Mar 06 2021
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5
‘Pearl” by Janis Joplin (1971)
Very familiar with this album and artist.
It will be a struggle here to focus on this album as an album, simply because there is so much worth saying about Janis Joplin and her times. But here goes:
“Pearl” is stellar, even without context. Joplin’s soul soars in this recording, which is, almost incidentally, very well produced and arranged. The songwriting is first rate (only “Move Over” was written solely by Joplin herself), and the instrumentals of the Full Tilt Boogie Band excel. Top notch lead guitar, with some great solo riffs. Elaborate bass lines, always in concert with steady and dynamic drums. Nice colorings on Hammond organ. All very professional.
But the chief topic of interest here is the vocal performance by Joplin. Her inimitable tonal characteristics are on full display. She does things with her voice that literally no one else can do. Tightly disciplined yet delicate trills. Effortless execution of singing two pitches simultaneously (e.g., hear the first word of “Cry Baby”! I actually did).
Dynamic variation as an art form in itself. Listen to the constant interplay between the soft and the loud on “Me and Bobby McGee”. Few singers (or listeners) pay attention to that nowadays.
There’s only one way to articulate the line “Windshield wipers slappin’ time”, and it’s the way Janis Joplin does it, though others have tried.
Here we’re treated to Joplin’s prodigious range and exemplary pitch control, with vibrato that is customized for each phrase.
Moreover, none of her vocal stylings are affected or artificial. It’s as if each song has been internalized, and thus it springs from her soul with minimal interference by her considerable physical singing tools. Listen for what’s going on beneath her breathing, vocal cords, oral and nasal cavities, and phonetic mechanisms. It’s passion. And passion rules over the body as the sound comes out. It’s not just ‘singing the blues’. It’s the blues emerging as song.
Her frequent exclamations and extra-lyrical flourishes are not contrived. They seem unrehearsed. She is feeling, and we have the privilege of hearing what her feelings sound like.
There is a maternal aspect to her singing. Mom can scold, comfort, rage, caress, and lament with abandon. So does Janis Joplin.
But also, there’s plenty of eroticism—of a kind that is not bound by constructs like identity or even gender. It’s lust without heavy moral overtones. I’ll resist the urge to be more specific.
This album is superb work of art. Recommend on every level.
5/5
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Feb 07 2021
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3
She is a talented singer but this is the exact music your least fave aunt loves
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Oct 21 2021
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5
Janis is a tiger shooting firecrackers. What an excellent, punchy, and fiery set of songs.
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May 05 2021
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5
What an excellent album, and yet a desperately sad one. She was just a kid. Such a tragedy.
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Dec 01 2020
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5
Janis Joplin is, hands down, top 5 coolest artist ever.
This, being smoother and more polished than her previous work, is her at the top of her career.
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Oct 12 2023
View Author
5
Nr. 5/1001
Move Over 3/5
Cry Baby 4/5
A Woman Left Lonely 4/5
Half Moon 4/5
Buried Alive In the Blues 2/5
My Baby 3/5
Me and Bobby McGee 3/5
Mercedes-Benz 4/5
Trust Me 4/5
Get It While You Can 4/5
Average: 3,5
Enjoyed this quite a bit more than expected
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May 05 2021
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5
Janis is a favorite. Bluesy, jammy, rock-n-roll with one of America’s best voices. She conveys love and torture and hope all at the same time. Backing band is great but doesn’t overshadow the star of the show. Also have a soft spot for “Me and Bobby McGee” because it won us a round of drinks at Silky O’Sullivan’s bar on Beale Street on my 40th birthday. American classic, and sad member of the 27 club...
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Jan 15 2021
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5
Really, really good. Makes you want to take a star off everything else to make it look better still.
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Jul 25 2021
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5
Sexy and the voice of a chain smoking angel.
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Apr 07 2021
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5
Jantastic. Jop of the Pops
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Jan 17 2022
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4
A candidate for the greatest singer of the early 70s. This is her most polished album, full of instant hits that it's a crime only two of them are modern radio staples. It's not just her powerful voice, full of raunch and passion, but the full bluesy instrumentation that energizes every line she puts in. The fast-pace ensures there's always something happening in these songs. I'm really glad "Buried Alive in the Blues" exists to back up my claim that it's not just Joplin that makes this album amazing, but it's when they combine forces when they become something else entirely. I liked how the beginning of that track sounded like the start of a 70s sitcom intro. I'll for sure be coming back to this album, probably as much as Carole King's Tapestry.
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Jun 07 2021
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2
Fuck Janis Joplin is crusty. You can smell the stains on her fingers just looking at the cover. Singing is pretty impressive (especially considering all the drugs and ciggies), but wears out its welcome kinda quick. Music isn't too bad, just average rock of the time. 2.5/5.
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Mar 25 2021
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3
meh
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Jan 02 2021
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2
Yeah it’s good but I can’t listen to her song for more than a minute or two.
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Mar 16 2024
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5
"My friends all drive Porsches," sang Janis Joplin, and so did she - a 1964 356 SC Cabriolet that she bought when it was four years old and used as a daily driver. What made her car special, compared to other 356s was its psychedelic paint job, which was as flamboyant as her music and persona.
Joplin is said to have paid her roadie, Dave Richards, $500 to decorate the light ivory car, portraying the "History of the Universe" in every colour of the rainbow. He did, starting with a coat of Candy Apple Red, then adding portraits of Joplin's "Big Brother and the Holding Company"band-mates and other motifs such as "The Eye of God" on the hood, and a California valley on the right door.
This car is a tribute to that work of art painted by former GM designer, Nick Moskatow, for its current owner.
Loved the iconic album from Janice Joplin
5/5
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Aug 16 2021
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5
Certified 5 stars. RIP to the goat
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Jan 04 2024
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4
I’m not big on the San Francisco psych-rock scene of the 60’s - the Velvet Underground are far more psychedelic and interesting to me than most of the San Francisco bands - but this record is proof of Janis Joplin’s phenomenal talent. Her band here is exceptionally tight and funky. Excellent musicianship all around. By every metric, Pearl is a great record.
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Mar 01 2021
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4
Today I'm listening to Pearl by Janis Joplin and released in 1971. I remember being introduced to Janis Joplin by my sister when I was starting to devour good music in my late teens. And this was done by sitting and listening to Me and Bobby McGee over and over again. Then Piece of My Heart became a big deal to me. I've never actually listened to any of her albums. Another in a long line of greatest hits artists I've enjoyed. I'm definitely enjoying this album, and that voice is towering and unique and full of feeling as always. And like other albums, hearing Me and Bobby McGee just roll out of the speakers is a lovely experience. It makes me think of road tripping in the 60s with Kris Kristofferson. It's the best feeling I can imagine right now. This is all tinged with sadness of what could have been had Janis not been part of the 27 year-old rock start death club.
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Apr 02 2021
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3
Honest, raw and polished in equal measure. A good listen.
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Jun 28 2022
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5
La Joplin. Vinilazo.
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Jun 09 2022
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5
La Joplin. Vinilazo.
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Feb 13 2022
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5
I probably have heard this album in my youth. My dad was a big fan of Janis Joplin. I was probably a little young for this music, though, and I haven’t really listened to any Janis Joplin other than the occasional song heard on the radio. As I grew older I kept thinking I should change that but never got around to it. I’m very excited to listen to it now.
This album is incredible. “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Mercedes Benz” I knew well going in to this, but those incredible songs barely scratch the surface of this album’s contents. From start to finish it is hard to fathom how a person can put so much into these songs. They are powerful. They are emotional, they are incredible, they are fun! I teared up on several occasions. How could you not during “A Woman Left Lonely?”
There is incredible exuberance captured on this album and I can’t help but feel happy hearing songs like “Half Moon.” But could there be a sadder moment than “Buried Alive in the Blues?” Such a funky song. Such a sad song. Maybe the bitterest sweet as I listened and never heard her voice as she died before it was completed. I was quite glad that the writer of the song turned down the request to have him perform the vocals on it in tribute. The song sits in the middle of the album in sad tribute to the loss of an incredible performer.
How about that album cover?! That smile. That drink. Those feathers. Such great spirit captured by that image. Fortunately we have Janis Joplin’s incredible music to give us a little of that today.
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Apr 27 2021
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5
I've been a fan ever since I was little. Both my parents are huge fans so the you have it. When I found that Bobby Mcgee has her greatest hit couldn't believe it! then I found out that Janis had quite more than I believed. this is an awsome and gorgeous record. Cry baby always tears my heart. Thank you Janis for your work
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Apr 30 2024
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4
Definitely a unique voice but really enjoyable
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Apr 24 2024
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4
Strong record! Bluesy, raw, great lyrics.
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Dec 10 2024
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3
Pearl
Apart from Me and Bobby McGee I wasn’t really that keen on this on first listen, although the playing is much tighter and more professional than the band on Cheap Thrills it feels pretty soulless as it cycles through rather generic overly slick AOR blues rock tropes.
I started to like it a bit more on repeat listens though, when the band turn up the organ and turn down the guitar and it can be pretty good; Trust Me reveals itself as a great little tune, Get it While You Can has a nice smoulder to it. Even Move Over, which I disliked on the first listen, improves on repeat, eventually settling into a nice groove. And of course Me and Bobby McGee is just an excellent song, by far the best thing on here, a great bit of bluesy country soul. Mercedes Benz is kind of fun and Cry Baby’s ubiquity has dampened it’s overwrought charm a little, but it's still a good track
Looking back at our reviews of Cheap Thrills I think I’m a bit more partial to her voice than you both and I think it does sound really good here, particularly as the more conventional production showcases it better then the fake-live sound of Cheap Thrills.
Overall it’s a decent listen, one I might try again, but I wasn’t into it enough for it to trouble the 4s. Solid 3.
🦪🦪🦪
Playlist submission: Me and Bobby McGee
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Sep 28 2024
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3
Bueno
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May 17 2024
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3
it features a blues rock singer wailing wommannnn and yet it's still fine. good job Janis.
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May 03 2024
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3
Not great not terrible. Honestly, I do not think her voice is as legendary as people say. It's her attitude and vibe.
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Apr 30 2024
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3
Respectable. Lively voice.
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Nov 30 2024
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1
Would I listen again: no
Best track: My Baby
Worst track: trust me
Surprise awesome track: Move Over
Weirdest track: none really stand out
Lyrics: mostly blues type lyrics. Nothing super deep but tons of memorable lines.
No skips?: no
Cover art cool?: no
Notes: I am saying this out of the gate that I am not expecting much from this album. I totally respect Joplin and recognize her place in history but I just don’t think for whatever the reason that I am going to find this entire album to be something worth listening to again. I hope to be proven wrong. Full tilt boogie band is killer. What a great tight band. But same
Blues rock shit over and over again. It’s fine but it’s not particularly memorable musically.
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Jan 21 2025
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5
<3
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Jan 20 2025
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5
Folksy witchcraft vibes
Sang with unbridled passion
Of a free woman
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Jan 20 2025
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5
RIP patti's friend
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Jan 17 2025
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5
Janis Joplin’s Pearl is a great piece of blues that has the incredible capacity of traveling through the ages while still remaining relevant and deeply inspirational.
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Jan 14 2025
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5
<3
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Jan 11 2025
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5
this is SUCH a good album and it's really such a tragedy that Janis died right at this moment when she finally had the creative freedom she wanted as well as a backing band that was able to match her talents beat for beat and had incredible chemistry with her. I can't believe so few recordings of her and the Full Tilt Boogie Band exist...Wikipedia says that none of the concerts she played on tour with them were recorded and we only really have two appearances on The Dick Cavett Show and this album to immortalize their sound. all the more reason to be grateful for what we have- but just imagine the kind of career Janis could have had if she hadn't died when she did. truly a one-in-a-million voice, and a one-in-a-million artist, and i treasure this album and her three others with all my heart.
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Jan 10 2025
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5
Outstanding
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Jan 09 2025
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5
Yeah that was great
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Jan 06 2025
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5
Понравились две песни про Бобби и мерседес, круто рваный голос, но тоже бэкграундный альбом
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Jan 06 2025
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5
This was an excellent listen. I remember some of these songs playing when I was young, but this is the first time I listened to this as an adult. Well worth the revisit.
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Jan 04 2025
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5
A perfect ten tracks. Her voice is one of the coolest-sounding instruments ever. I didn’t realize the album was released posthumously, what a sadness.
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Jan 04 2025
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5
Janis is a kween that VOICE 💦
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Jan 03 2025
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5
Janis didn’t have the best voice in the world, but god damn did she know how to use it. The music and the vocals fit together perfectly, and come together to make something incredibly powerful.
It’s upsetting that this was Janis Joplin’s swan song, but at least she went out on top.
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Dec 31 2024
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5
Awesome
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Dec 30 2024
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5
Janis es parte mi alma musical y en un lugar muy especial. Su voz trascendia la necesidad musical y nunca podría ser secundaria, la música vivía en su mente. Oír este disco sin su voz, no es posible, oír la solo a ella sin música, es posible. Lo mejor entre los mejores
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Dec 28 2024
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5
Un disco increíble. Qué voz, qué arreglos, qué música. No sé por qué nunca le había entrado a Janis, pero ahora quiero escuchar todo lo que hizo. Increíble artista.
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Dec 27 2024
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5
Her voice doesn’t merely come from a real place - it takes you there as well, which can’t be said about many ‘real things.’ It wobbles and clouds over, tho it’s also so clear, sound, and solid. Does she push it? Not as much as you may think. So give me Janis. Then I’m good, and in that special way, I can live all over again.
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Dec 24 2024
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5
The only track I didn't like is the instrumental "Buried Alive in the Blues" but apparently Janis died before the vocals for that could be recorded, otherwise it is an amazing album.
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Dec 23 2024
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5
Bought the record
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Dec 22 2024
View Author
5
Janis.
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Dec 21 2024
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5
Damn!!
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Dec 14 2024
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5
So much character and soul in her voice. Band sounded great as well.
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Dec 04 2024
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5
Great album. Iconic voice
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Dec 03 2024
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5
Incredible. The tone of her voice is so special. This album is fun, emotional, rollicking, anything else you want from music. It's only 34 minutes, but it feels like a full lifetime is contained in those 34 minutes.
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Dec 03 2024
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5
I knew most of these songs, but really enjoyed listening to them again. Joplin was a real talent that we lost too early, but her music is great. Five stars.
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Nov 29 2024
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5
Could just copy and paste my rumours review. Which came out first?
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Nov 28 2024
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5
O grande feito dos trabalhos de Janis foi reconhecerem seu talento e para isso ter grandes produções nos seus álbuns. Explorou-se sua capacidade para o bem e para o mal.
Isso é uma obra prima da música!
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Nov 26 2024
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5
For all her infamy, I’ve never actually heard any Janis Joplin.
Now I can see what the fuss was about! So raw and energetic
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Nov 23 2024
View Author
5
# Album Name: Pearl
# Artist: Janis Joplin
# Rating: 5/5
# Comments:
This is a fucking great album. Janis' voice is rough AF but in a great edgy way. I love it. Theres plenty of great tracks on this album.
PLUS its duration is spot on. Its not like some albums which just drown on for the sake of it.
The balance on this album is fantastic.
# Top Tunes:
Entire album for me.
# Would I listen to it again?
Yup.
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Nov 18 2024
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5
I have no words. This was a delight!
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Nov 18 2024
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5
A true classic.
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Nov 14 2024
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5
What is there really to say about this album. Some of the best vocal performances in rock history.
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Nov 13 2024
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5
Blues my not be my thing entirely but Janis Joplin's posthumus album is a great one. Her vocal range was simply fantastic and her raw emotion and passion on these songs was one of a kind. The album is well produced and the backing band did a really good job, the music is great and they never overshadowed Janis. It doesn't have some of the my favorite songs (Piece of my heart, for instance), but it is still a very strong collection of songs, which overall deserve a close 5 (4.5 rounded up to 5).
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Nov 09 2024
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5
Just beautiful. Her voice is just beautiful and full of raw emotion. The lyrics really touch the heart and the time period. Listening to the whole album was so much better than just one song because it of all worked together to write a story. I hate to say this b Bobby McGee (beautiful song!) almost felt out of place and to commercial for the rest of the album. Half moon and my baby were my favorites.
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Nov 09 2024
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5
Soulful and passionate. Janis is awesome. Her band is really groovy too. Especially love the organ playing. Bobby McGee is actually a cover. It was written by Kris Kristofferson and other people have sang it, but Janis' version is the best. Move Over is a favorite of mine and reminds me of some of her earlier stuff with Big Brother & Holding Co. This is her last album. Released 3 months after her death. A beautiful voice and a beautiful spirit that we lost too soon. Loved this album.
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Nov 08 2024
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5
F**king love it!Made me almost cried
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Nov 04 2024
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5
Pretty perfect. Also love 34 min albums.
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Nov 02 2024
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5
What a fun album. So much passion coming from Janis.
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Oct 25 2024
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5
JANIS JOPLIN!! HELL YEAH!!! I used to listen to this album with my mom when I was little!
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Oct 24 2024
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5
When Joplin (supposedly) said to Leonard Cohen "we are ugly but we have the music", I'm not sure she was right about the former, but she definitely was about the latter. This is my first time hearing her at all, and holy shit she's incredible. This is the first album I'm gonna give 5 stars to on my first listen.
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Oct 24 2024
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5
This is a great album, very bluesy, with distinctive elements from that time (Hammond organ, but wisely used), and her voice. What a voice! All killers no fillers, and the highlights of the album are just stellar. Move Over, by itself, deserves more than 5 stars.
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Oct 24 2024
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5
This reminds me yet again that I need to listen to more Janis. Sad knowing the context, but the music is so so good.
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Oct 21 2024
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5
Never heard any of Janis' solo material & only I'm only familiar with a few Big Brother & the Holding Co songs. I may have heard "Me and Bobby McGee" but wasn't intentionally listening. I'm really enjoying this! Her voice is incredible, lives up to the hype in every way.
Favorites: "Half Moon", "Move Over"
(3x)
5 stars, A+
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Oct 19 2024
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5
Great album from an artist who left us with too little.
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Oct 19 2024
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5
wow!
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Oct 16 2024
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5
# Playlist track
- Get It While You Can
# Notes
- Janis vocals are so refreshingly fun and unique.
- The accompanying band is absolutely amazing. Instrumentals are top-notch throughout!
- Janis seems like a fascinating character, and the album cover just compliments that nicely.
- Definitely worth giving a listen, or two, or three. Super fun and rewarding.
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Oct 16 2024
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5
Epic, beautiful, powerful, sad.
I think Move Over is my fave today, it's all good.
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Oct 16 2024
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5
Iconic stuff - she was a phenomenon!
Joplin is, of course, amazing, but her band on this are tight AF.
Fave tracks - "Move Over" is an awesome tune, and I liked Slade's version of it a few reviews back. It's got me wondering how many songs appear multiple times on this list, and which song is the most common! 🤔
"Mercedes Benz" is also tremendous stuff, though leave it to late stage capitalism to co-opt it into an actual advert. 😒 I also enjoyed hearing "Me and Bobby McGee" - I feel like that song title gets referenced a lot but I don't recall listening to the lyrics closely before...
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Oct 14 2024
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5
Totally Blown away by this. A sensational album with beautiful bluesy rock. An artist I have never really listened to and cheap thrills absolutely will go onto the "must listen to" list. The album is littered with incredible and powerful songs
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Oct 08 2024
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5
07/10/24
Surprisingly enjoyed this album.
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Oct 08 2024
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5
One of those brilliant and tragic albums only released after her death. What a talent. Ok not all the songs are hers but she makes them hers with that voice and swagger. One of my all tine favourite female vocalists.
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Oct 01 2024
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5
This album rocks. The Full Tilt Boogie Band should've been a household name. It's an odd coincidence I got this album the day after Kris Kristofferson died. Freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose. Janis always has dem ol' kosmic blues. 5 stars all day.
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Sep 28 2024
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5
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again: having a powerful voice is not about singing scales. Janis probably wouldn’t have made it past the first round of American Idol, but she deserves her place among the best vocalists this country has produced, period.
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Sep 28 2024
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5
Man, did she know how to sing the blues! The one song on the album without her voice (because she had passed away) reminds us that there was a funky band there, too.
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Sep 28 2024
View Author
5
Wow
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Sep 27 2024
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5
I was not impressed by the big brother and the holding company record. This sounds like a masterpiece from the first note. I’m really enjoying this record.
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Sep 24 2024
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5
huumehörhö... drugggiee... druggie!! DRUUUGS... DRUUGHEAAD....Olen puolalainen ja olen positiivisesti yllättynyt tästä... Saan tästä melkoisen määrän paskaa talossani, mutta Janis on jotenkin perseestä. Hänellä on yksi temppu - räikeä blues-huuto. Sen lisäksi hänen mumisevat tyylinsä kuulostavat fyysisesti tuskalliselta ja ärsyttävät minua. hippipaska, en tykkäisi tästä henkilöstä oikeassa elämässä oonneksi on kuollut niin ei tarvi tavata HEHHEH.... druggie..... She had no regard for her own life, so why should anyone care about her music.
bobby mcgee
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Sep 22 2024
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5
That's smooth.
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Sep 21 2024
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5
Einfach gut
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Sep 21 2024
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5
Heerlijk album, had m nog niet in z'n geheel geluisterd (bewaarde ik stiekem voor wanneer we de lp hebben), maar behalve de hits is de rest ook gewoon kneitergoed. 5 sterren.
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Sep 20 2024
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5
Janis is a absolute fucking legend! Great listen!
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Sep 19 2024
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5
Absolutely amazing artiste, and a fantastic album. 5/5
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Sep 19 2024
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5
A bright, shining, shooting star.
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Sep 18 2024
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5
Rock and Roll has given us many gifts. None exceed the power and pathos of Me and Bobby McGee.
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Sep 18 2024
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5
Ihana tunnelma
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Sep 17 2024
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5
What a legend
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Sep 10 2024
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5
I listened to the Legacy version of this album. Easiest 2h 15m listen. Love Janis.
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Sep 05 2024
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5
The cover says it all. Joyful flamboyance with a smoldering cigarette in the center.
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Sep 03 2024
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5
Joplin is an icon, and "Pearl" serves as both a showcase of her considerable talent and a tribute to her enduring legacy.
"Cry Baby," "Me and Bobby McGee," and "Mercedes Benz" are standout moments, but the entire album has aged remarkably well in terms of songwriting, performance, and pacing, offering a poignant glimpse into what might have been. The inclusion of the instrumental "Buried Alive In The Blues" further heightens the sense of loss, reminding us of the unique voice and true legend we lost too soon.
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