God and the FBI
God and the FBI, provisionally titled In Dog Years I'm Dead,[4] is the seventeenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Janis Ian, originally released in 2000 by Windham Hill Records. The album's ultimate title, and the theme of its opening title song, dates from a decade before its release when Ian requested that the FBI files of her parents, who were passionate black civil rights activists, be released to her.[5]
| God and the FBI | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 21, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Studio | Dominion Theatre, London, England Pedernales Studio, Pedernales Texas Sound Emporium, Nashville, Tennessee Barbara Derwin's house | |||
| Genre | Contemporary singer-songwriter | |||
| Length | 46:00 | |||
| Label | Windham Hill | |||
| Producer | John Jennings, Janis Ian, Jim Cregan | |||
| Janis Ian chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Wilson and Allroy | [2] |
| The Tennessean | [3] |
At the time of God and the FBI's making, Ian thought this would be her final album because of poor record sales since her return to recording in the middle 1990s,[4] and her realisation that she could not survive upon playing benefit concerts for causes like Zero Population Growth.[6]
Consequently, Ian abandoned the commercial pretensions of previous releases, doing a large portion of the sessions in-house rather than in a studio, and doing ten songs with a single band. Ian did, however, return to working with co-producer John Jennings, who had produced her 1995 album Revenge. "Memphis" was a duet with Willie Nelson, with lead guitar by Chet Atkins.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Janis Ian, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "God and the FBI" | 4:10 | |
| 2. | "On the Other Side" | 4:26 | |
| 3. | "Memphis" | Deana Carter, Janis Ian | 5:13 |
| 4. | "Jolene" | Janis Ian, Jess Leary | 4:06 |
| 5. | "When You Love Someone" | 4:07 | |
| 6. | "Play Like a Girl" | 3:38 | |
| 7. | "Days Like These" | 3:25 | |
| 8. | "Boots Like Emmy Lou's" | 3:53 | |
| 9. | "She Must Be Beautiful" | Kye Fleming, Janis Ian | 4:42 |
| 10. | "The Last Comeback" | Philip Clark, Janis Ian | 4:49 |
| 11. | "Murdering Stravinsky" | Philip Clark, Janis Ian | 3:31 |
| Total length: | 46:00 | ||
Personnel
- Tina Abato – photography
- Larry Greenhill – engineer
- Robert Haynes – engineer
- John Jennings – producer
- Glenn Meadows – mastering
- Sonny Mediana – art direction
- Dave Sinko – engineer
Musicians
- Janis Ian – vocals, backing vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, upright bass, keyboards
- Philip Clark – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, backing vocals
- Jim Cregan – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Marc Moreau – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, engineer
- Willie Weeks – bass guitar
Guest musicians on "Memphis"
- Willie Nelson – co-lead vocals
- Chet Atkins – lead guitar
- John Cowan – backing vocals
- Steve Gadd – drums
- Matt Rollings – piano
References
- Jonathan Widran. "God & the FBI – Janis Ian". All Music Group.
- Wilson, David Bertrand. "God & the FBI – Janis Ian". Wilson and Allroy's Record Reviews. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- Rowland, Tom (March 20, 2000). "Janis Is Still Janis". The Tennessean. p. 5D.
- "God & the FBI". janisian.com.
- Krochak, Gerry (August 17, 2000). "Ian charting her own course". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. p. D3.
- Levinson, Arlene (April 8, 1999). "Never "Society's Child", Janis Ian Still Unstoppable After Three Decades". Daily News-Journal. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. p. 2D.