Janis Ian - Uncle Wonderful

Title: Uncle Wonderful Artist: Janis Ian Release Date: 1983 Re-Released On: 6/22/2004 Label: Cooking Vinyl Records, JVC Compact Discs Album Type(s): lyrics/libretto UPCs: 4988002458813, 711297468021 Genre: Rock Styles: Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Folk Moods: Earnest, Literate, Plaintive, Cathartic, Poignant, Reflective, Autumnal, Bittersweet, Intimate, Melancholy, Organic, Sentimental, Delicate, Wistful, Yearning, Sad Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 0 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. Just a Girl
2. Uncle Wonderful
3. Why Can't You and I
4. Trigger Happy Love
5. Heart Skip Too Many Beats
6. Body Slave
7. Hit You with the Guilt
8. Sniper of the Heart
9. This Night
10. Mechanical Telephone

Year Type Label Catalog # 2004 CD JVC Compact Discs 62678 2003 CD Cooking Vinyl Records 280

No other editions were found for this album.

A Janis Ian dance album? Even her most ardent fans couldn't have seen this one coming. Uncle Wonderful -- an Australia-only album from 1984 that was recorded over three years -- sounds like something from Flashdance or Footloose, and as such it's dated rather badly. Drum machines, synthesizers, and Ian's incongruous grand piano all vie for attention, and the effect is not unlike being caught in a noisy traffic jam for 30-plus minutes. Still, there's some amusement to be gained from hearing Ian sing uncharacteristically coquettish lines like "let me be your body slave," and there's a great, hyperspeed piano solo on "Just a Girl." Ian's writing is as sharp and pointed as ever; Uncle Wonderful initially sounds like throwaway pop, but perseverance reveals that each song is actually a rather dark, well-constructed novella. "Trigger Happy Love" tells the tale of a married prostitute-killer, "Mechanical Telephone" examines marital dissolution, and the title track addresses incest and abuse, themes Ian would return to with great success on her comeback album Breaking Silence. ~ Charles Donovan, All Music Guide

Name Credits Artie Funaro Vocals (Background), Producer, Guitar (Electric) Bernie Grundman Mastering Bill Schnee Mixing Bob Merritt Engineer Brooks Arthur Producer Chris Page Keyboards Cyro Baptista Percussion Howard "Buzz" Feiten Guitar (Electric) Janis Ian Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar (Acoustic), Piano, Producer, Guitar, Vocals (Background) Jeff Berlin Bass Jimmy Wachtel Art Direction Joe Turano Vocals (Background) Kal David Vocals (Background) Kim Bullard Keyboards Lee Sklar Bass Leslie Collman Smith Vocals (Background) Maria Carter Make-Up Marv Kanarek Drums Paul Mitchell Assistant Engineer Paulinho Da Costa Percussion Peter Schless Keyboards Randee Saint Nicholas Original Photography Rick Shlosser Drums Stuart Furusho Assistant Engineer Terry Jennings Drum Machine, Percussion, Engineer Tina Abato Design Tom Murphy Engineer Tony Horowitz Bass