Asylum Quad Box

img

Published 2024-05-20 06:00

Joni Mitchell's "The Asylum Albums 1972-1975 : Quad Boxed Set", a box of 4 BluRay sets, features remastered hi res stereo, Dolby Atmos mixes by Grammy award winning producers Ken Caillat and Claus Trelby, and quad mixes of "For The Roses", "Court And Spark", "Miles Of Aisles", and "The Hissing Of Summer Lawns". A brand new 2023 quad mix of "For The Roses" was done by Bruce Botnick.

Joni Mitchell was at a turning point 50 years ago. After making 4 acclaimed albums with Reprise Records, including her 1971 masterpiece "Blue", she left the label to join the brand new Asylum Records in 1972. Over the next 7 years, Mitchell would record some of the most acclaimed music of her career while changing her musical direction by adding more jazz elements into her songwriting. The evolution culminated in 1979 with "Mingus", her collaboration with jazz titan Charles Mingus, and her studio last album for Asylum.

The cover art for "The Asylum Albums" features a previously unseen painting by Mitchell. The set also includes an essay by friend and fellow Canadian Neil Young. He writes, “Joni’s music is so deep and transporting. She comes right from the source. There is no mistaking it. 'For The Roses', 'Court And Spark', 'Miles Of Aisles', and 'The Hissing Of Summer Lawns' are all classics in my book. I listened to every album as it came out. The musicians she played with were always above my abilities. She had grown from folk to jazz and in between, creating a unique kind of sound that I loved to listen to over and over”.

"The Asylum Albums" follows Mitchell’s musical evolution over 4 albums as she embraced more jazz inspired pieces and moved away from the folk and pop of her early years. It includes essential tracks, like her first Top 40 hit, “You Turn Me On, I’m A Radio” and her highest charting single “Help Me”, plus favorites like “Free Man In Paris”, “Raised On Robbery” and “In France They Kiss On Main Street”.