Janis Ian
Studio album by
Janis Ian
ReleasedJanuary 1967
Recorded1965-1966
GenrePop rock, folk rock
Length37:45
LabelVerve
ProducerGeorge "Shadow" Morton
Janis Ian chronology
Janis Ian
(1967)		 For All the Seasons of Your Mind
(1967)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Wilson and Allroy[2]
Loraine Alterman (Detroit Free Press)Favourable[3]
Ferne Dovalina (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)Favourable[4]
Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992)[5]

Janis Ian is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Janis Ian, released in January 1967.

Background

Janis Eddy Fink had begun writing poetry when she was eight and singing when she was twelve.[6] Changing her name to "Janis Ian" after the middle name of her brother, she began to perform in New York folk clubs in her teens and made her first recording, "Baby I've Been Thinking" in September 1965.[7] The song's topic of interracial romance was highly controversial and many record labels rejected Ian's recording.[6]

Ian signed with Verve Records in 1966 and released the single – retitled as "Society’s Child" – in September 1966. It slowly caught on and peaked at number 14 in the United States in July 1967.[8] Her self-titled debut album was released at the beginning of 1967, peaking at number 29 at the beginning of September that year.[9] Contemporary reviewers, notably Loraine Alterman of the Detroit Free Press,[3] generally praised Ian's lyrical talent but some such as Peter Johnson of the Los Angeles Times said that the record's lyrical strengths were countered by Ian's fundamental musical weaknesses such as a thin voice.[10]

During her period of prominence in the middle 1970s Janis Ian would distance herself from her Verve albums, calling them “a tax write-off for Verve”.[11] She would drop even “Society’s Child” from her setlists whilst signed to Columbia Records,[12] and although “Society’s Child” has returned since her 1990s comeback, nothing else from the debut is known to have been performed since 1972.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Janis Ian

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Society’s Child (Baby, I’ve Been Thinking)"3:13
2."Too Old To Go 'Way Little Girl"3:12
3."Hair of Spun Gold"4:02
4."Then Tangles of My Mind"2:37
5."I'll Give You a Stone If You'll Throw It (Changing Tymes)"3:28
6."Pro-Girl"2:47
Total length:19:19
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Younger Generation Blues"3:13
2."New Christ Cardiac Hero"4:35
3."Lover Be Kindly"2:58
4."Mrs. McKenzie"2:43
5."Janey's Blues"4:53
Total length:18:26

Personnel

Technical
  • Jerry Schoenbaum - production supervisor
  • Val Valentin - director of engineering
  • Joseph Solman - cover artwork

References

  1. ↑ Planer, Lindsay. Janis Ian – Janis Ian (1967): Review at AllMusic. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  2. ↑ Wilson, David Bertrand. "Janis Ian (1967) – Janis Ian". Wilson and Allroy’s Record Reviews. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Alterman, Loraine (1967-03-26). "Janis Ian: She's Hip at 15". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. p. 10C.
  4. ↑ Dovalina, Ferne (1967-03-31). "Mama Cast Has Weighty Support". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 2-E.
  5. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony; George-Warren, Holly and Henke, James; The Rolling Stone Album Guide – Completely New Reviews: Every Essential Album, Every Essential Artist, p. 339 ISBN 0679737294
  6. 1 2 Devault, Russ (1986-08-09). "Janis Ian...At 35: You Can Still Hear the Refrain of "Society's Child"". Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta. p. 20.
  7. ↑ Wiser, Carl. "Janis Ian interview (March 14, 2003)". Songfacts. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  8. ↑ Gray, Brian (1967-07-14). "A Salty Bit of (Four) Seasoning". Deseret News. p. 44.
  9. ↑ "Janis Ian – Janis Ian". Billboard Magazine.
  10. ↑ Johnson, Peter (1967-05-27). "Popular Records: Album Gores Sacred Cows". Los Angeles Times, Part III. p. 8.
  11. ↑ Harris, Art (1975-06-16). "Society's Child Wasn't Taken Seriously". Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, New Jersey. p. A9.
  12. ↑ Lloyd, Jack (1974-04-13). "It's Good to See You Back, Janis". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 4B.
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