demos or acoustic versions?

sweet.bird   2009-Oct-14 at 21:20:02 first of all, i'd love to say hi to everyone... and that i'm thrilled to be part of this group, as i'm a notorious joniphile. anywho, i've been searching for demoed versions of joni songs for a long while... i've just recently stumbled on some unreleased demos from 'the hissing of summer lawns' era, circa 1975, but i also wanted to know if anyone has come across other demos?? also, i hear many people speaking of how joni's material from the 80s was fiercely overproduced... though i don't spend much time listening to those records... i'd just like to know if there are such things are acoustic or minimalistic versions of those 80s tracks? [as i think it'd be amazing to hear em]. thanks guys/gals.

Vegavision   2009-Oct-17 at 07:21:28 There will probably be some demos included in the boxset due out soon, possibly February. There are some alternative versions of tracks from the Mingus album it seems, although I haven't heard them (see comments from Joni I posted in the "is a box set happening?" thread on this forum. As far as other releases, there are demo versions of "Two Grey Rooms", "Good Friends" & "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" on the Complete Geffen Recordings boxset.

charliebu   2009-Oct-17 at 14:43:42 Round about the time Dog Eat Dog came out Joni did an extended interview for British radio with a live audience. She performed the DED title song and Impossible Dreamer solo on piano, and The Three Great Stimulants on the guitar with Larry Klein on piano - wonderful versions of great songs. I've always liked the DED album (in spite of the 80s drum machines), but those minimalist versions really let the lyrics and the vocals shine through. I'm not sure how easily available they are, though.

danrag   2009-Oct-17 at 20:28:44 That radio performance was 1985 for Capital Radio, she did an excellent interview and a few acoustic performances - I have the show on CD (excellent quality) one of my many rare Joni shows. I have not come across many demos - apart from the officially released Geffen demos and the HOSL demos. I collect Joni rarities though (100+ CDs) and there are dozens of live recordings in existence that present many alternative versions of her songs (including some that were never recorded officially).

sweet.bird   2009-Oct-19 at 10:13:53 vegavision: speaking of, i'm thoroughly excited for the new boxset surfacing sometime soon. i heard it was supposed to come out this nov (as the website said sometime in the fall), but apparently it's being shelved until further notice... and will most likely present itself sometime in the spring. 'the complete geffen recordings', i MUST get, though finding a joni mitchell record is sometimes impossible, unless it's 'blue' or the recent tribute album. charliebu: i'm always hearing how much the 80s material is crap, though i think nothing joni creates is close to that. i'd love to just hear those versions before listening to the record itself in entirety... and i think much appreciation would come. just to go along with that, watching the videos that are featured on this website, especially those of her interview in amsterdam... those acoustic versions of 'night ride home,' and 'number one' are phenomenal. i love how over the yrs her guitar style has developed remarkably... and of course, that's not all. danrag: i would LOVE to get my hands on anything you have, as i'm keen on hearing anything joni has presented. i find her to be a constant breath of fresh air, and with every listen, i find myself constnatly being driven and inspired. with the music nowadays... and being a singer-songwriter this day and age, i find that everything people are writing or recording (for the most part) is nothing innovative or boundary-pushing. i'd love to step out of it and take it to where joni has brought it and continues to raise the bar.

Vegavision   2009-Oct-23 at 11:00:55 I really love Dog Eat Dog. I think it gets a very rough ride from Joni fans. I'd love to hear the Capital Radio versions of Dog Eat Dog & Impossible Dreamer in an "unplugged" format. Impossible Dreamer in particular is a really lovely song.