Joni Mitchell, 1972
Photo: Redferns, Gijsbert Hanekroot. All rights reserved.
Joni Mitchell continues her search for diamonds from the past. “Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975)” will be published on October 6th. With her two predecessors, the legendary singer, who is now back on stage after years of serious illness, proved that over the many decades of her career she has accumulated a lot of material that should definitely be released.
The tender, reserved “Like Veils Said Lorraine” is now released as a foretaste of the new box set. The song was originally recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood in late 1971 and early 1972, but has not been heard until now.
The song was written after a conversation with a real woman named Lorraine, a real estate agent who once took Mitchell to see houses, the singer explained. “She looked like Marlene Dietrich,” the liner notes say.
Mitchell continued: “She was platinum blonde and very elegant. She had lived in China with her husband, so she was kind of urbane…and glamorous. It is a description of our conversation. … Houses are important to me, and I know how to choose them.”
“Archives Vol. 3”, contains songs from some of the musician’s best and most well-known records, starting with “For the Roses” from 1972 and “Court and Spark” from 1974 to “The Hissing of Summer Lawns” from 1975 . Included are early demo versions, alternate takes, live recordings and, for good measure, a complete 1972 Carnegie Hall concert.