Best of Janis Ian - The Autobiography Collection

Janis Ian (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 18, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Rude Girl Records
• ASIN: B001ADSGNO
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,151 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Hair of Spun Gold

2. god & the fbi

3. Silly Habits

4. Society's Child

5. Haven't I Got Eyes

6. Jesse

7. Stars

8. Thankyous

9. This Train Still Runs

10. At Seventeen - album version

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. My Tennessee Hills (duet with Dolly Parton)

2. Every Love

3. Some People's Lives

4. Stolen Fire

5. Days Like These

6. Tattoo

7. Through the Years

8. I Hear You Sing Again

9. Joy

10. My Autobiography

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Review

Coinciding with the release of her autobiography, the artist has released a sumptuous, 30-song, two-CD retrospective from her 40-year career. Those unfamiliar with her will be surprised with her range of musical styles, while those familiar will be thrilled with her classic hits referenced in the book, as well as work tapes, never-before-released songs, and ones long out of print --John R. Killacky, Amazon member

A review of "Between the Lines": Janis Ian's second Columbia album is elegiac in mood, its 11 tunes composing a romantically introspective self-portrait.... Vocally, Ian sounds more confident and relaxed than on her Columbia debut, Stars. Her singing is consistently strong and plaintive, reminiscent in timbre of Melanie's, though surer in pitch and more emotively reticent....Ian asserts feminine vulnerability so nakedly that the album should appeal especially to white, middle-class highschool girls and college-age women who maintain a mid-Sixties idealism about sex. Sexual and romantic frustration provides the subject for the album's two finest songs, "At Seventeen" and "Watercolors".The first, a delicate samba, confronts adolescent misery: I learned the truth at 17 That love was meant for beauty queens.... And those of us with ravaged faces Lacking in the social graces Desperately remained at home Inventing lovers on the 'phone. "Water Colors" recalls a lover's quarrel in language that suggests a conflict between trust and independence: I said 'Do you wish me dead?' Lip service to books you've read Articles on how to bed a bird in flight You called it love I called it greed You say 'You take what you want' I said 'You get what you need'* ... the virtues of careful craft, melodic strength and earnestness of interpretation. Brooks Arthur's understated production complements the tunes and singing immeasurably. Ian's soft, acoustically based songs are buoyed but not inflated by atmospheric instrumentation (some of which she has arranged herself), so that her emotional intensity communicates from the most positive stance possible one of restraint. Particularly in "Water Colors," her most poignant creation to date, Janis Ian shows a potential for excellence. --Rolling Stone, 5/22/75, Stephen Holden

Released in tandem with Janis Ian's autobiography, Society's Child, this best-of compilation collects all the songs mentioned in the book, as well as several rarities. Ian's first demo, a distorted lo-fi version of "Hair of Spun Gold," makes a welcome appearance, while "Ginny the Flying Girl" arrives via a 1981 Sesame Street album. Also notable are the handful of re-recorded songs on this two-disc collection, as well as several live tracks. Perhaps this isn't the definitive Janis Ian anthology for casual fans -- it's too specialized for that -- but Ian enthusiasts should make it a staple of their collections. Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide --All Music Guide

Product Description

2011 three disc (two CDs + PAL/Region 0 DVD) collection from the singer/songwriter. Best known for her signature song `At Seventeen', which was released in 1975, Janis won a Grammy Award for the single, which sold over two million singles in the United States alone, upon release. Later in the decade she was selected to sing the main theme tune for the Jodie Foster film `Foxes'. `Fly Too High', which was produced by electro disco genius Giorgio Moroder, gave Janis her first UK hit in November 1979 and became an international hit. The record went to #30 in the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco Chart. Also included in this package is a twelve-track DVD filmed during her peak period in 1979 in Japan and Australia. Edsel Records. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is indeed available!, July 29, 2008

By 

Janis Ian "Janis Ian" (Nashville TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of Janis Ian - The Autobiography Collection (Audio CD)

Best of Janis Ian: The Autobiography Collection
Not sure why Amazon are listing this item twice, once as available and once as not - but it's my own two disk set, and it's definitely available. Try to find the correct one, and sorry for the hassle!
Janis Ian

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A message from "Janis Ian"., August 2, 2008

By 

Darlene T. Woods - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of Janis Ian - The Autobiography Collection (Audio CD)

This Item "IS" in Stock! If you have any problems getting this from Amazon or if Amazon can't fill the order, then you can always go to www.janisian.com to buy it, along with the book. A message from "Janis Ian". Thank you!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved the retrospecitve, July 25, 2008

By 

John R. Killacky (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of Janis Ian - The Autobiography Collection (Audio CD)

Coinciding with the release of her autobiography, the artist has released a sumptuous, 30-song, two-CD retrospective from her 40-year career. Those unfamiliar with her will be surprised with her range of musical styles, while those familiar will be thrilled with her classic hits referenced in the book, as well as work tapes, never-before-released songs, and ones long out of print