This is a real gem for Joni Mitchell fans, this is the holy grail of concert clip from the earlier part of her career , BBC In Concert  from 1970. We get an intimate performance shot in front of a quiet audience.

It was taped at the BBC Television Centre in Shepherd’s Bush, Sept 3rd. and broadcast Oct 9th.

Joni Mitchell  is at the top of her game here, she gives a very special performance, many consider this one of her finest early performances, with her soprano in California taking my breath away. Thank God for the British Broadcasting Company that recorded all these wonderful concerts.

This is as good as it gets.

Joni Mitchell performs live at BBC TV Centre, London in 1970:

Tracklisting:

Chelsea Morning
Cactus Tree
My Old Man
For Free
Intro To Dulcimer / California
Big Yellow Taxi

“…you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better early live half-hour video of Joni Mitchell, done for the BBC on October 9, 1970. Performing solo on guitar, piano, and (most interestingly, on “California”) on zither, Mitchell presented seven songs from her first four albums. The sound and image are excellent (and in color), and Mitchell looks happy and at ease as she delivers the material in fine voice, though she oddly notes near the end that her pipes are going. Though a few of the songs are among her most famous early compositions (“Chelsea Morning,” “Both Sides Now,” “Big Yellow Taxi”), for the serious fans there are also some less celebrated early album cuts (“Cactus Tree,” “My Old Man,” “For Free,” “California”).”
– Richard Unterberger (allmusic.com)

• Hallgeir