Uncle Wonderful is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Janis Ian, and her first after departing from Columbia Records.[a]
| Uncle Wonderful | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1981–1983 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:54 | |||
| Label | Interfusion | |||
| Producer |
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| Janis Ian chronology | ||||
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Recorded between 1981 and 1983 at a time when Janis was seeking a break from the music business after continual recording and touring between 1974 and 1981,[1] according to Society’s Child: My Autobiography Janis cannot recall the details of making Uncle Wonderful, for she was focused upon the death of her grandmother and was consistently travelling from coast to coast.[2] Uncle Wonderful would be rejected by Columbia – with whom Ian at the time had a contract for four more albums[3] – and initially released only in New Zealand in 1985 and Australia in 1986. Uncle Wonderful would not receive a release in Europe until 1995 after Janis’ second comeback with Breaking Silence, and would in 2010 receive a further UK release by Edsel Records as part of a compilation with her two preceding albums Night Rains and Restless Eyes. Although she would return to performing in the United States in 1986,[4] playing mostly her new material in a series of shows supported by the then-unknown Indigo Girls, Uncle Wonderful has never been released there.[1]
Critical reception
editThe only review of Uncle Wonderful to be published at the time of its issue was by Green Guide journalist Paul Speelman, who did not grade the record but noticed its extremely dark subject matter, with songs about such issues as rape, incest, sexual greed, and the bringing-up of children.[5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Wilson and Allroy | [7] |
More recent reviews have been critical of the extremely dated sound but have noticed how Uncle Wonderful’s lyrics foreshadow the topic matter Janis Ian would pursue on her 1990s and 2000s music.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Janis Ian, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just a Girl" | 3:41 | |
| 2. | "Uncle Wonderful" | 4:59 | |
| 3. | "Why Can’t You and I" | 4:03 | |
| 4. | "Trigger Happy Love" | Janis Ian, Amanda Hunt Taylor | 4:06 |
| 5. | "Heart Skip Too Many Beats" | Janis Ian, Dan Hartman | 3:25 |
| Total length: | 20:14 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Body Slave" | 5:18 | |
| 2. | "Hit You with the Guilt" | Janis Ian, Kim Bullard | 4:16 |
| 3. | "Sniper of the Heart" | 3:12 | |
| 4. | "This Night" | 4:14 | |
| 5. | "Mechanical Telephone" | 3:40 | |
| Total length: | 20:40 | ||
Personnel
edit- Janis Ian – vocals, backing vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, producer
- Cyro Baptista – percussion
- Jeff Berlin – bass
- Kim Bullard – keyboards
- Leslie Collman-Smith – backing vocals
- Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
- Kal David – backing vocals
- Howard "Buzz" Feiten – electric guitar
- Artie Funaro – producer, electric guitar, backing vocals
- Tony Horowitz – bass
- Terry Jennings – drum machine, engineer, percussion
- Marv Kanarek – drums
- Chris Page – keyboards
- Peter Schless – keyboards
- Rick Shlosser – drums
- Leland Sklar – bass
- Joe Turano – backing vocals
Charts
edit| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 93 |
Notes
edit- ^ Columbia would issue Uncle Wonderful in Europe in 1995.
References
edit- ^ a b Devault, Russ (1986-08-09). "Janis Ian...At 35: You Can Still Hear the Refrain of "Society's Child"". Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta. p. 20.
- ^ Ian, Janis: Society’s Child: My Autobiography, p. 244 ISBN 9781585427499
- ^ Holder, Stephen (1989-06-24). "At 38: Janis Ian's First Big Hit Looked Back, but Now She's Only Looking Ahead". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. p. 8D.
- ^ Windeler, Robert (1986-07-18). "Fast Talk". USA Weekend. Chicago. p. 3.
- ^ Speelman, Paul (19 June 1986). "Janis Ian: Her Idea of a Slashing Time". Green Guide. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. p. 10.
- ^ Charles Donovan. "Uncle Wonderful – Janis Ian". All Music Group.
- ^ Wilson, David Bertrand. "Uncle Wonderful – Janis Ian". Wilson and Allroy’s Record Reviews. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ 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.