Joni Mitchell unveils never-before-heard song

“Like Veils Said Lorraine” appears on the forthcoming box set

Joni Mitchell has unveiled a never-before-heard song “Like Veils Said Lorraine” from the forthcoming Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975). Mitchell wrote and recorded the track as a demo in late 1971/early 1972 at A&M Studios in Hollywood, CA.

“[‘Like Veils Said Lorraine’] was a piece of dialogue that happened with the real-estate woman,” Mitchell explains in the box’s liner notes. “I had almost found the land where I would build my little (stone-cabin) house. Lorraine was the real-estate woman who showed me properties. She had a Marlene Dietrich kind of look. She was a platinum blond and she was elegant. She had lived in China with her husband, so she was kind of worldly… and glamorous. It’s an account of our conversation. At some point, I switched to another realtor and found the property where I would live. It was a piece of an old lumber-jack town. It wasn’t on the market, but it called out to me. Houses are important to me, and I know how to pick them. I investigated it and I found out who owned it. I paid what she wanted, and she thought she took me. I thought I got a deal. (laughs) So we were both happy.”

Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) is set for release on October 6th via Rhino. It’s the latest entry in Rhino’s ongoing, Grammy-winning series exploring the vast untapped archives of rare Joni Mitchell recordings — a project guided intimately by Mitchell’s own vision and personal touch. Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) will be available both in a 5 CD and digital version and a 4 LP cut-down version, both with an accompanying book featuring photos and a conversation about this period between Joni Mitchell and longtime friend Cameron Crowe.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn