Janis Joplin

I was surprised to see no thread on Janis Joplin, especially when you consider how electic all of us post on this board are. Janis Joplin's music is slightly dated but I feel her vocal phrashing was huge influence and one cannot deny the trail she blazed for women rockers in general. Her career (1966-1970) was very short lived but she has cast a very long shadow, and her version of "Ball and Chain" is still one of the best blues recordings to come out of her era.

I'm not real familiar with all her stuff. But I always liked what I heard. She had such a cool voice. She is one, had she lived, who I always felt would have done some amazing things throughout the seventies.

If you like Janis, check out Beth Hart.

tohostudios wrote:

If you like Janis, check out Beth Hart.

Beth Hart is really cool and she does remind me alot of Janis, good call

Forget BETH HART check out SUSAN TEDESCHI, especially on the song "It Hurts So Bad"

Although BETH HART is cool....

Shiney wrote:

Forget BETH HART check out SUSAN TEDESCHI, especially on the song "It Hurts So Bad"

Although BETH HART is cool....

Susan Tedeschi is also a great guitartist

manny wrote:

Shiney wrote:

Forget BETH HART check out SUSAN TEDESCHI, especially on the song "It Hurts So Bad"

Although BETH HART is cool....

Susan Tedeschi is also a great guitartist

Never heard of Tedeschi. Off to investigate.

Shiney wrote:

Forget BETH HART check out SUSAN TEDESCHI, especially on the song "It Hurts So Bad"

Although BETH HART is cool....

Susan's husband isn't too shabby of a guitarist himself. Mr. Derek Trucks.

My wife has a bunch of Janis's stuff she did in Texas before either of her trip to Frisco. It is country blues, interesting to listen to and it shows where she got some of her style from, I suppose the rest came from the enviroment of the Haight district

Shiney wrote:

Forget BETH HART check out SUSAN TEDESCHI, especially on the song "It Hurts So Bad"

Although BETH HART is cool....

Forget them all check out Elkie Brooks! She's the best one to derive that influence from Janis, in the UK in the 70's her soul shredding vocals could only be matched by Steve Marriott.....she also matched Janis in the self destruction stakes.....although thank god she surivived.

As for Janis, i love Big Brother And The Holding Company. My mum repeatedly played Janis when i was young so i grew up with her and my Dad's early Zeppelin records, you know it might seem strange but those Big Brother And The Holding Company and early Led Zeppelin records are pretty much interchangeable to me musically. You know those big bluesy hard rock guitars and big rough vocals out front.

A big concert highlight for me was seeing the New York Dolls last year and seeing David Johansen say "Well our favourite artist is Janis Joplin" and then seeing them break out into a great cover of "Piece Of My Heart".

tohostudios wrote:

manny wrote:

Shiney wrote:

Forget BETH HART check out SUSAN TEDESCHI, especially on the song "It Hurts So Bad"

Although BETH HART is cool....

Susan Tedeschi is also a great guitartist

Never heard of Tedeschi. Off to investigate.

I have all of Susans material her earlier material is raw and brilliant but it now tends to be a little less raw but still good.
I have Janis Joplins - Box Of Pearls great boxset.

Wargod48

Love Janis! "Ball and Chain" was so raw, and I love the "rap" in the middle "...and as we found out on the train yesterday, tomorrow never comes. It's all the same f-in' day, man!" Love the hippie logic!

Watched Janis Joplin's Bio on the Biography Channel last night. Fascinating individual. It was interesting how her self image is actually what killed her. She never thought she was worth anything, even at the top of her popularity. Everytime she'd get clean and get her life on track, she'd experience something that crushed her world and the drugs started again.

I never cared for her music because I think she howled way too much instead of singing within her range (like her contemporary Grace Slick). But at the end of the day, I admire her style and power on stage. It's just sad she couldn't take that power and use it in her personal life.

I agree with your assement on Janis Joplin, I am a fan of her music, even if IMO her music has not dated as well as some of her contempories.

Her vocal style was unique and had alot of power, personally I feel Grace Slick was a better vocalist but that is just my opinion.

Janis Joplin was a blues howler and her music I think resonates because she could wrestle every emotion she was feeling, her voice was almost physical if that makes sense.

Sad that this woman who pioneered (along with Grace Slick and to a way smaller extent Nico) the female rock star and artist an era dominated by men, did not use that power she had to save herself.

I have her greatest hits available for trade if anyone is interested.

I'm going to pick up most of those suggested here, as well as some Stone The Crows with Maggie Bell, Jimmy Dewar from Robin Trower, and Alex Harvey's brother Les all in the band. How can it be bad?