''Janis Ian'' is the debut album by American singer-songwriter

Janis Ian Janis Ian (born Janis Eddy Fink; April 7, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her signature songs are the 1966/67 hit "Society's Child, Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" an ...

, released in January 1967.

Background

Janis Eddy Fink had begun writing poetry when she was eight and singing when she was twelve. 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. The song's topic of interracial romance was highly controversial and many record labels rejected Ian's recording. Ian signed with

Verve Records Verve Records is an active American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Ca ...

in 1966 and released the single – retitled as "

Society's Child "Society's Child" (originally titled "Baby I've Been Thinking") is a song about an interracial relationship written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Janis Ian in 1965. According to Janis Ian, Atlantic Records refused to release it altho ...

" – in September 1966. It slowly caught on and peaked at number 14 in the United States in July 1967. Her self-titled debut album was released at the beginning of 1967, peaking at number 29 at the beginning of September that year. Contemporary reviewers, notably Loraine Alterman of the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'', generally praised Ian's lyrical talent but some such as Peter Johnson of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' said that the record's lyrical strengths were countered by Ian's fundamental musical weaknesses such as a thin voice. 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 Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

”. She would drop even “Society’s Child” from her setlists whilst signed to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, 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

Personnel

*Janis Ian - guitar, organ, harpsichord, siren, tambourine, vocals, arrangements *

Al Gorgoni Al Gorgoni (born 1939) is an American guitarist, composer, arranger, and producer, known for his work as a studio musician during the 1960s and 1970s. Biography Growing up in Philadelphia, his family moved to The Bronx where he took up the guit ...

, Sal DiTroia,

Vinnie Bell Vincent Edward Gambella (July 28, 1932 – October 3, 2019), known as Vinnie Bell, was an American session guitarist, instrument designer and pioneer of electronic effects in pop music. Life and career Vinnie Bell was born in Brooklyn">p> Life ...

- guitar *Joe Mack - bass *

Artie Butler Arthur Butler (born December 2, 1942) is an American arranger, composer, songwriter, and session musician. In a long career, he has been involved in numerous hit records and other recordings, and has been awarded over 60 gold and platinum album ...

- harpsichord, piano, organ *

Buddy Saltzman Buddy Saltzman (born Hilliard Saltzman; October 17, 1924 – April 30, 2012) was an American session drummer who played on many hit songs during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He is especially remembered for his work with The Four Seasons. On " Da ...

- drums *

Artie Kaplan Artie Kaplan (born 1935) is an American recording artist, songwriter and a session musician. He has also been a music contractor where he was hired to musicians for sessions. In the 1960s, he was casting musicians for sessions for Aldon Music. ...

- flute, arrangements ;Technical *Jerry Schoenbaum - production supervisor *

Val Valentin Luis Pastor "Val" Valentin (January 6, 1920 – March 24, 1999) was an American recording engineer with six decades of work in the music industry. Much of his work was done for MGM Records and Verve Records. His large discography includes Jazz al ...

- director of engineering *Joseph Solman - cover artwork

References

{{Janis Ian Albums produced by Shadow Morton Janis Ian albums 1967 debut albums Verve Records albums