![]() Never straying far from her duties as ’60s wild child, the social commentary returns in the self-penned a cappella track ‘Mercedes Benz’. And with a history of unsteady boyfriends and even dalliances with women, you know there is very real sincerity behind her words. To this day, it is linked inexplicably with Joplin’s legend.įrom ‘Cry Baby’, where Joplin defiantly states, “All you ever gotta do is be a good man, one time, to one woman, and that will be the end of the road” to ‘A Woman Left Lonely’, Joplin rides the rollercoaster of heartache and makes sure you’re in the passenger seat. It became her first Number One single when it topped the Billboard charts in March 1971 and was only the second posthumous Number One in rock history after Otis Redding’s ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay’. It is believed Kristofferson didn’t even know Joplin covered the track until after her death but it did not take long for the rest of the world to take notice. Fortuitously she had laid down vocals to the brilliant ‘Me And Bobby McGee’, a cover of a track penned by Kris Kristofferson, whom Joplin was romantically involved with for a short time. Ironically, the album created around a fictitious being may well be her most personal and honest.Īlthough recording was not entirely completed before Joplin’s death in October 1970 (‘Buried Alive In The Blues’ appears sans vocals as a result), there was still enough material to create an LP. The cover itself featured Joplin as Pearl in full hippie get-up, sporting a pink, feathered headdress and reclining on a decadent lounge chair with a drink in hand. The role ‘Pearl’ was to play in Joplin’s life was existential – Pearl was in fact Joplin’s alter ego, a self-medication she used to deal with the stresses and strains of life as Janis Joplin. Those she could handle, and felt most at peace with, were themselves junkies and she watched as several fell victims to their addictions. Most likely the hardest role to play in Joplin’s career was that of a friend, as she found many either too overbearing or overruling. These factors were to play important roles in Joplin’s return to the needle and also to the main stage. Album Description‘Pearl’ was to arrive at a curious crossroad in Joplin’s career on one hand she was still dealing with mixed reactions to her departure from Big Brother, which some felt an arrogant move and others a perfectly timed decision, and on the other she had a gold-selling album with the Kozmic Blues Band, ‘I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!’ that was still no match to Joplin’s predecessor with Big Brother, ‘Cheap Thrills’ (the best-selling album of 1968 in the US). See More Your browser does not support the audio element. © Richie Unterberger & Bruce Eder /TiVo More info ![]() Note that this box does not include a good deal of material that has shown up on the Janis box, the Janis movie soundtrack, In Concert, and Farewell Song, so it's not a complete collection of Joplin's recordings. In the original long-box shaped release, each of the CDs is packaged in a mini-LP-type jacket, which would be really cool except for the fact that, cheapskates that Sony management is, none has an inner-sleeve, so the CDs tend to roll out of the sleeve once they're unsealed, unless you put them back in the box very carefully additionally, the producers didn't re-create the gatefold design of Cheap Thrills there are two subsequent versions of the set, a domestic wide CD-sized box containing full, jewel-cased versions of the five discs, and a Japanese version in mini-LP sleeves (with inner sleeves) and with two accompanying booklets. The live versions of "Maybe" (April 1969) and "Raise Your Hand" (October 1969) are OK, but not essential of greater curiosity is the raw live charge through "Bo Diddley" (also October 1969). There are a couple of Cheap Thrills outtakes, "It's a Deal" and "Crazy Once You Know How," with a garagey feel and some typically scorching, uninhibited Big Brother lead guitar it can be seen why they may not have been deemed strong enough for the album, but they're pretty cool to have. The tracks on the bonus EP aren't available anywhere else, and if you're devoted enough to consider laying out for this deluxe box, you're probably most interested in what's on that fifth disc. Each of these four albums includes previously unreleased bonus tracks (including live material), and each is available separately with the same bonus cuts. Buy the album Starting at kr395,09Ī limited-edition five-CD box set comprising both albums that Janis Joplin made with Big Brother & the Holding Company (Cheap Thrills and Big Brother & the Holding Company), both of her solo albums (I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! and Pearl), and a bonus EP with five previously unreleased recordings. Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
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