The Very Best of Janie

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The Very Best of Janie
Compilation album by
ReleasedOctober 1985 (1985-10)
Recorded1982 – 1985
Studio
  • The Bennett House
  • Soundshop Studio
GenreCountry-pop[1]
LabelColumbia
ProducerBob Montgomery
Janie Fricke chronology
Somebody Else's Fire
(1985)
The Very Best of Janie
(1985)
Black & White
(1986)

The Very Best of Janie is a compilation album by American country music artist Janie Fricke. It was released in October 1985 via Columbia Records and contained ten tracks of previously released material. The disc was the second compilation record released in Fricke's career. It featured her most successful singles released during the mid-1980s. The album reached a charting position on the American country LP's survey in 1985.

Background, content and reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic

In 1982 Columbia Records issued Janie Fricke's first compilation of Greatest Hits.[2] Following the disc, she went on to reach further success in her music career. The material from 1982's It Ain't Easy and 1983's Love Lies, featured up-tempo production and country-pop melodies that spawned some of her biggest hits on the country charts.[3] This prompted Columbia to issue a second Columbia compilation in 1985 titled The Very Best of Janie. The album featured her major hits recorded between 1982 and 1985. These songs were recorded at The Bennett House and the Soundshop Studio, both located in Tennessee. All songs on the project were originally produced by Bob Montgomery.[4]

The Very Best of Janie contained a total of ten tracks, all previously recorded.[1] Six of the album's material were originally number one singles on the Billboard country songs chart including "It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy", "Tell Me a Lie" and "Your Heart's Not in It". Three more tracks on the album originally reached the top ten on the same Billboard chart.[5][4] The album was originally released in October 1985 on Columbia Records as a vinyl LP, cassette and a compact disc.[4][6][7] In later decades, it was released to digital platforms including Apple Music.[8] The album spent 37 weeks on the Billboard country albums chart and peaked at number 33.[9] AllMusic's Jason Ankeny the album a 4.5 star rating and called it "one of the best anthologies of her work to date."[1]

Track listings[edit]

Vinyl and cassette versions[edit]

Side two[4][6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Tell Me a Lie"
  • Mickey Buckins
  • Barbara Wyrick
3:32
2."She's Single Again"2:45
3."Your Heart's Not in It"
2:48
4."If the Fall Don't Get You"
2:46
5."Ridin' High" (with Merle Haggard)
  • Freddy Powers
  • D. Reynolds
3:12

Compact disc and digital versions[edit]

The Very Best of Janie[8][7]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy"
  • Gray
  • Harrington-Burkhart
  • Taylor
3:37
2."He's a Heartache (Looking for a Place to Happen)"
  • Henley
  • Silbar
2:58
3."You Don't Know Love"
  • Foster
  • King
3:22
4."Let's Stop Talkin' About It"
  • Allen
  • Bourke
  • Van Hoy
3:16
5."The First Word in Memory Is Me"
  • Bunch
  • Kennedy
  • Rose
3:34
6."Tell Me a Lie"
  • Buckins
  • Wyrick
3:35
7."She's Single Again"
  • Craig
  • McCann
2:43
8."Your Heart's Not in It"
  • Garvin
  • Jones
  • Shapiro
2:52
9."If the Fall Don't Get You"
  • Lorber
  • Robbins
  • Stephenson
2:47
10."Ridin' High" (with Merle Haggard)
  • Powers
  • Reynolds
3:13

Personnel[edit]

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Very Best of Janie.[4]

Technical personnel

  • Bob Montgomery – Producer
  • Danny Purcell – Mastering

Charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for The Very Best of Janie
Chart (1985–1986) Peak
position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[10] 33

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
North America October 1983 Vinyl Columbia Records [4]
Cassette [6]
Compact disc [7]
North America 2016
  • Music download
  • streaming
Columbia Records [11][8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Ankeny, Jason. "The Very Best of Janie: Janie Fricke: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  2. ^ Fricke, Janie (October 1982). "Greatest Hits (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". Columbia Records. FC-38310.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Michael (1997). All Music Guide to Country. Miller Freeman Publications. p. 163. ISBN 9780879304751.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Fricke, Janie (October 1985). "The Very Best of Janie (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". Columbia Records. FC-40168.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  6. ^ a b c d Fricke, Janie (October 1985). "The Very Best of Janie (Cassette Liner Notes and Album Information)". Columbia Records. PCT-40165.
  7. ^ a b c Fricke, Janie (October 1985). "The Very Best of Janie (CD Liner Notes and Album Information)". Columbia Records. CK-40165.
  8. ^ a b c "The Very Best of Janie by Janie Fricke". Apple Music. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Janie Fricke chart history (Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Janie Fricke Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Press Release: Sony Legacy Releases Four Janie Fricke Albums Digitally For The First Time Ever". The Country Note. Retrieved 29 December 2021.