"The Asylum Albums (1976-1980)" by JONI MITCHELL – Including The Albums "Hejira" (November 1976), "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" (December 1977 2LP Studio Set onto 1CD), "Mingus" (June 1979) and "Shadows And Light" (September 1980 2LP Live Set onto 2CDs) – Guest Musicians include Larry Carlton, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Lyle Mays, Bobbye Hall, Don Alias, John Guerin, Victor Feldman, Chuck Findley, Tom Scott, Wayne Shorter, Micheal Brecker, The Persuasions, Michael Gibbs, Airto, Neil Young, Chaka Khan, Glenn Frey, J.D. Souther and more (June 2024 UK/WORLDWIDE Rhino/Asylum Records 5CD Brick-Block Box Set Of Bernie Grundman Remasters with Mini LP Repro Artwork Card Sleeves and New Artwork for "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter") - A Review by Mark Barry...

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RATINGS:

Audio *****

Material *** to *****

Presentation ****

"…No Regrets Coyote…"

I would imagine that for many Joni fans this box set represents a tremble in every orifice just looking at it - never holding it in your hands – two stunning studio albums – a triumphant live double and even a reappraisal of that misstep into Jazz with the awful "Mingus" LP – a last gasp of the Seventies that for me never worked. 

But the big news is of course the Bernie Grundman Remasters which I can confirm (along with thousands of other commentators) are fabulous – warm and full and not overwrought (Jaco Pastorius pinging Bass notes in your speaker stack like there's a worldwide shortage of them). No regrets Coyote – no false alarms for Amelia here – Icarus ascending. It's time to watch the waitress's legs and the hexagram of the heavens again folks – here are the details…

UK/WORLDWIDE released 21 June 2024 - "The Asylum Albums (1976-1980)" by JONI MITCHELL on Rhino/Asylum R2 726169 – 603497827015 (Barcode 603497827015) is a 5CD Brick-Block Box Set in the Joni Mitchell Archives Series (Third Set for Albums) with Mini LP Repro Card Sleeve Artwork (with relevant inner sleeves, gatefolds etc), Bernie Grundman Remasters and an Appreciation Essay from Actress Meryl Streep. It plays out as follows: 

Disc 1 – 2024 Remaster (51:51 minutes):
1. Coyote [Side 1]
2. Amelia
3. Furry Sings The Blues
4. A Strange Boy
5. Hejira
6. Song For Sharon [Side 2]
7. Black Crow
8. Blue Motel Room
9. Refuge Of The Roads
Tracks 1 to 9 are the LP "Hejira" – released November 1976 in the USA on Asylum 7E-1087 and Asylum K 53053 in the UK. Guest Musicians include Jaco Pastorius and Max Bennett on Bass, Larry Carlton on Guitar, John Guerin on Drums with Bobbye Hall on Percussion. Victor Feldman plays Vibraphone on "Amelia", Neil Young plays Harmonica on "Furry Sings The Blues", Abe Most plays Clarinet on "Hejira", Chuck Domanico plays Bass on "Blue Motel Room" only – Chuck Findley and Tom Scott play Horns on "Refuge Of The Roads"

Disc 2 – 2024 Remaster (59:50 minutes): 
1. Overture - Cotton Avenue [Side 1]
2. Talk To Me
3. Jericho
4. Paprika Plains [Side 2]
5. Otis And Marlena [Side 3]
6. The Tenth World 
7. Dreamland
8. Don Juan's Reckless Daughter [Side 4]
9. Off Night Backstreet
10. The Silky Veils Of Ardor
Tracks 1 to 10 are the 2LP set "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" – released December 1977 in the USA on Asylum BB-701 and Asylum K 63003 in the UK. Guest Musicians include Jaco Pastorius on Bass, Bongos and Cowbells, Larry Carlton on Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Don Guerin on Drums and Don Alias on Percussion Instruments. Wayne Shorter plays Soprano Saxophone on "Jericho" and "Paprika Plains", Michael Colombier plays Piano on "Otis And Marlena", Manolo Badrena (Lead Vocals) with Chaka Khan, Alejandro Acuna and Don Alias on Backing Vocals for "The Tenth World", Airto plays Surdo Bass Drum on "Dreamland", Chaka Khan Vocals on "Dreamland", Michael Gibbs Orchestrations on "Paprika Plains" and "Off Night Backstreet", Glenn Frey of The Eagles with J.D. Souther sing Backing Vocals on "Off Night Backstreet"

Disc 3 – 2024 Remaster (37:26 minutes):
1. Happy Birthday 1975 (Rap) [Side 1]
2. God Must Be A Boogie Man
3. Funeral (Rap)
4. 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 
Tracks 1 to 11 are the LP "Mingus" – released June 1979 in the USA on Asylum 5E-505 and July 1979 in the UK on Asylum K 53091

Discs 4 and 5 – 2024 Remasters
Disc 4 (43:25 minutes):
1. Introduction (includes sample dialogue from a James Dean Movie) [Side 1]
2. In France They Kiss On Main Street (Live)
3. Edith And The Kingpin (Live)
4. Coyote (Live)
5. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Live)
6. The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines (Live) [Side 2]
7. Amelia (Live)
8. Pat's Solo (Live)
9. Hejira (Live)

Disc 5 (40:36 minutes):
1. Black Crow (Live) [Side 3]
2. Don's Solo (Live)
3. Dreamland (Live)
4. Free Man In Paris (Live)
5. Band Introduction (Live)
6. Furry Sings The Blues (Live)
7. Why Do Fools Fall In Love (Live) [Side 4]
8. Shadows And Light (Live)
9. God Must Be A Boogie Man (Live)
10. Woodstock (Live)
Tracks 1to 9 and Tracks 1 to 10 are her second live album "Shadows And Light" – a 2LP set released September 1980 in the USA on Asylum BB-704 and Asylum K 62030 in the UK. "Pat's Solo" and "Don's Solo" are by band members Pat Metheny and Don Alias, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines" are co-writes with Charles Mingus, "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" is a Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers cover version (exclusive to this set) – all other tracks by Joni Mitchell. Band included Pat Metheny on Guitar, Jaco Pastorius on Bass, Lyle Mays on Keyboards, Michael Brecker on Sax with Don Alias on Drums and Percussion with The Persuasions on Backing Vocals

For many Mitchell fans who have had to do with the extremely pretty but sonically up-and-down Clamshell Box Set "The Studio Albums 1968-1979" from October 2012 - will know that these JMA sets (Joni Mitchell Archives) have the same sumptuous artwork reproduced in their Mini LP incarnations - but this time come armed with stunning new BERNIE GRUNDMAN masters. And that makes all the difference. But it will also not take a genius to work out that that 2012 Box Set is now the only place to find the original artwork to "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" because Joni has decided to replace the supposedly politically unacceptable front cover. The problem is that the replacement is hideous – apparently an outtake from a later 80s session – and kind of ruins the feel of the whole thing. The photos are buggered about too.

The inner flap-sleeve for "Mingus" is squeaky clean in its gorgeous transfer, the "Hejira" set and "Shadows And Light" have their respective Inner Sleeves too - and the three-way foldout painting insert penned by legendary film-star and Oscar Winner Meryl Streep is not just academic but passionate and gushing (and rightly so) because like so many fans – Joni Music is deeply personal to them (Meryl describes hearing "Hejira" in her car and having to pull over to take it in the magic happening on her radio - she bought the album that day).

But all of that is small beer to the Audio which is gorgeous all around – all four a revelation to me. BERNIE GRUNDMAN has been around decades – this is the Audio Engineer that mastered "Aja" for Steely Dan and smartly (in 1977) kept a first-gen safety copy so that finally Analogue Productions could work from that for their spectacular HQ 2LP and SACD reissues across 2023 and 2024. When you hear the Piano and Strings passage in "Paprika Plains" (about seven minutes in) or the bottom-end punch of "Off Night Backstreet" – it is just great. There is power and majesty in these recordings and Grundman has realised it. 

The only real problem for me (as I feel it is for all these boxes) – the miniaturized lyrics on the Mini LP Card Sleeves are unreadable and there is not booklet reproducing them - which for an artist so famous for her lyrical brilliance is frankly a bit of a reissue travesty. As you listen to the words for the whole of the "Hejira" album for instance – it is arguably even better than Dylan from the year before on his mighty "Blood On The Tracks" LP - which is really saying something. In short, there's no booklet documenting her pinnacle achievement - which is a damn shame given this woman's musical stature in 2024 which borders on Hero Worship.

The other brill thing about a box like this is the dipping-in and the rediscovering of song nuggets that you'd either forgotten or aren't on those 'Best Of' compilations –the African percussive madness and vocal harmonising in "The Tenth World" - "Pat's Solo" where Metheny lets rip but remains beautiful musical – the rhythmical Dorothy Lamour glass of rum that is "Dreamland" and even "God Must Be A Boogie Man" on the patchy jazz collaboration album "Mingus" which to this day still feels indulgent. I know people say the same of the double "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" but I dig that title track where the band gels into this magical overall strummed guitar sound – snakes along the railroad tracks – kite on a string open giving in to the romance of swooping dangers – wow! During these years Joni also seemed to finally find her springboards in Guitarists Pat Metheny and Larry Carlton whilst super-smooth super-musical Bassist Jaco Pastorius added beautiful texture to every heavily-worded tune. There is a sound to these albums that I adore nearly 50-years on and I doubt that will ever change. 

And the live double has to be one of the great overlooked sets – a stunning band – Joni defiant and brilliant as always doing three from the much-maligned "Mingus" project. There is an 'air' about the live set like the songs that were somehow slightly cluttered on the studio sets are given a breather by a band that is so in sympatico with her music. And those words - "...I'm porous with travel fever yet I'm so glad to be alone...".

If ever an artist deserved lavish and super respect in this sometimes-crazy world of reissues – it's Canada's finest – Joni Mitchell. Don't think – don't dither – dive in and drool. It only remains for me to say what I always say - God bless you our Lady of the Canyon - and stop smoking you silly twit – you're far too precious to lose!

PS: there is also a 21 June 2024 UK/Worldwide 6LP VINYL ALBUM version of "The Asylum Albums (1976-1980)" Box Set by Joni Mitchell on Rhino R1 726169 – 603497827022 (Barcode 603497827022) – both the studio album "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" and the live double "Shadows And Light" are issued here as 2LP sets – hence the six records.