Out Today: Joni Mitchell’s ‘The Reprise Albums (1968-1971)’ Series’

Released today (June 25th) from Joni Mitchell is The Reprise Albums (1968-1971) series. The collection is available on four-CD's, four-LP 180-gram vinyl (limited to edition of 10,000 copies), as well as digitally. Included are Mitchell's first four albums — Song To A Seagull (1968), Clouds (1969), Ladies Of The Canyon (1970), and Blue (1971).

In the case of Song To A Seagull, the original mix has been recently updated by Mitchell and mixer Matt Lee, with Mitchell explaining: “The original mix was atrocious. It sounded like it was recorded under a jello bowl, so I fixed it!”

The new collection features a new essay by singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, who writes in part: “In my opinion Blue is the greatest album ever made. Blue didn’t make me a better songwriter. Blue made me a better woman. . . No matter what we are dealing with in these times we can rejoice and know that of all the ages we could have lived through, we lived in the time of Joni Mitchell.”

Uber-fan Jimmy Page was asked if Joni Mitchell's influence can be found in Led Zeppelin's music: “Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think anybody — any sort of, thinking people — were listening to Joni Mitchell's music. Apart from the fact that, y'know, I thought, she was absolutely gorgeous to look at and I really loved her music — right from the very, very first album onwards. Yeah, sure I listened to Joni Mitchell. Oh, we even make a reference to her in 'Goin' To California' on the fourth album.”

In 1997, Graham Nash — who was also romantically linked to Joni Mitchell — accepted her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, since Mitchell was not on hand. At the ceremony, he spoke about Joni's strength and vulnerability as a musician: “As delicate and as feminine as Joni is, she's a very tough lady, and she has always been a rock-and-roller at heart. She has always been, and wanted to be, one of the boys. And especially with me and David (Crosby) and Stephen (Stills), she was one of the boys for many years, in all of our lives.”