Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill)

Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill) is a studio album released by American country artists Bill Anderson and Jan Howard. It was released in January 1972 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was the duo's third collaborative album together and featured singles that became hits on the Billboard country chart. The album itself would also chart on the Billboard country albums list in 1972.

Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill)
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 1972 (1972-01)
Recorded1970 – 1971
VenueBradley's Barn, Mount Juliet, Tennessee
GenreCountry
LabelDecca
ProducerOwen Bradley
Bill Anderson chronology
Bill Anderson's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
(1971)
Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill)
(1972)
Singing His Praise
(1972)
Jan Howard chronology
Rock Me Back to Little Rock
(1970)
Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill)
(1972)
Love Is Like a Spinning Wheel
(1972)
Singles from Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill)
  1. "Someday We'll Be Together"
    Released: May 1970
  2. "Dis-Satisfied"
    Released: September 1971

Background and content

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Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill) was recorded in several sessions between 1970 and 1971. All sessions were held at producer Owen Bradley's studio, Bradley's Barn, in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Bradley had been Anderson and Howard's producer since first collaborating in 1965. He had also been producing both artists separately on the Decca label.[1]

The album consisted of 11 tracks. Many of the tracks recorded for the album were cover versions of songs recorded by other artists. Among these songs was Webb Pierce's "More and More".[2] The release also contained songs written by Anderson. These included "No Thanks I Just Had One" and "Knowing You're Mine".[1]

Release and reception

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Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill was released in January 1972 on Decca Records in a vinyl record format. On the first side, 5 songs were included and 6 songs were included on the flip side.[2] The album reached number 9 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in April 1972. It became the duo's second album to reach the top 10 of that chart.[3]

The album featured two singles that both became top 10 hits. The first was a cover of "Someday We'll Be Together", which reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in April 1970.[4] The second single, "Dis-Satisfied", reached number 4 on the Billboard country songs chart in December 1971.[5]

Both singles also became major hits on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart during this time. The highest-charting was "Dis-Satisfied", which reached number 3 in 1970.[6]

Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill) was reviewed by Allmusic, receiving 2.5 out of 5 stars.[7]

Track listing

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Side one[8]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dis-Satisfied"3:00
2."I Don't Want It"2:25
3."Satin Sheets"
  • John Volinkaty
2:39
4."We"
  • Don Reid
2:56
5."Knowing You're Mine"
  • Anderson
2:42
Side two[8]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Beautiful People"2:33
2."More and More"2:11
3."Don't Let It Happen Without Me"
  • Danny Samson
  • Ruby VanNoy
2:27
4."No Thanks I Just Had One"
  • Anderson
2:03
5."Looking Back to See"2:05
6."Someday We'll Be Together"2:46

Personnel

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All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill).[1]

Musical and technical personnel

Chart performance

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Chart (1972) Peak
position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[9] 9

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
Canada 1972 Vinyl MCA [8]
United States Decca [2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Anderson, Bill; Howard, Jan (1970). "Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill) album liner notes (vinyl insert)". Decca Records.
  2. ^ a b c "Bill Anderson and Jan Howard -- Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill) (1972, Vinyl)". Discogs. 3 January 1972. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill) chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  4. ^ ""Someday We'll Be Together" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  5. ^ ""Dis-Satisfied" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Search results for "Jan Howard" under Country Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill) -- Songs, reviews, credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  8. ^ a b c "Bill and Jan (Or Jan and Bill) -- Canadian release". Discogs. 1972. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  9. ^ "Bill Anderson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2020.