Published on Apr 9, 1999
After reading a story online about Janis Ian the other day, I
almost feel sorry about writing this review. Once considered a
standard-bearer for the folk movement, as well as a
singer-songwriter who wasn’t afraid of taking on taboo subjects,
Ian has fallen out of the limelight in recent years due to illness
and apathy on the part of the music world. (She does have a new
album scheduled to come out on Windham Hill soon.) After everything
she’s been through, one almost feels like standing on a chair and
screaming, “Go, Janis, Go!”
Thing is, I read this story after listening to
The Bottom Line Encore Collection – Janis Ian, presently the
only live album of Ian’s out on the market. Mostly taken from a
1980 show she did at the fabled club, Ian shows some moments of
brilliance – but if you expected this to be a folk love-in, you’re
going to be sorely disappointed.
The two songs that Ian is best known for, “Society’s Child” and
“At Seventeen,” are both featured here – in fact, “At Seventeen” is
on twice, once from the 1980 show, and once from an acoustic
performance sometime after. (Unfortunately, I don’t have the press
release in front of me that gives the year, the liner notes say
nothing, and there’s almost no hint on the label’s Web site that
this disc even exists.) Two versions of one song may seem like a
bit of overkill – especially when they’re played within three
tracks of each other. However, the acoustic-only version adds a bit
more pathos to the song, and helps to bring out its startling
images better. Ian’s voice is richer with a little more age, also
adding credence to the message the song conveys.
“Society’s Child” – a song about interracial relationships –
might not seem to be that big of a deal today, but in the mid-’60s,
this was a taboo subject, and the song sparked intense criticism of
Ian. (It’s interesting to note that conductor Leonard Bernstein
came to Ian’s assistance, praising the songwriting genius he
heard.) Even today, it’s an incredibly powerful song to listen to,
and one that was definitely ahead of its time.
The Bottom Line Encore Collection – Janis Ian stumbles
simply because the energy level of this particular show is not the
greatest. With songs like “Jesse” and “The Other Side Of The
Mirror,” it sometimes feels like this disc is just plodding along.
(Maybe part of the problem was that I first listened to this disc
at 5 a.m. after pulling an all-nighter. But I’ve listened to it
several times since then, and it hasn’t improved.) Some of the
tracks like “Fly Too High” show that time has not been kind to
these songs.
Sure, there are moments on the album that make you wonder why
Ian hasn’t been considered one of the living divas – hell, Carole
King was honored last year in the (God help us) now-annual VH-1
love-in. Tracks like “Stars” show the power that Ian’s music had in
1980, and still does today. But these moments aren’t as common as
they should be on
The Bottom Line Encore Collection – Janis Ian – and that’s
what makes this album disappointing. It could have been a great
live album to showcase Ian’s musical heritage. Instead, it’s just
an average, sleepy disc. Pity.