Pearl

I didn't know much about Janis Joplin before listening to this record, although I knew one or two of her songs and was aware of her reputation as a tragic character. I've been interested to learn a little more about her as a consequence of listening to this album...and I was blown away by her voice. Absolutely extraordinary tone, emotion, range, and delivery. The style isn't necessarily my cup of tea, but her vocals elevate the material. Not sure I would go on a deep dive, but I can respect the quality.

What a voice she had. Solid folk-jazz album from back to front with some really classic songs on it.

Was a fun album, great voice.

Joplin was definitely an artist on top of her game when she passed. It's a shame that the world lost her so young.

This is a beautiful yet tragic release, being one of the most siginificant posthumous albums of it’s time, if not ever. You can hear the incompleteness in Mercedes Benz, which she recorded the vocals for days before her passing, and in Buried Alive In the Blues, which she was supposed to record them for that day. Something about this makes the record an even more special, yet more tragic, tribute to a young star who had so much ahead of her. Every time I hear Janis I adore what I hear. Her energy and power, to go along with the creative, bluesy rock instrumentation, is a combination for the ages. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Cry Baby, Me and Bobby McGee, Move Over, My Baby, Get It While You Can

I get the love for Janis but most of this isn't my style.

What a voice! I hadn’t listened to that in a very long time and also probably never in full. It’s a good album but the memorable Mercedes Benz but tons of good rock and blues tunes. Solid.

Fantastic voice, very cool songs.

Love it! JJ had so much energy, those tunes are just brilliant.

Loved it so much. She tells stories very well, and sounds so authentic. I read a lot about her life and relistened to the album. She was a person who felt really big and I think felt most at home performing. I really loved this album.

I go back and forth with Janis, but she shed light on some great tunes and was authentic as a person can be.

Janis </3 Such a powerful voice, such a short life. The story behind Buried Alive in the Blues always makes my heart clench but I'm glad they included it in the album.

Some classic songs on here, Janis had an amazing voice🙏🏼

One of a kind. Fantastic tunes on here.

A great voice and a great rough bluesy sound. Almost gave it 5* but some of the weaker songs are a bit of filler.

Catchy with a few stonecold classics. Some of the Blues Rock in the middle section gets a bit goofy though, sounding a bit like a less focussed version of the instrumentals on New Pony from Allman Brothers Band. Still, I enjoyed it, and she and the band picked a good selection of soul and blues classics to pay homage to. And Mercedes Benz has always been funny...

Muito bom, gostei bastante de cry baby

Quite controverisally, I did not quite enjoy this one. I don't really like Janis Joplins voice I've come to find. The instrumentation was fine but the soul/country/rock mash the style of the music took didn't really work for me. This is, at least to my ears, eerily close to being a soul record with it's delivery, and I don't particularly enjoy 60's since for the most part I just hear it as safe, mass-market music for the time.

Fantastic stuff. A great voice and catchy, toe tapping blues.

Muy buen disco! Conocia la canción Mercedez Benz, todo el disco es muy recomendado!

I'm not the biggest fan of Janis Joplins music style but I can see how people love her

В целом альбом не вызывает отторжения, ее манера и стиль пения довольно узнаваемый с хорошей фактурой. Песни довольно нелохи, есть 1-2 которые даже запоминаются, но у меня нет желания специально возвращаться к этому альбому.

I liked it a lot; her music still feels modern fifty years later.

She's great. Even where you have heard it a million times, there is one moment where she will get to you.

A reminder of what a talent she was. Joplin is in fine voice on Pearl and the material is strong and suits her talents. Never knew that "Buried Alive" was meant to include her vocal track; luckily it works as an instrumental as well. Alongside Hendrix, who also died in 1970, it's interesting to ponder where her musical career may have gone had she not flamed out.

Another one that it's hard to evaluate without knowing she died young. Distinctive voice and had an edge much needed in the hippie era.

4.75. Loved it. I used to think Janis was perhaps too revered. I knew all the standards. The lesser known were awesome

It's a good album with most Janis's hits. But didn't blow mind

Janis Joplin, a rock-goddess!!

Me gustó mucho. Canta increíble Janis. Ya conocía Me and Bobby McGee y hasta terminé agregando uno a mi playlist, Cry Baby creo. La verdad lo disfruté.

Day 391 Incredibly strong album, amazing voice. Highlights Move over Me and Bobby McGee Get it while you can

Not my usual cuppa tea but not bad at all. Cry was the standout track for me, fantastic vocals.

this is where the mercedes Benz song comes from, janis is really good, I like rock in this format, not when its men shrieking about little girls. the accent does wear you down a little, but I like it

I kind of love her rawness in her voice. Just clicks with me for some reason.

mid

That's pretty sick Insane voice

technically good just not my thing, soz janis

Me pasa que no es un disco que no tengo dejar de escuchar. Me satura un poco la voz de janis. Está bueno, sí. La respeto mucho. Pero en mi día a día no digo uy qué ganas de escuchar a Janis joplin. Es el único álbum que le conzoco. Igualmente reconozco que tiene muy buenos temas. O sea, me gustan. Pero que se yo. 3

Oh my god what a voice!! This is exactly why I love this journey. Never heard a Joplin album. Of course I have heard her name as it's legendary but my god!!

I’ve never sought out Janis Joplin records before but this was lovely as expected. I particularly liked Mercedes Benz and of course Cry Baby.

Loved this, lot of absolute classics

I’m no fan of hippie nonsense, but this album is really good.

(6 estrellas)

Nice voice.

9.7/10 Fav track: More Over

RATING: 7.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: My Baby LOWLIGHT: Trust Me

I don't know that Ive ever heard a voice that so perfectly encapsulates a human soul.

3.5 🙂‍↕️ cool lady

Pretty good album, enjoyed it.

WHY IS SHE SHOUTING? Janis had such a dynamic, powerful voice, but not everything needed to be belted. That's what makes her interpretation of "Me Bobby McGee" so great - the histrionics are dialed way down.

Cool

Pretty good! Lots a great instrument work and the voice of an angle. Some good hits peppered with some less exciting songs

I'm always pleasantly surprised with Janis. Her and dusty are top tier "white girls doing black music" Enjoyable and bluesy. I find that I enjoy the instrumentals just as much as her vocal performances.

6.5/10 not that good but she had a nice voice

a bit all over the place. good stuff on here tho

Me and Bobby McGee is an all time great song, written by Kris Kristofferson. Love the blues rock, hippie vibes.

OH LORD WON’T YOU BUY ME A MERCEDES BENZ???

Janis took Rogovoy and Schuman's "Cry Baby" to places Garnet Mimms didn't quite get it to, not unlike Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton. I know because I've had the 45 of Cry Baby by Mimms with My Baby on the B side. I was blown away the first time I heard Janus do those songs. She did the same thing for Kris Kristifferson's Bobby McGee. This deserves a 10 or 12.

Cry baby is my favorite

Joplin's vocals are so iconic and recognizable. Sound is a mix of Elvis and Led Zeplin.

4.3 Really good album from janis joplin

Janis Joplin was so cool man

I forgot Janis Joplin was white, and I had no idea she had such a crazy and tragic life. Regardless, this was a cool, bombastic album and I enjoyed it.

#229 Janis! This was my first Janis album; on this list, and the first time really listening to a whole album of hers. It was every bit of of her throughout, packed with passionate vocals, that ebb (on songs like Me & Bobby McGee) and Flows (like on Cry Baby). The soul is packed throughout, the little inflections can be heard but you'd be tough to find someone who could do it like her. There are no other female artists I can think of; for male artists I think of maybe Joe Cocker? Anyway, its a great album. I can see why its on this list and on Rolling Stones top 500 albums list. Biggest Hit - Cry Baby Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - Buried Alive In the Blues Hidden Gem - A Woman Left Lonely

A great car sing along listen.

Liked it great voice added two songs from it

First song is stuck in my head now.

I'm more of a Janie Jimplin fan myself. 4.9/5

diva

I'm inlove with Jenis and that album!!! so bad she died so early ): my beloved

Rå dame, fornøyelig mens det går, men føles litt låtfattig i tilbakeblikk.

Platene med Big Brother & the Holding Company har bop på bop og er røffe rockeplater. På Pearl er det litt mer nedpå soulaktig og Joplin er fortsatt en av de beste rockevokalistene, men låtmessig og soundmessig gir ikke utvalget meg så mye. Har en snikende følelse av at det ikke er helt ferdig, ettersom albumet kom ut posthumt.

Amazing album from an amazing singer. So much power and passion in her voice.

music is love

Immediately we have a mix of soul/delta blues vocals, with 60s psch-rock/blues style. Think Jefferson Airplane meets Cream. Vocals are impressive, somewhere between Aretha Franklin and Courtney Love, once the distortion starts. Fast, semi-spoken sould delivery on slow verses of Cry Baby puts me in mind of Prince I'm not a huge fan of slower numbers like Cry Baby or A Woman Left Lonely, no matter how strong the climax. Half Moon does it again - starts as Prince, chorus of Aretha Me and Bobby McGee is more country. Crazy how much better the opening few tracks are compared to the second half of the album. Best track - Move Over, Half Moon 3 stars - it is an interesting convergence of genres, but it's not for me. And the country stuff does nothing for me

This lady has pipes. Phenomenal voice, phenomenal talent, I was blown away by her ability, and less blown away by her music. The songs were all good, but I wasn’t a fan of how almost every song had this slow section with belting lyrics and the choir. Like they were epic but your whole album shouldn’t be epic moments. Favs Half Moon Buried alive in the blues Get it while you can

Didn’t listen as much as a should have but I was unmoved

Another good vibe album. While nothing here stood out to me as something amazing per se, the album had a lot of great songs and really no misses. Janice Joplin is a legend and it’s collections like this that show why. Favorites: Me and Bobby McGee, Get it While You Can

Our first entry from the 27 Club. A posthumous album from a fellow Texan, but that's about all the context I had going into this album. I should look more into it after this listen though. Drugs and musical talent usually make for a hell of a Wikipedia page. This album was really well produced! The Full Tilt Boogie Band earns its namesake here, especially on Buried Alive In The Blues, but never overpowers Janis. The keys add such a bright color to the entire album, piano or Hammond, and the bassline stays lively throughout. The songwriting is top-notch as well, really tender lyrics but I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff. The real attraction here is Janis Joplin's singing. Wow! That raspy mezzo soprano is captivating, and that wildness belies a disciplined control of her vibrato. She's got a voice like a lit cigarette in a barrel of fireworks. It's raunchy, full-throttle, hard-charging, and BIG! The vocal affectations on Mercedes Benz are a bit over the top, but you can tell she put her soul on the track here. 7/10, will round up to a 4 star because of that great voice Favorites: - A Woman Left Lonely - Half Moon (FUNKY) - My Baby - Me and Bobby McGee - Get It While You Can

This had me feeling like I was in church and we were in the middle of a praise break. Organ playing, Choir singing, people stomping their feet and clapping their hands. There were moments where Janis just SANG with that beautiful raspy voice and you could feel it in your soul. But I felt these moments happened over and over again so by the end of the album I’d become numb to it. By the end of the album I realized this record has its fair share of bangers but overall was just okay. Favorite songs: - Move Over - A Women Left Lonely - Me and Bobby McGee - Mercedes Benz - Get it While You Can Rating: Low 7/10

3,5/5

Screeching loose blues...not good...

Really fun, jovial, energetic album. Never went beyond a couple well known songs with Janis Joplin, so this was my first full listen of an album of hers; gotta say, I kinda loved it. Such a unique, powerful voice, and the music was a lot more heavy 60s-style rock than the hippie stuff I was led to believe. A couple songs I was lukewarm on, but the record overall was a damn good one. Strong 4/5

Funkier that I was expecting. A good funk rock workout with one of the most iconic female rock vocalists of all time. The only woman I ever knew who could scream softly. There are also a few slower numbers, like her take on Me & Bobby McGee. She slightly overeggs the pudding trying to improvise and make it her own, but a fine performance of a great song all the same.

Favourites:Me and Bobby McGee, Cry Baby and Mercedes Benz.

Mercedes Benz sounds like Tyler Childers. Amazing album. So unique. What a talent.

Really fun! 4.5

One thing about me is I love a singer with a unique voice. Janis Joplin, with her distinct scratchiness, was certainly one of those singers, and she used it to great effect on this album. On tracks like Cry Baby and Get It While You Can, she shows a great mastery of how to use intensity to sell emotion, practically screaming on the choruses but scaling it back down on the verses. Her voice is the main appeal here, but she's also a solid songwriter, although the standout track for me is her excellent cover of Kris Kristofferson's Me and Bobby McGee, where she transitions from the bluesy soul of most of the record into a more country adjacent sound. The band here does a solid job as well, with some particularly catchy organ sections. It does suffer from some lack of variety, but when you have such a passionate singer at the center it's hardly even an issue.

Gone way too soon.

INCREIBLEEEE, LA AMOOOO! Su voz es única y hermosa, su música acogedora y cálida, lejos de cómo percibí la música de los Stones. Me encantó!!!! Lo amé demasiado Fue una propuesta indudablemente extraordinaria para la época

Probs more like a 3.5. Decent though

Son préféré : Mercedez benz, Cry baby , me and bobby McGee. Quelle puissance dans sa voix. Bravo

Quite good. Such a unique voice gone too soon.

It was ok. It was nice that it was only 34 minutes. She reminds me of a PG female version of Led Zeppelin??

achei uma bagunça sonora, mas não odiei. consigo me visualizar ouvindo esse em segundo plano enquanto pinto, faço palavras cruzadas ou arrumo a casa. achei também bastante influente, dá pra ver que muita gente bebeu da fonte desse álbum.

super energetic album! Really great throughout honestly

Really liked this album and finding out more about her life

Nicht so meins. Stimme ist manchmal etwas anstrengend.

Pretty cool some fire tracks but some tracks were a bit annoying. Overall I like it

Was nice background listening

This was so fun and I just love her voice. The Mercedes-Benz song was great. She has great energy. This is another artist who I've heard so much about but have never really listened to. I really enjoyed it.

Listened twice, fun energetic. Enjoyed

7/10 Buen album, divertido. Una instrumental movida y una voz alegre que pegan muy bien juntas

Somehow I kinda enjoyed this album, even though I am not all that keen on blues and soul music. Perhaps it is the fact that the vocals reminded me of a lot of other female singers from later rock bands such as Debbie harry, Joan Jett, Chrissie Hynde and Lzzy Hale. I feel like they were heavily influenced by Janis Joplin's rough and wide ranged vocal style that would be popular in female fronted rock and metal bands. So there's no way I could bring myself to hate this album.

I was born in 08… idk chile

The voice is incredible, and I did enjoy this record, but it’s not something I think I could listen to over and over again.

Janis has great energy for a performer and she's got great feel. I could never get past her voice, which, to me, is like nails on a chalkboard. Still fairly solid album, but I'd prefer somebody else. It's still not hard to see how Janis had a huge impact on future bands. Especially on records in the 70s.

Janis is always an incredible listen, though her voice is so intense I don't usually want any more at the end of the record. Has some classics like Bobby McGee.

I know people in real life with this sort of unhinged energy, and frankly that’s already enough for me.

Eh...Joplin has one of the great voices of all time, and there are two or three classics on here, but honestly I don't feel much desire to listen back as an album. You can't hate on it, and as one of relatively few women on the list there are certainly worse, but it feels like a bunch of middling songs elevated by a great voice. Middling 3.

Powerful voice; not really my cup of tea but enjoyed it.

This album is, fine. I bet it's a fun one to have on vinyl. None of the songs have really 'grabbed' me, but nothing on it is bad.

Not really my style

Fun and catchy

🫡

obra prima

😃

Amazing album. Never listened to it before, and I loved it. Had no idea it was a posthumous release. Every track is solid.

It's a really enjoyable listen. Amazing vocals and blues. It's funny as I only had the Cheap Thrills album earlier in the week. This is more polished and professional sounding but I actually prefer the 'rough around the edges' Cheap Thrills album. Same rating though I think whereas that was a high 4 stars this is a low 4 stars.

I was actually looking to get into more female rock artists so I loved this as my first must able to listen to !! Favs definitely move over ! but I will have to let it simmer a few more times before truly ranking any song.

no comment

<3

God i fucking love her voice. Why don’t I listen to her literally ever? Cry Baby omfg. Me and Bobby McGee. So good. This snowballed into me having Piece of My Heart stuck in my head for a good 5+ hours (performed by me, driving home from the ferry, in gibberish)

Some absolute classics here, and holy shit did she have a voice. Not my standard jam, but ya gotta love Janis.

Is this song (Bobby McGee) about the trials of pre-cellphone relationships? I didn't think I would enjoy this, her voice is not my favorite. I ended up really liking it, much mellower than I thought.

RIP Janis. It's nice to hear some less-played tracks. Inevitably there's a sense of what-could-have-been. The a capella Mercedes Benz is heartbreaking.

No hay nadie que pueda replicar ese tono de voz tan único y especial. Realmente artistas de las que ya no hay. Igual he de admitir que en un punto se vuelve un poco cansador siempre el mismo recurso vocal, pero es que como no presumirlo.

dang Janice from the Muppets sure has some pipes

Alright

Such talent. RIP.

I only really like "Half Moon," "Me and Bobby McGee," and "Trust Me" but not really any of the others. I've never cared for Joplin's singing style personally and never understood the appeal. If others like it, great. It's just not for me. (2/5)

Very cool

Didn't know what to expect going in to this one but loved it, the music is wonderful it's funky at times and other times rock or folky or country all while getting hit with Janis and her powerful voice

Such a great album. Its the first time in a great while that I started an album and when I had to get up I felt bad about pausing even if it was in between songs. Previously I have only heard one of her songs I think so I wasn't sure what I was going in to but the voice, the emotions. Its a great album through and trough.

Awesome stuff, but not much variety.

1. Move Over: The track is very upbeat, has groovy guitar, and energetic vocals from Joplin. "You know that I need a mannnn". 2. Cry Baby: Very smooth intro, same energetic vocals, then transitioned into smooth blues/rnb jam. Very euphoric chorus. Vocals are definitely a clear standout. 3. A Woman Left Lonely: Starting off slow, with more melodic, less energizing vocals. Some of my favorite production so far. Finished off song with strong vocals heard from in past 2 tracks. 4. Half Moon: Starts off groovy. Reggae type vibe? Strong guitar section in the middle of song. This lover brings life to her. 5. Buired Alive In the Blues: Beautiful track despite it being instrumental. 6. My Baby: Another solid love song by Janis. Very pleasant guitar solo in the middle. 7. Me and Booby McGee: Starting off with different vocals compared to previous tracks. More country-like. Great change, I feel like I was getting tired of her energetic vocals. Oooo the pace starts to pick up after the La la la la bridge. 8. Mercedes Benz: Acoustic Track can I call it? Vocals with subtle tapping in the background. Not bad, just not something I am used to. At this point I am getting very sick of this sound. Do not understand how this is the third highest streamed song on this album on Spotify. 9. Trust Me: Honestly just hoping for this album to end at this point. Her vocals were very stunning and were a clear standout in the beginning but I am just sick of it now. I can see the appeal, but definitely not something I and used to and something I would listen to. 10. Get It While You Can: Promising start. Pretty good despite me hating on the album a few songs ago. Overall Thoughts: The album started off really strong. Her energetic vocals are definitely a clear standout were really impressive for the time being. Themes of this album are definitely about the admiration and showing her love for her "Pearl". About feeling "full" because of her lover, like she isn't complete or even happy without her pearl. One of the first blues/soul album I have listened to so maybe I am just not used to this sound. This is something I can confidently play for my grandparents and expect a good vibe. Me personally, I am not sure if I will listen to it again. Regardless, I can for sure recognize and appreciate the vocal skills and performance that Janis displayed. Rating: 6/10 Favorite Song: Get It While You Can Least Favorite Song: Mercedes Benz

if you listen to this earnestly, it’s great. in 2026, this would absolutely not work. but in 1971 this record was something special.

I mean, who doesn’t like Jackie Jormp-Jomp?

Yknow, you sorta think Janis Joplin is an overrated anomaly until you hear 1) Ball and Chain, and 2) Cry Baby. The latter is here, obviously. What a goddamn torch song, what a belter. It's the little bit of extra sauce that helps paint Joplin as more than the hippie-dippy stereotype that even many of her fans revere her as. That's sorta the magic of Pearl. It's the sort of icon that lots of people haven't really delved into. Sure, we all know Bobby McGee, so well that the song has almost become meaningless. Fewer of us know Mercedes Benz, a (presumably) ironic consumerist prayer. But are we familiar with the funk of Half Moon, where her voice smooths out into a surprising timbre nothing like that brazen rasp that defines our collective notion of her? What about the hedonistic yet chilling prescience of bluesy “Get it While You Can”? The ache of “A Woman Left Lonely”? We probably should be. Janis was a bigger loss than I think most of us realize. This album clicked for me before I was in my vinyl era. A good relisten and this is on the list to get on proper wax. Strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Her rendition of Me and Bobby McGee is great and carries the album. Everything else… well her wildness comes across as an affectation and leaves me a little cold. Particularly for a studio setting.

A couple good songs. Not really my thing.

A: Yo. yay kvinnlig artist. Vill int ens veta i hurudan minoritet kvinnor är här 🏝️ (dom är ensamma på en ö). Det var classy, det var sparkly, det var en Mercedes Benz. Det var också med en Raye låt (nej men måste ju vara en stor isnpirationskälla för Rayes musik?). Idk om jag sku lyssna i sig men slay 4/5 (eeeh BA-tier?) D: Raye? Is that you? Kändes ställvis som att man sku ha tappat countrylåtar in i en jukebox och skakat om. Intressant men ganska kaotisk. 3/5

Meh. Difficult to listen to at times.

Nice vocals of course, but the album was just alright.

her voice isn't really for me, but i get the vibe that she's going for and i respect that.

Great album sort of the watershed album between the 1960s and 1970s. You hear that great Southern sounding soul and blues of the 70s, while still containing the piece and love ideals of the 60s. It sounds like a farewell to the 60s due to Janis's big voice, the great arrangements especially on the organ and of course the sudden lose of Janis right after this album was finished. 5/5- also perfect length of an album

Blytung feminism! Älskar tjejer!

Couldn’t get into this really, I appreciate her voice is good but it was a bit grating for me at times

I'm not a big fan, but the singing and the instrumentation were top-notch.

obvious talent, and big respect...but i just don't vibe with it

Just a tremendous work of beauty.

Just one of the coolest and most soulful vocalists who ever walked the face of the earth. Another sad example of someone who was just getting started before thier untimely death.

This is the type of music my aunt would love but this shi is not for me but she is talented

liked it.

based on whether or not I think people need to hear this before they die, part of a 1001 albums series, I think this falls short. I think instrumentally there are other projects on here that encapsulate the 70's better than this, I think there are better vocalists on here as well. I think that the genre she is presenting as a whole is also represented in a better way by other artists that she is influenced by. Perhaps it's really mean to say what I really think about this album's standing in terms of recognition in the grand scheme of music, so I'll leave it there. I think musically this is nowhere near a 1/10 or a 1/5 or whatever. It's somewhere in the boomer/10 category, but still.

I have never been a particularly big fan of Janis Joplin, so this album hasn't really changed my mind, sadly... 😬

Не надто мені подобається, проте Дженіс Джоплін легенда.

A great soulful, bluesy Americana album. Sensational vocals. Cry Baby was my absolute favourite from this album and Get It While You Can was a superb closing track. Really enjoyable listen and one of the few albums so far I’ve wished was longer.

It’s good, and I wanted to like it. I just didn’t like it that much.

I can see why people like this, but it just didnt hit for me. Crybaby was decent tho

Great vocals and she was gone to soon. She sounds a lot like a female version of Joe Cocker. 7/10 Top song... Mercedes Benz

Ridiculously powerful vocals. Definitely an album I haven’t spent much time with, which is a shocking thing to say considering I have it on vinyl somewhere. This is going into the listen again pile!

On October 1st 1970 Janis Joplin walked into Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood and recorded Mercedes Benz in one unaccompanied take. No band, no production, just her voice and three minutes of sardonic anti-consumerist blues she co-wrote on a napkin. Three days later she was dead at 27 in a Los Angeles motel room. The album was released four months later without her knowledge, shot to number one without her presence, and became her most defining work without her permission. The 27 Club does not wait for anyone to finish their business. Pearl is everything Cheap Thrills should have been. Big Brother and the Holding Company were holding her back sonically whether they knew it or not, a band built around psychedelic San Francisco excess surrounding a voice that needed room to breathe and arrangements worthy of what it was doing. The Full Tilt Boogie Band gave her exactly that. Bluesy, soulful, muscular, and completely in service of the most extraordinary instrument in the room. Me and Bobby McGee became her only number one single. Kris Kristofferson did not even know she had recorded it until after she died. The song captures something genuinely joyful, a girlish warmth that sits completely at odds with everything the music industry had decided Janis Joplin was supposed to be. It is the sound of someone whose life was finally improving, which makes it almost unbearable in retrospect. Buried Alive in the Blues exists on the album as an instrumental. The vocals were never recorded because she died before she could return to finish them. Nobody else was offered the chance to sing it. It sits there in the middle of the album, complete and incomplete simultaneously, which is the most honest thing on a record full of honest things. This album is everything Cheap Thrills should have been. Her demise was a warning to my generation. If the 90s is any indication, Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley, Shannon Hoon, Bradley Nowell, we did not listen. The volume was apparently too loud to hear the message, which is both the tragedy and the point. 4 out of 5. One star for Cry Baby, which opens with one of the great vocal entrances in rock history. One for Me and Bobby McGee, recorded in what turned out to be the final weeks of her life and sounding inexplicably like the beginning of something. One for Mercedes Benz, three minutes of a cappella genius recorded three days before the end. One for the Full Tilt Boogie Band, who gave her the arrangements she always deserved and never got to tour behind. The fifth star belongs to the album she would have made next, which we will never hear.

yass

Great voice, great music. I'm always a bit skeptical of 60s/70s white person blues but she really did knock it out of the park. I've slept on this one until now

Her biggest album. Meh

So nice, I had to listen to it twice. What a voice.

Working hard to simultaneously hold the thoughts that this is much better in pretty much every way than Cheap Thrills, but I also still don’t like it that much for most of its runtime because I really don’t get on with Janis Joplin’s vocals for most of that time. So ultimately, the band can be better, she can have better moments and songs (I actually don’t dislike Me and Bobby McGee as much as I expected, she kept her voice in a sweet spot range between quietly slurring and rough wailing for a lot of that song) and it’s still not something for me or that I would ever want to come back to.

Que voz, que arranjos, bizarro!

liked it

Iba bien hasta mercedez benz, me dio bronca esa canción. El resto bastante bien, nada que ma cambie la vida, y ninguna que diga wow.

Very warm, radiant

Such a powerful voice. A tragic loss.

#396 Loved the vibrancy of this album, very soulful, excellent voice, and I didn’t know it was her song that I know from the Mercedes Benz commercial! I’m more familiar with her name than anything else but a quick bit of research reveals a tragic addition to the 27 club. 😢 Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ✅ Listen before you die? ✅ Fave track(s): Mercedes Benz Rating: 7/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

No tengo mucho para decir, sape.

full of soul, but the cracking voice is not for me. too much delivery for me. i prefer more modern, polished sounds

Gone too soon

This is the first album that I'm going to be reviewing as part of the 1001 Albums challenge! As well as doing this random generator, I'll be simultaneously doing them in chronological order from the book, that way I get to hear each album twice, something that I think is important to truly understand an album. So here's my review: While I didn’t enjoy this as much as my first listen, the talent presented on this album is incredible! Joplin has one of the most powerful and unique voices in the history of music and really uses it to its full capability on this album. The first two tracks are my favourites, after them the album goes on a slight decline, but never too far, it always remains enjoyable! The last 2 tracks were great and so is the iconic ‘Me And Bobby McGee’!

A national treasure, nothing else like it

In college I had a Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits album and about half of it was tracks from this album. What a talent she was.

A must-listen (and must-understand and appreciate) album that exemplifies Joplin's unique voice and power.

Did not care for it

5/10 - Odd album with some songs that I would not have expected to have enjoyed as much as I did but also just not my thing at all.

Short and sweet rock n roll album with tons of blues influence. Would I say it's one of the greatest albums ever? Probably not. But there's not a whole lot to dislike here.

I find Janis Joplin's life more interesting than most of her music. The history of rock and roll is littered with white people who stole something from poor, black artists. It could've been a rhythm, a hook, a dance move, a fashion style; Janis tried to steal all of it! Cheap Thrills with Big Brother Holding company especially was basically a stereophonic minstrel show and for your own sake, please don't google the name of her follow up album. Now, that doesn't take away from the fact that Janis had a rough, painful life. I do believe she really admired the artists she was emulating and some of the results are bonafide classics. Pearl has some amazing moments on it and outside of Bobby McGee, I've always enjoyed Mercedes Benz and Cry Baby. Just not enough to make up for the rest of her body of work.

de zeventies

Classic blues album, clear mastery of her craft is shown through the songs, though short the album was a memorable and lovely experience.

Skvelý album.

I really enjoyed this one tbh. The “half moon” and instrumental song after it were really groovy. She’s got a really gritted powerful voice :)

I dig this more than what she was doing with Big Brother. The gal could sing her ass off. Groovy, fierce and all-out everything. I was most shaken up by Mercedes Benz because you can hear a pinch of Janis' speaking voice. It sounds very different than her singing voice. To think that she would be gone so suddenly during the recording of this album really fucks me up. Janis was human too (9/10, 5/5 on this scale)

A true 5

Such a talented singer, holy shit. There's so much soul packed into this album which hit even harder on a second listen. 8/10

Second JJ within a week! Not as good as Cheap Thrills

Really good. This girl's gonna go far.

one of those artists you always hear people rave about but that just doesn't do it for me. I don't find her songs catchy, I don't like the tone or quality of her voice, it's not melodic, no intrigued by her life story, I just don't like it alright, get off my back. A very generous 3 to not upset the nerds

Very good she has a lovely voice and I would listen again

Woulda been a 3 due to its relative bland blues nature but Janis is just too legendary to ignore.

Phenomenal. So many great songs in here. Incredible voice.

obviously she's got a killer voice. I was v pleased with the band's sound here too -- they're all rippin it from start to finish. songs vary enough to keep things interesting throughout. great stuff.

I only ever really heard “Me and Bobby McGee” before, so I wasn’t quite prepared for Janis’ full-throated belt. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and the band does a great job providing a backdrop just as powerful. “Cry Baby” really stands out. 4.5

fav songs: move over get it while you can gritty, soulful, balanced 60/100

80

Mercedes Benz is such a beautiful, raw and small, but arresting moment for that iconic voice.

This is the complete package. Absolutely incredible. Janis Joplin has one of the best voices in music and the songs, far from being purely vehicles for showing it off, are all genuinely fantastic in their own right. Can't pick out individual tracks because it was just one after the other. I could listen to this all day. Beyond the music, she has the rock and roll credentials including the unwanted membership of the 27 club. Taken far too young but boy, what an album she left behind

Before my time but still a great listen

shrugs again

Tragically young.

High energy start, god she was so talented Cry Baby pulls at my heart and did in fact make me cry I’ve loved Mercedes Benz since I was a kid :) I didn’t realize how much she didn’t write but I don’t care, still incredible.

Not for me but she does have a killer voice. Was it intentional that when I squint at "Pearl" on the album cover it looks like it says "Dead!"

Excellent

I think I just really love Janis Joplin’s voice. Without even recognizing the context of this album’s release (dropping three months after her untimely passing), there’s a persistent electricity marked by Joplin’s star-defining idiosyncrasy. She makes full use of her voice as the instrument it is, and the album is better for it. The songs could caterwaul for a minute too long on some tracks, but they were never devoid of the emotion needed to make the delivery land. Strong four! STAND-OUT SONG: “Cry Baby” HONORABLE MENTIONS: “Me And Bobby McGee”, “Get It While You Can”, “A Woman Left Lonely”

Some songs were great but overall not my cup of tea. Nice to listen to one song, but listening to the album in a row gave me a headache

3.5/5 good vibes on here

So raw and emotional. Truly incredible

Honestly believe the hype with Janis Joplin. Great singer, great performer, and a proper rock personality which are few and far between these days. This record was great, but a lot of covers so probably falls short of a 5 for me. 8 / 10 Best track/s: Buried Alive In The Blues, My Baby (that pulsing buzz sound here feels so ahead of it's time), Me and Bobby McGee

felt nice listening to this one, nothing sticks out in any major way but it's a warm project and I can feel it, there were gospel influences in places I didn't think would be there.

Pretty great - wonder what kind of sound she would have today!

Classic Janis!

Did not enjoy it much

This was her crowning glory and unfortunately she didn't get to bask in it for one second. Highlights are Me n Bobby McGee Mercedes Benz Move Over opening track and the closing track Get It While You Can. She can really belt it out on some tracks usually the better known tunes. On the others it sometimes sounds like cauterwaling. I like her though.

Another that I had t really listened to since college. Amazing how different these songs sound to my older brain, than they did when I was I my early twenties. Especially considering that Joplin wasn’t much older than that when she recorded them.

This slaps.

I just don't dig Janis Joplin. Her sound hasn't dated very well. Too much singing.

She is talented but I just don’t like these type of songs

Surement ce qui ce fat de mieux en blues/country rock

She’s so freaking cool

#4. Did not really resonate with me, not sure why. The only song I would listen to again is Me and Bobby McGee.

Nunca ouvi álbum ruim da Janis

Enjoyed this. Janis put her whole soul into this album. Struggling to find the words to describe it, but I appreciated the variety of sounds and soulful voice on these songs. (4)

This is a great rock and roll record! I'd heard of Janis, but I'd never listened to any of her work. She's got an incredible powerful voice and blues influence adds a great touch to this piece. It gets a pit honky tonk towards the middle with Me and Bobby McGee and Mercedes Benz, which brings this record down for me a little. Overall a great album which I forsee myself relistening to (albeit a few skips).

such a great record, stands the test of time

Pretty good. Interesting little skit(?) thing in the middle with the mercedes song, but no strong feelings either way with this.

Inte min smak så mycket

feels like classy rock music, not my favourite

I only have good things to say about this record. Such a powerful and raw voice, she was just pure talent.

Great album from a blues belter. Janis was never subtle but the songs are packed with emotion. 4

Really good. Some singer. If it was an option, it would be a high 3.

'Cry Baby' is so annoying and is basically what I expected all of Janis Joplin's music to sound like, but the rest is relatively toned down. I think her voice is just a stumbling block for me though and this album was meant as a showcase for it so. But it's fine.

Didn't finish it. Admire the spunk, passion and rebelliousness of her sound and clearly she was an icon of her generation... but the music isn't for me. I liked the instrumental parts but her voice grated on me and I don't love 'shouty' rock music

damn worng pull she have better ones but this one aemmm

Never was a huge Janis fan. I get her place in history, and it doesn’t bother me to listen, but always felt like the hype was a little more than the actual output.

Classic but don’t dig it

Pretty good. Feels like I should have more to say here but don't. Joplin's a super-talented voice and songwriter over music that otherwise doesn't tickle my fancy. Fav tracks: Half Moon, Me and Bobby McGee

I dunno, her voice is honestly not that great and a bit abrasive to listen to for an entire album. Some of the instrumental music was nice though, so I guess it balances out to mediocrity.

Super great minus the 'acoustic' version of Mercedes Benz. That ragged voice really stands out.

What an iconic sound. Her voice carries so much depth for someone so young. Shame about the 27 club. Cry Baby Me and Bobby McGee Mercedes Benz

Decent blues rock, her voice gets grating after a bit though.

Il y a tellement d’émotion dans sa voix, c’est fou

I believe Janis Joplin more than any other singer I’ve ever heard.

It's easy to respect Janis, she's just not really my taste. The band isn't bad but it's a niche bad-ass hippie-power rock that stems from a classic rock and roll sound. Great execution, but it's a somewhat bland experience for me. This of course is secondary to Joplin's voice, which I do find appealing, but not enough to want to play this record beyond today. I'm glad I heard it, I'm happy I went deep into it and used my best speakers for the experience. I don't need this record for my collection, though I might consider it at the right price, for the art.

psychodelic rock mixed with soul and blues- not my personal prefrence of the rock gener

There is a lot to love here. Her voice obviously. The writing. Her legacy of being one taken too soon.

Hörs att hon rökt en del men det är lite charmigt. Verkligen ett wine-aunt album och inte så mycket mer än det!

It was fine. Quite enjoyable but I wouldn't rush back to listen again - 2/5.

angry hippy stuff

not a fan of a raspy voice

Favorite song: get it while you can

cracking voice

Typiskt Janis, okej

I love the raw vocals. The southern stompish hee haw rock was tolerable, but I can only love her as a legend, not this album. 2/5

I’m with Jeronimo. A mix of classic and so-so songs makes it hard time rate but man those great songs

Oh man this one is hard to rate. On one hand, she had an amazing voice and there are 3-4 bangers here. On the other, the rest of the songs are ok and I don’t particularly listen to blues. But those songs are so good!

Wasnt album, seemed like a pretty generic 70s rock album

great album! lots of fun and energy and joy in here, and the instrumentals are excellent. i couldn't listen to this on repeat but i will probably listen to this again

cê grita demais fia

Favorite song: A Woman Left Lonely

- It was alr. But uh you go queen

Her voice is absolutely unique and she truly used it as an instrument.

Very good album!

Well good morning, Pipes. Love her or hate her, you gotta' admit, this woman could sing! Sure we've got Heart, Joan Jet, Halestorm but damn are there not enough voices like this in rock and metal. We need more. Really enjoying the performance of the Full Tilt Boogie Band as well. As an accompaniment band you'd expect them to fade into the background but NOPE. They're front and center really jamming out. "Buried Alive in the Blues", hell yeah. Bummer Joplin never got to record her part. Sounds like it would have been amazing. PS: gurl, take that feather duster off your head. Drugs, I tell ya'

I recall not caring for the other Joplin record that came up earlier, but I dug this.

my glorious queen, janis joplin. love this record so much. she makes incredible blues music. it's always a privilege to listen to her.

A Woman Left Lonely Half Moon Me and Bobby McGee Mercedes Benz Trust Me Get It While You Can

nice selection of songs, voice ranging from Aretha to Adele

:(

Unmistakable voice. Gone way too soon

ok

de titel zegt het al.. pareltje

Trailer park Aretha Franklin

Despite being unconventional, Joplin has an incredibly beautiful voice that is perfect for the emotion of her songs. It’s a phenomenal blend of blues and rock, with a tinge of psychedelia. There’s not a bad song on here, and most are absolute classics.

I never realised how many of her most beloved songs were released posthumously. Her voice is so strong and powerful that it's almost impossible to believe that it went silent so soon but even without the tragic backstory this album is exactly what I hoped to find here. I knew the hits I knew it existed but now I don't know why I never listened to it fully back to back in my life. It's simply beautiful. The song Mercedes Benz spoke more to me than usually in between the other songs, it's such a nice break in the loud music to just listen to the voice alone. But the moment that won't leave my head for long is her rawr at the beginning of cry baby. It's hard to process how young she was while crafting such a masterpiece

Powerful and bruised, the sad last will and testament of a tragic artist. Trades the raw energy of Big Brother for the polish Full Tilt Boogie Band, who to be fair do less to get in the way. Including ‘Buried Alive In The Blues’ as an instrumental because she died the day before she was due to record the vocal is a sad reflection on a lost talent.

Such an iconic voice - did not know she was the one who sang Cry Baby! Or that she died during the sessions for this record.

It was... fine? Nothing special, but not-not enjoyable

Wow, what an amazing voice spoiled by a terrible backing band. Janis has such a powerful and unique sound, if only the band playing behind her could get their shit together. If it wasn't for the amateurs wanking off while trying to play their instruments in the background, this album would easily be among my top albums. Standout vocal performances are "Me and Bobby McGee", "Mercedes Benz", and "Move Over". "Mercedes Benz" is proof that the band knew they weren't needed. The only thing the drummer did was keep beat. Ms. Joplin carries every song, as she should and her vocals are so beautiful and her vocal fry is incredible. Unfortunately, because Big Brother & The Holding Company suck so much shit it's a 6/10 for me.

Det er dælme godt - hun har bare en vild stemme.

*77 Ritti lækkert. Tak for kaffe, Janis.

Det er meget fedt

Det er altså et lækkert album. 3.9

Hvis vi lige tager en omgang Doors er vi vist ved at være hele vejen igennem klub 27. Har det lidt blandet med albummet. Det er virkelig godt, men samtidig synes jeg et helt album med skrige-vokal er lidt til den gode side. Men svært ikke at anderkende den musikalske kvalitet!

Sorry. I find it boring and ever so samey.

Freaking awesome, Janis Joplin's vocals are to die for

The louder played, the better. Great music and great voice. I can only take like 3 or 4 Janis songs at a time though. Not sure why. Still great though.

Nice predetaor of woman-rock

Love her voice. She sounds like singing is just as easy as talking, with an instantly recognizable voice. The way Me & Bobby McGee sounds like a memory told to you.... I've been in love with this song my whole life

emotional

Insane record. I found my way to Janis Joplin in middle school, this record takes me back. The vocals are insane, what a unique lady. Everything about this sound just works, diverse album mixing a lot of influences.

Me conflictua mucho porque evidentemente es un gran gran talento, pero sentí que escuché la misma canción por ahí 8 veces seguidas, es un 3.5, pero tirando a 3

Enjoyed this, can definitely hear where she has impacted future artists

Je zou door die legendarische stem bijna vergeten dat je ook een waanzinnig goede band hoort die ijzersterke rock songs speelt.