JANIS JOPLIN

JANIS JOPLIN
BOX OF PEARLS: THE COLLECTION (1999)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

This wonderful, five-disc set includes all the Janis basics; her two albums with Big Brother & the Holding Co (Self-titled and Cheap Thrills), her first solo album with the Kozmic Blues Band (I Got Dem Old Kozmic Blues Again, Mama!), her final studio album with her Full Tilt Boogie Band (Pearl), and a disc of rare, never-before-released tracks (Rare Pearls). All of it is amazing material, in my opinion, from the tamer earlier Big Brother tracks, to the screeching guitars and screaming vocals found on Cheap Thrills, to the soulful blues of Janis's first solo album, to the vocal masterpieces that make up Janis's last album.
I would recommend this set to...well, anyone...but I would most recommend it to just-starting-out Janis fans; this set has, like I said, all the basics, then, if you're just dying to get ahold of every single track she ever recorded (like I am!), there are a lot - A LOT - of Janis "Best of" compilations that each have different live versions of songs, so you can hunt through those and buy single mp3s on itunes or Amazon, then there's Live at Winterland with Big Brother, and finally Farewell Song is a great Janis compilation that's sort of a ragtag collection of rare songs/versions of songs. Also, the three-disc set called "Janis" has a lot of great earlier material as well as her birthday message for John Lennon. And lastly, I would highly recommend going to YouTube and looking up "young Janis Joplin," because there are a bunch of incredible recordings of Janis singing real gritty bluegrass, folk, and blues. ("No Reason for Livin'" is my favorite -- look it up!)
At the end of "Bo Diddley" on Rare Pearls, keep listening on because there's a snippet of Janis talking about a particularly good London concert. And we get to hear her laugh! Isn't that the icing on the cake or what. Get this collection, end of story.

Disc 1:
Big Brother and the Holing Company
featuring Janis Joplin (1967)
1. Bye, Bye Baby
2. Easy Rider
3. Intruder
4. Light Is Faster Than Sound
5. Call On Me
6. Women Is Losers
7. Blindman
8. Down On Me
9. Caterpillar
10. All Is Loneliness
Bonus Tracks
11. Coo Coo
12. The Last Time (Single)
13. Call On Me (Alternate Take)
14. Bye, Bye Baby (Alternate Take)

Disc 2:
Cheap Thrills (1968)
1. Combination Of The Two
2. I Need A Man To Love
3. Summertime
4. Piece Of My Heart
5. Turtle Blues
6. Oh, Sweet Mary
7. Ball And Chain
Bonus Tracks
8. Roadblock
9. Flower In The Sun (Previously Unissued)
10. Catch Me Daddy (Live)
11. Magic Of Love (Live)

Disc 3:
I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! (1969)
1. Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)
2. Maybe
3. One Good Man
4. As Good As You've Been To This World
5. To Love Somebody
6. Kozmic Blues
7. Little Girl Blue
8. Work Me, Lord
Bonus Tracks
9. Dear Landlord
10. Summertime (Live)
11. Piece Of My Heart (Live)

Disc 4:
Pearl (1971)
1. Move Over
2. Cry Baby
3. A Woman Left Lonely
4. Half Moon
5. Buried Alive In The Blues
6. My Baby
7. Me And Bobby McGee
8. Mercedes Benz
9. Trust Me
10. Get It While You Can
Bonus Tracks
11. Tell Mama (Live)
12. Little Girl Blue (Live)
13. Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) (Live)
14. Cry Baby (Live)

Disc 5:
Rare Pearls (Bonus EP) (1999)
1. It's A Deal
2. Easy Once You Know How
3. Maybe (Live)
4. Raise Your Hand (Live)
5. Bo Diddley (Live)