Janis Joplin - Janis (3cd Bin-Fitting Jewel Case)

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Free Music Notes for Janis (3cd Bin-Fitting Jewel Case)

Free Music Review: Something for everyone
Hit: 5 Stars

First, I definitely love the alternate version of "Cry Baby" released here. You hear Janis cracking up at herself as she misses a high note but never a beat, meanwhile letting it rip with this great studio take. The track includes a hilarious vamp/rap with Janis in fine form lamenting the guy who opts for the road instead of her satin sheets, fur and chicken. She cracks herself up again when she says, "And that should be identity enough for any man." You just gotta love it.

Another superlative moment that cannot be found anywhere else [18 Essentials does not include the studio discussion featured here] is the acoustic demo of "Me and Bobby McGee," featuring a solo Janis accompanying herself on guitar. Again, the track includes an introductory studio discussion with Janis's hilarious comments about her guitar playing and recurring Texas accent. But more importantly, the track reveals how Janis herself mapped out one of the great recordings in rock history. She's the one who kicks it up a notch during the la-la-la portion of the song before exclaiming "that's when somebody else has to take over.." It's vintage Janis and worth the price of the box set to obtain.

Another standout is the very hard-to-find Saturday afternoon performance of "Ball and Chain" at the Monterey Pop Festival. This is the quintessential moment for Janis and Big Brother and the Holding Company, the one that left Mama Cass looking on in awe. The Sunday night version is the one always featured in Janis documentaries in which she performs in her gold lame pantsuit. The Saturday afternoon "Ball and Chain" is rock n' roll history as it happened, and therefore an essential choice for the box set, even though the Cheap Thrills version is even more mindblowing.

Disappointments include the alternate choice of "Summertime," which while decent, doesn't begin to compare with the incredible sonic moments displayed in Amsterdam with the Kozmic Blues band. Another strange addition is "One Night Stand" produced by Todd Rundgren. This track is available on "Farewell Song," performed with the Butterfield Blues Band, but on the boxed set, it so speedy she sounds like she's singing on helium. What happened? How could the compilers/engineers make such a mistake?

There are two versions of "Try" here, one with the original Kozmic Blues band and the other with Full Tilt live. Anyone who has seen the movie "Janis" knows the spoken introduction featured with Full Tilt occured at Toronto, not Calgary, and that the compilers of the "In Concert" album from where this track originated, cheated by cutting and pasting the intro onto the Calgary track, totally unnecessary, in my opinion, because the Toronto performance was better.

But I digress. Because the fact is, no compilation ever seems to be perfect. So back to what else is good about the box set... I like the "Trouble in Mind" typewriter tape with Jorma the K playing acoustic guitar in his living room. Here's where Janis sounds just like Bessie Smith, which gives the listener an excellent taste of how Janis once sounded during the Coffee Gallery days of the early 60s. The box set also features Janis's first ever recorded performance, "What Good Can Drinkin' Do?", a Janis-penned original.

Lastly, the artwork and booklet are really hip and cool. I agree with the previous reviewer that the Ellen Willis essay could have been left behind, but Ann Powers' writing is very enlightening, especially for the younger listener
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If you are a true Janis fan, you really must buy this boxed set.
Yes, you'll probably end up programming your favorite cuts and skipping others, but that's what box sets are for, right?

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