Janis [Box set]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A host of contradictions--the insufficiency of her collaborators, the spectacular potential of her voice, the inconsistency of her efforts--have left Joplin's historical legacy a tangled mess. The new 3 CD box set, Janis, captures that mess in all its glory but does little to untangle it. Typical of compiler Bob Irwin's decisions was his choice to replace the familiar version of George Gershwin's "Summertime" from the "Cheap Thrills" album by a weaker but unreleased alternate take. There are too many examples of strangled singing by Joplin's male partners in Big Brother and not enough examples of her incendiary live performances. The album begins with Joplin's first-ever recording, a vocal-and-autoharp version of "What Good Can Drinkin' Do" taped in a friend's living room in Austin in '62. That's followed by two unreleased blues recorded with guitarist Jorma Kaukonen in a San Francisco living room in '65 and eight songs from the controversial (and hard-to-find) 1966 debut album, "Big Brother & the Holding Company." "Cheap Thrills" is represented by five cuts, four outtakes and one live version; "I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!" is represented by seven cuts, one outtake and two live versions; and "Pearl" by eight cuts and three outtakes. Other rarities include a longer spoken introduction to "Mercedes Benz" and two live performances on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

The 48-page booklet features nude photos of Joplin on the outside and feminist essays about her on the inside. Ellen Willis compares Joplin's self-created image to Madonna's, ignoring the crucial fact that Joplin was a brilliant singer while Madonna is hardly any kind of singer at all. Ann Powers addresses the music itself and correctly points out that Joplin's art was not merely unmediated emotion but a premeditated mix of gambles and craft, of Bessie Smith's open-throated wails and Otis Redding's gruff shouts. She was some kind of singer, and that's what she should be remembered for. --Geoffrey Himes

Tracks:

Piece Of My Heart
Summertime
Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)
Cry Baby
Me And Bobby McGee
Down On Me
Get It While You Can
Bye, Bye Baby
Move Over
Ball And Chain
Maybe
Mercedes Benz

Amazon.com essential recording

More than Cheap Thrills or even Pearl, Greatest Hits has helped keep Janis Joplin's short-lived recording career alive for listeners who came along after her 1970 death. "Me and Bobby McGee" is the biggest draw, of course--it was a posthumous No. 1 single--but the rest is equally exciting. Despite the familiarity of the titles here, this goes far beyond the merely serviceable. Finally, the cover photo of Janis smiling in a sunny park is as poignant a shot of her as exists. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

Great compliation of Janis.......2007-07-06

This album is a great compliation of Janis Joplin's classic sound. You should pick it up too, your music collection needs it!

Wasted life, wasted lady.......2007-05-21

A friend of mine once went to a party with Janis and his one comment about her was "She was a real mean drunk". I believe it. I also believe someone, like a record exec, should have grabbed her by the back of the neck and shook some sense into her. She'd have made a way cool old lady.

That didn't happen. The folks who owned a piece of her were much more interested in the cash cow than it's health. Now she's dead and all we have left of her is her music. I own everything she's ever done and while this particular cd isn't all-inclusive by any means, it still has some good tunes and gives us some fine examples of what she can do. In particular BALL AND CHAIN and DOWN ON ME. She's beautiful in SUMMERTIME but you don't really get a good sense of Janis unless she's getting into the song and letting us feel everything she is singing about.

Well worth having.

Janis Joplin - Greatest Hits.......2007-04-04

She must have recorded these w/o the Southern Comfort. These are the Greatest Hits? I have better recordings. She sounds better live. Alive?

A Very Good Introduction To Janis.......2007-02-25

This compilation, while certainly not comprehensive, is very good for those who aren't familiar with Janis Joplin's work (such as I). The only songs of hers that I had truly been familiar with are "Take Another Piece Of My Heart", "Me And Bobby McGee" and "Mercedes Benz", When I heard this disc, all of the other songs, I hadn't been familiar with, so from a casual perspective, this CD is quite good and I wasn't disappointed with hearing any of the songs I didn't know. So, I recommend this CD to anyone who has a limited knowledge of Janis Joplin's songs and wants to "start out", so to speak, getting to know her work. I was really pleased with every song on this disc and the sound is excellent, also.

Greatest is an understatement.......2007-01-30

This is an extraordinary CD. Janis' rendition of "Maybe" gives me goose bumps. She really could belt out a song and had outstanding range before the drugs and alcohol took over. I enjoyed every song, and until I purchased this CD, failed to realize the extraordinary talent of Janis Joplin.

What a shame that she left us so early.

Average customer rating:

Big Brother & Holding Co.
Introducing Janis Joplin, queen of soul and her fellow bandmates....
4 1/2 stars.
A WONDERFUL EARLY LISTEN TO JANIS AS WE ALL KNOW HER
My Favorite Album

Cheap Thrills
Big Brother & The Holding Company , and Janis Joplin
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Pearl
I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again, Mama
Big Brother And The Holding Company
Live at Winterland '68
Pearl

ASIN: B00000K2VU
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Tracks:

Combination Of The Two
I Need A Man To Love
Summertime
Piece Of My Heart
Turtle Blues
Oh, Sweet Mary
Ball And Chain
Roadblock (Studio Outake)
Flower In The Sun (Studio Outake)
Catch Me Daddy (Live)
Magic Of Love (Live)

Amazon.com essential recording

One of the most eagerly awaited albums in rock history, Big Brother & the Holding Company's 1968 major label debut (they'd previously released one thinly produced collection on the small Mainstream label) made good on all the hype generated by Janis Joplin's amazing performance at the Monterey Pop Festival the year before. Crowned by its hit single, a churning remake of Aretha Franklin's sister Erma's "Piece of My Heart," the album also contained Joplin's Monterey showstopper, Big Mama Thornton's "Ball and Chain," as well as the Gershwin classic "Summertime," on which Joplin's always underappreciated band (especially guitarists Sam Andrews and James Gurley) match her vocal intensity with their own ferocious playing. This expanded reissue includes two previously unissued outtakes ("Roadblock" and "Flower in the Sun") and a couple of heretofore unheard live cuts ("Catch Me Daddy" and "Magic of Love"), all from 1968. --Billy Altman

Customer Reviews:

Big Brother & Holding Co........2007-07-09

Not what I expected. Even though I listened to some of the music before ordering, I expected a dif. sound on some of the recordings. Every song is about the same...screaming.

Introducing Janis Joplin, queen of soul and her fellow bandmates...........2007-05-16

I first heard CHEAP THRILLS, by Janis Joplin's Big Brother & The Holidng Company, on vinyl. It was a life altering experience. At that time, it was the age of cheesy boy bands, screaming divas and mindless techno. This 1968 release was a breath [no, make that a gust!] of fresh air. This album starts off with a bang ("Combination of the Two") and relentlessly grows with intensity and bold musicianship. For starters, Janis' accompanists and back-up singers are seamless. I don't care how stoned out they were. They sound amazing, and a lot better than many sober artists of today. You can tell, since this was a live recording, just how stoked the audience was to see them. Janis encouraged...no, tried DEMANDED audience participation. Joplin thrived on drawing energy from the crowds that came to see her, and this is really made evident here.

What sets this music apart from other bands of its time (or of any time, really) was the combination of terrific, brilliantly orchestrated and arranged instrumentals, Joplin's amazing, spectacularly expressive vocals, channeling the agony ("I Need a Man To Love") and the ecstasy ("Summertime") of love and life. Plus, there are four bonus cuts, on this CD release of the album. I love you, Janis. It is really extraordinary how many artists have been inspired by her. There are truly no substitutes of imitations for someone so incomparable. Buy CHEAP THRILLS and consider it your introduction to real music.

4 1/2 stars........2007-03-24

there's a line of thought that's been floated out there that big brother & the holding company were not up to par with the talent of janis joplin. bunk. while nobody is going to accuse them of possessing any amazing facile grace on their instruments, the fact remains that ms joplin made her most powerful music with these boys. CHEMISTY here trumps technique. big brother's raw sprawling sound perfectly compliments janis joplin's wild vocals. she sounds possessed by some spirit of liberation at times here, shrieking a juxtaposed answer to the musicians fury. her performance seems to draw an energy from the wicked sounds being produced around her. this entire album is a wild rock and roll ride, and a must for all collections. the work she produced after big brother & the holding company seems tame in comparison.

A WONDERFUL EARLY LISTEN TO JANIS AS WE ALL KNOW HER.......2007-03-11

i have always wanted to check out this album, and now i see what others meant when they listened to it. janis showed her behind on this one. my fave on here though is TURTLE BLUES, one she wrote. her performance of this is a wonderful thing to listen to. janis, when she is into it, man, has a way of sending chills up and down my whole doggone body in an odd way. i also like that last bonus cut on there as well........i cannot think of the name of it!!!! all in all, this is an enjoyable album. i would recommend it to anyone who has CLOSED MINDED opinion about janis joplin's singing style. actually, i also recommend anything where she is live..............especially early.

My Favorite Album.......2007-03-10

Cheep Thrills is my old man's favorite album, daddy! When Janice Joplin was with Big Brother & The Holding Company they were both at their best and it wasn't Janice. It was truly the whole band Big Brother not just Janice (tho she was stellar). The cd has bonus cuts on it which don't improve the album. In it's original layout it was just the coolest from the Crum comix on the jacket to the lineup of pure genius classics. Got it nice -n- cheep

Average customer rating:

GET IT WHILE YOU CAN
A Real Pearl
Very disappointed.
WOW
Great music

Pearl
Janis Joplin
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Cheap Thrills
I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again, Mama
In Concert
Big Brother And The Holding Company
Live at Winterland '68

ASIN: B00000K2VZ
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Tracks:

Move Over
Cry Baby
A Woman Left Lonely
Half Moon
Buried Alive In The Blues
My Baby
Me And Bobby McGee
Mercedes Benz
Trust Me
Get It While You Can
Tell Mama (Live)
Little Girl Blue (Live)
Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) (Live)
Cry Baby (Live)

Amazon.com essential recording

Janis Joplin made the blues her own. Though she didn't live to finish this album before her 1970 death from a heroin overdose, her intense passion and frantic cries of pain and ecstasy were enough to make Pearl one of the most memorable recordings of her era. Her band does fill up some vinyl with the instrumental "Buried Alive in the Blues," but it's the vocals that make this album worth hearing these many decades later. Listen to the tortured heartbreak of "Cry Baby" or the hopeful declarations of Kris Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee" and understand why Joplin remains an essential, if tragic, figure in pop. This reissue of Joplin's final album includes four live bonus tracks recorded during the 1970 Canadian Festival Express Tour. --Steve Appleford

Customer Reviews:

GET IT WHILE YOU CAN.......2007-03-17

Arguably one of the best rock and blues albums in history Pearl, from start to finish, was a perfect coming-of-age release for Janis Joplin, who was just beginning to peak both critically and commercially as an artist. The quality and polished treatment of this studio album, released after Joplin's death due to a drug overdose, make one ponder how tragic the loss of Joplin was and question just what might have been.

Very good organ and guitar arrangements are prevalent throughout, especially in the introductory track, Move Over, and the final one, namely Get It While You Can. In between are the popular favorites Me and Bobby McGee (written by Kris Kristofferson) and the a capella Mercedes Benz.

As one listens to the other tracks that accompany, especially Cry Baby and Buried Alive in the Blues, he or she just might receive the impression that Janis was going to give what was going to be her next album an extra special treatment, both lyrically and vocally, as if it very well could be both her final and signature release. Indeed, Janis did appear to tap into a whole new dimension of artistry, somehow amalgamating the emotions of anger and sorrow and bringing them under control with pleasant overtones reflecting a newly-formed sage with a very refined perspective on life.

Pearl, perhaps the greatest of the great from Joplin, will convince many that this one female singer will always remain a unique vocalist who will never be equaled or adequately imitated. Ironically, viewpoints parallel to those regarding Janis' vocal range have been firmly held regarding the unique guitar instrumentations thus enduring musical accomplishments of another blues artist who died at the same age, 27, during the same year, 1970, as Janis, namely Jimi Hendrix.

A Real Pearl .......2007-02-23

My favorite Joplin album, even though I'll grant that Cheap Thrills is a better set of songs. The reason I prefer Pearl is that it's better performed than Thrills, with several of Janis' most memorable songs: Move Over, Cry Baby, Half Moon, A Woman Left Lonely, posthumous #1 Me & Bobby McGee, and Get It While You Can. She occasionally slips into soft-rock irrelevancy (My Baby; Truet Me), and while the solo vocal on Mercedes-Benz is innovative, it's not one of her better songs. Regardless, this is Janis' best set of material in her all-too-short career. As usual, Janis' voice is in top form throughout, and the Full Tilt Boogie Band is far surperior to Big Brother & the Holding Company.

Very disappointed........2007-02-14

I grew up listening to her "In Concert" album, and bought the Pearl album based on reviews saying this was a more mature style for her music. I like her old style better, this sounds like she was trying to make a more pop sound for her music (although the singing wasn't much different). It not only didn't sound like what you expect from Janice Joplin, it sounded like a muzak imitation of her.

WOW.......2007-01-09

Incredible sound. Vocals cut to the soul and tear at the heart. Way before her time yet pulled along music from the past. Blues, rock and funk all rolled into one. No match living or dead!

Great music .......2005-04-25

Before the album was completed, she died of a drug overdose in 1970 when she was twenty seven. This was her First Number One album. "Get it while you can" is a Beautifull song. Recomended.

Average customer rating:

Buried Alive....
All in one package
We Miss This Voice
Great tribute to the goddess of blues
All you'll ever need........

Essential Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Pearl
Janis Joplin - Greatest Hits
Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix
The Essential Jefferson Airplane
Cheap Thrills

ASIN: B00007MB6Y
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Tracks:

Down On Me
Coo Coo
Women Is Losers
Bye, Bye Baby
Ball And Chain (Live)
Roadblock
Piece Of My Heart
Misery'n
I Need A Man To Love
Summertime
Flower In The Sun (Live)
Farewell Song (Live)
Raise Your Hand (Live)
To Love Somebody (Live)
Kozmic Blues (Live)

Tracks:

Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)
Maybe
One Good Man
Little Girl Blue
Work Me, Lord
Tell Mama (Live)
Move Over
Cry Baby
A Woman Left Lonely
Half Moon
My Baby
Me And Bobby McGee
Mercedes Benz
Trust Me
Get It While You Can

Amazon.com

Such was the visceral power of Janis Joplin's voice that her enduring legend as '60s rock icon was based on just a pair of solo albums and the two releases with her fronting Big Brother and the Holding Company that she recorded before her death in 1970 of a drug overdose. This 30-track double-disc anthology offers a concise introduction to the incendiary talents of a singer whose tortured blues seemed no mere affectation; being cruelly voted "Ugliest Man on Campus" during her tenure at the University of Texas barely hinted at the depth of Joplin's personal demons. Organized chronologically with its discs split between her band and solo careers, the anthology documents the story of a raw, riveting talent that carried the often slovenly psychedelic blues of Big Brother to stardom via "Down on Me" and "Piece of Heart," stumbled only slightly on her solo debut (I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama), and then reached full, ragged glory on the quintessential Pearl with tracks like her posthumous hit "Me and Bobby McGee" and the playful "Mercedes Benz." The collection also features a pair of previously unreleased live Big Brother tracks ("To Love Somebody," "Kozmic Blues") recorded at Woodstock '69. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Buried Alive...........2006-08-19

She was far too talented to die so young, she seemed quirky, happy, and carefree to the untrianed eye. But She was a turly disturbed and tormented soul. I believe she was so talnted at what she did had she stayed around her contributions to the world of art would have been as momentous as the works of Shakspere and The Bible.
This is turly an incredible compliation of her music and puts underated gems such as To Love Somebody and Kozmic Blues on the album. She is a truly talented performer. She didn't die from a overdose of herowin, she died from an overdose of Janice.

All in one package.......2006-01-30

I love this because it has all of my favorite Janis Joplin songs in one package. After careful review of the many CD collection with this excellent singer decided this was the one for me. Wished all the songs was on one CD instead of two but one can't always have everything....

We Miss This Voice.......2006-01-12

Aside from the absence of her great little birthday tribute to John Lennon, this is a wonderfully comprehensive collection of Janis Joplin's work, ranging from her days with Big Brother & the Holding Company to her last recordings, and including all her most popular songs. The sound quality is excellent. Many have designated her performance of "Ball and Chain" at Monterey as her defining moment (and it is included here), but her soaring performances of "Work Me Lord," "Little Girl Blue," and "My Baby" may make you question that. All told, a fabulous retrospective on a magnificent voice that was silenced too soon.

Great tribute to the goddess of blues.......2005-11-11

It would be difficult for me to rate any Janis Joplin CD with anything but 5 stars. I have never heard Janis sing anything that I did not love. I have been a Janis fan for over 40 years and I am happy to see her music still drawing crowds. This CD has many of the not-so-commercially-popular tracts, such as "Half Moon" and "Work Me, Lord" that are as great, if not greater, than her more commercially popular tunes like "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Piece of My Heart". I think anyone who is interested in getting to know Janis better would benefit from this CD.

All you'll ever need...............2005-02-21

This is the best Joplin CD to get for both novice and true fan. It covers all the bases in a nice chronological order, and gives a great overview of what all the shouting is about. Note to Jerry McCulley: Big Brother was NOT her band at Woodstock! Put down the bong next time you write an intro and do a little fact-checking.........

Average customer rating:

Everybody knows
A great memory!
Between the Lines
THE LAST OF THE '70's SONGWRITERS
Awesome walk back in time.

Between the Lines
Janis Ian
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Souvenirs: Best of Janis Ian 1972-1981
Folk Is the New Black
Aftertones
Stars
Night Rains

ASIN: B000002544
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

When The Party's Over
At Seventeen
From Me to You
Bright Lights and Promises
In The Winter
Water Colors
Between the Lines
The Come On
Light A Light
Tea & Sympathy
Lover's Lullaby

Customer Reviews:

Everybody knows.......2007-04-12

1975's finest. Perhaps one up- or mid-tempo tune short of an all-the-way (explosion, fireworks) masterpiece (that closing track is a touch maudlin), Between The Lines nevertheless blows out Ian's nearest "rivals" (Carole King, Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks and, dare I say, Paul Simon) and makes a serious claim for one of the 70's preeminent essential LP artifacts.

The success here, I believe, is that Ian (already a songwriting master by '69) keeps the chords simple enough to let her mesmerizing blasts of lyrical wisdom run their course. And there is sagacity, however embittered, on every track. The arrangements are smart, providing properly discreet shading to Ian's soul-inflected folk (and, occasionally)cabaret musings.

Ian sings a mean, low-key revelation. Even when her lyrical and sonic milieu is the tawdry dancehall ("Bright Lights and Promises"), she never showboats. Ian has the inspired ice of Peggy Lee. "The Come On," a deeply dire meditation on cheap love and low esteem, never lapses into sobbing gymnastics. Ian just delivers the bad news like an X-ray. Perfect every time.

There is a fiber-optic perfection to Ian's poetic observations. Male radio programmers and DJs were compelled by burning telephone lines, not market imperatives, to air "At Seventeen" - a startling runaway hit (prefiguring the later, bolder success of Suzanne Vega's "Luka"). It was simply heavy lasers set to kill. Ian didn't hit the mark, she expunged it.

What an artist.

A great memory!.......2007-01-15

Listening to this CD brings back memories of my "younger" years. It still is as pertinent now in its wording as it was back then...just in a different way. A great rememberance.

Between the Lines.......2007-01-10

One of the best voices God ever created. A mix of rock and easy listening to words and music you can understand. Every line connects with the very core of every human being that listens to her. Janis Ian is a true voice in the music industry.

THE LAST OF THE '70's SONGWRITERS.......2006-02-26

Some of Janis Ian's wordplay could make a bad poet blush. Take this line from her adolescent hell signature song, "At Seventeen", a tune betrayed by this bizarre description of teenage alienation, "Their small town eyes will gape at you, (gaping eyes?), in dull surprise when payment due, succeeds accounts received at seventeen". How's that, a teenage accountant? Or this from, "Tea and Sympathy", "Pass the tea and sympathy, for the good old days are long gone, we'll drink a toast to those, who most believe in what they've won." Never have I wanted to drink a toast to those, who most believe in what they've won. But just when you want to file these feminist minded, man-eating compositions under aimless testements, Ian slam bangs the finish with two monumental orchestrated numbers questioning the choice between laying down to the death of a lifetime with your lover, or the freedom artistic pursuit and single-hood can offer, making all her previous meandering diatribes sound meaningful. Here the album stands up and says hello, and the crescendoing climax calls you back for another listen. Some nice touches here and there as well, including a brooding cello solo at the end of, "Water Colors".

Awesome walk back in time........2005-07-13

I owned this album (vinyl) in the 70s and it's as great today as it was then. Was very glad to find it in CD, and can now share this incredible music with my kids. Thanks!

Box of Pearls: The Janis Joplin Collection

Average customer rating:

Thrilled
Worth its weight in pearls

Box of Pearls: The Janis Joplin Collection
Janis Joplin
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Janis
Scars of Sweet Paradise: The Life and Times of Janis Joplin
Love, Janis
In Concert
Live at Winterland '68

ASIN: B0009YNSK6
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Tracks:

Bye, Bye Baby
Easy Rider
Intruder
Light Is Faster Than Sound
Call On Me
Women Is Losers
Blindman
Down On Me
Caterpillar
All Is Loneliness
Coo Coo (Single)
The Last Time (Single)
Call On Me (Alternate Take)
Bye, Bye Baby (Alternate Take)

Tracks:

Combination Of The Two
I Need A Man To Love
Summertime
Piece Of My Heart
Turtle Blues
Oh, Sweet Mary
Ball And Chain
Roadblock (Studio Outtake)
Flower In The Sun (Studio Outtake)
Catch Me Daddy (Live)
Magic Of Love (Live)

Tracks:

Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)
Maybe
One Good Man
As Good As You've Been To This World
To Love Somebody
Kozmic Blues
Little Girl Blue
Work Me, Lord
Dear Landlord (Session Outtake)
Summertime (Live At Woodstock)
Piece Of My Heart (Live At Woodstock)

Tracks:

Move Over
Cry Baby
A Woman Left Lonely
Half Moon
Buried Alive In The Blues
My Baby
Me And Bobby McGee
Mercedes Benz
Trust Me
Get It While You Can
Tell Mama (Live)
Little Girl Blue (Live)
Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) (Live)
Cry Baby (Live)

Tracks:

It's A Deal (Studio Outtake)
Easy Once You Know How (Studio Outtake)
Maybe (Live)
Raise Your Hand (Live)
Bo Diddley (Live)

Customer Reviews:

Thrilled.......2007-07-12

This was a present for my wife, who is a big Janis Joplin Fan.
It has all her favorite songs. Well worth the money.

Worth its weight in pearls.......2007-02-06

This is the consummate collection of all things Janis, the motherload of pearls. Anyone wondering what was so amazing about Janis, listen to this collection and you will understand. She was, and still is to this day, the integral part of all of her music. The raw emotion, the unique sound of her voice, she wove herself into the intricacy of each and every song. A true artist; a must have for any true Janis fan.

Average customer rating:

amazing
Thank you, Janis
Genius on a shiny disc
THE LAST TRUE TESTAMENT OF ROCK N' ROLL'S FIRST TRUE QUEEN!
Classic enhanced with live versions

Pearl
Janis Joplin
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again, Mama
Essential Janis Joplin
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Janis Joplin - Greatest Hits

ASIN: B0009MAP0Y
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Tracks:

Move Over
Cry Baby
A Woman Left Lonely
Half Moon
Buried Alive In The Blues
My Baby
Me And Bobby McGee
Mercendes Benz
Trust Me
Get It While You Can
Happy Birthday, John (Happy Trails)
Me And Bobby McGee (Demo Version)
Move Over (Alternate Version)
Cry Baby (Alternate Version)
My Baby (Alternate Version)
Pearl (Instrumental)

Tracks:

Tell Mama (Live)
Half Moon (Live)
Move Over (Live)
Maybe (Live)
Summertime (Live)
Little Girl Blue (Live)
That's Rock 'N Roll (Live)
Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) (Live)
Kozmic Blues (Live)
Piece Of My Heart (Live)
Cry Baby (Live)
Get It While You Can (Live)
Ball And Chain (Live)

Amazon.com

Janis Joplin's highest charting and arguably most artistically successful album gets the deluxe, expanded treatment on this 2005 reissue. Already re-released once with four extra live tunes, this edition moves those to the second disc, adds nine more (six previously unavailable) from the same summer 1970 tour that predated the original album's January 1971 posthumous release and pads the studio disc with six additional tracks. Those sides--three are inferior, if moderately interesting alternate takes, one is a band jam without Joplin contributing--don't bring much to the table other than to prove that producer Paul A. Rothchild used the correct versions for the final album. But Pearl holds up tremendously well, with Janis focused on some terrific rocking material, yet widening her scope to include a soulful folksy reading of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee," the album's only major hit.

The real meat of this version consists of the thirteen concert recordings, plucked from the Canadian leg of Joplin's only tour with Full Tilt Boogie. It finds her and the band chugging through ragged but emotionally charged versions of her classics, along with a few tunes from the forthcoming Pearl. Sequenced to mirror her set list, it's a roaring example of Joplin in her prime, comfortable with her band and confident in her astounding abilities to tear into the soul of blues and R&B with vocals that come straight from the heart. Hal Horowitz

Customer Reviews:

amazing.......2007-05-17

Amazing- great sound - I own the LP of Pearl and this CD's sound is as good - this is Janis the way she should be heard!

Thank you, Janis.......2007-01-25

Just goes to show that great artists are always remembered and loved.

You left this world far too soon.

Thanks, Janis.

Genius on a shiny disc.......2007-01-06

There is no way to describe this album simply using words. Its fresh, raw, mature, sparkling, innovative, unique, genious, magic. THAT voice is indescribable. Its a shame that she was taken that soon from the world, too soon. Janis Joplin is a true music legend.

THE LAST TRUE TESTAMENT OF ROCK N' ROLL'S FIRST TRUE QUEEN!.......2006-12-27

I will be writing a review on the legendary brilliant masterpiece album simply entitled "PEARL" by Rock's greatest female legend, THE FIRST LADY AND ROCK N' ROLL'S FIRST TRUE QUEEN, THE GREAT JANIS JOPLIN! "PEARL" was originally released in 1971 on vinyl/LP and 8-Track on the Columbia Records label. I purchased this album on CD in the Super Bit Mapping (SBM) Master Sound series format and the matrix or ID number is CK 53441. I also purchased the most recent release of this album on a 2-CD set in the Digitally Remastered series in the Legacy Edition. The matrix or ID number is C2K 90282. As always, if I hear any new additonal information concerning this legendary album, I will edit this review immediately so that you the consumer will get the best informative and most accurate review possible.

There have been many great legendary blues women that have passed through music's golden age and history. Women such as Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald are great legends! There were also great female artists that hailed from the mighty Motown and Atlantic Records labels that ruled the soul world with grace and beauty. Artists such as Diana Ross and The Supremes, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas and The Queen of Soul herself, The great Aretha Franklin! But there would be one woman who would hail from Port Arthur, Texas that would seem to bring the Blues home like it was being heard again for the first time. Her voice was so unique and mysterious that you could actually feel her pain and cries when she belted out her songs! She would be the woman that would take all the hard knocks for all the women in music before, during and after! Artists such as the beautiful Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, the beautiful Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac, the always beautiful Ann & Nancy Wilson from Heart, the beautiful Madonna, the beautiful Melissa Etheridge and the beautiful Sheryl Crow, to name a few, all owe this legendary woman a great deal of debt! When Janis Joplin came on the music scene in 1966-67, there was NO LOOKING BACK! When Janis sang the song "Piece Of My Heart," she truly meant it! When Janis sang "Ball And Chain," she let you know it! Janis didn't know any other way to sing her songs but from her big heart! Janis was so rare in a sense that she really became extremely emotional when she sang her songs. These are some of the reasons why Janis is definitely one of the greatest female performers of all-time! If you don't believe me, just listen to her music! It is there in her music and in her music ONLY, where you will find THE REAL JANIS JOPLIN! "PEARL" is an outstanding album! "PEARL" is also the last true testament of Janis' genius and her strive for perfection in her brilliant music career. All the songs in this album are nothing short of outstanding and brilliant!

I will list and briefly review all the song tracks in their original exact running order as follows: DISC ONE (1.) "Move Over," (Outstanding! Brilliant! A GREAT Janis ROCKER! What a great way to begin this legendary album! I love this song so much!) (2.) "Cry Baby," (Outstanding! Brilliant! Superb! I love this slow Janis ROCKER! This song is such a grabber due to Janis' emotionally blistering and merciless Lead Vocals! I love this song!) (3.) "A Woman Left Lonely," (Outstanding! Brilliant! Superb! I love this Janis number! I love her powerful Lead Vocals in this song!) (4.) "Half Moon," (Outstanding! Brilliant! Superb! Another great Janis ROCKER! This song kicks a*s! I love it dearly!) (5.) "Buried Alive In The Blues," (Outstanding! Brilliant! Superb! A great ROCKIN' instrumental! This song kicks a*s!) (6.) "My Baby," (Outstanding! Brilliant! Superb! Another great Janis slow BLUES ROCKER! This song kicks a*s! I love the whole musical and Janis' Lead Vocal arrangements in this song!) (7.) "Me And Bobby McGee," (Outstanding! Brilliant! Superb! A great Kris Kristofferson composition! I love this song so dearly! This is by far, the best song on the whole album and there are many great songs on this album! This is Janis at her absolute BEST! The music arrangements are perfect for Janis' blistering Lead Vocals in this one!) (8.) "Mercedes Benz," (Outstanding! Brilliant! Superb! This is the EMOTIONALLY PAINFUL Janis at her BEST!) (9.) "Trust Me," (Outstanding! Brilliant! Superb! I love this song so very much! This is THE REAL JANIS JOPLIN SINGING IN PAIN THE ONLY WAY SHE KNEW HOW!) (10.) "Get It While You Can," (Outstanding! Brilliant! Superb! This is another great Janis number! Janis just loves belting out those blistering Lead Vocals in this song! I love it! This song originally concluded the original album release! What a great way to conclude this great legendary album!) BONUS TRACKS (11.) "Happy Birthday, John (Happy Trails)," (This is a song that Janis recorded for John Lennon on his birthday!) (12.) "Me And Bobby McGee," (Demo Version) (13.) "Move Over," (Alternate Version) (14.) "Cry Baby," (Alternate Version) (15.) "My Baby" (Alternate Version) and (16.) "Pearl." (Instumental) DISC TWO This disc contains Janis Joplin's Live from The Festival Express Tour in Canada. This concert was recorded on June 28 to July 4, 1970. This concert performance contains many previously unreleased and unissued songs that have been unavailable for many years until now! Rather than list and briefly review every song track on DISC TWO, I will just say is that this concert is a well performed show by Janis! Janis was definitely having a good time on stage like she usually does at every concert she has ever performed in! Overall, this 2-CD set album is outstanding!

As you can see, this is an album definitely worth purchasing that he or she should definitely own as a valuable part of his or her personal music collection. This is an album that will definitely be enjoyed and cherished for many more years to come, NOW AND FOREVER!

In closing, Janis Joplin is Rock n' Roll's FIRST TRUE QUEEN! There will NEVER BE ANOTHER JANIS JOPLIN! She LIVED, BREATHED and DIED BY ROCK N' ROLL! If you REALLY want to know how Janis lived, watch the film "THE ROSE" starring Bette Midler! This film was supposedly about the life of Janis Joplin but the Janis Joplin Estate decided that they did not want to authorize this film due to the content and nature of the character being depicted in the film. "THE ROSE" IS JANIS JOPLIN'S LIFE STORY! It is such a tragedy how she died! A WOMAN LEFT SAD AND LONELY INDEED! What a tragic loss for Rock n' Roll! R.I.P. My Sweet Janis Joplin. Thanks for reading my review and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for your reading pleasure. I also hope that you will read all of my other reviews in the near future when time permits. JANIS LIVES! Long Live Rock n' Roll! Rock out always and take care. Forever in Rock, J.L.

Classic enhanced with live versions.......2006-03-12

Nothing has gone stale about Joplin and her band on the all-time classic Pearl. After all these years, it remains a magnificent listening experience because of the quality of the songs, the band's tight playing and the impressive emotional range of Joplin's vocals. The second CD includes some stirring live versions of her greatest songs.

Unlike Cheap Thrills, where there was mostly a cosmic battle between Joplin's voice and Big Brother's heavy metal onslaught, here the voice is the star. My favorites on an album of classics include the poignant Me and Bobby McGee, the tender A Woman Left Lonely, the edgy Half Moon, the emotional Cry Baby, the buoyant Get It While You Can and the plaintive/humorous Mercedes Benz.

Perfect arrangements, brilliant playing and masterly vocalization combine here to create a rock masterpiece. The live album shows the extraordinary power of Joplin on stage. This CD is essential for all rock fans, providing the very best of 1960s rock.

The Pajama Game (1954 Original Broadway Cast)

Average customer rating:

Just Like I Remeber When I was Young
More is less.
A great recording, with the best cast, but...
Excellent musical...one of the best
The Cat's Pajamas

The Pajama Game (1954 Original Broadway Cast)
Richard Adler , Jerry Ross , John Raitt , and Janis Paige
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Pajama Game
Damn Yankees (1955 Original Broadway Cast)
Guys & Dolls: A Decca Broadway Original Cast Recording (1950 Original Broadway Cast)
Mame (1966 Original Broadway Cast)
The Music Man (1957 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B00004THLZ
Release Date: 2000-05-30

Tracks:

Act I: Overture
Act I: The Pajama Game/Racing With The Clock
Act I: A New Town Is A Blue Town
Act I: I'm Not At All In Love
Act I: I'll Never Be Jealous Again
Act I: Hey There
Act I: Her Is
Act I: Sleep Tite
Act I: Once-A-Year Day
Act I: Small Talk
Act I: There Once Was A Man
Act II: Steam Heat
Act II: Think Of The Time I Save
Act II: Hernando's Hideaway
Act II: Seven-And-A-Half Cents
Finale: The Pajama Game
Stage Struck: Interview With Jerry Ross
Stage Struck: The World Around Us
Stage Struck: Interview With Jerry Ross
Stage Struck: There Once Was A Man
Stage Struck: Interview With Jerry Ross
Stage Struck: Hernando's Hideaway

Amazon.com

Based on the novel 7-1/2 Cents by Richard Bissell, The Pajama Game hit Broadway in May 1954 and ran over 1,000 performances. The plot revolves around a labor dispute at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory, with two couples (Eddie Foy Jr. and Carol Haney, John Raitt and Janis Paige) in the middle of it. The score, by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, includes Raitt's classic ballad "Hey There" (dueting with himself as recorded on a dictation machine), the humorous "Think of the Time I Save," and "Steam Heat" and "Hernando's Hideaway," both set to memorable choreography by a Broadway novice named Bob Fosse. The following year, the Adler-Ross-Fosse team would team up again with Damn Yankees.

The 2000 remastered version of The Pajama Game features vastly improved sound and bonus tracks taken from a 1954 radio show: Raitt's "The World Around Us" (dropped from the show) and Raitt and Paige's "There Once Was a Man," both with a rehearsal pianist, and Adler and Ross themselves singing "Hernando's Hideaway" with Ross at the piano. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Just Like I Remeber When I was Young.......2006-07-27

My father was a big fan of Broadway musicals. I remember going to see the Pajama Game and Damn Yankees in a summer stock theater in Warwick R.I. which contributed to me developing my own love for musicals in the 50's and 60's. This recording though in monaural is an excellent reproduction of the LP record my father had and I used to listen to (sans scratches!). I would recommend this to any person who used to like these old classics. I would like to see a local theater group do this some day before it's completely forgotten. The interviews with the composer/lyricist and notes in the CD were wonderful too.

More is less........2004-08-15

A monster hit when it opened in 1954, and still a staple of community theatre groups, PAJAMA GAME has a delightfully refreshing score that never takes itself too seriously. On the whole it offers a better-than-average number of stand-out songs: "I'm Not At All in love", "Hey There", "Small talk", "Steam heat", "Hernando's Hideaway" and the ensmble "7 1/2 Cents." There are, however a few stumbles. "A new Town is a Blue Town" is dreary. "Her Is" is silly although the Bob Fosse dance routine made it work on stage. Both these were dropped from the movie version, so I suspect the authors also felt this material was weak.

The movie retained all of the original cast leads except for Janis Paige as Babe (replaced by Doris Day.) Day sings Babe's songs better, so your choice between the cast album and the movie soundtrack will depend on whether you need the whole score or not.

As for ths reissue...once again Sony has done a first-rate job. The sound is full bodied and rich, though necessarily mono, and the package includes some well-written liner notes.

A great recording, with the best cast, but..........2004-05-03

"The Pajama Game" is a truly great musical. Although it's most popular songs have truly been immortalized, such as "Hernando's Hideaway" and "Hey There", the show itself seems to be sadly forgotten by many (depite winning both Best Score and Best Musical in the Tonys). It remains very popular with amateurs and high schools, though.

This recording of The Pajama Game, a remastered version on the original cast, has VASTLY improved sound and some great extra tracks. Despite the new tracks, though, a lot of the score is completley missing from this recording, and a lot of the songs have been abridged, cutting out dialogue sections and a lot of dance music, like the wonderful "Jealousy Ballet" number, but the loss can be both a blessing and a curse.

The cast is the best recorded, in my opinion.

John Raitt as Sid - I'm not sure if this show was Raitt's star turn or Carousel was, but regardless, he is a fantastic talent and it really shows on this recording. His solos on this recording are superior to any other renditions. "Hey There", "A New Town Is a Blue Town", and "There Once Was a Man"(my personal favorite) are just fantastic. Great all around.

Janis Paige as Babe - Ok...she grows on you. If Paige is not singing in a more characterized voice, than she needs to be shot because she sounds like a wounded animal, BUT for the role her funky voice is very well suited. Her belt voice doesn't use much vibrato or any classical broadway norms, but her much grittier voice brings a more "real" feel to her character. "I'm Not At All In Love" is great and her comedic-like turn in "There Once Was a Man" is also fantastic.

Eddie Foy Jr. as Hines - I just recently finished performing as Hines in a production of "The Pajama Game" so I know the role well. Foy is my favorite recorded Hines, he has such a different voice and personality to his character that simply cannot be imitated. It's a shame so much of his role was cut from the movie. "I'll Never Be Jealous Again" is pleasantly comic, "Think Of The Time I Save" is cute and pleasant, and the opening is also great. An excellent performance.

Carol Haney as Gladys - Gladys is THE show stealing role of "The Pajama Game", and the underrated and underused Carol Haney stole this production way back when. Haney is cooky, lovable, and on stage, a fantastic dancer. Haney stepped into the role originally envisioned for Gwen Verdon and made it the role it is today, funny and wonderful. Haney sings two of the show's classics, "Steam Heat"(the best recorded), and "Hernando's Hideaway" both totally wonderful.

Stanley Prager as Prez - A really great performance. Prager gives a rough, growling voice to Prez and it comes off as a great perfomance. "Her Is" is great, as is "Seven and A Half Cents"(although Prager's voice humorously cracks in mid-verse). A good performance.

Reta Shaw as Mabel - Can't pull off a cute and perverted old lady any other way. Shaw's performance is solid in "I'll Never Be Jealous Again" with Foy. Pleasant to listen to.

Well, all in all, this recording, though very abridged, has the best cast and is just as good as a choice for a recording of the show. Both is better, but for casual and curious listeners, this one beats the London cast. For those who really want the full score, go London. If I had to pick the superior, I would very reluctantly choose this one(reluctantly, due to the abridged score and Ms. Paige. One thing is for sure, every theater lover must own a copy of this wonderful show.

Excellent musical...one of the best.......2003-05-28

I love the Pajama Game. First of all, it had an immense influence on me, having been the first musical I ever heard and the force that originally set in motion by fixation on Broadway musicals.

I also have to _deeply_ disagree with Mr. Stuart Howard, and to suggest that he in fact has no idea what he is talking about. All the musicals he said were "more important" than the Pajama Game only seem that way because they have been revived time and again. "Pajama Game" simply had the bad luck to become hopelessly dated due to cultural changes, and thus nearly impossible to revive successfully. Still, I personally think "Hernando's hideaway" and "Think of the time I save" still qualify as modern classics, and certainly it's hard to argue that "Once-a-year-day" hasn't been absorbed into our cultural consciousness.

As for Ms. Paige, I _love_ her cynical, witty delivery and extremely unique voice and style of singing, and I tend to believe that anyone who can't see her appeal has, to be blunt, outlandishly poor taste in music.

I love the Pajama Game, and, incidentally, I _highly recommend this CD. John Raitt's voice is a little cold, but it is also amazingly beautiful. The three comedy relief roles will all have you howling, Janice Paige is, as stated before, a genius, and unlike in my musicals, the songs will give you a sufficient idea of not only the story, but the characters...and "The Pajama Game" has deeper and more complex characters than any of the other old-fashioned musical comedies I can think of.

The Cat's Pajamas.......2003-02-18

Super score. Two standards of the genre: Hey There and Hernando's Hideaway, but also a number of outstanding production numbers and duets: "Seven and a Half Cents", "Steam Heat", "I'll Never Be Jealous Again", "There Once Was a Man". Most of the singing is excellent but sometimes I have to admit Janis Paige isn't on pitch and I prefer (dare I say it) Doris Day in the movie. John Raitt is the professional he always was. This is a 50's musical through and through, filled with serious love songs, comedy with a satirical bite, and endless energy. The extra tracks on this CD are nothing too wonderful, with excerpts from a pretty banal interview with composer Jerry Ross, but they do include a song you won't hear (for good reason -- despite inteviewer Mike Wallace's glowing support it is a pretty bad song) in the show. Want to know why this show was so good: George Abbott, John Raitt, Bob Fosse, Harold Prince, Adler and Ross, Eddie Foy, Jerome Robbins, Carol Haney, Peter Gennaro. Yes, there are shows with a power-packed line-up like that, that have been bad, but not many. Enjoy the memories this will bring back.

Average customer rating:

Sad and superb
Unbelievable!!!
Raw, explosive - Best of the San Francisco sound
Elements of Greatness
I WAS SURPRISED BY HOW MUCH I REALLY DUG THIS

Big Brother And The Holding Company
Big Brother & The Holding Company , and Janis Joplin
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Cheap Thrills
I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again, Mama
Live at Winterland '68
Pearl
In Concert

ASIN: B00000K29E
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Tracks:

Bye, Bye Baby
Easy Rider
Intruder
Light Is Faster Than Sound
Call On Me
Women Is Losers
Blindman
Down On Me
Caterpillar
All Is Loneliness
Coo Coo
The Last Time
Call On Me (Alternate Take)
Bye, Bye Baby (Alternate Take)

Customer Reviews:

Sad and superb.......2007-06-13

Another chance to listen to a magic voice. Sad feeling - that was too short.

Unbelievable!!!.......2007-05-04

This is unlike anything you've heard! Yes, there is plenty of Janis Joplin in this album, but there is also so much Big Brother and the Holding Company! You have both male and female voices on this album! Janis Joplin shines, and the best song on the album is "Call on Me" it's nothing like you've ever heard. Janis is at her best, and there is another version of "Call on Me" on this album. This is a must for any Janis Joplin fan.

Raw, explosive - Best of the San Francisco sound.......2007-04-08

Simply titled Big Brother & The Holding Company (1967), the album is Janis's one attempt to be part of a group ensemble instead of the "star." The performances are proof-positive that Janis never succeeded at blending in - she had too much power. In the opening number, "Bye, Bye Baby," Janis's voice is double-tracked. Thanks to the elegant re-mastering job, the raw beauty of that performance can now be fully appreciated. The group itself produced a fine debut album, but it's doubtful that the album would have been treated to such a lavish re-mastering job without the historical connection that Joplin provided. This is the best of the San Francisco sound: raw, driven rock where the musicians were genuinely talented. Sounds great!!

Elements of Greatness.......2007-03-25

For those who do not already know this album, let me first echo a few of the caveats made by some of the other reviewers: 1) This being Big Brother's first album, made before the Monterey Pop Festival and thus before they, and most especially Janis, hit international stardom, it lacks the developed sound and careful production of Cheap Thrills. 2) Janis sings lead not on every song, but on every second track. 3) A number of the tunes must be taken for what they are: goofy, experimental forays by an inspired group of talented hippie-musicians who were still in the process of discovering what it is that they do best and in so doing developing a unique artistic identity. As such, songs like "Light is Faster Than Sound" and "Caterpillar" (one could add to this list "Harry" and "Gutra's Garden," both of similar ilk found not on this album but on Big Brother live collections) would never have made it onto an album with a more commercially-saavy producer, yet they reveal some of the competing--and fun--elements that were in the Big Brother mix from the beginning.

With those caveats in mind, this album is nevertheless a jewel, expecially when one considers how precious little material exists from Janis's greatest period, the mere two-and-a-half years she spent with Big Brother. Janis's voice here is higher, clearer, and more piercing than the raspiness of her Cheap Thrills period; it and the music have not yet found their way to the hugeness of drama, dissonance and pain that mark that second album.

But the voice and the sound on this album have their own special appeal. Songs like "Women is Losers," "Intruder," "Bye, Bye, Baby," "Down on Me" display a startlingly original talent, a voice with a phrasing and tone and force of conviction that leaps out at the listener with an urgency that is unlike any other.

Finally, a note to those who may already own the original vinyl edition of this album and therefore question whether they need another copy: The original issue and many of the subsequent re-issues did not contain the song "The Last Time," which was the B-side of a single. This song, written entirely (music and lyrics) by Janis, is astonishing. For me, hearing it for the first time only a few years ago, it was as though I had traveled back in time or Janis had traveled forward into the present and I was hearing Janis's incendiary being in all its searingly defiant nakedness and immediacy. It's at moments like these that I can't help but recall the words Janis sings in "Flower in the Sun":
"I see you looking up at the sky
(Oh, how high it is) --
You wonder if there is another me --
Oh, how can there be? How can there be?"

I WAS SURPRISED BY HOW MUCH I REALLY DUG THIS.......2007-03-01

you know, this was actually pretty good. i listened to it for the first time, and i was surprised at the folky sound of it. i thought that it was gonna be a blues rock romp. i see this as a preamble to CHEAP THRILLS. janis gets her down, but she does not get off on this one like i thought she would. i like the stuff she does not do lead on as well. very interesting formats.

Average customer rating:

Classic Janis
Kozmic Blues Away
It grows on you...
Great!
Damn Good Music

I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again, Mama
Janis Joplin
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Blues Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Cheap Thrills
Pearl
Big Brother And The Holding Company
Live at Winterland '68
In Concert

ASIN: B00000K2VW
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Tracks:

Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)
Maybe
One Good Man
As Good As You've Been To This World
To Love Somebody
Kozmic Blues
Little Girl Blue
Work Me Lord
Dear Landlord (Session Outtake)
Summertime (Live At Woodstock)
Piece Of My Heart (Live At Woodstock)

Amazon.com

This underrated 1969 recording was Janis Joplin's first solo studio album after she left Big Brother & the Holding Company. One objection at the time of its release centered on the horn section, which Big Brother loyalists were determined to hate to death. Moreover, the aggregate of musicians backing Joplin--she named the band Kozmic Blues--never solidified as a group, even after earning a warm response on a European tour that spring. There was considerable turnover among the players pulled in for the sessions and considerable discontent as well. Producer Gabriel Mekler would have gladly dumped the band entirely. The best tracks on the album resulted from a single session in June 1969: a supremely delivered rendition of "One Good Man" (with the great Mike Bloomfield on guitar), and, above all, "Little Girl Blue." The Rodgers and Hart estates, however, absolutely loathed Joplin's version of the song, as did a gaggle of older musicians. Joplin changed the words somewhat and made a magnificent tearjerker out of a song that was first performed by Doris Day. This reissue fleshes out the original eight-song collection with a studio outtake of Bob Dylan's "Dear Landlord" and live versions of "Summertime" and "Piece of My Heart" from Joplin's Woodstock appearance. --Myra Friedman

Customer Reviews:

Classic Janis.......2007-05-19

This is one of the best, full Janis recordings. Blues, rock, soul, and her demented energy make this a great edition to anyone's collection.

Kozmic Blues Away.......2006-06-06

This is probably my all-time favorite album. To me this sounds like Janis Joplin, even if for various reasons she seemed to be most happy with her last album, Pearl. She wanted the horns for the album and she got them. The horns add a beautiful powerful melancholic feel to the album. There are artists, like Melissa Etheridge and Janis Joplin, who seem to be at their peak dealing with heart break and sorrows. I feel this album gets to the core of feelings better than any other album Janis worked on. My personal all-time favorite song can be found on this album. It's called Work Me Lord and it's written by the brilliant Nick Gravenites.

It grows on you..........2006-02-22

I had been warned before I purchased I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! that it was a poor, unfocused album. But, as Janis recorded so little for us to remember her by, I couldn't justify not checking it out for myself - I figured if there were just one or two songs that were as good as those on Pearl, it was worth buying. I got home, popped Kozmic Blues into my CD player and listened to the whole thing, bonus tracks and all. And you know what? It isn't bad at all.

Okay, the horns do take a little getting used to, but "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" is the perfect tune to lead the listener into the album. Other great tracks are present as well, especially "One Good Man," "Kozmic Blues," "Little Girl Blue," and "Work Me, Lord." That leaves three songs that drag a little - "Maybe" and "As Good as You've Been to This World" are okay, but the latter's intro sucks the momentum from the album, and "To Love Somebody" does not redeem it. The other songs from the original eight song album are good Janis - the final sequence, in particular, from "Kozmic Blues" to "Work Me, Lord" is excellent.

As for the bonus tracks...well, they're pretty rocky. "Dear Landlord" is a complete horn-laden revamp of the Dylan tune, but the brass just seem very out of place. The two Woodstock tracks are nice to have, but both "Summertime" and "Piece of My Heart" (especially the latter) don't match the Big Brother and the Holding Company versions Janis and the band unleashed with Cheap Thrills. The reed and horn opening to "Summertime" is the worst part on the entire album, though the rest of the song is okay. "Piece of My Heart" is unfortunately also drenched in horns, and the Kozmic Blues Band just isn't right for the song. However, Janis' little speech before "Piece of My Heart" is definitely worth hearing.

Had Janis Joplin recorded more music, it might be easier to dismiss I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, but only Pearl gives us a glimpse of what could've been. Admittedly, Pearl is the better album, and definitely the place to start listening to her. But after listening to that masterpiece and Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills, this album is definitely worth a listen.

Great!.......2005-12-21

This is one of my favorite albums of all-time, and I would like to say my favorite Janis Joplin album, but I can't choose between the others.
There are so many good songs on this album. Janis Joplin had a certain way of getting a song out. She was unlike anybody before her, and no matter how hard people try-they can't be her! She was one of a kind, and this album-like her others-is fantastic!

Damn Good Music.......2005-03-01

Wow. This is the type of music that takes you to another place, an amazing place. Janis's voice is incredible, the band is amazing. This is true blues, this is the definition of music. Talk about soul, she belts it out to a ridiculously amazing level.. I'm not a corporate executive music reviewer. I'm just a person, who likes what they heard. If you want to feel something, something real and undeniable, then listen to this album. Janis sings from her gut, from a place few artists today dare to go. Challenge yourself to go to a place that is unfamiliar, a place that will enhance you as a person. Thanks Janis...

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