Type: Compilation (best of), Lyrics are included with the album, Box set
Genre: Rock
Review
This three-CD box set is the most thorough and valuable retrospective of Janis Joplin's career. Besides including all of her most essential recordings with and without Big Brother & the Holding Company, this 49-song package features quite a few enticing rarities; 18 of the tracks were previously unissued. These include a 1962 home recording of the Joplin original "What Good Can Drinkin' Do," which marked the first time her singing was captured on tape; a pair of acoustic blues tunes from 1965 with backup guitar by future Jefferson Airplane star Jorma Kaukonen, an acoustic demo of "Me and Bobby McGee," a 1970 birthday song for John Lennon, and live performances from her appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969. The real showstopper is the previously unissued, eight-minute version of "Ball and Chain" from Big Brother's first set at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (the cut on the Monterey Pop box set is from their second set). The more forgettable tracks from her solo albums are wisely excised, as are the Big Brother songs which did not feature her vocals. This is the rare multi-disc set of a major artist that manages to cover all the official milestones and present a bounty of worthwhile rarities at the same time. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Full Tilt Boogie Band (?), The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (?), Bob Seidemann (Photography), Ann Powers (Liner Notes), Lonnie Castille (Drums), Bob Cohen (Engineer), Michael Bloomfield (Guitar), Sam Andrew (Vocals (Background)), Vince Mitchell (Choir, Chorus), Vic Anesini (Remixing), Lou Adler (Producer), Ellen Willis (Liner Notes), Janis Joplin (Vocals), Sam Andrew (Guitar), Richard Bell (Piano), Todd Rundgren (Producer), James Gurley (Guitar), John Simon (Producer), Janis Joplin (Choir, Chorus), Bob Irwin (Compilation Producer), David Getz (Drums), Janis Joplin & Her Kozmic Blues Band (Group), Janis Joplin (Guitar (Acoustic)), Paul Rothchild (Voices), Gabriel Mekler (Producer), Jorma Kaukonen (Guitar), John Cooke (Choir, Chorus), Janis Joplin (Autoharp), Kozmic Blues Band (?), Richard Bell (Choir, Chorus), Bill Brach (Photography), Bobby Womack (Guitar (Acoustic)), Elliot Mazer (Musical Consultant), Janis Joplin (Producer), Clark Pierson (Drums), Maury Baker (Drums), John Till (Guitar), Gary Pacheco (Production Coordination), Bobbye Hall (Bongos), Vic Anesini (Remastering), Sandra Crouch (Tambourine), Joseph Sia (Photography), Elliot Mazer (Remixing), Ken Pearson (Choir, Chorus), Charlie Sarrica (Graphic Production), John Simon (Piano), Big Brother & the Holding Company (Group), Phil Badella (Choir, Chorus), Janis Joplin (Arranger), Cornelius "Snookey" Flowers (Sax (Baritone)), Elliot Mazer (Producer), Brad Campbell (Bass), Dana Shimizu (Design Assistant), Janis Joplin & the Full Tilt Boogie Band (?), Gabriel Mekler (Keyboards), Gabriel Mekler (Arranger), Don DeVito (Executive Producer), Bob Shad (Producer), Janis Joplin & the Full Tilt Boogie Band (Group), Big Brother & the Holding Company (?), David Gahr (Photography), John Phillips (Producer), John Riney (Engineer), John Till (Choir, Chorus), Janis Joplin (Voices), Bobbye Hall (Conga), Elliott Landy (Photography), Elliot Mazer (Assistant Producer), Richard Kermode (Keyboards), Jerry Shulman (Executive Producer), Steve Mills (Photography), John Riney (Producer), Luis Gasca (Trumpet), Sara Rotman (Art Direction), Clark Pierson (Choir, Chorus), Jorma Kaukonen (Producer), Paul Rothchild (Producer), Brad Campbell (Choir, Chorus), Terry Clements (Sax (Tenor)), Gina Campanaro (Packaging Manager), Ken Pearson (Organ), Cornelius "Snookey" Flowers (Vocals (Background)), Peter Albin (Bass)
Janis is a compilation album by Janis Joplin, released in 1993. The album features a broad over-view of her career from her very first recording in 1963, to the last songs she did during the sessions for Pearl just a few days before her death in October 1970.
