Charles Mingus was invited by Joni to collaborate. He penned six compositions (entitled "Joni I-VI") for the album, intending for Mitchell to write lyrics to his melodies.  Ultimately, three of his compositions were chosen for the project; she also wrote new lyrics to his standard "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat."  Five spoken-word raps and two Mitchell original songs ("God Must Be a Boogie Man" and "The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey") were also featured.  Mingus died in January 1979 before the album was completed; it was released in June as a tribute to him.  Mitchell was supported on the sessions by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Don Alias, drummer Peter Erskine, and percussionist Emil Richards.

Joni completed her Asylum contract with the double live album Shadows and Light, her second live LP following Miles of Aisles.  Recorded in September 1979 at the Santa Barbara Bowl during the Mingus tour, the album concentrated almost exclusively on her more recent material with "Woodstock" as the only throwback to her early years; "Free Man and Paris" was the lone track from Court and Spark.  A cover of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" with The Persuasions was a surprise nodding at Mitchell's love of early rock-and-roll and doo-wop.

The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) features liner notes by Mitchell's friend Meryl Streep.  The press release quotes the much-awarded actress: "It's not just the artifact - music and lyrics - that Joni gives us. Her artistry leaves us, ourselves, changed. She has shifted things around inside us. And that's how artists change the world."  This box set also anticipates the release of the fourth volume of Joni Mitchell Archives which will explore this period further with previously unreleased studio and live recordings.  More information will arrive later in the year.

The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) will be available on June 21 from Rhino as a 5CD set, a limited edition (5,000 copies) 6LP version pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, and digitally. You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below.  (Amazon links are not yet active but should be live soon!)

Joni Mitchell. The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) (Asylum/Rhino, 2024)

5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com
6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com

CD 1/LP 1: Hejira (Asylum LP 7E-1087, 1976)

1. "Coyote"
2. "Amelia"
3. "Furry Sings The Blues"
4. "A Strange Boy"
5. "Hejira
6. "Song For Sharon"
7. "Black Crow"
8. "Blue Motel Room"
9. "Refuge Of The Road"

CD 2/LP 2-3: Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (Asylum LP BB-701, 1977)

1. "Overture - Cotton Avenue"
2. "Talk To Me"
3. "Jericho"
4. "Paprika Plains"
5. "Otis And Marlena"
6. "The Tenth World"
7. "Dreamland"
8. "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"
9. "Off Night Backstreet"
10. "The Silky Veils Of Ardor"

CD 3/LP 4: Mingus (Asylum LP 5E-505, 1979)

1. "Happy Birthday 1975"
2. "God Must Be A Boogie Man"
3. "Funeral" (Rap)
4. "A Chair In The Sky"
5. "The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey"
6. "I's A Muggin" (Rap)
7. "Sweet Sucker Dance"
8. "Coin In The Pocket" (Rap)
9. "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines"
10. "Lucky" (Rap)
11. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"

CD 4-5/LP 5-6: Shadows And Light (Asylum LP BB-704, 1980)

Disc One

1. Introduction
2. "In France They Kiss On Main Street"
3. "Edith And The Kingpin"
4. "Coyote"
5. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"
6. "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines"
7. "Amelia"
8. Pat's Solo
9. "Hejira"

Disc Two

1. "Black Crow"
2. Don's Solo
3. "Dreamland"
4. "Free Man In Paris"
5. Band Introduction
6. "Furry Sings The Blues"
7. "Why Do Fools Fall In Love"
8. "Shadows And Light"
9. "God Must Be A Boogie Man"
10. "Woodstock"