Personnel includes: Janis Ian (vocals, guitar, piano, harpsichord, organ, tambourine, sound effects); Carol Hunter (guitar, bass); Vinnie Bell, Al Gorgoni, Sal De Troio, Hugh McCracken, Stu Scharf, Ralph Casale (guitar); Joe Farrell (flute, tenor saxophone); Artie Kaplan (flute); Romeo Pengue (baritone saxophone); Bernie Glow, Marvin Stamm (trumpet); Tony Stud (trombone); Ray Alonge (horns); David Friedman (vibraphone); Artie Butler (piano, harpsichord, organ); Dick Hyman (piano, organ); Al Kooper (organ); Joe Mack, Bob Bushnell, John Miller, Jerry Jemmott (bass); Buddy Saltzman, Bobby Gregg, Al Rogers, Sol Gubin (drums); Richie Havens (congas); Joe Price (bongos); George Devens, Brad Spinney (percussion)
Producers: Shadow Morton, Janis Ian, Charlie Calello.
Compilation producers: Bill Levenson, Jerry Rappaport.
Engineers include: Joe Vennerie, Gene Radice.
Includes liner notes by Scott Schinder.
Personnel: Janis Ian (vocals, guitar, piano, harpsichord, organ, tambourine, siren); Al Gorgoni, Ralph Casale, Vincent Bell, Hugh McCracken, Sal DeTroia, Stuart Scharf (guitar); Manny Green, Aaron Rosand, Joseph Malin, Gene Orloff (violin); Harold Coletta (viola); George Ricci (cello); Joe Farrell (flute, tenor saxophone); Artie Kaplan (flute); Romeo Pengue (baritone saxophone); Marvin Stamm, Bernie Glow (trumpet); Tony Studd (trombone); Ray Alonge (horns); Artie Butler (piano, harpsichord, organ); Dick Hyman (piano, organ); Al Kooper (organ); David Friedman (vibraphone); Sol Gubin, Al Rogers, Buddy Saltzman, Bobby Gregg (drums); Richie Havens (congas); Joe Price (bongos); George Devens, Brad Spinney (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Phil Ramone.
Liner Note Author: Scott Schinder.
Illustrator: Joseph Solman.
Photographers: David Gahr; Robert Golden; Carl Fischer.
Arrangers: Janis Ian; Artie Kaplan; Carol Hunter; Charles Calello.
This two-disc set collects nearly every track from Janis Ian's four Verve albums, recorded between 1967 and 1969, by which time the astonishingly precocious singer/songwriter was all of eighteen years old. The title song, a protest piece about interracial dating and hypocrisy, is by far the strongest thing here; it's still a brave and amazingly sophisticated piece of work, both lyrically (nobody, even the singer, is let of the hook) and musically, for a kid to have written. There's lots of other interesting stuff here, however, including the pleasingly folkish "Hair of Spun Gold" (a Childe Ballad wannabe that was the 12-year-old Ian's first song), and just about all the tracks on disc two have interesting period flourishes a la the Beatles. minimize