Billie's Bones

Janis Ian | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 8, 2010)
• Original Release Date: February 28, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rude Girl Records
• ASIN: B0001ACK5C
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,592 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

All Music Guide An album that contains multiple ideas that entertain as they unravel in a unique and impressive fashion. --All Music Guide

Product Description

Billie's Bones by Janis Ian

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry becomes music, April 8, 2004

By 

Judy (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Billie's Bones (Audio CD)

On my first listen to "Billie's Bones" I wondered, "Where's the punch?" It was a nice enough listen, but I wasn't struck by my usual awe that Janis Ian inspires. So I listened again...this time really listened and I ended the CD thinking that this is the most consistently powerful, creative writing I've heard from her (or anyone) in years. The writing is extraordinary. There are too many perfect lines from too many songs on this album for me to elaborate. Briefly stated: this album should be used as a teaching guide for high school and college students who need to hear written thought reduced to a few exquisite words.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get Ready for a Holiday! This Album is a Trip!, March 17, 2004

By 

Kathleen A. Brogan (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Billie's Bones (Audio CD)

Billie's Bones is a virtual "Tour De Force" of music! It runs around all musical sytles. Jazzy, political "Matthew", Country "Mockingbird", "Paris In Your Eyes" (unexpected twang, yet a cello solo at the end), "Forever Young" and "My Tennessee Hills" where Janis duets with Dolly Parton. I enjoy that one much more than "Memphis" with Willie Nelson on "God & the FBI". There's even a European influence with the Celtic style instrumental "Marching on Glasgow", and the poetic "Mary's Eyes", tribute to artist Mary Black. Once again, Janis is as gutsy and controversial as always, I am most impressed with "When I Lay Down", which reminds me of "Restless Eyes" from 1981, yet the statement is even bolder! Anyone who has lost a parent will tear up at "I Hear You Sing Again" One of the catchiest tunes is "Dead Men Walking". The sales are already heating up on this release from late February of 2004. This is a must have for Janis Ian collectors, but even if you only own the popular "Between the Lines", I know you'll enjoy this one. We "Rudies" are already fondly calling it "Unreleased 4" (an inside joke)!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Print of Palm on the Pillow, May 11, 2004

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Billie's Bones (Audio CD)

"Billie's Bones" continues the creative streak for Janis Ian who is repeatedly hitting artistic heights. Four songs on the set comprise a bit of a travelogue. The most familiar for me is a song I fell in love with on Joan Baez's 1992 CD "Play Me Backwards." Janis writes "Amsterdam" with Buddy Mondlock who recently worked with Art Garfunkel & Maia Sharp on the gorgeous "Everything Waits to Be Noticed" CD. Janis marries a particularly haunting melody with intricate lyrical images, "Just the scent of perfume on the linen, just the print of a palm on the pillow, just the hint of the moon from the window, Amsterdam." "Paris In Your Eyes" boasts a romantically drenched lyric with a soft acoustic melody, "Every time I touched you, I could taste a breath of spring." Another stop on Janis' travelogue is the excellent instrumental "Marching on Glasgow." The last song with a geographic title reference is "My Tennessee Hills" with Dolly Parton's lovely supporting vocal. The most powerful song for me combines a Billie Holiday "Strange Fruit" jazz-blues approach to the death of Matthew Shepard, "What makes a man a man? The cut of a coat, the hint of a tan? It's not who you love, but whether you can, What makes a man a man." On "Save Somebody" Janis' distinctive melody combines with an incredibly poetic lyric, "There's a crack in the heavens & a tear in the sky; it cuts through the shadows living in her eyes." Janis' tribute to Mary Black is quite lovely. If one measured the creative high points of Janis Ian's career, an appropriate metaphor would be the Andes Mountains. This is another exquisite set by one of our master musicians. Bravo!