Published on Aug 30, 1999
(Editor’s Note: This disc was reviewed as part of the Box Of
Pearls
box set – hence the “Box Set Rating” at the bottom of the
page.)
A lot of people probably think that Big Brother And The Holding
Company – Janis Joplin’s first vehicle to success – only had one
album out, and that was
Cheap Thrills. Well, sure, it would be easy to make such an
assumption, seeing how much attention
Cheap Thrills still gets to this day.
So people might be mildly surprised to hear of an
earlier album from this group – their 1967 self-titled debut
album. Originally released on the Mainstream label, it did have
some moderate success on the
Billboard charts, but it was eclipsed by the rampant success
of
Cheap Thrills.
Now, in a re-mastered edition complete with bonus tracks,
Big Brother And The Holding Company is back to reclaim its
attention with the listener. And the funny thing is, it’s a damn
good listen.
The original ten songs that made up this album highlight Joplin,
then in her early twenties, singing with a passion that was rarely
heard in someone so young. The gentle opening strains of “Bye, Bye
Baby” (complete with two-tracking of her vocals) almost deceive the
listener into thinking that things coming from her lungs are always
going to be that gentle.
But Joplin kicks things into full shred with tracks like “Call
On Me” (a nice, slow blues number), “Women Is Losers” and “Down On
Me”. This album might not have made Joplin a star (actually, the
band’s performence at “Monterey Pop” took care of that), but it let
people know that she was gunning for the spotlights, and she had
the motor set on overdrive.
Granted, there is a bit of ’60s spaciness on
Big Brother And The Holding Company, but that was to be
expected. And listening to it 32 years after it was first released,
it actually is interesting to go back and listen to (especially
seeing that I wouldn’t enter the picture until three years after
this album came out). “Light Is Faster Than Sound” brings to mind a
few memories of Steppenwolf, especially when the song kicks up the
speed. “All Is Loneliness” is a beautiful chant, and is an
appropriate way to end the original album.
There’s only one moment I could live without on this album:
“Easy Rider,” with an out-of-tune male vocal drawling the lyrics…
ugh! (I’m assuming the vocalist is guitarist James Gurley, who also
wrote the song. Corrections on this would be appreciated from the
audience.) I don’t mind the country-like trippiness of it, and
Joplin’s background vocals tie things together, but the lead vocal
barely tries to stay in tune. (For that matter, I noticed the same
thing on the live take on
Live At Winterland ’68.)
The four additional tracks tacked on to this album are all
interesting, though I’ll freely admit I don’t hear much of a
difference between the alternate takes of “Call On Me” and “Bye,
Bye Baby” and the ones used on the album. The two non-album
singles, “Coo Coo” and “The Last Time,” help to bring everything
about this album together. (And, I will admit, opening and closing
the album with “Bye, Bye Baby” helps to bring everything full
circle.)
Big Brother And The Holding Company might not have been the
album to bring this band fame and fortune, but that was just around
the corner. For now, this was a powerful first roar out of the box,
and should be checked out and enjoyed by Joplin fans.