Janis Joplin’s short career was established with her blistering performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and this 1968 major label debut that had been delayed by contractual wranglings but nevertheless shot to the top of the charts and remains a career highlight for all involved. Joplin’s overwhelming emotionalism coupled with her San Franciscan backing band’s “acid rock” – essentially, the blues distorted and strung out with intense amplification – made for a lesson in sonic overkill. Producer John Simon, upset with the results, had his name pulled from the credits and the ensuing album, mostly a full frontal assault on the senses, was assembled from studio and live recordings. “Piece Of My Heart” became Joplin’s immediate calling card, but it was the extended take on Big Mama Thorton’s “Ball And Chain” that best exemplified the Texas singer’s anxious, desperate and heartfelt pleas for understanding. Joplin was driven to push her voice to the extremes and “I Need A Man To Love” and “Oh, Sweet Mary” stagger with her bourbon-soaked voice that understood the blues as a sad, doomed road to self-destruction. The expanded edition adds two studio outtakes (“Roadblock”, “Flower In The Sun”) and two previously unreleased live tracks (“Catch Me Daddy,” “Magic Of Love”).

Big Brother is almost exclusively remembered for their singer, a young lady legend by the name of Janis Joplin. Which is somewhat unfair, because her bandmates backed her with a raw musical attack that was a perfect fit for her tattered rasp of a voice. Janis was at her best live, and in truth she never made a studio recording worthy of her reputation (for eye popping proof of her live prowess, rent the video of the Monterey Pop Festival. Her performance there with Big Brother perfectly captured the fiery essence of her stage persona and is a compelling testament to her enduring legend). This album comes pretty damn close, though, in large part because of Big Brother’s proudly primitive backing, particularly from guitarists James Gurley and Sam Andrew. In fact, on “Combination Of The Two” and “Oh, Sweet Mary” the lead vocals are actually handled by Andrew, and are secondary to the explosively grungey psychedelia, anyway. Janis sings backing vocals and contributes (along with Andrew) catchy "whoa whoa whoa's" on the former, but both of these hard rocking and enjoyable jam-based songs are more memorable for their intense music than anything else. "I Need A Man To Love" is also impressive, as its wailing blues guitar cuts through and Janis sings convincingly (to quote a later punk rocker: "she means it, man!"). Its singable "no it just can't be" backing vocals are also notable, while "Turtle Blues" is significant for being the sole Joplin-written composition here, though its simple Bessie Smith-inspired piano melody is no great shakes. The main reason that this album is considered a minor classic by many is because of its three best tracks, all of which are cover songs dominated by Joplin. On this version of George Gershwin’s "Summertime" Janis shows that she was more than merely a no holds barred blues belter, but that she could sing with a tender restraint, all while being backed by some beautiful guitar work from Big Brother. Continuing, Bern Berns and Jerry Ragovoy’s "Piece Of My Heart" is the Joplin song that's most likely to be blaring out of car stereo speakers via "classic rock radio," and for good reason - it's simply a great rock n' roll song with a typically tortured (and sexy) vocal from Janis. Finally, the album ends on an epic note with an absolutely harrowing 9-minute version of Big Mama Thornton’s “Ball And Chain” (the lone song here recorded live), on which her desperate, unforgettable vocals cut right to the bone. My main problems with this album are that it's a bit short at only 7 songs and the album is laughably dated at times, starting with the sexist (if unintentionally humorous) "four gentlemen and one great broad" introduction. Yet the incredible energy and passion that goes into these genuinely exciting performances makes Cheap Thrills one of the defining albums from its era (i.e. the psychedelic San Francisco scene of the late '60s), anyway. Janis in particular almost lives up to her (admittedly overblown) reputation, and her bandmates do much more than merely back her up. Unfortunately, Janis would leave her sympathetic compatriots in Big Brother soon after her spectacular Monterey performance to try to become a solo star, not realizing that inspired amateurism trumps professional competence nearly every time.
Rating: A