Joni Mitchell - Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA, 3-3-1974

A few weeks ago as I write this (in November 2023), a third Joni Mitchell archival box set was released, called "Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975)." I don't want to post too much from that, because I hope if you're a Joni Mitchell fan that you'll go out and buy it. But I'm posting a complete concert that was included in it because I felt it had a big flaw that I was able to fix. Namely, the last four songs from the concert weren't included. Now, they are with this version.

Mitchell was probably at the peak of her popularity in 1974, releasing her best selling album, "Court and Spark," and then going on a big tour. So it's frustrating that there really haven't been any high quality complete concert recordings from that tour. She did release a live album from the tour, "Miles of Aisles," which also did very well, but that was a selection of performances from a bunch of different concerts, and I usually prefer full concert recordings, warts and all. But until now, the only high quality 1974 concert recording is the BBC album I've posted here from a London concert. However, that one is flawed because it's cobbled together from several different sources, and not everything sounds great. 

So this concert recordings is very welcome. It sounds even better than the BBC album. I'm really puzzled though while the last four songs were left off the box set. I found an audience bootleg from this exact concert with those four songs on it. Unfortunately, the sound quality was low. Instead, I decided to go with a recording done in Seattle about ten days later (March 12th) that sounded a lot better. It also is an audience bootleg, but it's probably the best sounding one from the tour. She ended all the concerts with the exact same songs, and no banter between them, so it's basically identical to the audience bootleg from this exact concert, except sounding better. That said, it's still a noticeable step down from the sound of the rest of the concert. But one gets the full concert experience this way.

This album is an hour and 49 minutes long.

01 talk (Joni Mitchell)
02 This Flight Tonight (Joni Mitchell)
03 You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio (Joni Mitchell)
04 Free Man in Paris (Joni Mitchell)
05 The Same Situation (Joni Mitchell)
06 Just like This Train (Joni Mitchell)
07 Rainy Night House (Joni Mitchell)
08 Woodstock (Joni Mitchell)
09 Cactus Tree (Joni Mitchell)
10 Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell)
11 talk (Joni Mitchell)
12 People's Parties (Joni Mitchell)
13 All I Want (Joni Mitchell)
14 A Case of You (Joni Mitchell)
15 talk (Joni Mitchell)
16 For the Roses (Joni Mitchell)
17 Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire (Joni Mitchell)
18 Blue (Joni Mitchell)
19 [He Played Real Good] For Free (Joni Mitchell)
20 Trouble Child (Joni Mitchell)
21 Help Me (Joni Mitchell)
22 Car on a Hill (Joni Mitchell)
23 Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell)
24 Raised on Robbery (Joni Mitchell)
24 The Last Time I Saw Richard (Joni Mitchell)
25 Twisted (Joni Mitchell)

https://www.imagenetz.de/iFRSK

The cover photo may or may not be from this exact concert. All I know is that it was taken at one of her concerts in Los Angeles in 1974. But she played Los Angeles six times that year. So there's a one in six chance.