Good Bad Or Indifferent Janis Joplin

neardeathexperience · 08-22-2013, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benthere

well said

Look around back at the time Janis was out there doing what she was doing. There were not a lot of female artists that were trying to mix it up with the big boys. Perhaps her biggest legacy is the what if question........Her body of work was minimal, but her mark on that era of music was immense in my opinion.

ladyislingering · 11-18-2013, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

I always thought her best stuff was with Big Brother and the Holding Company.

Agreed. Love their sound. Something about that San Francisco groove just gets me.

The thing I love about Janis is that she didn't just sing. She bled. She had this incredible war going on in her head, so much pain in her heart, and she just bled on stage. She was authentic. You could feel her; you can still feel her. I get chills listening to her (especially live footage - you can't get the full Janis experience just listening to studio tracks).

I don't really feel there was a tragic loss when she passed. I feel that she accomplished what she needed to in the short time that she was alive, and had she lived on, she would have seen nothing but agony (and chances are, she would have had to stop sharing that with us).

Here's Janis at the Monterey Pop Festival. I lived not far from the fairgrounds where this historical event took place. There's not much there but buildings, and it's all fenced in. Not exactly as magical as I would have imagined. (Sorry to break anyone's heart, but it's gone.)

Spoiler for unpopular opinion:

"Ball and Chain"

at 3:31 you can see Mama Cass - another legend we lost too soon.

RIP Janis, you lost little girl. Love you.

neardeathexperience · 11-30-2013, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ladyislingering

Agreed. Love their sound. Something about that San Francisco groove just gets me.

The thing I love about Janis is that she didn't just sing. She bled. She had this incredible war going on in her head, so much pain in her heart, and she just bled on stage. She was authentic. You could feel her; you can still feel her. I get chills listening to her (especially live footage - you can't get the full Janis experience just listening to studio tracks).

I don't really feel there was a tragic loss when she passed. I feel that she accomplished what she needed to in the short time that she was alive, and had she lived on, she would have seen nothing but agony (and chances are, she would have had to stop sharing that with us).

Here's Janis at the Monterey Pop Festival. I lived not far from the fairgrounds where this historical event took place. There's not much there but buildings, and it's all fenced in. Not exactly as magical as I would have imagined. (Sorry to break anyone's heart, but it's gone.)

Spoiler for unpopular opinion:

"Ball and Chain"

at 3:31 you can see Mama Cass - another legend we lost too soon.

RIP Janis, you lost little girl. Love you.

Have you by any chance watched the documentary entitled the Festival Express? This was film just a short couple of months prior to her death.

Gavin B. · 12-04-2013, 08:16 AM

Here's a copy of an old review I wrote for Cheap Thrills, the first Big Brother & the Holding Company album which appeared in the music magazine No Depression:

Quote:

Janis Takes No Prisoners On Cheap Thrills

Dying young may be a good career move for a rock star, but it precludes any possibility of cashing in on that one last comeback tour. Janis Joplin became an icon and celebrated public figure in August of 1968, immediately after this album, Cheap Thrills was released and was dead three short years later. She didn't even live long enough to pay off advances from Columbia Records against future royalties. In the long run, Columbia Records was the primary beneficiary of Janis Joplin's premature death. Her record label has made a fortune from repackaging her catalog as deluxe boxed sets and anthologies over the years. It's ironic because no deluxe Columbia product has distilled the pure undiluted essence of Janis as much as her humble debut album with Big Brother and the Holding Company.

For all its ragged glory, Cheap Thrills endures as the best showcase of Janis Joplin's extraordinary singing talent. Among the songs are the chart topping R&B classic Piece of my Heart, the funky rhythm driven Combination of the Two, a raw and soulful recasting of the Gershwin jazz classic Summertime and Janis' signature tune the show stopping Ball and Chain.

A number of music critics took aim at Big Brother's musicianship and criticized the band as unprofessional and not up to par with Janis' talents. Janis, being young and riddled with insecurities, was wounded by the barbs. She left the band four short months after Cheap Thrills. It's a shame, because Big Brother's ramshackle and reckless playing was uniquely attuned to the explosive dynamics of Joplin's "take-no-prisoners" approach to blues singing.

Janis never found another group of musicians she bonded with like Big Brother. Her last album Pearl is technically better than Cheap Thrills, but musical virtuosity is over-rated. All of the highly paid studio musicians backing Janis on Pearl were unable to capture the sublime ferocity of Big Brother on stage at Monterey Pop in 1967.

Ask any hardcore fan of Janis and they will tell you that Cheap Thrills is the first CD they'll grab when their house is burning down.

bobbymgee · 12-05-2013, 07:22 PM

JJ totally unique ,ball and chain so soulful bluesy .created a style all her own .

Jarlaxle · 01-19-2014, 05:23 PM

She sings like a cat being tortured!

Rick360 · 01-21-2014, 12:31 PM

I'm with those who say she was wonderful with Big Brother and so-so in her solo career.

It seemed to me she was trying too hard on her post-Big Brother recordings, and seemed much more organic and real when paired with BB's garage-band ethos.

It should be pointed out that her voice was perhaps at its best during the much-maligned Mainstream album...powerful but clear as a bell. In a way, it's a shame that the blowzy broad image took over as time went on, as she was actually an intelligent and rather shy woman.

It's very hard to say what would have become of her career had she not died so young. But it's a shame she ever left the womb that was Big Brother and the Holding Company. That will always be Janis to me.

Lisnaholic · 05-05-2018, 08:12 AM

( http://www.musicbanter.com/games-lis...litz-game.html )

It seems kind of sad that several posters have opted for a verdict of "indifferent" to Janis, especially given that her live performances were such an emotional tour de force. She put so much of herself into her music that "indifferent" seems like a slap in the face, so, always ready to be picky about words, I'm gonna propose a different category: Ambivalent.

My attitude to JJ (surprise!) is ambivalent: Gotta respect the power of her performances and her commitment to her art, but on the other hand, I don't particularly like her material and I'm not much interested in hearing her without a video to watch at the same time.

~~MicShazam~~ · 05-05-2018, 08:16 AM

I totally admit to having let her slip past me. I know her name and sort of caught on to the fact that she was sort of a big deal way back. I should probably listen to an album or two and get educated.

OccultHawk · 05-05-2018, 09:02 AM

5) Down on Me
4) Mercedes Benz
3) Me and Bobby McGee
2) Piece of My Heart
1) Summertime

The only version of Summertime I love more than hers is Charlie Parker with Strings

05-05-2018, 08:12 AM	#18 (permalink)
Lisnaholic ...here to hear... Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: He lives on Love Street Posts: 4,444	( http://www.musicbanter.com/games-lis...litz-game.html ) It seems kind of sad that several posters have opted for a verdict of "indifferent" to Janis, especially given that her live performances were such an emotional tour de force. She put so much of herself into her music that "indifferent" seems like a slap in the face, so, always ready to be picky about words, I'm gonna propose a different category: Ambivalent. My attitude to JJ (surprise!) is ambivalent: Gotta respect the power of her performances and her commitment to her art, but on the other hand, I don't particularly like her material and I'm not much interested in hearing her without a video to watch at the same time. __________________ "Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953

05-05-2018, 09:02 AM	#20 (permalink)
OccultHawk one-balled nipple jockey Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Dirty Souf Biatch Posts: 22,006	5) Down on Me 4) Mercedes Benz 3) Me and Bobby McGee 2) Piece of My Heart 1) Summertime The only version of Summertime I love more than hers is Charlie Parker with Strings __________________ 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Member of the Year & Journal of the Year Champion Behold the Writing of THE LEGEND: https://www.musicbanter.com/members-...p-lighter.html

12-05-2013, 07:22 PM	#15 (permalink)
bobbymgee Groupie Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: merseyside Posts: 2	JJ totally unique ,ball and chain so soulful bluesy .created a style all her own .

01-19-2014, 05:23 PM	#16 (permalink)
Jarlaxle Groupie Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 46	She sings like a cat being tortured!

01-21-2014, 12:31 PM	#17 (permalink)
Rick360 Groupie Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 13	I'm with those who say she was wonderful with Big Brother and so-so in her solo career. It seemed to me she was trying too hard on her post-Big Brother recordings, and seemed much more organic and real when paired with BB's garage-band ethos. It should be pointed out that her voice was perhaps at its best during the much-maligned Mainstream album...powerful but clear as a bell. In a way, it's a shame that the blowzy broad image took over as time went on, as she was actually an intelligent and rather shy woman. It's very hard to say what would have become of her career had she not died so young. But it's a shame she ever left the womb that was Big Brother and the Holding Company. That will always be Janis to me.

05-05-2018, 08:16 AM	#19 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,634	I totally admit to having let her slip past me. I know her name and sort of caught on to the fact that she was sort of a big deal way back. I should probably listen to an album or two and get educated.