Stars is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Janis Ian, and the first of her seven for Columbia Records. Ian had previously had a three-year hiatus from the music industry since her 1971 album Present Company. In two years away from the music business, Ian wrote over 100 songs after moving to Los Angeles.[4] She returned to play at the Philadelphia Folk Festival on August 17, 1973,[5] and was signed by Columbia Records after several other companies rejected the songs she had written.[6]
| Stars | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1974 | |||
| Recorded | March 1972 – 1973 | |||
| Studio | 914 Sound Studios Sound Recorders, Los Angeles Sound Studios, New York State | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 35:31 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Brooks Arthur | |||
| Janis Ian chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Wilson and Allroy | [2] |
| Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992) | [3] |
While Stars was being recorded, the song "Jesse" became a hit for Roberta Flack.[7]
The album itself became Ian's most successful since her debut, peaking at number 63 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Janis Ian
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stars" | 7:12 |
| 2. | "The Man You Are in Me" | 2:59 |
| 3. | "Sweet Sympathy" | 2:42 |
| 4. | "Page Nine" | 3:07 |
| 5. | "Thankyous" | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 17:40 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dance with Me" | 3:18 |
| 2. | "Without You" | 2:04 |
| 3. | "Jesse" | 4:07 |
| 4. | "You’ve Got Me on a String" | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Applause" | 4:02 |
| Total length: | 16:51 | |
Personnel
edit- Produced by Brooks Arthur
- Engineered by Brooks Arthur, Larry Alexander, Charlie Dreyer
- Art Direction and Design: John Berg, Paul Perlow
- Photography: Peter Cunningham
- Production Coordinator: Herb Gart
Musicians
edit- Janis Ian – vocals, guitar, 12-string guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, Fender Rhodes
- Larry Alexander – drums, tambourine
- Raymond Beckenstein – soprano saxophone
- Ralph Casale – acoustic guitar
- Richard Davis – arranger, bass, pizzicato bass
- George Devens – vibraphone
- Sal DiTroia – acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- George Duvivier – bass
- Jack Jennings – percussion
- Barry Lazarowitz – arranger, drums, percussion
- Gene Orloff – violin
- Hugh McCracken – electric guitar
- Don Payne – bass
- Romeo Penque – saxophone
- Al Rogers – drums
- Allan Schwartzberg – drums
- John Tropea – acoustic guitar
- Eric Weissberg – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar
Orchestra
edit- Bob Abernathy – French horn
- Seymour Barab – celli
- Seymour Berman – viola
- Phil Bodner – alto flute, alto saxophone
- Ariana Bronne – violin
- Alfred Brown – viola
- James Buffington – French horn
- Frederick Buldrini – violin
- Don Butterfield – tuba
- Earl Chapin – French horn
- Selwart Clarke – viola
- Léon Cohen – clarinet
- Burt Collins – trumpet
- Joseph DeAngelis – French horn
- Peter Dimitriades – violin
- Paul Faulise – bass trombone
- Ron Frangipane – arranger, conductor, piano
- Mickey Gravine – tenor trombone
- Marie Hence – violin
- Wally Kane – bassoon
- Artie Kaplan – orchestra manager
- Harold Kohon – violin
- Bhen Lanzarone – celesta
- Gloria Lanzarone – celli
- Archie Levin – viola
- Joseph Malin – violin
- Richard Maximoff – viola
- Charles McCracken – celli
- Lloyd Michaels – trumpet
- Romeo Pengue – clarinet, flute, oboe
- Alan Raph – baritone horn
- George Ricci – celli, cello soloist
- Alan Rubin – trumpet
- David Sackson – viola
- Julius Schacter – violin
- Joe Shepley – solo trumpet
- Joseph J. Shepley – French horn
- Bill Watrous – tenor trombone
Charts
edit| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[8] | 63 |
| Australian (Kent Music Report)[9] | 82 |
References
edit- ^ Lindsay Planner. "Stars – Janis Ian". All Music Group.
- ^ Wilson, David Bertrand. "Stars – Janis Ian". Wilson and Allroy’s Record Reviews. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony; George-Warren, Holly and Henke, James; The Rolling Stone Album Guide – Completely New Reviews: Every Essential Album, Every Essential Artist, p. 339 ISBN 0679737294
- ^ Basham, Tom; Basham, Peg (1977-02-13). "Janis Ian: At 25, entering Phase 3". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore.
- ^ "Weekly Calendar: Music". The Evening Sun. Baltimore. 1973-08-17.
- ^ Maynard, Joyce (1977-02-11). "Society's Child Back for Her Second Try to Grad Brass Ring". Des Moines-Register. Des Moines, Iowa.
- ^ Bernade, Scott R. (2003). Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish Stories. Brandeis University Press. p. 137-138. ISBN 1584653035.
- ^ "Janis Ian Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 145. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.