#338: Cheap Thrills- Big Brother And The Holding Company

Listened to: MP3

Oh, Janis. Sweet saint of rock and roll that thou art. Cheap Thrills is the second album by Big Brother And The Holding Company, aka Janis Joplin and those guys that followed her around. With cover art from the great R. Crumb, and opening on a live performance of the truly psychedelic “Combination Of Two”, the song that has become almost inseperable from the opening shots of Terry Gilliam’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (at least for me), Cheap Thrills opens as a great example of how magical Janis was. The other vocalist on the track seems so…mediocre to the bluesy wails of the gypsy queen. The next track, also live, is “I Need A Man To Love”, one of the sexiest tracks ever laid down by the mistress of rock. Listen to those wilting, forceful vocal scratches, and I gotta be honest, I can’t help myself from wanting to volunteer to be the man she can love. The guitars add an ambience that only enhances the assuredly inebriated wailing, as Janis begs you to let her “hold it in”. God help me, this songs seductive. I don’t care that she’d be ridiculously old now, I’d do her. The mystic intro to Big Brother and the Holding Company’s reworking of George and Ira Gershwin’s “Summertime” is only the icing on this treat that has gone on to become one of Janis’ finest hits.

Bust out the booze and bongs, because the ultimate song for stoned orgies is up next. My favorite Janis track, “Piece Of My Heart”, is equal parts hard rock and soft seduction, blended in a way only Janis could. Go ahead, swing your head around, scream, wail, and yell, and “take it!”. God damn, this track has more life than whole radio stations these days. And strippers everywhere salute you, Janis. And for that, if nothing else, I salute you. The old piano bar track “Turtle Blues”, Janis’ solo composition, shows that here’s a girl who truly knows her roots. Honestly, this is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and I wish it got more attention than it does. And from one of my favorites, we charge into my least favorite track on the album, the Cream knock-off that is “Oh, Sweet Mary”. Maybe I’m just made because Janis goes horribly underused on this track. Maybe.

The album ends perfectly, on the ten minute epic psychedelic head-trip that is “Ball & Chain”, one of Janis’ signature songs. Nothing I can say about this track can capture its magic and majesty, so please just give it a listen.

This being Janis’ last album with Big Brother And The Holding Company, I’d say she went out with a significant bang. This album is a truly great classic, and I do greatly recommend it.

-Mike

See you guys tomorrow for #121: Moby Grape.