Record Reviews

BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY ~ LIVE AT THE CAROUSEL BALLROOM 1968 COLUMBIA 886979640924 (Barcode: 886979640924) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2012 This album brings to life an archival recording by Big Brother And The Holding CompanyFind albums by this artist from June 1968, still fronted by Janis JoplinFind albums by this artist who was to leave the group a few months later. The band performed constantly at San Francisco´s main venues: Winterland, Avalon Ballroom and Carousel Ballroom (soon to be Fillmore West). A live recording from Winterland, recorded in April 1968 has been already released by ColumbiaFind albums on this label in 1998 as "Live At The Winterland `68Find albums with this title". This new release adds to the overall picture and historic perspective, presenting a band at the peak of its powers with Joplin simply blowing any other contemporary US singer out of the water. In spite of the rather poor recording quality (which has been a source of endless bitching by a horde of wannabe critics) the music, the artistry, the genius, the tension, the incredible voice of Janis and some unbelievable guitar work by Sam AndrewFind albums by this artist and James GurleyFind albums by this artist makes this release worth its weight in gold for any Janis fan and a true music lover. With their superb "Cheap ThrillsFind albums with this title" album, which was completed just a month earlier (also partly recorded live), but still unreleased at the time of this recording, this album is a preview of things to come and includes most of the material included on "Cheap Thrills". Three track from this album appeared previously on the 1972 "In ConcertFind albums with this title" album, but with a completely different mix. So here we go, a trip lasting over 70 minutes, taking us back to the glorious days, when music was music, and nothing else mattered. Ye brave ones, come aboard!

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY ~ SEX, DOPE & CHEAP THRILLS SONY 190758635224 (Barcode: 190758635224) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1968 Released: 2018 This is a sensational archival companion to the iconic Classic Rock album "Cheap ThrillsFind albums with this title" by Big Brother And The Holding CompanyFind albums by this artist, released to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the release of the original album. The group, headed by the greatest ever female Rock vocalist Janis JoplinFind albums by this artist, included also guitarists Sam AndrewFind albums by this artist and James GurleyFind albums by this artist, bassist Peter AlbinFind albums by this artist and drummer David GetzFind albums by this artist. The album presents twenty nine outtakes recorded during the sessions that produced the original album and one live track from the Winterland Ballroom concert recorded in April 1968, which was not included on the live album that presents the rest of the concert, called "Live At The Winterland `68Find albums with this title". From the thirty tracks on the 2CD album twenty five are previously unreleased. The album´s title is what the original album was supposed to be called, but obviously at the time it was considered way to daring for a Major label. For the Classic Rock cognoscenti there is very little one can add to what they already know and hopefully feel about this music. A wonderful amalgam of Blues, Psychedelic Rock, Rock And Roll and Soul, this music embodies what American music was all about in the late 1960s, constantly breaking new ground and being alive and kicking like it will never be again in the years that followed. Concealing twenty five previously unreleased tracks featuring the incredible artistry of Janis Joplin is a Cultural Crime, which Major labels like ColumbiaFind albums on this label have been committing repeatedly. Joplin´s recording legacy, tragically cut short by her early demise, left us with relatively limited evidence of her Godly talent, and this album offers a tremendous wealth of her unadulterated Genius. Although some of the songs are repeated several times, each and every take is completely different of course and especially Joplin´s heartwrenching vocals are completely unique time after time and as such worth their weight in gold. Joplin´s stardom clearly overshadowed the role of the band, which although unfair was pretty understandable. But Big Brother was a great band by any standard, capable of great instrumental work and superb support behind Joplin. Both guitarists produced many exquisite solos on various occasions and the double guitar lineup was one of the first of its kind. This album confirms the band´s excellent work even further. Columbia´s decision to convince Joplin to drop the band and pursue a solo career was completely off the track of course as much as it was brutally unfair towards the band. As a result Joplin, notwithstanding her immense talent, would never sound as tight and expressive as she did on "Cheap Thrills". The tracks on this album clearly show why that happened. Overall this album is a tremendous historical document of one of the greatest moments in American Classic Rock and an important extension of an iconic / pivotal Classic Rock album, which should be of interest to every Classic Rock connoisseur!

Updated: 18/01/2019Posted: 18/01/2019

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