Cheap Thrills

Cool to learn Janis Joplin had a band before going solo.

This was fun, I guess. I didn’t see anything wrong with it, which means there were quite a lot of things right with it. Not my genre or vibe as much as it should be

There’s no doubt that Joplin had a great voice and there’s some great musicianship on here. Indeed it’s difficult to remember what groundbreaking sounds were being made in the 60’s, on that alone the album deserves its place on the list

Good singer, of course. Band tears into solos at points. I don’t like Another Piece of my Heart, never have.

Aight

quite ok

Last night I wrote “Janis Joplin is big brother???” And this whole website crashed…. Makes you think

this is like the only janis joplin thing where i kinda start to understand what people like about her but generally speaking she does nothing for me

Solid album, didn’t know it was gonna be live. Janis Joplin’s singing really carries this band, if not for her this would be just okay blues rock. The lead guitar on Ball and Chain was great.

Joplin's voice is always powerful; very solid for a live album, although some of it was just okay.

so far good vibes! never heard of it but has a good older rock sound

6.6

Que voz que tiene la hija de puta de había joplin loco, una fuerza en las cuerdas vocales. Rock muy clásico y de los viejos, me gustó.

Buena voz, pero es un estilo que nunca me cierra del todo

Totally fine, if somewhat generic rock? obviously Another piece of my heart is a standout track and some of the others were very good. But I'm not going to go out of my way to get back to it. On the higher end of a 3, but till not cracking the higher rankings.

This was a solid album, nothing that I feel needs to be heard before you die. Janis is Janis, an amazing vocalist that can drive my ears crazy after a few songs. The music was solid. The R Crumb cover is pretty sweet sans the overtly racist depiction of a black woman. I didn't know anything about BB&HC before today - so I am glad to have heard of them and this album, but wouldn't call it a must listen. 6.2/10 146/1001

Entertaining enough 60s blues rock but not something I'd go out of my way to listen to.

I fear the thrills here are as advertised.

Tosi hauskaa miksausta näissä biiseissä. Raakaa rock rock

Janis can WAIL, and I didn’t know she fronted a band until now. It’s a little jammier than I usually like, but it’s absolutely still groovy. Her covers of Summertime and Ball and Chain simply do not stand up unfortunately. Not a fan of Crumb or his work, but this is about the music so I’ll leave it at that. Overall a solid psychedelic rock album!

Este disco está enfrascado en ese momento donde la escena musical de San Francisco se convirtió en una de las más importantes a nivel mundial. Blues y psicodelia se entremezclan con la poderosa voz de Janis Joplin para conseguir el único éxito de Big Brother & The Holding Company. 3'5/5

The guitar is so poor I couldn't take it. Enjoyed Joplin tho, felt she deserved a better sideman

3.5/5

meh

Cheap Thrills is a much more confident and consistent album that shows the band really starting to find their sound and develop in a direction that starts to pay off much more than their messy self titled debut album. This album is a slow burn that still does dip up and down in terms of quality, but whenever it hits one of its' "peaks" it really puts in the effort. Janis Joplin is so impressive with her both aggressive and rugged vocals and also softer and more "traditional" styles and how she is able to flip between them so seamlessly. While I do think this album lacks in the writing and flow departments I do think the instrumentation and swagger really does go a long way. Not one of my favorite Blues Rock or Rock albums in the world, but I can get why someone would be pretty gaga about Big Brother & The Holding Company's sophomore project. Nuff said.

Pretty much all the songs sound the same, but good for the background

Not bad. Didn’t realize that Janis Joplin was in a band. Some familiar songs here that I had no idea it was this group.

janis joplin has such a unique voice

Piece of My Heart is great - Janis’ voice is great on this album, but it’s a little weird that it’s “live”

sorry sia this is the real cheap thrills

Fuzzy and fun

Oh, Janis Joplin here. It's always nice to hear such a great artist. Maybe Not a perfect album for me, but OK

I’ve never been much of a fan of Janis and/or BB&THC. I respect her vocal talent and the emotion she puts into everything, but I just don’t really enjoy listening to it for a song much less an album. This go through didn’t change my opinion. And I don’t think musically they’re anywhere near as talented as her vocals.

me gustó, bien potente, sesentero, lo sentí bien psicodélico progresivo y tremendas vos la de la muchacha

Psychedelic blues is a strange animal - not strange as in intriguing, but misbegotten. Music trying to float and crawl at the same time. Often, it doesn’t even stand up. Yesterday’s spin through Cream’s dreary brand of blues-tinged psychedelia wasn’t encouraging. Today, Cheap Thrills by Big Brother and the Holding Company didn’t do much better. It might have inspired a deeper reflection on the difference between British and American psychedelia, or between their respective blues traditions. But I was left thinking the problem might be the genre itself - or at least the idea that blues and psychedelia were ever meant to live under the same roof. Blues, after all, is earthbound. It’s bodily, physical, about things you can name and feel: loss, love, hard times - the kind of heartbreak you don’t need a philosophy degree to understand. It doesn’t drift. It sinks. Psychedelia, on the other hand, tends to float above all that. It's about altered states. It’s expansive, dematerialised, metaphysical. It aims at openness, transcendence - breaking down boundaries of time, ego, identity. It doesn’t have to be whimsical, but it should be free. Spacious. Blowing open The Doors of Perception, man. Like The Doors sometimes managed to do - but not, for instance, on “Roadhouse Blues.” If psychedelia is light, blues is heavy. It’s about roots, not escape. By definition, it’s a bad trip. And what happens when you try to glue them together? You get something like Cheap Thrills: heavy where it should soar, blurry where it should punch. Sure, there’s a little overlap. Blues’ 12-bar loops could, in theory, go on forever. Psychedelia’s drones do too, but their repetition seeks trance, not tension. Blues uses dissonant 7ths to stay spicy; psychedelia uses modal drift to dissolve form altogether. Blues is tradition-bound. Psychedelia is experimental by nature. Jimi Hendrix came out of the blues tradition and could trade licks with anyone. But he wasn’t heavy - not in this sense. He didn’t just play the blues louder or weirder. He cracked it open. Burst it into star matter. When he sang, it wasn’t about juke joints or betrayal - it was about UFOs and castles made of sand. He went to London too, which helped. Blues rock, after all, is an American problem. Even the Rolling Stones – ever the carriers of American disease - knew better than to drag blues into their psychedelic detours. When they did psychedelia, which they did badly, they at least had the sense to leave the blues behind. Not all Americans, of course. Jefferson Airplane understood that psychedelia requires space - air, irony, something like play. They didn’t have to revert to childhood, like early Pink Floyd singles, but they acknowledged childhood. Indeed, it is mother who gives you the pills that make you small. Cheap Thrills, though, is weighed down with heaviness. Bad covers of “Summertime” and “Ball and Chain.” A sleeve cluttered with over-busy cartoon art. “Turtle Blues” could be any number of other generic blues bar jams and, if the turtle is meant as a whimsical touch, it also signifies plod - something slow and hoary, rather than the horny that Joplin sings. “Oh, Sweet Mary” hints at taking off somewhere, but any lift - Jefferson Airplane style - is immediately grounded by Joplin’s backing vocals, which dominate the mix as though they miked the studio air conditioner. Of course, it’s rare for Joplin to take a back seat. She is the centre of all of this. Her voice is impossible to ignore - and sometimes, impossible to get past. It’s raw and powerful, yes, but not exactly buoyant. It doesn’t lift you anywhere. Maybe it made her feel better. I guess primal scream is an element of the hippy ethos. Still, it’s obvious why so many of these tracks are sloe-gin slumpers rather than transcendent anthems - evidently more libation than liberation. Now, some clever dicks bypass the conventional wisdom that Black Sabbath birthed heavy metal and credit Cream. Maybe even Blue Cheer. But I think it’s clear that Joplin set the template for classic metal singing - the sweep from gutter to stars - before Robert Plant did. In the way she digs deeper into the gravel pit of her throat to come at a note from below, you can already hear Axl Rose being born. Indeed, it is metal that takes the heaviness of the blues and manages to meld it with altered perspective: fantasy, horror, the occult. But that’s probably too heavy for Janis Joplin, who had real problems to deal with: the wrong drink, the wrong drugs, the wrong man. And, I think, the wrong genre too. Even a standout like “Piece of My Heart” - which is powerful - doesn’t work in a psychedelic context. A great vocal performance, sure. Metaphysical in the sense that Donne might encourage a lover to take his heart, bit by bit. But if this is psychedelic music, it’s the kind with one foot still stuck in the mud. Be honest: would you want to hear that while tripping? With all its raw, clenched emotion? It would just bring you down, man. Cheap Thrills promises wildness, ecstasy, escape. What it delivers is psychedelic only if your idea of an altered state involves a migraine 2 I have never heard this album before although I know and like this version of Piece of My Heart. Janis Joplin’s voice is rather stressful to listen to, sounding like something is going to tear any moment. But following on from the flaccid fumblings and cooings of yesterday’s record (Disraeli Gears) this album came across as very exciting indeed. Janis is the star but credit too to James Gurley’s grotesque lead guitar in Combination of the Two and Ball and Chain which felt thirst-relieving after the desert of Clapton’s tidy pentatonic lines. There’s quite a lot going on on that front cover - some of it could do with being cut out. 3/5

Lots of soul and blues, but "Summertime" and "Piece of My Heart" are the only songs that stand out. 7 out of 10, rounding down.

So many people try to sound like Janis (and do it badly!) that it's hard to remember how great she was. This was an excellent reminder.

This one’s on the list for one reason only and it ain’t Big Brother and the Holding Company. 3 stars for Janis Joplin making it something way greater than it otherwise is.

Good old straight rock and R&B, but with Joplin’s incredible voice and personality.

Joplin does a marge simpson voice for the first few tracks which is why this is not a 4 from me. Love piece of my heart. And Joplin completely makes some otherwise boring enough songs. Guitar was good I thought

solidno, zabavno. nisam znao da je janis joplin bila u bendu prije solo karijere. ovdje je i "peace of my heart", super stvar

Janis is obviously a force of nature, but this isn't really my thing.

Hard to listen to this album without thinking that Joplin is already on a disastrous ride that she won’t be able to escape. When Janice is singing this album is powered by her ferocious voice. When she’s not singing it’s a crazy jam fest that doesn’t really do it for me.

Heard it before. My mom being a Janis fan, I'm kinda bound to like her too. But just in general it's a great album 3/5

Ok. Of its time.

Rv/G

Her poor voice, from time to time it's just painful to listen to, and the little coughing fits. Hard to rate this one, it sounded really good but I just don't really love this era of music.

they were really starting to figure it out at this point in the 60s. we finally got good at making rock n roll!

Classic Americana sound. Janis has such an iconic voice - it's not always the easiest on the ears, but it resonates with distinction. The guitars and overall feel emanates the era of the 60s and the lo-fi grittiness that comes with it. Solid record.

Not bad - enjoyed it, probably need another listen or two to really get into it.

Yeah nice set of covers and love her vocals and nice Rcrumb racist and sexist cover.

I enjoyed the album, Janis Joplin definitely has a cool and unique sound. It didn't blow me away though so I'll give it a 3. Standouts: I Need a Man to Love, Piece of My Heart Rating: 3.4/5

Decent blues album, however I have never been able to properly enjoy Janis she always sounds like she's straining and screeching.

The album is a pumping psychedelic machine fueled by Janis Joplin's unique and raw vocals. The rest of the band play their asses off too and sound like they were having a ton of fun ripping these tracks. The instrumentation is richly layered and a pleasure for anyone with ears for groovy and psychedelic experimentation.

It was okay.

Very good guitar playing. As expected Janis Joplin is an incredibly good singer. Very impressive.

Great janis joplin sound. Some tracks they have it all together, but it feels a little disjointed other times. Good 60s dead adjacent

A good psych blues rock album I guess, if you like Janis.

Pretty good rock music. Songs were a little long, though.

It’s 60s style blues rock performed in a studio with a fake live audience piped in. The band is remarkably raw, and often off, for a studio performance. It feels like they are a live phenomenon that was trying to capture that energy in the studio to mixed results. Janis, of course, is an otherworldly talent, and she often delivers here - though there are moments, such as an “Summertime”, where her whiskey and nicotine infected delivery are distracting. Overall, it’s a fine 60s blues rock record, but mostly memorable because of Joplin.

First listen

Liked the music, not sure how I feel about Janis Joplin’s voice but she definitely brought it.

My biggest takeaway is that it makes so much sense how successful Janis Joplin would become as a solo artist. Her voice is just unreal on this record. She was one-of-one. Cheap Thrills mostly escapes some of the pitfalls and annoying tropes of its time/genre. I never got lulled to sleep by a fuzzy 12 minute psych rock trip. The opening song would be my pick from this album. If you haven’t heard “Piece Of My Heart” by now I don’t know what you’re doing. Not my favorite type of album, but good for its time. Direct enough for pop listeners ears, but also unique enough for those that were transcending various states of mind or planes of existence at the time. Soft 3/5 very cool fake live crowd

Outstanding vocals by Janice. Okay blues feel.

Sympatoche

Good

Luojan vitun kiitos vihdoin kunnon rokkia. Menevää, hyvää ulvontaa, tää on varmaa räjäyttäny tanssilattiat 60-luvulla. Hyvää bassoa ja taustakitaranäppäilyä. Hieno levynkansi: kaikille biiseille oma ruutu (ei puhuta Summertimen graffasta :D)

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to unhear the Axl Rose / Marge Simpson influence. I think it does a good job encapsulating that era though (at least, the image of it that has been presented to those of us who weren't there). My 21st-century attention span had a hard time with the full hour, but I enjoyed most songs. This album feels like a good representation of 60s SF rock.

Fine.

A solid listen to let you experience that 60’s festival feel. Janis does really well and doesn’t blow out her voice like later in her career

Pretty decent album, but I don't really think it was my favorite. I wonder if I'm not the biggest fan of Janis Joplin but overall it was a good rock and roll/blues album. Eh nothing really memorable stood out to me, though I did know one song that I didn't realize was by this group.

Piece of my heart is a banger. Not the biggest Janis fan but she rocks

R Crumb album cover. Cool. Combination of the Two - Live track. 2 track mix is crazy. Audience in one ear. Janis comes in late and brings a dead hippie jam to life. Solo is garage punk dirty. Guy singer is meh. I want to go listen to The Make Up now. I Need a Man to Love - Ok this is dark bluesy fire with Janice sounding sexy hoarse from the jump. Dual track guitars probably cut together from different performances is a happy accident. Summertime- Subdued music box picking. Janis adjusting volume and intensity like Robert Plant without the over glossed Britishness. Piece of My Heart - That intro is like Janice rushing up to you and yelling in your face..and it’s cool. Clear champ. Partially bc it’s stripped down, mostly J. Almost VU in its sparseness. Turtle Blues - J channeling Etta. Good track sequencing; transition feels perfect. Soulful af. Tinkling of glasses in bg is a nice touch. As is J’s coughing lol Oh, Sweet Mary - Surf rock Durango. Giving the drummer some. Gorgeous build. This is the track you time your LSD peak to. Ball and Chain - Superfuzz bigmuff intro that must have popped Mark Arm right out of the womb. Probably Glenn Branca’s favorite track on the album. This distortion tone is a thick furry caterpillar and you’re riding her into the psychedelic sunset. Roadblock - Hippie tonk. Funsies. Drums go on and git it. Flower in the Sun - Upbeat skiffle telling a romance fail story. “Once in a green time” is evocative as hell. Best lyrics on the record. Catch Me Daddy - Sparse shrieker that kicks into a punky jam. Dance floor kick drum siren call. Memphis repped in the solo, which fuckin rips. Really wish JJ had stuck around. She would have been the Queen of Punk. Magic of Love - Elvis-y barn boogie that fell in a vat of LOVE-style acid jam. Just the right length. This is the only track you can say that about. Not particularly my jam, musically, but enough risks taken that I appreciate it. JJ is easily the highlight, and at this point she was just getting started.

Not something I'd go and listen to on my own. I usually think a lot of songs have grating and repetitive drums but this album definitely doesn't; the drums elevate the songs by a lot. Considering this came out in '68, the songs are quite impressive and ahead of their time.

Not totally sure if I understand Gideon’s critique this feels like very mainly a Janis album. And it rocks for the most part, although it’s not like my favorite music ever. Piece of my heart is an all timer though, and I always thought it was a Janis solo song, so the more you know!

I recognize her

Janis is fantastic. The band is great. Not an album I usually pick to listen to, but it really is enjoyable

Like it. Favourite track is Piece of My Heart 3/5

Only really giving that the time of day because the obvious song on there, her voice grated on me after a while. Which is strange, because I quite liked pearl

The first two tracks felt weak to me but the album kicked into another gear after that with the classic “Summertime.” There were a couple of other standouts after that: “Piece of My Heart,” one of Janis’ most famous songs; “Sweet Mary;” and the closer “Ball and Chain.” I enjoyed hearing the 1968 Fillmore East crowd on that one. Janis’ scratchy and ragged vocals aren’t necessarily pleasing but her uniqueness, delivery, power and passion are undeniable. I also liked some of the jam elements and guitar tones and solos. But overall, is this a great record to me? It’s a 3.5 and given that I don’t think I’d necessarily throw it on again, I think I’ll round down on this one.

OK

Listened on 5/26/25 3.5/5 Favorite song: piece of my heart Janis Joplin has a voice that scratches your brain in the best way and the album cover is so fun

Solid album, didn’t think it was anything crazy though. Probably won’t listen again but good while it lasted

Janis gets her earned accolades as one of the greatest voices in rock. You can hear an entire generation of imitators on these tracks. But, I want to point out how ahead of the time the guitar playing is on here. I mean, the tones are always incredible. The solos can only be described as ‘sick nasty.’ This is hardly an underrated or overlooked album, but the actual band themselves are often overlooked.

I didn’t think I was a Joplin fan. This album makes me think I should be checking out more of her stuff

Lots of respect for this album, not quite as much enjoyment. Best enjoyed in smaller doses. Funnily enough, I do not find this music to be psychedelic really at all.

Ok

Pretty good, some songs really drag though. Janis' vocals rip for the vast majority of the album can kinda grow to be grating on some of the down tempo tracks. The guitar parts are consistently killer. 3.5/5

I liked the blues songs on here. The rest I was meh about.

I've found that over time my appreciation of JJs voice has diminished. This album contains some great songs and is a bit of a best-of, but in truth I won't be going back again too often.

=The beatles

Janis Joplin is a force of nature. And I can definitely see the appeal of this album. But I’m left with a feeling of…meh. I’d give it 2.5, but I’m feeling generous and will go with a full 3 stars. I like the album artwork a lot more than the music itself 🤷‍♂️

Crazy that this was the breakout for Janis Joplin. Would have been cool to see this one stick together.

Ok

Cool band, distinct voice. Unconventional album artwork for the time

This is solid!

ok

I think this is the first time I have listened to Janis Joplin before in the context of knowing it was her and really paying attention. V good album nothing stuck out as an absolute fav but I will add this into the rotation. Fun having the fake crowd and then ball and chain being real. That song was probably my fav

Good album. Joplin was so bluesy and sultry. The Psyche-Acid Rock didn’t fit her well, her decision to leave the group was a good one. She is a blues singer. And great at it. Her vocals seem out of place with BB and the HCO. The stand out songs are with her on lead. The rest - where she provides backing and harmony - are simply not as good.

It was okay.

Janis Joplin is one of those artists that everyone will come across one time in their lives, willing or not. This time, I wasn't expecting at all, but it was a delightful surprise. I never knew Joplin had a band before her solo career, so "Big Brother and the Holding Company" was not a familiar name to me. But the moment I saw "Piece of My Heart", I knew this album was going to be special. And so it was. This is an experience full of mixed feelings. On one hand, Joplin's intense and sincere feelings expressed by her unique voice are touching to say the least. To this day, it's still hard to find artists who can replicate what she is able to express - it's not only about vocal power (and yes, it is definitely here. I can suppose a lot of influence on Prince and Axl Rose), but being able to really connect to Joplin in such a way that almost had me in tears. I have to admit, though, that a part of this reaction was because of her young passing, it's really painful to listen to this gem remembering her fate a few years later. On the other hand, I must give credit to the band, especially to the guitarist. Come on, you didn't need to go that hard and experimental - or maybe he did, it was the late 1960's, after all. While this is not a 5-star album for me - some tracks are just indifferent - the high points (no pun intended)... oh, they hit hard.

It was her voice that was the reason for this

Okay. She had a very distinct voice that, for the most part I like, but this album didn't really do it for me. On the slower stuff I think she sounds a lot weaker which is unfortunate. The backing band sounded really nice, liked them a lot. Overall this doesn't really do it for me one way or the other. Do not like the album cover art, it's just too much.

Essentially this is a Janis Joplin album. Not bad.

I knew of (and liked) Janis Joplin by reputation, and had heard a few bits, including a version of Piece of my Heart, which I'd liked. I found listening to a whole album of her voice a bit more difficult, although I'm not casting aspersions on her talent or passion, I just didn't enjoy listening to it as much as I expected to. What I did enjoy was the band, including the quite basic stereo production (guitar twangs suddenly sounding in one ear) who conjure up a free, smoky atmosphere. I'm aware it's not actually an entirely live album, but I bet it would have been a great night if it had been. Some of it maybe went on a wee bit.

Better than expected and I did not know Janis Joplin fronted a band for a while. She elevates things. Too much jamming and riffing kind of stuff for this to really shine for me.

Janis is just OK in my book. Would she be as revered today if she hadn’t died so young? Liked about half of this. 2.5 rounded up. She was fascinating to watch in Woodstock and the Monterey Pop Festival documentary movies.

I normally would like this more, but maybe I just wasn’t feeling it today.

Bluesy, loose and fun. “Piece of My Heart” is far and away the strongest song, but it’s fairly fun throughout.

Yeah ok I didn’t mind it

Can’t member but it couldn’t be good

The album cover... I still listened to the album though and Janis Joplin sounds like Marge Simpson. And it starts to sound like nails on a chalkboard after the second song. In piece of my heart, she started to sound like James Brown. I wanted to immediately dismiss her as a culture vulture, but after reading her biography, I began to feel a little bit bad. Only a little bit though. Consider my score a 2.5

Janis Joplin anyone? Some great stuff here.

Bangers. Ball and chain is amazing.

favorite track: Piece of my Heart. Overall score: 7.0/10

Of it’s time.

I thought I would like this more than I did but unfortunately I don't think this has aged well. Its far too screechy, Janis' voice is much better utilised on Pearl. I have no doubt that BB&THC are a tight band and they are, it's just that sometimes lengthy guitar solos can get too grating.

Die Sängerin ist ja eine Legende, muss aber ehrlich sagen das mir nicht alle Songs gefallen haben.

At first, I thought this was an album by a great studio band that wasn’t quite as good live. Then I learned that this was a studio album and I was left thoroughly confused. I liked Janis Joplin’s voice. The rest wasn’t too special. Favorite Track: Turtle Blues

Well, Janis Joplin has _a voice_. Classic, summery, bluesy rock. I imagine they were incredible to see live.

Nice to have a decent blues album after Bluesbreaker. It's a fun listen, Piece of My Heart is the obvious highlight

Never heard any of these before but had a good time. 👍

Some great bluesy rock roll with hippy vibes

I didnt realize Janis Joplin was in this band! Sounds like a good band to see live

- relativ moody, aber nichts, was ich andauernd hören könnte (glaube ich) und auch nichts, was ich außerhalb von 1001 anmachen würde

This is a great exhibition of Joplin's talent, but also the band's as well. When we had one of her solo albums I mentioned that her backing band was really good and complimented her antics, this is very similar though she's much more of a part of the band rather than the primary focus. If you look past the singing, the album is a pretty solid 70's era psychadelic blues/rock mix. The cover of "Summertime" is pretty interesting; I've never heard it performed like that. The standout is of course "Piece of my Heart" which is great and suits not only Joplin but that band's talent as well. The one thing I didn't particularly like about this was the amount of reverb or other effect that make it sound like it's being recorded in a concert hall. Apparently that was intentional and I think it detracts from it. It certainly sounds like an old recording but after hearing so many records from this time frame they could've made it a lot cleaner and I think it would've improved it significantly. This is of course not including the actual live tracks. This dragged on a bit by the end but it was never boring. There's a lot of high energy in this album which some albums of this type seem to not have enough of. I'm glad I heard this because it only reinforces my opinion that Janis Joplin is a really top shelf rock singer.

Excellent. Very Janice and fun.

I'm not big on the blues, but this band can play rather well. Joplin screams a little too much for my liking, but she also shows she can really sing (especially at the end of the first track 'Combination of the Two').

Again one one these albums I don't know what to think about. Style+, singer + and -, sounds old and flat -, mood +. Tough to rate.

I knew Janis was in a band before her solo career, but it never stuck which band that was. I'm happy to finally hear this album. While I'm happy to hear this, I'm also quick to point out that this kind of blues rock vibe is not really my jam. It's cool and I don't mind listening, but often it gets hung up in mannerisms that don't really serve where the song would've wanted to go. Or that's how I feel about it anyway. The album has it's moments tho, especially enjoyed the history and energy this recording has.

Another one I own on vinyl. And up and down affair, but Janis is undeniable. "Summertime" is the highlight, and the live atmosphere adds to the lo-fi element of it. Good, but ultimately not as good as the bands it's trying to be. Worth a listen now and then.

Some cool guitar stuff. Won't be playing it again.

A bit patchy but some amazing tracks.

Didn’t give much to offer to me but it was alright anyway. 3 stars

For 1968 this sounds surprisingly modern. It's pretty unique, although the vocals aren't really my thing.

Honestly, this album slaps. I always forget what a killer voice/presence Janis was.

It is clear that Janis is the driving force here. She shines, and I think that the rest of the band is happy to come along for the ride.

Janis has a killer voice. The overall vibe is a little too gritty for me.

Норм музло, но не более

нихуево но не ахуй

Random thoughts: * Janis Joplin is a singular talent. I can't really think of anyone remotely like her. * The announcement at the end of the album on "Magic of Love" by the host is quite the time capsule: Coming up are the The Who and The Grateful Dead. It must have been pretty awesome time to be alive. * "Piece of my Heart" is clearly the standout track. * I am today's years old when I discovered that Piece of my Heart is a cover of an original recorded by Erma Franklin. Go check her soul version and how awesome it is! * I am still today's years old when I learned that Erma Franklin is Aretha Franklin's older sister! Mind blown!

This is fine. Janis Joplin has the voice, and blues rock is my thing, but it doesn’t completely connect for me. It’s not at all bad, and I enjoyed it - but I also cannot remember a single thing about it except for the adequate cover of Piece of my Heart. It’s a high 3, but a 3 nonetheless.

This was a fun time. I didn't expect it to go where it went. It's fast paced, iconic and timeless, one of those albums that transcends time and trends and can be enjoyed by anyone at any time. Its reasonably easy to digest, even though Janis Joplin's voice did start to grate on me at times but I appreciate the rawness of it and the talent. Truthfully, I had never listened to her before but it was interesting. She blows a lot of male rock and roll singers out of the park with a vocal talent like hers. Again, I felt it could have been about 15 minutes shorter but still, it wasn't monotonous so I'll forgive the length. Worth a listen for sure.

Raw as fuck

capas mto fodas. robert crumb era mto bão no que fazia blues psicodelico bacaninha, bem lo-fi, divertidim

Solid 60s psych, real early which is why its here. Janis can certainly wail, to her bonus and detriment. I liked Piece of my Heart and Combination of the Two, but I wouldn't listen to it again.

3.5 solid psych blues. youll either totally get or totally hate the JJ vocals.

Fun listen as I haven't done a deep dive on either Big Brother and the Holding Company nor Janis Joplin. Although her vocals are clearly super powerful, raw, and good for blues, it is slightly too rough for my personal preference on some of the songs. It does make sense why she decided to proceed with a solo career. She clearly was the star in this group. I really enjoy the blues riffs and the uses of the electric guitar effects (phaser, flanger, delay, distortion). The solos are super grainy, treble-y and, I would consider, classic, fun, and energetic 60s guitar riffs that make me naturally play the air guitar. Very loud and in your face. The album is dynamic in a way where it takes on multiple "volumes" of the blues and classic rock n roll. A good combo of high energy and low energy songs with fun tempo changes. Very loose.

A couple bangers on this album

Was alright.. piece of my heart is clean af though.. 7/10

On Janis’s singing alone this gets a 7. Rating: 3.5

Swanky, but no melody for my enjoyment, un-humm-able

Most streamed song is cool

It has the energy of a rival from beginning to the very end. Janis has such a powerful voice. Overall, it’s hard to keep up.

She can certainly send a chill your spine but Janis and the band pretty much operate with the gates wide open almost all the time i may be missing the point but I am grateful when they pull things back just a touch and groove a bit.

Didn’t age well, but Janis is great!

I hadn't heard of Big Brother & The Holding Company before, but Janis Joplin is always awesome. The guitar work on this album is incredible, especially in Summertime and Oh, Sweet Mary. The vocals sound great, but the writing is not the strongest, a lot of the songs get pretty repetitive. All in all, a solid album, easy 3. Best song: Oh, Sweet Mary

Janis is great. A bit repetitive.

Great album, atmospheric. I'm listening at 9am at my desk with a coffee. Feels like it would be better to do it at midnight with a bottle of whiskey.

Pretty good

Yeah, endlich mal wieder was vernünftiges, wenn auch schon älter

Ball and Chain is the highlight here. The rest is quite sloppy but passable.

Interesting hearing Joplin with a whole band. That said, it was a little tough to get through. Not a huge fan of her voice.

It's fun, a tad bluesy in place, I've also only just discovered is Janice Joplin so it's got great vocals, but I feel like it starts to waver in the end..

3/5

combination of the two- we were some where on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. 6 or 7 I need a man to love- 5 summertime- 5 piece of my heart- 6 turtle blues- 5 oh sweet mary- 5 ball and chain- 5 road block- 5. keep thinking theyre saying roblox flower in the sun- 5

I'll admit that I haven't listened to enough Janis Joplin throughout the years, despite her place in rock 'n' roll history. In fact, I didn't show she was the lead singer of this group prior to getting this album today. I always thought she had worked solo throughout her career. Fun album for the most part. Joplin's raspy vocals fit well with the group and the whole blues rock/psychedelia thing. I did like some of the cover songs of classic blues/R&B recordings (Piece of My Heart, Ball and Chain). The album gets very jam band-y at parts, though, which holds it back a little for me.

Piece of my heart janus choplin

I didn’t even realize that this was Janis Joplin’s band until I put it on. Another high 3 for me, production takes something away from it but the power of Joplin’s vice really comes through. I forgot what a great song “piece of my heart is”

3.3

It’s not working for me

Joplin's vocals are really powerful here. Instrumentally it has some solid moments that do capture a live intensity, but also some weaker ones that feel a bit tired. Overall a really enjoyable listen though.

Decent psychedelic album. Legendary Janis vocals.

Interesting album and almost feels timeless. Not sure if I would go back to it anytime soon though

I liked this a lot in college, but I’m not in college anymore 😂 Ball and Chain still rips though This is another case of .5 for me, would rather rate 3.5 but going 3 because I’m not feeling generous today

Love me some Jackie Jormp-Jomp

Don't love live (sounding) recordings, and a little bored of the style as I've heard it for over half a century. But I recognize it's a classic - passionate rock.

This one is a bit different than other records from the same period. Also, Janis Joplin is insanely good.

sunday night fuck i forgot listening. can i say this is immaterial to the music itself (i hope!) but some of the comic art on the front of the album is [uhm emoji]. okay thank god these people know how to use an electric guitar. that was a cooler big wave of guitar at the start of the 1st track on an album from 1968 than some of this shit that came out decades later. this lady has a cool voice! this is 1 of those songs from this 1 tumblr post i read years ago like "old ppl will b like all pop music these days has SHALLOW MEANINGLESS DRIVEL LYRICS back in the day music was DEEP POETRY n then u look at the lyrics to back in the day music n its like wooah i love my baby she is a sweetie". but the guitar shredding rlly shrill and grating was sick! retroactively makes multiple other albums lamer. FINALLY ITS A LOVE SONG THATS ABOUT A MAN <-- this user is gay unlike EVERY single fucking man weve heard singing. oh my god im obsessed w her voice shes cool as fuck. (there were also love songs abt men on like melodrama + tusk dont @ me.) shes got the voice of an animated cartoon villain whos widely considered morally correct + cooler than the heroes by everyone whos ever watched the movie. oh okay the comic art is 1 panel for each song! thats super cool!! but also even more uhm. listen summertime is a good song n shes cool on it but hm. HM. uhm. fuck she has such a fun voice for the song n this guitar is rlly fun w it i like how theyre doing "rock band but like doing blues bc theyre not super differentiated yet" but like not abysmal and uncool and technically unskilled at it. janice show some self respect u dont have to give him another piece of your heart actually. is it just me or is the mixing kinda funny on this she sounds kinda quiet n buried relative to the guitars <-- doesnt know jack abt fuck abt shit. love that turtle blues is that 1 tiktok like "girls being like im gonna go gay bc a man broke my heart dw baby ill treat u just as bad ; )" like is she bisexual? not 2 stereotype but she sings about men extremely bisexually. oh sweet mary has AWESOME guitar but not as much janis as i want but this other guys voice is fine too ig! rlly nice psychadelic vibe. okay janis a 9m song is rough for anyone but maaayybe u can pull it off. yeah sorry that was still a little too much. my notes have gotten less in depth sorry :( love rhat shes singing abt love problems kind of in the same way as a lameass guy but bc shes a woman its diversity wins. too sleepy to keep commenting but i think its like a 3! a very enjoyable 3 that i would listen to again but it fails a "would i get a physical vers of this album" test both for racist cover art reasons + bc its just also too long on some of these songs as they all fucking are lol its like a communicable disease they were coming down with at the time. she sounds good singing in the bg over these big jams but shed sound even better on somethin more trim + directional! but like her voice fucking rules im obsessed. standout tracks: i need a man to love, turtle blues, oh sweet mary

The sheer emotion from Janis is worth coming back to this album again some time. She just has so much power. Obviously Piece of My Heart will always stand out but there are other great tracks like Ball and Chain and Turtle Blues. Just a good album. Probably worthy of like 3.5 stars

Psychedelic, messy, raw, disheveled blues rock with a powerhouse belting on the mic. This one is a time capsule of the highest order, sounding like a blues band for an acid bar. “Combination of the Two” goes on a real journey between acid freakout and blues band, all the while driving ahead. Janis isn’t as featured here but it’s a real fuckin’ stomper of the highest order and a great kickoff. “I Need A Man to Love” is straight up blues and now we’ve got Janis in full feature. You get a sense of how sloppy and raw the band is here, but that’s kinda the point. They swing, they groove, even if the guitars and bass are drenched in reverb and sound like they’re being played through a wall. Janis’ whispering howls build and build, though this is a taste of what’ll come. The arrangement of “Summertime” might be one of my favorite things ever. Cribbing greatly from one of the all time greats, Nina Simone’s version of “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To” at Newport, the guitars perfectly frame Janis’ plaintive whispers for a gorgeous retelling of Gershwin’s classic. It’s an absolute powerhouse performance. But it’s nothing compared to “Piece of My Heart”. Perhaps the most utterly vulnerable belting you’ll hear committed to record, Janis Joplin cemented her legend right here. Her voice reads pure desperation with the band at full power. The chorus is worth the price admission alone. It’s just an amazing tune and she’s absolutely incredible singing it. Godspeed sweet Angel. Side 2 kicks off with “Turtle Blues” to keep things a little more mellow, and it’s not as great. Janis is in full bar singer mode here with clinking glasses but it’s a bit strange to kick things off with a stripped back blues song. But oh well, she’s good nonetheless. “Oh, Sweet Mary” goes full freak-out which is probably to be expected, and while the guitar sounds great, this is just not a good fit all around. This band is better when they’re going full blues and then wrapping it in crazy colored LSD packets. Going psych rock just feels weird. “Ball and Chain”, the only ACTUAL live song, gets us back where we need to be. The guitar intro is just face melting in the beat way possible, letting you know that yes, you are listening to a Big Mama Thornton tune, but no, it is not gonna sound like a normal backing band is playing. And if you thought Janis sounded desperate before, buckle your fucking seatbelt. She’s channeling all the energy of the women coming before, and her voice is perfect to match the song here. Her whole range is on display here, over all 10 minutes. It’s a fitting finale for a sloppy yet powerful record that birthed a shooting star. This is not gonna make a top 10 of all time lost, and it might not be a must listen for everyone. But if you want to hear the blues done by a woman who ACTUALLY sounds like she feels them, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. The guitar shreds, way more than one can say for some of the rock gods of the era. And it’s a real document of the era. 3.5, but knocking to 3 for the dragging 2nd half and the messy production choices

This is almost a defining album of the era, and while it is not necessary to my taste, I do recognize the cultural significance. It is definitely a must hear, even if it won't be added to my regular rotation.

Rather gloriously ramshackle at times. And it evokes something or other I reckon. Not a massive fan of Joplin, but her voice works fairly well here most of the time. It probably needs a bit more discipline – as does much of the album really – but it works well enough I guess. Not something I'd search out, but it's half decent I suppose.

Can't get used to Janis voice. But I guess it goes with the music, which ends up working fairly well. 7/10

Nice raw sounds. Don't like the fake Live audience. And Janis Joplin screaming is giving me a headache. But overall not bad. Crazy hippie rock jams.

Im pretty medium on Janis joplin, and that's all I've got to say about that.

Knew that I knew them but couldn’t figure out how until I got to Piece of My Heart. This was easy to listen to and I liked it but likely won’t seek it out if in need of an album

The incredibly poor production really hurts it, the songs don't really hit like they may otherwise. But it is solid.

Obviously Janis is the big draw here, but I enjoyed most of the songs on this album. I found some great songs that I had never heard before, Roadblock, Catch Me Daddy, plus the cover art is veryyy sexy.

The “crowd” noise has a bit of an uncanny valley effect, and the best songs are the covers. But if I’d been a teen in the late sixties I would’ve been enormously into this.

Janis (aka proto-Robert Plant) is the star of the show here. She could be playing bluesy rock with any number of filthy hippies and it would be the same effect. Luckily the Holding Company has the goods too. Highlights include “I Need a Man to Love”, “Piece of My Fart”, and “Ball and Chain”. Naturally points have to be taken off for including the lazy 12-bar blues “Turtle Blues”. And “Combination of the Two” sounds like it should be exciting but is just a mess.

Janis saves Big Brother from being another boring-ass Bay Area acid rock group. They’re adequate, she’s electric. It kinda hurts to think what she coulda done with Booker T and the MGs behind her. We’ll sadly never know. The best songs are when the boys just lay down a groove and let Janis do her thing. The jams might be Jefferson Airplane, I can’t be certain. Everyone’s here for the same thing: hearing her bend a note until it breaks, and get so blue that words don’t even work (or matter). Overall, this is an uneven but at times great record. I’ll come back but I’ll choose the tracks.

instrumentals are abrasive and hit you low while janis joplins voice hits you high. summertime is a weak point. i started off really liking this album but as it went on it felt like i was begging for it to be over, not due to the length, but due to the constant high energy. the songs start to blur together.

Can't say I have ever listened to the entire album though so this is a great opportunity to listen to it. Classic Crumb cover that I remember from thumbing through my dad's LP's as a little kid. I know the the one radio hit from this very well, I think "Piece Of My Heart" is an All Time Classic track and it put Janis on the map. There's a reason though that few people ever mention Big Brother & The Holding Company vs just calling this a Janis Joplin album. From my vantage point they were an above average band who likely wouldn't have made it out of San Francisco without her. I listened to the entire album twice and have no idea why it would make the Top 1001 other than it's importance as a launching tool for Joplin who left the band the same year this hit it big. I'd give it 2.5 stars, nothing notable, no lightning in a bottle other than the one GIANT hit.

Fake love album. A bunch of songs not much more than just fairly executed blues. More overrated 60s.

must have been incredible live 3/5

𝘖𝘩, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘺. 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘺. Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ Stand Out Songs: 𝟐. 𝐈 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝟑. 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 5. Turtle Blues, 6. Oh, Sweet Mary I can't lie, at first glance I was not feeling this album just based off the cover art alone. HOWEVER, I can appreciate the sentiment of singing off key without a care in the world and the idea of being a mega bitch and telling people to just deal with it.

An enjoyable listen but not really enough cohesiveness for me to enjoy it as an album. Would probably be a great live show though. 3.5 stars

This album is a good one some very historic tracks on here. A very tight band even if I did personally rate Janice as well as others in that time period. Overall worth a listen.

Very fun and good to hear Janis Joplon

Kind of just sounds like your standard 70s noodly rock - nothing stood out particularly to me.

Aan classic rock album - good one but there is a reason why I forgot about it.

Never heard the album before. Interesting choice to try and make a studio album sound like a live album by just adding crowd noise. Generally another bad 60's blues album. The only saving grace is Joplin's voice which is one-of-a-kind and when used properly is really amazing. The only standout songs for me are Piece of My Heart. and Turtle Blues. Giving it 3 stars for historical significance, but generally not that great an album to listen to.

I liked Janis Joplin's voice but not the rest of the album. Oh well.

Five stars for Janis Joplin. I got fatigued listening to the entire album, it had a sort of unwashed feel to it, better to pick a song or two at a time.

Psykedeelistä ja blues rokkia. Instrumentaaleissa menoa, mutta Janis Joplin kuullostaa Marge Simpsonilta ja en oikein pidä sen äänestä. Piece Of My Heart oli tosi tuttu klassikko, mutta en tiedä missä se oikein soi, oisko radiossa. Parhaat: Piece Of My Heart, Oh Sweet Mary

neat

3/5 meh mid

There are certain 60s iconic artists who don’t get much play in my rotation. Not that I dislike them; it’s more that their music doesn’t fit a mood for me, and might feel a bit dated 60 years later…Janis is one of those artists. Cheap Thrills has a couple things going for it, though: several of JJ’s finest moments, a spectacular R Crumb album cover. Shailene Woodley is slated to play Janis in a biopic, and she's into eating clay for some reason, what could go wrong

Good album but not something I would listen to start to finish at home. But Piece of My Heart is genius and sometimes you just want raspy Janis vocals.

Great album cover for a bunch of racket. "Piece of My Heart" is an awesome karaoke track.

A wild drug fuelled booze fuelled psychedelic/acid rock album. Made to sound like a live album, it's messy and dirty and fuzzy and rough but there's a strange beauty in all that chaos. Banger opener, loved those 'woahs' of Janis. Janis' vocal performance is everything in this. I feel like her voice could've been the inspiration behind death metal vocals. Summertime had some really haunting guitars. Loved the beautiful Piece of My Heart. Ball and Chain (the only song that was actually a live recording) was a heavy guitar jam that ended the album well. It can be very off-putting for first time listeners. But it grew on me.

Ich wusste nicht, dass Janis Joplin mal in einer Band spielte.Ihre Stimme ist einzigartig, man mag sie oder nicht. Ich bin selber hin und her gerissen

as good as joplins vocals are, they can sound a bit grating at times. otherwise a solid record

Janis Joplin sure has a unique voice, you can't deny that. But somehow she's never really been a favourite artist of mine, can't put my finger on it. 'Summertime' is a pretty good song though, gotta give em that. I think I could grow to like this over time perhaps, as the sound should kind of gel with me. 3 for now.

Janis's voice is sublime on "Piece of My Heart," but though the group was clearly aware of her as a standout, they weren't quite ready yet to give themselves over to her completely yet. Thus, there's some unevenness of this album. (Though that might also be because it's a live performance).

Ramshackle blues jamming with the most distinctive part being the unmistakable voice of Janis Joplin.

Good but sometimes Janis sounds like Marge Simpson

Some excellent guitar moments ensure that I could not give this album less than three starts. But unfortunately, Janis Joplin's voice is a taste I have not acquired, and ensures that any more than three stars is an impossibility.

It's wild that I randomly listened to this one last week and it popped up on my 1001 list. That said, it's only OK as Janis was still fighting Big Brother for status in the band. Piece of my Heart is an all-timer tho.

I was definitely not in the mood to enjoy this album at its fullest, but short i focused the most on how well it captured Janis voice! I cannot give it more than three cuz i didn’t feel it moved it at the time, however, i recognise it’s potential for the year it was recorded

Don’t take the brown acid

3.5

Look, I'm just not into Janis Joplin, and no amount of smutty cartoons on the album cover is going to change that for me. It's a fine album, and the music is enjoyable enough, but it's also just hard for me to understand why this album is a big deal 3/5

some good, classic psych rock. nothing super special unfortunately but this was the first time i’ve really heard Joplin’s chops and damn they hold up

Blistering guitar and vocals. Piece of My Heart is a classic. 3.5

If you've ever listened to a 60's playlist you probably already know half these songs already. But if you don't like the blues you probably won't love them. I don't love the blues. It's okay.

Vocals are great. Very fun. Not something I’d listen to everyday

So hippy. I wonder if Joplin's voice would have worked as well with better audio quality.

Very good, but not my style.

1001 Albums #2 - TUE 12/11/24 18:31: Why do they say whoa so much Lowkey just had it on as background noise, not really my thing but not bad. It's about a 60/100 to me. Understand why someone could enjoy it/don't think it's bad but not my thing.

Piece of My Heart is an all timer, I just wish the rest of the album was as consistent

This album was already familiar to me before I began listening to it and for the most part I was quite the fan. Janis Joplin is a legend in the music world and I felt she delivered her raw talent perfectly, however I thought it was quite long and if I had listened to just the good bits, it would’ve been a 4/5

I should have chosen a stronger coffee to drink to this one. Joplin had such a powerful voice, didn’t she?

Decent. Spirited performances. Better than I expected. I'm not the biggest fan of Janis Joplin. It's the blues.

Good

Pas mal

i believe ive listened to this album maybe once before. janis joplin’s vocals are great, i can see a through-line from her vocal style to robert plant’s. the guitar work is awesome and the effects create really awesome textures.

decent album. I am not a huge Janis Joplin fan, but can appreciate the praise she gets.

Die Band ist schlimm, die Songs sind von nix bis genial, Janis ist Janis. Ich kann verstehen, dass sie diese Garagenband verlassen hat.

Great performance from Joplin on this album. Fav song: Piece of My Heart

Funny hippy tunes from a better era.

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 💥🗯️🙅🏿‍♂️ Production: 🎧😐🆗 Music: 🎤🌈💊 Rating: 🌈🌈(🌈)/5

At first I thought "who on earth is singing?" so I went to look up the album. I knew I had heard of Janis Joplin before but I didn't know anything other than her name (and a select number of songs of hers they still play on the radio). I think this album is good but would be more impactful to hear live.

Was okay - couple of banging tracks

Con Yannis Yoplin.

tra i 3 e i 4

Surprisingly decent. Wonderful? No. Very 60s, and Joplin is as screechy as ever. But eminently listenable.

Another solid album, didn't blow me away, but will listen again.

Janis joplin is really good and I have never heard her sing before this! Now yes I am trying to catch up and I will but Let me be behind I thrive that way

Do we consider this early psychedelic rock? This album is a studio recorded record, yet is produced and performed in a way to make it sound live. I think Janis Joplin is another one of those Artists similar to Bob Dylan, in that you love or hate them due to their voice. There’s a ton of fun guitar jamming here. I think this record has a TON of room to grow on me, I really do like it, I just need more time with it to fully appreciate it. Favorite tracks: Summer time Ball and chain

The lead guitarist and Joplin are standouts against a backdrop of boilerplate rock numbers. Otherwise, its spot here is boomer fan service.

Very much of it's time and not what you'd call an easy listen. You can definitely smell and taste this album. Didn't know any of the material before listening other than the ubiquitous Piece Of My Heart but itvwas alright.

I didn't absolutely hate this like I thought I would, but there is a lot of cultural baggage here that I'm not sure I can disengage from that. It seems like my 3 rating is my o can't decide what to do with them rating.

This is the kind of music that should be playing in the background of every record shop you walk into. The kids loved it.

I enjoyed this album much more than I thought I would. The album was listed as psychedelic rock in Wikipedia, a genre that is over represented in the 1001 challenge. After a few worrying, live guitar noodlings this album quickly turned into an awesome listen. Janice Joplin's voice is so distinct and emotional; such a great loss at such an early age. Loved the album art. This would be a 3.5 but I'm rounding it down for the noodling.

I thought I'd enjoy this more - and I did enjoy it, but I think maybe it's just a genre that is so overrepresented. Janis Joplin's voice is incredible - she really tests it limits in this album, so raw and passionate! The musicians really know their craft! The cover is pretty wild, though not as wild as it could have been reading about the album!

went hard but a bit bland tbh

Late 60s rock. Playful, fun. Janis Joplin was lead singer before going solo. Her voice is something else. Interesting Summertime cover. Piece of My Heart just knocks me off my feet. There are absolute pearls on this, other tracks don’t really appeal to me.

Until you start doing an exercise like this & realize how much of the music completely sucked, this might be how you imagine 60s rock: bit rough around the edges, guitar solos partly standard blues lines and a rumbling thunder of psychedelia. obvious blues influence on everything, vocals dripping with it in a range from 'cool, electric blues takes it to the limit' to 'hmmm uhh this might be kinda uh blackface??'. you know. 60s stuff. if it were all interesting, and not as often like the worst of Byrds/CSN.

Rough production but influential

Janis Joplin was truly one of a kind. Her voice is her signature, never to be duplicated. This is a pretty good album with decent songs and the band backs Janis perfectly and rises to the occasion when featured. The classic standouts song is "Piece of My Heart". The version of "Summertime" included will never allow me to hear the song the same way ever again.

Raw album, wasn’t a big fan of her voice

This was good and I enjoyed it, BUT it's a lot of Janis Joplin. Obviously talented and unique but better in small doses in my opinion. 6/10 (3/5)

I'm not TOTALLY sure what to make of this album. Love the cover, at least. It's solid stuff and some notable songs but I'm not entirely sold either.

Musically this rips; psychedelic rock 'n' roll fused with soul and blues. I am, however in the minority, in that I really don't like Joplin's vocals. Honestly feel like it sounds like someone torturing a cat. She actually sounds more haggard on this recording than some of the later ones I've heard. Everything is at its best when the band is really jamming on something. I think because Janis's voice becomes the focus when they slow down and show some restraint. If this was an instrumental album it would be amazing.

Pre-listening thoughts: I have no idea who this band is but upon further inspection it seems they were fronted by Janis Joplin which means crazy impressive vocals are on the way. Kinda hype Post/during listening thoughts: as expected Janis’s vocals are crazyyyyyy. She was so so talented. Why why WHY is Ball and Chain almost 10 mins. No song needs to be that long! I think most of these songs could use some editing/shortening tbh. I think it’s good overall but I think so much of it is carried by Janis Joplin. Like the songs themselves are fine and the arrangements and production is fine but without Janis idk it would be kind of mid. 6.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no bc personally I would pick Pearl over this in terms of Joplin material but this was good Fav tracks: Summertime, Piece of my Heart, Ball and Chain if it were 5 mins shorter 😭, Flower In the Sun, Magic of Love Least fav tracks: turtle blues (man maybe I don’t like blues sorry!), Ball and Chain length

Like the music and playing, hates Janis Joplin's vocals. Low 3.5 stars

like the sound of the band -- there's some very cool fuzz guitar -- and Janis' voice is cool, but the songs themselves leave a bit to be desired. The stuff I knew was my favorite, but the rest was kinda filler. 3.5

Fun album. Tbh I didn't always love JJs vocalising

A unique vocalist. And the drumming has be a very organic sound. Some of the tracks feel like jam sessions though which isn't really my jam. Standout track: Combination of the Two

"Piece of my Heart" is the one memorable song. Interesting live recording but mostly forgettable for me.

К сожалению, этот альбом не сильно зацепил, хотя такой добротный хард-рок, очень драйвовый.

One good song and some classic guitar sprinkled throughout.

3.5 rounded down a bit too wandering and bluesy for me i think. album cover goes hard tho highlights: combination of the two, piece of my heart (sep 8 2024)

Recognized Janis Joplin's voice.

Pretty generic folksy rock to me.

It's a bit inconsistent, and some of the songs are a tad too long, but it's an enjoyable enough listen.

The late great JJ... must be a drag to know that, as a band, she was the one made you and then just went off to do her own thing. Lovely listen, but not something to write home about, so right down the middle we go....

Idk what it is, because I don’t really love this music, but there is something undeniable about Janis Joplin.

i know Janis sings with heart and all that, but to me she sounds like a thrown rod.

To preface this review, I'd like to mention how this album was reissued as recently as 2016 without the album cover being altered.....huh.......the album itself is pretty solid, nothing that absolutely blew me away besides Piece of my Heart. The rest of the album kinda lags pretty far behind that track though. I did like listening to this, but I probably won't ever do a full relisten on this one. Good record with some excellent performances, especially from Janis, but far from an essential listen.

This album was quite unique from anything I had listened to previously, I was a big fan of the instrumentals but not so much the vocals. My favourite songs were Combination of the Two and Ball and Chain.

AMAZING production, but it kind of falls flat and feels repetitive in some of the slower songs. Favorite song: Combination of the Two & Ball and Chain soft 7/10

Okay, I guess.

Mostly too bluesy 4 me. I liked "Oh, Sweet Mary" and "Piece of My Heart" obv.

piece of my heart summertime

Amazing. Piece of my heart alone cements this in history. Some feels like filler. Grade A filler, but still.

I had no idea Janis Joplin started with this band. Surprising. A little piece of my heart has been on my playlist for a long time.

Oh man that album cover has not aged well

I like the Janis solo stuff, surprisingly. But man, take a lil piece will always be her great banger.

Cheap Thrills I’ve never listened to this despite Piece of my Heart being so well know. I didn’t know it was made to sound like a live album until reading a bit about it. It’s kind of an interesting one, rightly lauded for Janis’ voice, which is of course fantastic throughout, so distinctive, rough and smooth, just brilliant really. Despite much of it being relatively generic blues rock, there is a level of excitement and urgency to the guitar, which combined with the voice just about sets it apart from the other blues/acid/psychedelic rock we’ve had from this period. But I suppose we need to remember that at the time this would have been quite striking, and would not be affected by the fatigue that we suffer from a lot of stuff at the shittier end of the west coast blues rock scene. It is a bit of a shame that they went for a fake live production style, it definitely gives an unnecessarily dated feel. It would absolutely have benefitted from a bit of ‘normal’ production to give the music, and the drums and bass, in particular a bit of clarity and a better place in the mix, while keeping the rough edges. The ‘live’ sound of some of the lead guitar too, particularly on Summertime, that kind of fuzzed up needle in the red sound, is a bit grating, and again it would benefit from a normal non fake live sound perhaps. Combination of the Two is good, but Summertime, Piece of my Heart and Ball and Chain stand out. It outstays it’s welcome a little, but Turtle Blues’s 30s kind of barroom piano blues is a nice break from the heavier blues rock, but the remaining songs aren’t really that notable or memorable outside of her voice. It’s certainly a decent example of west coast blues rock, clearly due to Janis’s voice as well as the overall sense of musical exuberance, but it is absolutely let down by the dated production style and the patchiness of the quality of the songs, as evinced by the best songs being the covers. Its not its fault that it feels dated of course, and although it does work as a much more listenable historical snapshot than say Iron Butterfly or the Grateful Dead, it probably doesn’t have a great deal of re-listenability - one of those ones to file under ‘Glad I listened, not terrible, may or may not re-visit’. That puts it firmly in the 3s. 🤏☮️❤️ Playlist submission: While the version of Summertime is great, I think it has to be Piece of my Heart.

Kinda wacky You can definitely tell this is from the 60s LMAO there's a certain musicality to it

Last year, I read a history of The Mamas & The Papas (All the Leaves Are Brown), and that was the first time I'd heard of Big Brother & The Holding Company. The book chronicled quite a bit about the Monterey Pop festival, so I know this album has a lot of significance when it comes to rock music. Janis Joplin is a fellow Texan (I think my mother in law has a friend who knew Janis growing up), but I've never really listened to much of her music, so I'm interested to see what's in store on this album. I thought this album was pretty good for the most part. While I'm not the biggest fan of Janis's gravely singing, she has so much power and energy in her voice, and that really made some of these songs more enjoyable. The combination of blues and psychedelica created a really unique sound. "Oh, Sweet Mary" is probably the best example of this sound; there's a really heavy bass line that gives the song a good groove, but the frantic guitar playing and fast paced drumming give the song a heavier boogie-feel. "Piece of My Heart" was my favorite song on the album. I always thought this was a solo song from Janis, so I was surprised to find it on here. Janis's singing and the ebb and flow to the song make this one of best songs to come from San Francisco in the late sixties. While there were some songs that I enjoyed, most of the album wasn't too remarkable in my opinion. Granted, I'm not really fond of blues rock for the most part, and psychedelic rock can be pretty hit-or-miss with me. Both of those genres can be a bit dull and repetitive to me, and parts of this album fell into that category. Still, I know this album is incredibly influential, and I understand why it's on this list.

Janis had one of the best voices in rock, no doubt. Piece of my heart is one of the great all-time rock songs. But man, the amateur level production, fake crowd noise and disappointing backing instruments/vocals bum me out. When you had Janis in the studio, her voice should have been front and center with as little in the way as possible. No wonder she went solo after this.

Not bad

Janis Joplin has an interesting singing voice. She can project good power and emotion. Combination of the Two: I like the energy. Cheap Thrills: I like the guitar. Piece of My Heart: a classic!

Dit album klinkt als een hoop fun. Dit ervaart de luisteraar in volle glorie, door de bijzonder lo-fi productie, waarin weinig weggefilterd is. Het klinkt als een groep hippies, die gewoon ff wat muziek maken na het roken een paar flinke toeters in een oude schuur bij een ranch in de San Francisco valleys. Puike bluesrock, maar de vrijgeestige jam-vibe zorgt er ook voor dat er weinig echt sleutelmomenten te vinden zijn. Iets meer to the point zoals 'Piece of My Heart' had wel gemogen. Maar daarmee doe ik één van de beste covers van één van de meest gecoverde nummers ooit 'Summertime' wel te kort, geweldig gitaargeluid. Een 7, deels ook door de hoes die nooit verveelt. 7/10 Highlights: Summertime Piece of My Heart

Nice album that I want to return to.

Love Janis’ voice. So raw.