#Joni Mitchell Launches Archival Series, Shares First Known Recording: Listen

Joni Mitchell has announced a new series of archival releases. The first installment, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 – 1967), is out October 30. As the title suggest, the 5xCD collection covers the years before Mitchell released her 1968 debut Song to a Seagull.

According to the product listing, The Early Years features 29 original Mitchell compositions that have not previously been released with her vocals. The set also includes various cover songs, a 40-page booklet with photographs, liner notes that include conversations between Joni Mitchell and Cameron Crowe, and more.

Below, listen to a 19-year-old Joni Mitchell’s performance of “House of the Rising Sun.” The cover was recorded in 1963 for the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan radio station CFQC AM and is being billed as Mitchell’s first known recording.

Check out Pitchfork’s feature “Joni Mitchell: Her Art and Life in 33 Songs.”