For All the Seasons of Your Mind

For All the Seasons of Your Mind is the second studio album by singer-songwriter Janis Ian, released in October 1967.

For All the Seasons of Your Mind
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 1967
RecordedJanuary 1967
GenreFolk-rock
Psychedelic
Singer-songwriter
Length46:25
LabelVerve Forecast
ProducerGeorge "Shadow" Morton
Janis Ian chronology
Janis Ian
(1967)
For All the Seasons of Your Mind
(1967)
The Secret Life of J. Eddy Fink
(1968)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Wilson and Allroy[2]

Background

edit

Before "Society's Child" became a hit, Ian began work on her second album, which was recorded in January 1967. For All the Seasons of Your Mind was released in October 1967, just after her debut had peaked on Billboard. Like the debut, For All the Seasons of Your Mind addressed controversial topics: "Queen Merka and Me" was one of the first songs written about homosexual love,[3] the single "Insanity Comes Quietly to the Structured Mind" dealt with suicide,[4] and "Shady Acres" was a dark look at home and burial services for elderly relatives.[5]

Unlike with "Society's Child", the controversial lyrics of "Insanity" ensured that single and its parent album would be a major flop: the single peaked at No. 109 and For All the Seasons of Your Mind peaked at No. 179 during a five week stay in the Top 200.[6]

During her period of prominence in the middle 1970s Janis Ian would distance herself from her Verve albums, calling them "a tax write-off for Verve",[7] and apart from one performance of "Insanity Comes Quietly to the Structured Mind" at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1976[8] she is not known to have performed anything from For All the Seasons of Your Mind since leaving Verve.

Track listing

edit

All tracks are written by Janis Ian

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."A Song for All the Seasons of Your Mind"3:24
2."And I Did Ma"4:16
3."Honey D'ya Think?"4:29
4."Bahisma"2:37
5."Queen Merka and Me"4:22
6."There Are Times"4:28
Total length:23:36
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Lonely One"4:14
2."Sunflakes Fall, Snowrays Call"3:59
3."Evening Star"5:02
4."Shady Acres"4:45
5."Insanity Comes Quietly to the Structured Mind"4:49
Total length:22:49

References

edit
  1. ^ Planer, Lindsay. "For All the Seasons of Your Mind – Janis Ian". All Music. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  2. ^ Wilson, David Bertrand. "For All the Seasons of Your Mind – Janis Ian". Wilson and Allroy's Record Reviews. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  3. ^ Jay, Carla and Young, Allen; Lavender Culture, p. 182 ISBN 0814742173
  4. ^ Baker, Robb (October 20, 1968). "Some Call It "Gothic Grotesque"". Chicago Tribune. p. 8.
  5. ^ Johnson, Pete (July 13, 1967). "Janis Ian Sings on State of Ash Grove". Los Angeles Times, part IV. p. 16.
  6. ^ "For All the Seasons of Your Mind – Janis Ian". Billboard Magazine.
  7. ^ Harris, Art (June 16, 1975). "Society's Child Wasn't Taken Seriously". Asbury Park Press. Asbury Park, New Jersey. p. A9.
  8. ^ "Janis Ian Setlist – August 17, 1976, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville". setlist.fm.