Archivists uncover lost tapes from Neil Young, Joni Mitchell

Live concert recordings of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell considered lost for decades have been unearthed by Michigan archivists.

The Canadian folk legends are among several historic music performances recently discovered by the non-profit Michigan History Project.

All of the recordings were made at the Canterbury House, the Episcopal student ministry at the University of Michigan campus in the late 1960s. The space doubled as a place of worship and a concert venue during the era with some of the biggest folk acts of the time performing there.

Each was recorded in professional audio quality on seven-inch reel-to-reel tapes. They’re now being shopped to record labels for an official release, organizers say.

Other tapes found in the collection include performances by Tim Buckley, Doc Watson and Odetta.

Archivists have known about the elusive recordings of Young and Mitchell for years.

The tapes were first rediscovered six years ago in the possession of a private collector, but then disappeared and were deemed lost for good before turning up again a few weeks ago, said president Alan Glenn in a statement.

Officials from the historical project say Canterbury House concerts were usually held on Friday and Saturday nights from 1965 to 1971.

Most of the shows were recorded, they say, but the “loose atmosphere of the day” made it difficult to monitor the whereabouts of tapes.

Other musicians who played the space and whose tapes haven’t been found include Gordon Lightfoot, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Tom Rush, Buddy Guy and Doc Boggs.