Cheap Thrills

Cheap Thrills is a groovy little listen and I always love Janis Joplin's voice. You hear a fair bit of this on other stuff but I guess it all started here, easy high 3/5.

I shouldn't like Janis Joplin's voice, it's way too gravelly and it feels like she pushes every note too hard, but I really do. There's so much energy to this, and a couple of real stand out songs - Piece of my Heart is the best, with Summertime not far behind. Solid 3/5, but it's not consistently good enough for a 4.

Finally found the spot to rate old albums. Enjoyed this, in contrast to one of us, I think that the sound is amazing for 60s live. If lacking crowd mic. That is until the final two tracks which were not needed, in my view. I can see why they added them tho. And I can see why Janis struck out alone. She certainly got pipes

Heavy distortion on guitar. Prominent bass. Joplin's voice is great.

Lots of 12 bar blues here, reminds me of going to parties with dad when I was a kid and the types of live bands that would be there.

Interesting listen. Janis’ vocals are great, though a bit rough at times. I wasn’t crazy about the songwriting or the instrumentation but really enjoyed the rawness of it. Favorite track: Piece off my Heart

I don't like Janis Joplin all that much, so I won't find myself going back to this one often. However everything else with this album is good enough to keep it it at 3 stars for me.

It was meh outside of the hits

The vocals grew on me after a couple listens but overall it's not the sort of thing I will be coming back to regularly. Favorite: Oh, Sweet Mary

Dit vond ik wel gaaf. Lekkere jaren zestig sound en die rauwe stem van Janis.

Deze muziek vind ik echt leuk, maar dat gekras van Janis gaat me op den duur zo tegenstaan...

not sure about this one blues sounds good tho

3.2 - love Janis’s voice, but psychedelic rock just feels a bit stale these days.

Ha ha cheap thrills

Meh...guess I am just not into Janice Joplin. Seems sacrilegious.

Janis Joplin is the star of the show and she overshadows the instrumentation. Good record overall

Joplinin parhaimmistoa. Rouheeta bluesrockia ja kansi on mainio!

Magee solisti tietenkin ja pari mukavan letkeetä biisiä.

Enpä tienny että Joplin oli tehnyt näin rokkilevyä! Varsin hyvä kokonaisuus, 3/5.

Not sure this is essential, but it's an interesting time capsule of hippie-era San Francisco.

A rocking 60s album with some character.

I mean, Janis Joplin is an icon for a reason. Little bit too on the psychedelic side for me, though.

Pleins de classiques sur cet album. Le petit rauque poussé pas fort fini par lasser par contre. C’est moins pire sur d’autres enregistrements. J’aime beaucoup le bassiste. Le band en général groove pas pire.

Led Zeppelin ont définitivement suivi cette voie pour leur premier album. Summertime et Piece Of My Heart sont deux pièces essentielles à écouter pour comprendre pourquoi on parle encore de Janis Joplin aujourd’hui. C’est fou de penser qu’elle a 23 ou 24 ans à cette époque. Je le répète, je n’aime pas les albums live. Lui en est un en partie et je peux comprendre pourquoi. L’énergie du groupe est pas mal leur force. Un essentiel à entendre et pour ma part, à se procurer pas trop cher dans une vente de garage.

Not bad. I didn't know about Janis stuff before solo work. I enjoyed it OK, but wasn't blown away by any means.

Janis Joplin's vocal chops are insane. Loved the bluesy Summertime with its noisy guitar solos and Joplin's crooning. Generally the blues cuts here are far superior. Thought Combination of the Two and Piece of My Heart were kinda annoying.

I know some people can't deal with Billy Corgan's voice, but I don't usually mind it. Others don't like Geddy Lee, and I think he sounds fine. Some of you guys expressed indifference to Dave Mustaine yesterday, and I'm generally cool with it. But Janis Joplin's voice has always bugged me. There's definite power in it, but it's too screechy for me, there's almost no technique. The musicians themselves are great, but I don't know if I'll ever side with her abilities. D+

I was never much into Haight/Ashbury rock.

W00t, Janis.

Wasn't feeling this as much as I thought I would. Definitely not bad, but about mid-way through Janis Joplin started to wear on me a bit then I kinda zoned out.

I like Janis Joplin, but I hate live albums

Janis Joplin sortint de l'ou i agafant el protagonisme de la banda, després d'un disc merament psicodèlic, portant-los aquí a unes aigües molt més marcades pel blues rock, sense perdre el punt de la psicodèlia de l'época. Haria de millorar en els seus discos posteriors, però temes com 'Summertime' o 'Piece of My Heart' ja donaven fe de la increïble personalitat en la veu de Joplin

couple classics

Enjoyed it. Love that Janice blues.

Janis was definitely the highlight.

CHEAP THRILLS | BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY • JANICE JOPLIN (1968)⭐️⭐️⭐️ COMBINATION OF THE TWO ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Love the guitar at the start - Rocky vibe, good groove - Love the drums - Ok now I'm getting a Motown vibe, love this - Nice intro track, nice to vibe to but not gonna be in the playlist just cus of a lack of lyricism. I NEED A MAN TO LOVE ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Love the melody from the get-go - Love the guitar - Not the biggest fan of the vocals, great tone but just wouldn't listen regularly. - Do enjoy the song though, actually incredible power in Janis's voice just not my kinda song personally. SUMMERTIME ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Greek kinda vibe, love this a lot - let's hope the vocals are good - oooooo we have guitar coming in on the left ear, nice split between the ears - Love this so much, vocals are in now. - This is a masterpiece - Janis's voice isn't for me but I can appreciate the talent. - Love the composition and layering of the song. PIECE OF MY HEART ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Absolute classic - Love this song and love Janis's vocals in this song - great melody and groove, danceable - beltable, just a good mood kinda beat TURTLE BLUES ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Ok love the start - This is a groovy, blues vibe. - I do really like blues, not sure what playlist to put this in though - No playlist but do like the song. OH, SWEET MARY ⭐️⭐️ - Not the biggest fan of this, odd vocals at the start - Love Janis's voice in this though, not sure about it at all. - Feels tribal BALL AND CHAIN ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Rock vibe, heavy metal start - I'll keep listening but not the biggest fan of the screeching - Vocals come in and I like it, might just have to skip the start every time. - I do really like this after all the screeching - Wow love Janis's tone - Can only give ⭐️⭐️⭐️ as the start isn't a bit of me ROADBLOCK ⭐️⭐️ - Ok I can back this so far - ok this is fun, I wouldn't listen often but feels good to listen to. - kinda boring tho - same same FLOWER IN THE SUN ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Love love love the layering - I enjoy this - Going in my 70s playlist - groovy, I can back this CATCH ME DADDY ⭐️ - Not a fan, Janis is screaming - I mean she has power and I respect it but also stop screaming - you don't like it, skip MAGIC OF LOVE ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I like this one already and its the one with the least streams wtf - this is groovy - Idk am also a bit scatty - ok

60s

This was very much a slice of a day for 1968

I love psychedelic rock and the band is pretty good. Of course JJ is intense and carries the show.

3/5 nice but ultimately no

Nothing special but nothing bad about it either for me at least. "Piece of My Heart" the most enjoyable track.

I actually listened to this twice and I liked it better the second time! It's like a more melodic Zeppelin, with bluesy vibes still. Glad I gave it another shot!!

I actually had no idea that Janis fronted a band, let alone that "Piece of My Heart" and "Summertime" were recorded under said band; I always thought these were solo Janis songs! But, let's face it: even now, it's still a solo Janis song as far as I'm concerned; she is famous for it. I mistook this for a live album before reading that the live audience sounds were edited into the album. I am not really sure about the reasoning behind this decision, but I found it to be an interesting one. I am not typically a huge blues fan, but something about Janis has just always grabbed me. Her vocals always strike me as something that shouldn't work, but god, they just DO. The guitar on this album has a hazy, raw sound quality to it that just plays off of her vocals so well. The acid rock lean along with all that rasp and gravel take this album to an enjoyment level that would otherwise not be achieved for me, personally. Side A totally rocked for me, but Side B wasn't nearly as strong, save for "Ball and Chain".

I always had mixed feelings about this album: she is great, she really is, but the band doesn't seem to be right "there". There is certainly a good amount of energy going on but the songs don't sound right to me; they are probably underdeveloped or the arrangements are not at their best, I am not sure. Plus half of the tracks are live and I never liked live albums. So yeah, good for the vocals, the energy, the sense of "everybody's wasted", which doesn't do much harm in a rock and roll / blues context, but I am left with the feeling that this could have been a much better record. Or its issue might as well be with the high expectations that come with the hype? Or maybe it's just a matter of personal taste? Who knows!

Loved all things Janis, enjoyed Piece of my Heart, everything else is fine

Third Listen. janis Joplin is great, the album is ok. 3/5

I'm just not that big of a fan of Janis Joplin's. I want to like the raspy voice and all but I'm just like "meh". "Peice of my Heart" is the most popular song on the album and probably my favorite. 6/10.

Actually really enjoyed this. Haven’t heard much by Joplin but I can see why she’s lauded as a talent. Don’t think I can go 4* but high 3

parecido com o primeiro, mas desconhecido kkkkk

A slightly different take on the concept album by structuring it as a live album, it does add a bit of flair and interest to it overall. A good acid/psych rock album with a bit of blues thrown in for good measure. The album cover certainly is unique. It gives an overview of what to expect from the album - as though it was a live show played out in comic. Although, some of those drawings in particular wouldn't fly in today's market. Best: I Need A Man To Love Worst: Ball & Chain Note: Spotify had the re-release album with bonus tracks - I only listened to the original songs.

There a few songs I liked, which of course includes Piece of My Heart, but otherwise this album wasn’t too much my style. 2.5

3.6 - The Robert Crumb album art would be the only reason I’d buy this LP. Still, Janis Joplin’s singular rock voice is loud and proud and I do love “Piece of any Heart.” Thankfully there’s more than just 12-bar white blues. “Oh, Sweet Mary” is a dark freak out with some bellowing guitars. Less successful is “Flower in the Sun” that tests Joplin’s limits and makes her sound shrill and slightly out-of-tune. It’s a fine example of San Francisco psychedelic culture, underpinned by LSD, but it feels rooted to its time and place.

Not enough groove, too much wtf

Good tunes…. Hate Janis Joplin’s voice though!

Well, there's this: https://musicaficionado.blog/2020/01/28/cheap-thrills-an-album-cover-by-robert-crumb/ I agree that the art for Summertime will not see the light of day today. But the music is nice. I'd certainly listen to it again.

Good, but some unneeded psychadelic noodling. Great ballsy blues voice. A few now classic songs (and covers).

I loved the instrumentals, but Janis' vocals just don't do it for me. I can see the appeal to some but for me the wailing is just too much.

Woefully disjointed. Either make it a live album or a properly structured studio one. Very much of its time.

Some bangers

Such a powerful voice! Janis smashed my speakers!

Legendary singer, but really messy tunes. Did not enjoy the sound throughout.

Nice and entertaining classic rock but not enough for me for 4 stars

Rating: 6/10

// Favs: – Score: Light to Decent 3

Meh

A large dose of Janis. Classic rock with a high energy

Ball and chain prachtig

Вот она какая Дженис Джоплин.

Country psych blues echoed by The Doors and The Strokes. Janis had one hell of a voice.

I appreciate Janis Joplin, I just find her voice grating at times.

just don't really care for Janis Joplin.

Great Voice. Drives the album completely. Not really my thing. though

Noodly, but with some good tracks on there - was not aware that it was a live album before i listened :)

Seminal blues/rock, but a bit samey

Was good! Not the best, not the worst. Really enjoyed it

Joplin carries this one for me but there is a lot more interesting guitar than I expected. Full of meandering tracks that kinda lose me. Piece of My Heart is an all timer.

Such a strong and unique voice from Janice, overall a good album some heavy hitting songs on it

It was interesting to hear more Janis Joplin. Very distinctive voice 😄

To me this feels like a weaker Janis Joplin vocal record. Piece Of My Heart is one of those rock and roll songs that will stay forever. But this album is mostly the blues. I still don't see what people find interesting about the blues. Janis's vocal tone is one in a billion, which you hear right in front on Ball And Chain.

Summertime and Piece Of My Heart are amazing. So is cover art. The rest of the album is fine but not much more.

TBH, I kind of find Janis’s voice to be a bit annoying.

Important in that it was the first major release featuring Janis Joplin - it is interesting to hear other songs aside from the big hit and eternal classic radio staple "Piece Of My Heart" It's not necessarily ground-breaking or mind-blowing though, which isn't necessarily a criticism, but after a while the blues-based songs take on a sameness - perhaps one that they've had all along. Good musicianship by the band though, that definitely comes through especially on tracks like "Oh, Sweet Mary." Enjoyable enough listen I suppose in some ways (as I waver between giving this 2 or 3 stars) but would this get a look/listen if it weren't featuring "Janis Joplin™" on vocals? Too many times I'm hearing this as "generic late 60s capable psychedelic blues hard rocking band" and throughout this album that's what you get i.e. it's not really one I'd ever think to immediately repeat once it's done. 5/10 3 stars.

just for Janis Joplin's voice, which was amazing

I thought this was going to be unremarkable for my tastes, but found myself leaving it playing. 3-stars for that.

Most people think of Janis Joplin as being the high point, but I really liked the guitar on this. I thought the solos worked well. I listened to the bonus tracks and they were definitely... uneven. "Ball and Chain" went on too long, I thought.

I've never been a big fan Janis Joplin. That being said, this is a pretty good album. I like the raw sound of the recording and "Piece of my Heart" is a classic. Side two was better than side one for me, especially the closing track: "Ball and Chain"

Grpovy

Janis Joplin has an awesome voice, but I found the songwriting and the rest of the music completely unmemorable. Not bad, but into one ear and out the other.

It’s the blues with an absolutely kick ass singer and the guitars turned up loud. Decent recipe for an album

Not as hateful as expected and actually had some nice moments but then they do have Janis Joplin doing vocals. Not bad hippies, not bad.

Classic Janis Joplin

It's allright.

хорошая музыка, но слушать её постоянно я бы не стал, слишком гротескная

Fun album. Janis had such a unique voice.

Pretty good. Didn't know Janis Joplin was a part of this.

Ok. Znie to ako led zeppelin ale nikdy to nie je dostatocne zaujimave.

Good instrumentals. I liked it but it’s hard to listen to the whole thing.

I had never heard of Big Brother & the Holding Co, but this is the classic rock sound I love (plus no one sounds like Janis). Pass me the bowl, I can listen to this and chill all day.

I honestly thought I would have enjoyed this album more. Joplin is an unparalleled singer and you can really feel her rocking out in most of this album. But the band behind her isn’t very strong and a lot of the time that makes her appearance seem weaker. I wanted to like it but I really didn’t.

Dobar album za poslušati, pogotovo ako si u toj nekakvoj psihodeliji, woodstock mood-u u kojem znam zalaziti. Pošto vidim da ne mogu dati koliko sam mislio, moram staviti 3/5, a zapravo je ipak mrvčicu bolje od toga. (3,5/5)

Kindof fun. Not mind-blowing but pretty good!

Good old Janis Joplin blues.

Goeie rock/blues met Janis Joplin! - Combination of the 2 - Piece of my heart

"I want to just put my arms around ya, like the circles going 'round the sun." (I need a man to love) "Babe, and I cry all the time" (Piece of my heart) Siempre está bien empezar el día escuchando a Janis Joplin, aunque me gustan más sus temas en solitario. La portada de este disco es de pesadilla, eso sí.

It's inevitable that I will compare this with Janice Joplin's solo work. It is less bluesy and more soft rocky than that, and consequently seems not to bring out such outstanding vocals. The most most Blues track on here, Piece of My Heart, stands above everything else, which is basically fine. 3/5.

3/5

7

Schon ganz nice. 3

Ya no hablaré de la portada porque podría seguir y seguir mucho más que hablando de música. Dejémoslo en qué curiosa portada y qué atinada al título "Cheap Thrills." Aceptaré no sabía del nombre de la banda, ni que aquí fuera una donde cantó Janis, ni mucho menos que en este disco viniera Piece of My Heart. Muy interesante disco, parece que la primera mitad se va mucho más al sonido del soul y la segunda se regresa a sonidos muy de blues. Creo que me agrada más la primera, aunque las dos son bastante entretenidas. Si bien por un lado creo que este disco como trabajo de época psicodélica está alto, quizá cerca (pero no a la par) del disco que nos tocó de Jefferson Airplane, también tiene un par de detalles que a mi parecer le bajan un poco. No hay suficiente Janis; entiendo que no era como tal "SU" banda pero su voz es innegable que es el punto que le da alma a la música. Es un poco largo; me parece que aunque no harta sí hay una cantidad de canciones de relleno que no eran necesarias. De inicio pensé que era en vivo, luego a ratos me sonaba medio rara la mezcla y resulta que en varias canciones son estudio con los ruidos de la gente añadidos. Se supone que querían dar la sensación de su energía en vivo y aunque funciona hasta cierto grado si se llega a notar partes que no son en vivo y distrae un poco. Por último, ninguna canción se acerca a tocar lo brillante en música y canto de Piece of My Heart; su presencia en la lista se sintiera que se basa totalmente en que aquí viene esa canción (termina siendo una CANCION que debes escuchar... ni cerca de ser el álbum completo realmente). Disco bueno, bastante agradable pero como proyecto completo no lo consideraría tan legendario como pareciera.

Janis Joplin screaming out from under the rest of the band was fun, but I don’t think I’ll listen to much here again.

Solid ~60s album w/Janis Joplin's band

I understand the regard its held in, I mostly played out my interest in the 60s psychedelic rock era around the turn of the century.

Classic. Janis could really wail.

Me gusta ese sentido que le dieron al disco como si hubieran hecho una sesión como las del estudio B de reactor, la banda no es mala pero sin Jannis creo que hubiera sido una banda del montón

Not a bad listen, but nothing very memorable.

JANIS JOPLIN and a buncha guitars. Yes!

Fav Song: Oh, Sweet Mary

Honestly, I didn't get through the whole album. Janis never resonated with me. It's good, but doesn't grab me.

3.6

Good solid rock/blues album. Joplin's voice is incredible.

Best songs: Summertime, Piece of my heart (classic) tortured vocals bluesy cool fuzz guitar (Ball and Chain) 6.5/10

This album was interesting. It featured Janis Joplin with a raspy voice. Had two different songs that I recognized. Other than that she went from this into her solo artist career. Probably a good move.

not a fan of Janis Joplin's screaming style of singing

Low 3

2.5/5

Not my type of music. It is a rare instance where I wish there was more vocals than instrumentals. Also RIP to all the bros getting one-shotted by Robert Crumb's crass and ass artwork... it was a big jumpscare.

Janis really stands out for me here, the rest is kind of meh. I never would have known this wasn't a live album though... Cover art is a big yikes.

Piece of my heart and other, deservedly less popular, songs.

Idk sometimes Janis Joplin sounded like Marge Simpson on this one

couple of good songs appart from that pretty boring

Very unpolished, did not enjoy

I just really can't do Janis Joplin, and the rest of the music was mid at best.

mediocre recording and mixing don't exactly bring out the best in an already fairly unpleasant to listen to vocalist. there's a bit of good guitar work but it's not enough to salvage anything

Janis Joplin’s voice is easily the highlight here. The rest of the album is pretty uninspired, sloppily-played rock music.

not for me but its not horrible

Wow, sounds like shit, psychedelic blues rock. Really grown to dislike this stuff. Drags on and on. Joplins voice is the highlight, but the songs themselves yikes. 2 Heard before? Some Owned: No, 96/363 (26%) Will I get: No

Putting aside the band here who are just sort of playing amped up blues, live or otherwise, that is largely nothing to write home about, the thing that stands out here and why it stands across time is Janis Joplin’s vocals. And the thing is I have never liked Janis Joplin’s vocals, because she generally either sounds like your uncle after 7 pints or like a cross between Marge Simpson and Robert Plant. I don’t find the rawness and lack of control in her voice as an affecting choice, more of an offputting one, so it’s all a wash for me.

Wild vocals and energy, but songwriting is just OK

Is it sacrilege to say I never enjoyed listening to Janis Joplin’s voice? Bit too shrill and shouty for my taste. In depths of my memory I can remember this band’s name buy nothing more. No surprise as wiki indicates the album made no impression in the Uk. Take away the vocals and there are one or two good guitar passages which redeems the album a small degree. 2/5 14/7/26

I get that people love Joplin’s voice, but I just don’t like it at all. It all feels weirdly ego-centric and forced. The band is pretty good, and some of the songs are cool, but I also hate the fake audience. Overall, not an album for me.

Joplin to me is like nails on a blackboard. A different singer here and you'd have a decent album, maybe a good one. I mean, Summertime? Rape. Murder. Nope.

I wasn't super into this, and I admit that this kind of jammy-psych-blues sound of the 60s just isn't my thing. That said, the band was pretty tight, and there's no denying that Janis Joplin had one hell of a voice.

Crossing Psychedelia and whiskey blues, I can't say that I'm really a fan. Janis Joplin went on to greater things before ending in the 27 Club.

Kind of boring though Piece of My Heart is always amazing.

Carino

Janis’ performance is the only thing that really elevates this album beyond the standard blues infused psych of the day, and even that isn’t enough to make this anything but mid. Piece of my heart is an iconic song but overall not particularly interesting.

I am not a fan of this. The exaltation of Janis Joplin has always felt like it was borne of "let's not speak ill of the dead" vibes. But the band is not really doing anything interesting, and I just don't find Janis to be a particularly interesting vocalist.

I like Janis, but I mostly just found this painful to listen to. 2/5

this would probably go so hard if I was high out of my mind

oh yes! more boring blues rock! Piece of my heart is a good song, and I sometimes like Joplin, but this was just a boring listen

I feel like Janis Joplin is the only reason this band is remembered. And I have to downgrade it for the shitty racist cover art.

The only crumb of enjoyment was from a cover.

Acid rock isn’t really a genre I enjoy. Too overblown and this album is no exception. Joplin’s voice is good, but it overall not an album that will linger with me for long.

Because of Janis I expected to like this album. However, the vocals were good, but the overall sound was a bit chaotic. I just just did not enjoy the experience.

It was okay, the album art was more interesting than the songs.

306/1089 okayy some kinda beachy “cool” rock, interesting. first janis joplin record too and unfortunately i fear this vocal just isn’t for me at all Piece of My Heart is outstanding (as i already knew ofc) and hearing it properly actually did make this listen worth it in a way also liked Oh, Sweet Mary. the album/band as a whole just isn’t for me 32/100

This should just be billed as a Janis Joplin album. The music behind her was well produced, but she is all I heard while listening. Decent, basic rock music when it’s all said and done.

Not really my sound, but screamy. Had some nice songs and moments though

The music is a nice novelty for me, but it is a bit long and chaotic near the 2nd half. I should relisten in a better head space.

oh no

Meh

not much to say....

Still working through it

Janis’ vocals are impressive but each song starts out strong instrumentally and seems to be interrupted when she chimes in. ‘Turtle Blues’ is a gem. ‘Piece of my Heart’ remains incredible and is the highlight. Cheap Thrills is a great time capsule, but shouldn’t be on the list.

Didn't really like it that much

Feels like this might have been pretty cool as a live performance, if there IRL, but just didn;t grab that much. Summertime was fairly unenjoyable.

I don't love the fake live album thing. I did do leo-pointing at "Piece of My Heart"

Couldn’t really connect with this. Janis Joplin had talent, but her voice grates too. Being there in 1968 might have been different, but listening now it’s ok for what it is but nothing particularly spectacular.

No es de mi gusto este album. Entiendo su relevancia pero no lo disfruté tanto.

Piece of my heart Magic of love Summertime

Sorry but listening to Janis Joplin’s voice is painful

I always thought that Janis Joplin sounded like a dude, seriously, this is just alright, docked the rating for the fake live elements that didn't really add anything to my experience

Just okay, nothing special

I bet it was a good live concert to be at but for me to listen at home I didn’t enjoy it

This was an interesting one for me. It did not get off to a good start at least to my ear, The Combination of Two was just kind of an aimless track with a bunch of manic half singing half yelling. Things picked up with I Need A Man To Love. A better overall track with more of a point. Most of the rest of this album was not great, save for Piece Of My Heart which is a classic. All this album demonstrated is why it was so smart for Joni Mitchell to go off on her own.

No es para nada mi estilo, pero no es un mal album. La Janis Joplin canta impresionante

She has a powerful voice, but only a couple great songs.

-sort of screechy voice at times -voice aside at those moments, chill to have playing in the background Fav: I Need a Man to Love

It was ok.

1.8/5 Not really style of music that I like to listen too. It was ok but pretty forgettable.

I’ve never really been fond of Janis Joplin’s voice, though there are a few songs that stand out. Unfortunately, there was only one of those on this album. 2.5 stars.

Not the type of music I listen to, I think that is why I was not able to appreciate it that much

- Side note before the music review begins, I really like the album art. - Uhh I really haven't had much to say. I keep going back and forth over whether I like Janis Joplin's voice, and I think my verdict is: I like it, but god, I understand why she died of a heroin overdose. - I feel like this is better than some classic rock. Most of the songs sound at least a little bit different from one another. I think a large part of this album does hinge on Joplin for me, and I do like the aesthetics of this album a lot. But again, there's only so much rock and blues I can take at 120bpm in a certain period of time, and while I like this better than yesterday's album, please give us something that's not classic rock tomorrow. It won't happen... - I think my favorite track was Flower in the Sun. I liked it was more Bluegrass than classic rock. - Interesting and notable, but not something I'm crazy about. 5/10. I think it's a two star 5/10 though, not a three star 5/10.

Sounds like a cat in a dryer

This is what it sounds like every time I see a live band at Bob and Barbra’s

Didn’t resonate with me

I’ve got memories tied to this album that seriously affect my rating of it. I remember looking at the cover aa a kid and feeling it was ugly and sad, and gave me bad feelings. Probably because it reminded me of some of the people my mom hung out with, and I didn’t like those people. It felt like a reflection of a scary and painful time growing up. That is a hell of a burden to lay on a blues album, of course! Layer it in with the fact that I just don’t like this music anyway, that Robert Crumb gives me ick vibes, and that Janis would be dead in two years and I just have a hard time viewing this album objectively at all. The production is also pretty muddy. And that wasn’t her natural singing voice.

One wonders if Janis had lived would she be so well represented on this list. Yes she died way too young. Yes she did some interesting and even good stuff. But take out the trauma and you have an excellent blues belter who never quite reached her potential. Should she be on this list? Yes. So many times? …. Eeehhh 2.3. Rounded down.

First of all what's up with the racist album cover?! The vocals were hard to listen to on certain tracks like summertime and I need a man to love. The guitars were great

obv janis is insane but this (what seemed to be) live record wasn't my jam. a few parts but im not really recommending this to anyone even though for the time it was probably super sick! just not my style

Joplin is overrated and I've always found her vocals to be grating rather than profound. "Piece of My Heart" is the most well-known track, but honestly, this album is a product of it's time, and nothing stands out as particularly redeeming today.

I don’t have much to say. This album was pretty underwhelming. I didn’t like any of the songs but didn’t outright hate them either. Both the instruments and the vocals were very forgettable and didn’t catch my attention at all. 5/10

Janis’ voice is striking. The group sound like they’re having a good time. Not much it for me in particular.

é cada uma que a janis joplin inventa né

Favorite songs: Summertime, Piece of My Heart

Wow, I watch Big Brother every summer (and one time there was an alliance called "The Moving Company"), yet I've never heard of this! Pretty wild! But I have heard of Janis Joplin (a.k.a. Janice from the muppets), and apparently this is a band she was in. Fine. In theory I like that the album cover is a comic, but in practice, I hate it very much. Other things I hate: "incorporated recordings of crowd noises to give the impression of a live album". Real live albums are bad enough, you don't need to laugh-track it! All told, I like this a little better if I pretend it's Marge Simpson, but I still don't like it very much. Highlights: 'Piece of My Heart', 'Turtle Blues'

Har alltid syntes at stemmen til Janis blir litt masete i lengden, og det står jeg fortsatt på. Mye kult som skjer instrumentalt og plata har en del høydepunkter, som f.eks. Summertime og Piece of my heart. Aldri likt Ball and Chain, masete og alt for lang.

Boring

Not entirely bad, but I didn't derive any joy from it whatsoever.

This just got on my nerves. Shouting does not equal soul.

Hot garbo

Enjoyable, Janis' voice was something else. High 2s.

It’s Piece of My Heart and ten B-sides. Stick to the greatest hits. Great album cover though.

Again this is a live album, shouldn't be on this list. But it is very good in places and Janis's voice is absolutely amazing live. First time hearing a live recording of her and just wow. Are there any female singers out there that sound this strong instead of singing like 8 year olds ?

The best thing about this album is its bright and unusual cover. The same can't be said for the music; it's simply uninteresting. No, for its time, everything sounds incredibly organic; I'm sure the recording process was like this: they went into the studio, got some joints, started jamming, eventually chose the best options, and off they went. That worked perfectly in California in the 1960s, but not anymore. The main thing is I don't like Janis Joplin's vocals (who went on to a solo career after this album, but for obvious reasons, not for long). It feels like she's in two states: either she's screaming her head off, or she's talking like Marge Simpson. It's a matter of taste. I understand why this album made the list, but I don't plan on listening to it again.

The instruments and beats were good but I need some lyrics not some yelling please. Good if you want just music.

Yeeeah not overly keen, maybe it would just take a couple more lessons to get used to Janis Joplin’s voice

why is this song so fucking long

I'm honestly not sure why she sings like that, ignorance of music history accepted. I think it works for the Blues-ier and tracks but loses me otherwise. One I want to come back to, I don't feel like I can fully grasp it in one listen and that's all the attention I care to spend on it.

ok gitara

I really didn’t liked it, nor my style at all. I only liked I need a man to love but the rest of the album was hard for me to listen

another one of those 60s albums that all sound the same

I didn’t love this even though it’s a big JJ album and has piece of my heart on it. The jam stuff is kinda annoying , but there is a lot of soul to it.

Not convinced. All a bit scratchy.

While I like the songs on this album, I don’t love them or the album overall. There is a bit too much jamming for my taste that’s better saved for an actual live show. Jackie Jormp Jomp sure could sing, but there are to many songs like Turtle blues and roadblock that just make the album feel slow and dull.

Nothing in this album holds a candle to their performance of "Summertime" in the live recording at Woodstock. Not even the studio version of said song. But I enjoyed that song and Piece of my Heart. But also, summertime is an old Gershwin classic so not original either. I guess it's 2/5 for the two songs I liked.

Blues / rock with Janis Joplin on vocals. I'm reminded of Amy Winehouse. This album is objectively quite good, but it's not really my thing.

Favorite tracks: Piece of My Heart, Combination of the Two There's no denying that Janis has a crazy powerful voice, but after a song or two it really grates on me. Pair that with the overly distorted guitar on some tracks and I was ready for this album to finish by the time I was halfway through.

Classic kinda rock, clearly influenced lots to come. not so much my thing

Mítico disco de Janis Joplin. Tampoco nada del otro mundo

Still not a fan of Janis Joplin, but I liked this better then Pearl.

I know I should dig on the vibe and message of this album. And I can see how it has influenced other artists (e.g. Beth Ditto is about 80% Janice Joplin's vocals). But I dont know what it is about this album that I didn't enjoy. It feels a bit too disjointed or raw or something. I just am not a fan. Probably wrong but that is a me thing.

it was ok. i would listen in background. a little much and loud for me

This album was almost entirely new for me. At first, I didn't think I was going to like it, but the longer I listened, the more I started to vibe. Loved Turtle Blues and liked Catch Me Daddy. Really glad this album came up because it led me to another Janis Joplin song that was so heartbreakingly gorgeous. Also liked the rhythm/emphasis of "Come back and believe my love" from Magic of Love.

Piece of my heart is great, but I'm not a huge fan of the rest. Joplin's voice borders on grating.

Joplin’s voice is definitely polarizing but I can’t help but find her storytelling captivating. Gurley’s guitars, Andrew’s guitar/bass, and Albin’s bass are so satisfying. Definitely an album of its time for all the appropriation. The album cover is certainly…something. I get that R. Crumb was a beloved artist…but…

Best Track - "Piece Of My Heart"

An assault on my ears.

Not the biggest Joplin fan, but can't deny her performance on this is the highlight. Otherwise, a pretty messily presented, middle of the road statement of what was happening with blues rock at the time.

More generic white music

Varmaan ihan jeppis meininkiä muttei kyll jaksanut kuunnella edes kokonaan. Tössäsi koko levykuunteluproggis tähän levyyn joten kostoksi kakkonen

No joo. Ei kyllä lähtenyt tämäkään. Ihan liian tunkkaista menoa omaan korvaan.

I had no idea who this band was, but saw the name Janis Joplin somewhere and thought to myself "oh, that's a big name... Surely this'll be good!". Little did I know that Janis Joplin sounds like Jimmy Page slowly turning into Marge Simpson. Also, there are some songs that can pull off being longer than 5 or 6 minutes, usually because they're through-composed, and have multiple sections that are essentially little songs in their own right (eg. Bohemian Rhapsody, Jesus of Suburbia) but "Ball and Chain" isn't one of them. No song needs to sound the same for 9 1/2 minutes.

Not huge on blues rock like this but the vocals from Janis elevate this a large amount. I wish we could have heard more from her over a longer period of life. Piece of my heart and summertime were the stand outs to me here.

racist cover art really brings the rating down from i dont remember to ew

I have a feeling that if had lived in San Francisco in the 60s I would have moved to Oakland.

Second album avec Janis Joplin, le premier étant son album solo 'Pearl' que j'avais peu apprécié (noté 2/5). Cet album propose un rock/blues un peu plus original que dans 'Pearl' quand il s'éloigne du blues (structure des morceaux en particulier, quelques chorus intéressants). Par contre le chant me parait encore plus difficile à supporter ! J'aurais pu apprécier cette version de 'Summertime' (mélodie à la guitare inattendue et réussie) sans ... le chant donc. Découverte plutôt intéressante mais gâchée par JJ. Je ne l'écouterais pas une seconde fois. =>2/5

Whilst I can objectively say that “Piece of my Heart” is a great song, Janis Joplin’s voice is so unbelievably grating that nothing about it, or this album, could be enjoyed. It’s probably a 1.5* and, seeing as it’s not 1*…

I had clearly not had enough lsd before listening to this. Piece Of My Heart is great, everything else is fine I guess. The added crowd noise is a bit odd? Why would you bother? Just not for me, but I'm not angry about it, so 2/5

Piece of My Heart is the obvious standout. Rest is hardgoing jammy bluesy rock though. And just not a huge fan of her voice

I didn't really like this.

I had a girlfriend once who thought she could sing like Janis Joplin; she couldn't. And I can't with this album. 2 stars

Too hippy dippy for me

Por la portada pensaba que iba ser un disco de rap, os podeis imaginar mi sorpresa cuando ha empezado a sonar. Como podreis leer en otras de mis criticas, no acabo de disfrutrar estos generos musicales, pero no ha sido horrible de escuchar.

Coole Comics

I really don’t care for this era a lot. It’s very “jam band” esq. Jannis Joplin kind of sounds like ass to be.

I just never liked JJ’s voice

Not my favorite, but I can definitely appreciate Janis Joplin's voice.

I listened, and I deserve credit for it As this is shite

Some nice solo guitar work amd janis' vocals sometimes work but the live jam vibe while not being live isnt great

When I found out who was singing I thought this would be better than it turned out to be.

That sure is an album cover holy shit. Never heard of this band before but I am slightly familiar with Janis Joplin. The album itself is pretty boring. Haven't heard much that has inspired me.

I have seen this album cover so many times, but never knew who or what the band was. Firstly, I am very selective on live albums I enjoy, but the one thing I do not enjoy is an album that is not a live album but is recorded to sound like a live album with the crowd added in. Apparently Ball and Chain is an actual live track, but that is besides the point, because the sound and mix of this record is pretty awful, you really have to really crank the volume to hear any of the instruments. The only problem with cranking the volume, is then you get Janis Joplin really just screeching over everything. I am not a fan of Janis' catterwauling. I guess I always imagined this album was going to be something completely different that what it actually is. Also note: as I have been doing with everything on this list. I am only listening to the original album release, the the bonus track edition, where they just add more actual live tracks.

Still don't get what the big deal is with Janis Joplin...

Solidified my opinions on Janis Joplin.

The only cheap thrills were the rush I got when it was done

I feel like this would be kinda hype to listen to on a road trip, but it doesn't hit as hard when you're just sitting in your living room.

Janis is an undeniable talent. But as a whole this album plays like generic, uninspired blues.

I have never been to familiar with Janice Joplin, I did not know she was in a band. This apparently was the last album with her on vocals. It was ok

I liked the overall sound of the album, but I’m the outlier on this site, I think Janis Joplin sounds atrocious. She doesn’t sound soulful. She sounds raspy and like she’s constantly trying to sing outside of her vocal range. There are times where she sings using her normal voice and it sounds great. It’s a bummer those spots are few and far between and the rest of the time she is screeching like a banshee.

Janis Joplin has a strong voice but the album wasn't for me. I liked some of the extended songs, you don't hear many of them nowadays

A very passionate group. But not my kind of sound

I really can only deal with Joplin in small doses and this is already a short album (not counting the reissue) but still too much. I like it even less when the guy is on lead vocals.

This is neat.

Day 52 Not one I’d return to 3/10 Highlight Piece of my heart

Meh!

Pretty underwhelming and indistinguishable from the other noodly albums of this era. Count me among the haters, I don't think I've really gotten the appeal of Janis Joplin's voice.

I liked Piece of a My Heart, but the rest was not really for me.

Rolling Stone list 372 ‘Piece of my heart’ is great as is the Robert Crumb designed album cover and of course Janis Joplin’s pipes. BUt the album as a whole and most of the songs are not really my jam. Disappointed by the gover of the Gershwin classic ‘Summertime’.

Not a big Janis Joplin fan so, nyet.

Hard to get through for me. Not bad, just not my taste. Starting off with 6 minutes of scatting is rough.

I don’t want to come off as mean, but damn why does Janis sound so much like Marge Simpson? Piece of My Heart is of course all-time, but the rest is ok-level psych playing and Janis going in all sorts of mostly unappealing vocal directions.

This sounded like something i'd marginally enjoy while shopping for records I actually wanted to hear

Ikke lige mig. Meget 60'er psychodelisk med lange soloer og mærkelig broer.

I'm not a fan of Joplin's vocal style. Sometimes she's ok, but at other times, she sounds like she's making the most of her voice that's been negatively affected by smoking too much.

piece of my heart is a banger though

Janis has a unique, gritty voice. Sometimes too grating/harsh but very passionate. I like the bluesy elements of this album.

Já vi este disco à venda várias vezes em lojas diversas, e sempre por muito pouco que não o levo simplesmente por conta de sua linda capa. Eu nem sabia que era da banda da Janis Joplin, porque surpreendentemente, sei pouco sobre ela e sua carreira. Digo que isso é surpreendente devido à minha grande afeição com a década de 1960. O movimento da contracultura estadunidense dessa época foi até mesmo tema do TCC da minha graduação! Não sei exatamente o que me manteve longe de Joplin por tanto tempo. Um dos grandes mistérios da vida. Tantos artistas e bandas boas, é difícil achar tempo para minhas exaustivas manias. Mas aqui estou, acabei de terminar de ouvir este álbum, e infelizmente, não me vejo me aprofundando muito mais na carreira da cantora. Sendo bem econômico com as palavras, eu não gosto da voz dela. É simples assim. Eu gostei da banda, gostei das canções, dos instrumentais, e a estética faux-live do disco é bem criativa e cativante. Mas a voz dela simplesmente não me desce. Entendo o valor de Janis Joplin como um ícone importantíssimo, suas letras feministas e progressivas, tudo mais. Vejo valor nisso. Mas de pouco adianta quando a voz dela simplesmente não agrada meus ouvidos! Eu prefiro muito mais ler suas composições do que ouvi-las. Ou talvez, ouvir a versão instrumental deste disco, pois as faixas são até que boas. Só queria que fosse qualquer outra pessoa do mundo nos vocais! A capa continua sendo linda, todavia. 2.5/5

Great album cover!

I can understand why Janis left the band now. Very generic blues rock, riffs that don’t go anywhere, that weird live gimmick of just adding crowd sounds to studio tracks. Something about this stinks to me.

Nix, hon var inte särskilt bra och nix, jag gillar inte hennes röst. Det kryper i kroppen när hon sjunger.

Janis Joplin is right there with Joe Cocker for singers that I don’t see the attraction of. This album really didn’t do anything for me.

2 Stars (5/15)

This nice enough, but it's very primitive, both in terms of the composition and the recording quality. I can't tell whether it's actually a live album, it sounds like a couple tracks are live and a couple are studio. But even the studio recordings are pretty rough. Janis sings with a lot of energy and passion, and I know a lot of people like her, but my feeling is she's a great frontwoman and a just-OK singer. I love "Piece of My Heart", that's the standout. But even there, it's a little garage-rock. Mostly they're getting by on pure enthusiasm, which is fine, but not my style.

Didn’t really feel this one apart from some of the instrumental parts. Never really liked Piece of My Heart much to be honest.

I’m extremely allergic to Janis and the rest of this side of the psychedelia/hippie spectrum. I can’t stand this shit. But, it’s an interesting record for its conceit: the fake live album. Evidently this was the product of failed attempts at capturing their live set - as with most crap like this, that becomes a celebrated part of the legend, they were SO GOOD LIVE but...problems arose... - so instead they recorded in a studio and tried to make it sound like a live document of an incredible live act. And that aspect of this otherwise long-playing stack of garbage is recreated profoundly well. Not a second of what I heard of this could be confused for being a studio recording (which does in fact beg the question, why not just cut a record like a 1000000 other bands before and since?).

It’s alright, I just don’t feel a lot of influence from this nowadays compared to the rest of the hippie scene music.

Was okay, but not really amazing.

The gateway to Zeppelin. Just not as good.

The whole fake live album thing is... a choice. Don't hate me but I don't particularly enjoy Janis Joplin's vocals. This is fine for 1968 rock n roll, but that's about it. 2.25

Nah, bit wail-ey

Too boomer. Guitars are cool tho.

not a fan of Janis’s cheese grater vocals

Joplin’s voice is occasionally great, but the band never is. The band either sounds like a really bad jam band or a mediocre blues band.

Generally mid or even solid. Occasionally noisy. Whiny and annoying vocals

She drove me a bit nuts. A big coke fest.

Fav: Piece Of My Heart Least Fav: I Need A Man To Love I’m just bored of most blues music tbh

great voice , but i think i just don’t like 60s blues rock that much 2 awful cover art .

RIP Janis Joplin, but I did not enjoy this album very much.

nothing special, all the songs sound similar but i enjoyed the album overall, it really shows how far music has come