Janis Joplin

I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
$6.99
Sound is as good if not better than Janis in person. Mega fan..She has no equal.

Cheap Thrills
$7.99
Found this classic CD on Amazon for almost nothing was in like new condition. What a deal!

Live at Winterland '68
$6.99
When I saw that Amazon had this gem for $[...], I jumped all over it. I'm glad I did! A FANTASTIC remastering of one of Janis' most energetic shows. I never did appreciate the talent of Big Brother and The Holding Company, but through the fabulous remastering on this release, the band just absolutely cooks, and adds a lot of energy to Janis' performance. The CD contains a fair amount of stage commentary, and a fair amount of audience noise between songs, which some may not like, but I really think it adds very well to the overall "live" experience.

Things kick off with the powerful classic "Down On Me", but in my opinion the best track by far is the timeless "Summertime" from Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess". Listening to Janis wail on this one absolutely gave me chills. If I was going to play only one track for someone unfamiliar with the legend of Janis Joplin, this would be the track. Incredible. The "live" performance here is the best thing she ever did. "Summertime" alone is worth the $[...] CD price. Even if you are not a huge Janis Joplin fan, spend a few bucks to add this one to your collection.

In Concert
$7.98
This album (originally on 2LPs), was the only IN CONCERT album of Janis, until that BIG BROTHER and the HOLDING COMPANY FEATURING JANIS JOPLIN LIVE AT WINTERLAND 1968 came out on CD back in 1998. This orginal JOPLIN IN CONCERT album is fantastic, and provides an insightful look at JANIS's complete career. The first part of the CD is with BIG BROTHER (tracks 1,2, 4-7 ), recorded in mid 1968, except for the song EGO ROCK and ALL IS LONELINESS, which was from a "reunion" of Janis with Big Bro in 1970. For those who are fans of the CHEAP THRILLS CD (which was mostly recorded live), then you'll recognise a lot of this "SOUND", since they are simply outtakes from the same set of concerts from april to June '68 when CHEAP THRILLS was recorded. So much is made of Big Brother having a horrible sound, but to me they sound like a good, grungy blues rock band. Had they sounded slick, mechanical and over rehearsed, I don't think I'd like the band as much, even WITH Janis' vocals. BIG BROTHER LIVE in 1968 sounds EXACTLY what they are--a bunch of drugged up, drunk hippies who live together, playing music for the sheer ecstacy of communial sound. The sound quality here is fine as well, since it's obvious they were still looking for numbers to complete their CHEAP THRILLS album, with these well multi track recorded songs. (FLOWER IN THE SUN, one of Janis' early rarities, is a stand out number here.)

The second half of the CD are songs recorded with FULL TILT BOOGIE BAND, during their june-junly 1970 tour of Canada on the FESTIVAL EXPRESS. (check out the FESTIVAL EXPRESS DVD for more about THAT experience.) These songs hold together better than the BIG BROTHER songs. Janis wasn't a psychedelic blues goddess here, nor was she in her R&B big band soul sound, she developed with the KOSMIC BLUES band. 1970 Janis employed a bluesy, heavy guitar, organ, piano, bass and drums. With FULL TILT BOOGIE band, Janis had finally found the best match sound for her voice, raw yet technically perfect, filled with well rehersed, stiring dynamics, beautiful keyboard work, and spontaneously reworking her PEARL-KOSMIC BLUES material. There's nothing anyone can say negative about this FESTIVAL EXPRESS material. If it doesnt move you, you're a sleeping vampire, or a wax figure in a museum, or Richard Nixon. If you are a Janis fan, even a CASUAL fan, this album ought not to be missed. Maybe it will be deleted, if the JANIS estate releases a complete set of material from her 1970 FESTIVAL EXPRESS tour. (something like you hear on the PEARL 2CD collectors series.) But I'd want this album even IF most of it ends up in a new JANIS LIVE 1970 CD...because of the 1968 BIG BROTHER material. No matter what the future holds for JANIS releases, I recommend this CD, including every one of those grungy, druggy, loose sounding BIG BROTHER numbers. Janis was a force of nature. Every note she sang, carried so much sorrow, anger, and loneliness, in opposistion to her optomistic striving for LOVE and BEAUTY. Such hope and desire Janis lived with, despite her faults. (Couldn't her drug use just be an extension of her striving and loneliness anyway?) In the end, this is a great album to dig, just to hear Janis invite you back to her house for a drink after the show, reminding her audience that's "she's easy to find". Janis is STILL easy to find. She's right here waiting.