18 Essential Songs

18 Essential Songs
Studio album by Janis Joplin
Released	January 24, 1995
Recorded	Various Recording Dates
Genre	Blues, Rock
Length	69:39
Label	Columbia
Producer	Jorma Kaukonen, Bob Shad, John Phillip, Lou Adler, Elliot Mazur, Gabriel Mekler, Paul A. Rothchild
Janis Joplin chronology
Janis (1993 album) (1993) 18 Essential Songs (1995) The Collection (1995)

"18 Essential Songs" is a collection of songs recorded throughout Janis Joplin's career (in both career and with Big Brother & The Holding Company), released in 1995 on Columbia. It reached gold RIAA certification on April 12, 1999.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

The Allmusic review by William Ruhlmann awarded the album 4.5 stars stating "18 Essential Songs is a one-disc distillation of the triple-disc Janis box set. Running 70 minutes, it is a more extensive best-of than the ten-track 1973 Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits album. But it is denied "first pick" status because, unlike that album, it does not contain the hit version of Joplin's only number one single, "Me and Bobby McGee." (It does, however, contain an alternate demo version of that song.)".^[1]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Track listing

1. Trouble In Mind (trad., arr. Joplin & Richard M. Jones) – 2:54
2. Down On Me (trad., arr. Joplin) – 2:05 (from "Big Brother and the Holding Company")
3. Bye Bye Baby (Powell Saint John) – 2:38 (from "Big Brother & The Holding Company")
4. Ball And Chain-recorded live (Big Mama Thornton) – 8:13 (originally from "Cheap Thrills")
5. Piece Of My Heart (Bert Berns, Jerry Ragovoy, Bert Russell) – 4:26
6. I Need A Man To Love (Joplin, Sam Andrew) – 4:51 (from Cheap Thrills)
7. Summertime (George & Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) – 4:06 (from "Cheap Thrills")
8. Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) (Ragovoy, Chip Taylor) – 3:56 (from I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!)
9. One Good Man (Joplin) – 4:09 (from "I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!")
10. Kozmic Blues (Joplin, Gabriel Mekler) – 4:22 (from "I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!")
11. Raise Your Hand (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, Alvertis Isbell) – 2:18
12. Tell Mama (Clarence Carter, Marcus Daniel, Wilbur Terrell) – 5:47
13. Move Over (Joplin) – 3:40 (from Pearl)
14. Mercedes Benz (Joplin, Mike McClure, Bob Neuwirth) – 1:46
15. Get It While You Can (Ragovoy, Mort Shuman) – 3:23
16. Half Moon (Johanna Hall, John Hall) – 3:52 (from "Pearl")
17. Trust Me (Bobby Womack) – 3:15 (from "Pearl")
18. Me And Bobby McGee-alternate demo; recorded in mono (Kris Kristofferson, Fred Foster) – 3:58 (from "Pearl")

Personnel

• Janis Joplin – lead vocal
• James Gurley, John Till, Jorma Kaukonen, Michael Bloomfield – guitars
• Sam Andrew – guitars, backing vocals
• Gabriel Mekler, Richard Kermode – keyboards
• Ken Pearson – organ
• Richard Bell – piano
• Cornelius "Snooky" Flowers – baritone sax
• Terry Clements – tenor sax
• Luis Gasca – trumpet
• Brad Campbell, Peter Albin – bass
• Clark Pierson, Dave Getz, Lonnie Castille, Maury Baker, Roy Markowitz – drums, percussion

Production

• Produced By Jorma Kaukonen, Bob Shad, John Phillip, Lou Adler, Elliot Mazur, Gabriel Mekler, Paul A. Rothchild
• "Tell Mama" remixed by Elliott Mazur

External links

• "18 Essential Songs" at discogs
• allmusic review Retrieved September 21, 2010
• Searchable Database at RIAA

Sales certifications

v t e Janis Joplin Studio albums Big Brother & the Holding Company Cheap Thrills I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! Pearl Live albums In Concert Live at Winterland '68 The Woodstock Experience Bootleg albums The Typewriter Tape Compilations Farewell Song Janis (1975 album) Janis (1993 album) 18 Essential Songs Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits Love, Janis Songs "Ball 'n' Chain" "Careless Love" "Cry Baby" "Flower In The Sun" "Hesitation Blues" "Kozmic Blues" "Mary Jane" "Me and Bobby McGee" "Mercedes Benz" "Move Over" "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" "Piece of My Heart" "See See Rider" "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" "Summertime" "To Love Somebody" "Trouble in Mind" "What Good Can Drinkin' Do" "Work Me, Lord" Related articles Big Brother and The Holding Company Full Tilt Boogie Band Sam Andrew Jorma Kaukonen Goldy McJohn Gabriel Mekler Michael Monarch Festival Express Book:Janis Joplin