lambchops's Full Review: Greatest Hits [Remaster] by Janis Joplin
Somewhere between the time “grunge” died and I turned to alt-pop and Brit-pop for an outlet, my time and energy toward music was devoted to classic rock. My favorite band of that variety has always been Led Zeppelin. But there are runners up in the form of Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, The Doors, and others. As far as solo artists go, I’ve always found myself drawn to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. I like my rock and roll raw, and those two have never disappointed me.
Janis Joplin lived life hard and died fast. The Texas-native transplanted to San Francisco had but a brief time on Earth but those days, months and years made for great music. In fact, in her just four or five years in the industry Joplin came to be known as the most unique and probably the most innately talented female rock vocalist of the era. That of course was all cut short in 1970 when she overdosed on heroin and died. And such was the way with her life—in the same breath as her music prowess, Joplin was also known for her drug abuse, alcoholism, and a volatile personality.
Funny thing is that while she is well known for her music, she provided very little material. She had just one (posthumous) hit single--Me and Bobbie McGee and was part of a band (Big Brother & The Holding Company) until 1968 when she went solo. It was with her original band that she had her biggest success with the 1968 album Cheap Thrills. She went solo with the next year’s I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, an album that received mixed reviews but yielded modest singles and a few signature tracks. Finally, she hit her stride with the posthumous album Pearl. Her music, regardless of backing band, was always good ol’ fashioned boogie blues rock n’ roll. The kind of music that resonates as well today as it did those years ago—but may also be an acquired taste (although, I cannot comment as that taste has always been a part of me).
Also released only three years after her death was the first Greatest Hits collection (recently remastered and subsequently reissued), an album that originally collected the ten most important songs from her entire career. The reissue adds songs Maybe and Mercedes Benz to the song list, but I have the original sans those offerings. In any case, it is clear that the Greatest Hits collection is probably short-sighted, but it is unquestionably the perfect place to start for newer fans of Joplin—especially considering that it includes the original version of Me and Bobbie McGee, a song that is often associated with her but replaced with an alternate demo on 1995’s 18 Essential Songs. Also considering that this disc costs about $10 new, it really is hard to go wrong.
I realize that a mere ten songs cannot properly touch on all the great things that Joplin did in her career. But most listeners because of her very small discography would be best off (especially for this bargain) sticking to her hits. Not because they are better, rather because they are more accessible and thus since her death popular for good reason. Janis Joplin’s Greatest Hits was one of the biggest reasons why the strong singer is still popular today. The album itself is consistently great, but encompasses enough raw emotion and variety in sound—those qualities, my friend, are what always make for a perfect album. Janis Joplin’s Greatest Hits is a must-own for all even modest fans of the singer-songwriter. Those notes it contains are classic.
So the original Greatest Hits contained just ten songs spanning those few albums Joplin worked on. All ten are popular and/or hits. The most memorable songs included are the aforementioned Me and Bobbie McGee in addition to Piece of My Heart, Summertime, Try (Just a Little Bit Harder, and Ball and Chain. But every single song is a gem in its own right. As mentioned, material is included from Big Brother & The Holding Company, Her Kozmic Blues Band, and The Full Tilt Boogie Band. This is in all actuality a mini-retrospective and is arranged to sound nice rather than confusingly chronologically.
This Greatest Hits is a hit with me. I enjoy it from start (Piece of My Heart) to finish (Ball And Chain) and everything in between. It allows me for a moment to be transported to half-a-decade before my birth. Joplin’s voice is thick, guttural, and full of every emotion possible. She has no equals, if only for her unique chords. There are a few contemporary singers who do indeed come close—for instance Macy Gray, Melissa Etheridge, and even Shannon Hoon (of Blind Melon) come/came close to equaling her grace and power.
Of course Greatest Hits does present a few songs I like better than others. I don’t think it has anything to do with the viability of the product. Rather, I think it has to do with my personal preference for one kind of song over another. In short, I like Joplin when she is understandable and at a mid-tempo—or if nothing else showing some modicum of restraint. Thus, it shouldn’t come as any shock that my favorite is Piece of My Heart by just a hair over Try (Just A Little Bit Harder). However, I find it ironic that Joplin’s one posthumous hit Me And Bobbie McGee doesn’t rank among my personal treasures. Piece of My Heart is of course a classic—a foot stomper, hand clapper if I’ve ever heard one. Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) on the other hand is a different kind of song and is in reality the reason why I can draw comparisons between she and Gray. The song feels like something from Motown, but somehow more pointed and pushy. I love it.
There are of course other songs worth mentioning. Summertime is a low-key affair. It is gentle and sweeping, even when sung by Joplin. Her voice is certainly abrasive, but the restraint and calm she shows are incredible. Also incredible are the romp ‘em stomp ‘em Down On Me. It’s a lovely, upbeat rock gem. Bye, Bye Baby on the other hand is a comfortable country-folk-rock sparkler. It feels so right—as though the song has been around an eon and has just been unearthed. Finally, Ball and Chain highlights Joplin at her most uncontrollable. The song itself is pure blues-rock. But Joplin’s controls her usually yelping, yowling voice throughout most of the stark verses.
In all, Janis Joplin’s Greatest Hits is a must-own album. It is the perfect introduction to the immortal singer. Her death was a tragedy, but had she lived would we remember her so fondly? That question haunts me…
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Piece Of My Heart
02. Summertime
03. Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)
04. Cry Baby
05. Me And Bobby McGee
06. Down On Me
07. Get It While You Can
08. Bye, Bye Baby
09. Move Over
10. Ball And Chain
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![Greatest Hits [Remaster] by Janis Joplin](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/14/f6/25/2002011704-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.