NEW! Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970

Eagle Rock will release a film of Joni's 1970 performance at the Isle of Wight festival on September 14! Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now - DVD

Pre-order US (not live yet): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DY2C3XW?ie=UTF8&tag=jonimitc01-20

Pre-order UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DY2C3XW?ie=UTF8&tag=jonimitchsoff-21


“In 1970 the Isle of Wight Festival was one of the largest musical events of its time. Bigger than Woodstock, and controversial from the get-go, hundreds of thousands of people descended on the island. Many of those without tickets set up camp on a hill overlooking the festival site, opposing the consumerism of the event and intent on taking the music back by any means necessary. It was a celebration of hippy counter culture gone awry, and in Joni's words "they fed me to the beast". Joni Mitchell took to the stage to deliver an outstanding performance against all odds. At times it was a battle against the audience, as they tore down barriers and shouted obscenities. Her set was interrupted multiple times, including one man invading the stage to try address the crowd. She later commented, "It seemed like an appropriate time to flee...", but still the seemingly fragile folk-rock singer stood her ground. Instead she returned to her piano, sitting on a fold-up wooden chair, and made an impassioned plea for respect from the audience, continuing her set with "My Old Man" she won over the crowd and the atmosphere softened. In response the front page of Melody Maker hailed her with the frontpage headline, "Joni triumphs!".

Directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Murray Lerner, Both Sides Now: Live At The Isle of Wight Festival features new interviews with Joni, discussing her recollections of the event intercut with festival footage, both onstage and behind the scenes, offering a fascinating insight into a now legendary concert from the artists point of view and putting the events of the day into context. Alternatively, fans can enjoy the uninterrupted live concert footage featuring classic songs such as "Woodstock", "Both Sides Now" and "Big Yellow Taxi". This was the final film from Murray Lerner, who sadly passed away not long after the films completion.”

 

A piece of history.

 

Wonderful news!! Instant buy for me. There just aren't enough Joni videos out there on the market. In many ways, I find Isle of Wight to be more interesting than Woodstock from a historical perspective and Joni's performance was great.

EDIT: Not yet available for pre-order on Amazon, but I signed up for email notification when it is. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DY2C3XW

 

Ok, cool. It's actually coming out on Blu ray, rather than DVD.

 

Fantastic news

 

wow, a bit of a shame to have to play for people who have no idea and/or interest in who you are, I do feel she was brave in the face of such disrespect.
then again, just about everyone was zoned out....

 

MORE INFO:


Joni Mitchell’s 1970 Isle Of Wight Performance Gets Home Release
A challenging show in her early career comes to DVD and Blu-ray, with new interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.
by Paul Sexton, UDiscoverMusic, July 12, 2018

A landmark early performance by one of the definining singer-songwriters of all time will come to DVD and Blu-ray on 14 September, when Eagle Vision releases Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now: Live At The Isle of Wight Festival.

The film was directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Murray Lerner, who sadly passed away in September 2017, soon after completing it. It features new interviews with Mitchell, with her recollections of the famous event intercut with footage from the festival, both on stage and behind the scenes. This is available alongside her complete performance, which featured such unforgettable early songs in her repertoire such as 'Woodstock,' 'Both Sides Now,' 'A Case Of You' and her hit single 'Big Yellow Taxi.'

The film documents not only the drama of a festival that was as controversial as it was historic, and which claimed a larger audience than Woodstock the year before. Isle Of Wight 1970 was the last of the three original festivals on the island off England's south coast, and starred major British artists such as The Who, the Moody Blues, Free, Procol Harum, Jethro Tull, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Ten Years After, as well as visiting North American notables including Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Sly & the Family Stone, the Doors, Miles Davis and Chicago.

The attendance at the event far exceeded the population of the entire island, leading to huge logistical difficulties, and Mitchell's set (on Saturday 29 August) was especially challenging for the Canadian artist. It was interrupted on several occasions in a rancorous atmosphere, which later led her to say that "they fed me to the beast." But she resumed her set resolutely, winning the admiration of both the audience and the music press, with Melody Maker declaring "Joni Triumphs" in its festival review.

Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now: Live At The Isle of Wight Festival is out on 14 September.

The track list for Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now: Live At The Isle of Wight Festival is as follows:

1) That Song About The Midway
2) Chelsea Morning
3) For Free
4) Woodstock
5) My Old Man
6) California
7) Big Yellow Taxi
8) Both Sides Now
9) Gallery
10) Hunter
11) A Case Of You

 

"For Free" was an interesting choice for the set list, considering:
Now me I play for fortunes
And those velvet curtain calls
I've got a black limousine
And two gentlemen
Escorting me to the halls
And I play if you have the money
Or if you're a friend to me
But the one man band
By the quick lunch stand
He was playing real good, for free

 

This will be the first official release of video footage of the song "Hunter"!

It was originally recorded during the sessions for Ladies of the Canyon, allegedly appeared on early acetate pressings of Blue, only to be replaced at the last second. Joni performed it on the BBC in 1970 and that footage--in all its graininess--has been traded around for decades. She also performed it at the Amchitka Greenpeace benefit that year, audio of which was released on an limited edition CD set in 2009.

 

Nice

No cd? Thought they might release both blu-ray / cd, bit like the Leonard Cohen release of IOW '70 (okay, i know that was dvd but you know what i mean.)

Pre-ordered, i'll find a way to transfer to mp3 for the car/ipod.

 

Thanks for the alert. I just got my most recent "Joni Mitchell fix" watching the following youtube video, when Joni appeared with some other musical groups on the Dick Cavett show:

Just go to 15:00 and enjoy, or just watch the whole thing -- the Jefferson Airplane has a good set. Re CS&N, we get to see Stephen Stills perform "4 and 20" (IIRC).

I was stunned by the audience's quietness and respect for Joni. No one yelling out loud during her songs, no cell phone cameras (ok, a historical anachronism). Regardless, the point is that the crowd is respectful and well behaved. I remember that in at least some CSN concerts, they would divide the music into "wooden music" (acoustic guitars) and "electric music". On one occasion, Stills was trying to play his acoustic and there was excessive crowd noise. He basically stopped and told the audience to either behave or take a hike (his words were more graphic).

 

Instant purchase. Any live Joni is going straight into my collection.

 

Excellent. After seeing her performance and plea for respect in the original documentary of the event way back, I've always been interested in seeing her whole set. This also comes from a wonderful period in her songwriting that really appeals to me. These complete filmed sets that Murray Lerner finished and released in his later years have been a real treat for anyone that has only seen the heavily edited main film of the entire festival. I'll be buying this one for sure.

 

The US pre-order link is up and running!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DY2C3XW?ie=UTF8&tag=jonimitc01-20

 

Very resistible release for me, from what I've heard and seen over the years. Patiently waiting for releases of studio outtakes from 1975 to 1979, that would get my pulse racing a bit.

 

The majority of this has been unheard, not even bootlegged, correct?

 

That’s correct.

 

You and me both, Mr. Fly, but after following Joni’s career intensely for a decade now and after only getting a demo here or there and a new flown-in sax part on top of a previously released song as far as “rarities” go, any unreleased Joni is an insta-buy!

 

Interesting. So is Eagle Rock going strictly blu-ray now? Their other releases have had a DVD option.

 

In the original press release, it said released on BluRay and DVD. Likely separately.

 

Damned hippies, expecting everything for free.

 

Incredible release.
I was just having a conversation with a friend today about how much great stuff is around and should be released before we are all dead and gone and nobody will care.
Glen

 

I have always loved and admired the way Joni tells the audience to be quiet give her some respect for being vulnerable on stage.
There have been many times when I've wanted to say a similar thing to audience members (from an audience member's perspective).
It will be good value to be able to see her entire performance.

 

Early versions of songs later on Blue, too

 

I guess the date on the thread title did a flyby on me and I was thinking this was a live version of her Both Sides Now album which I listened to last night and really appreciate as one of Joni's best to me.