Janis Ian - The Essential Janis Ian

Compiled by Janis Ian herself, the two-CD The Essential Janis Ian offers a wealth of material spanning more than 40 years, though it might not be quite what some listeners primed for a best-of are expecting. Ian's most commercially successful recordings spanned less than half this period (roughly from the late '60s through the early '80s), and while the most famous songs from that era are here, greater weight is given to her post-1990 material. That might disappoint some listeners wanting to hear her most familiar tunes, though it might reward some of her more dedicated admirers by giving them a chance to listen to some work that has largely passed under the media radar. Whatever the era, Ian stylistically remained very much in a personal singer/songwriter vein. And yes, her teen hit "Society's Child" is here (though her late-'60s recordings are very sparsely represented), as well as her most prominent songs from her 1970s stint with Columbia Records, "At Seventeen" and "Jesse."

CONDITION: NEW! DRILLED CASE!
TRACK LISTINGS
Disc 1
1 Hair of Spun Gold
2 God & The FBI Live / previously unreleased
3 Silly Habits Live
4 Society's Child
5 Haven't I Got Eyes
6 Jesse
7 Stars
8 Thankyous
9 This Train Still Runs Live
10 At Seventeen Album Version / Version
11 Live Is Blind
12 Fly Too High
13 Arms Around My Life
14 His Hands previously unreleased
15 When Angels Cry

Disc 2
1 My Tennessee Hills
2 Every Love Demo Version
3 Some People's Lives previously unreleased
4 Stolen Fire
5 Days Like These previously unreleased
6 Tattoo Live
7 Through the Years previously unreleased
8 I Hear You Sing Again
9 Joy
10 My Autobiography
11 Hair of Spun Gold [Demo previously unreleased / Bonus Track / Original Work Tape of Janis' First Song
12 I Long for You previously unreleased / Bonus Track
13 Ginny the Flying Girl Bonus Track
14 Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye Bonus Track
15 Today You're Mine previously unreleased / Bonus Track
16 At Seventeen Bonus Track / Version