The L.A. Express – 1976 U.S. Tour

bootleg quality,suprised Mitchell let this go out.shocking.one for the completists only.

Nice pressing for that very good live set.
The sound is maybe a little more muffled than usual but nothing able to ruin the listening experience.
The packaging is very luxurious and sturdy and glad to have a concert from that era immortalised on vinyl !
I would love so much to have had the "Live at Carnegie Hall" from 1972 also on a gorgeous vinyl set as this one !!

While I would have bought this anyway, given it was as complete as a document of the 1976 tour with the L.A.Express, 3 points to make
1. 5 tracks from the Feb 19th Boston show are also on the JMA Archive Vol 4. If the JMA estate and Patrick Milligan knew this release was being prepared for RSD 2025, could they not have left the tracks off Archives Vol 4 to just to give us fans something truly exclusive. Or are the JMA Archive cupboards so bare, they had no choice?
2. Two of the quite acoustic tracks on Side 5, (Harry's house/ Centrepiece) had a pressing defect (like a scratch) - so ticks follow. I have to live with it as the RSD store I bought it from is 3 hours away. Thankfully they only last a minute each. I've had a similar issue with Archive Vol 3 in UK, but that was bought from Amazon and easily exchanged.
3. All sides of the records except Side A, (mine bought in UK) were covered in dust, and on 2 sides human hair. Yes, cleanable I know, but gives you an idea of poor quality control where this was made.

On a positive note- the sound of the live recordings are good, and the design of the 3 LP package excellent.

Joni is my favourite songwriter and performer and I must have all she does. This is not the highest audio quality, but it is a great listen. I was not expecting audiophile quality, but this does not disappoint.
This is another Joni collection of compositions that must be in your collection, if you are in love with all Joni!
I was smitten with this woman in my pre teens, since I saw and heard her performance on a CBC black & white show.
She was sixties and coolest hippie sister! I loved her and the music she plays.✌🏽

They can't all be masters of multitrack recording like the Grateful Dead. It's an almost 50 year old recording so it was never going to be perfect. The pressing is excellent. The sturdy booklet style jacket is amongst the best packaging I've ever seen. I'm thrilled to have this.

Absolutely fabulous, phenomenal, spectacular, magnificent, superb, wonderful, and so so so delightful.

If you are a fan of Joni's jazz period you will absolutely love this. The band is smokin, the packaging is beautiful, and the song selection is perfect. To compare it to Shadows and Light, the band is smoother and Joni's voice doesn't have quite as many cigarettes on it. Sound quality is what you should expect from a live recording from '76, so don't let that put you off if you're interested in the performances.

Having listened to the tracks prior to RSD, I went and bought this with confidence knowing it would sound the way it does. For it not being recorded in a studio or recorded using studio-grade equipment, it sounds pretty good. My copy is nice and flat, no complaints of surface noise! Like the other review, I love the lofi-ness of it all, and don’t get me started on the gorgeous packaging. I was not expecting the three-pocket gatefold jacket and how sturdy it is, very nice quality. The pictures of Joni and LA Express are nice to see as well. This is such a wonderful release and I’m happy to own this.

Really wonder why some people are complaining about the sound quality. Sounds very nice on my recordplayer.

This is such a gorgeous, gorgeous release. The packaging is beautifully designed and is very sturdy (box set quality I would say). Utterly in love with it, and glad to have paid my local store the price on the day. I would disregard any critical comments regarding the sound quality. If anyone is expecting audiophile sound from assorted live recordings... I don't know what to say to them. Joni sounds beautiful in this. My pressing is very quiet and clean.