Janis Joplin's Pearl, from 1971, is a bluesy, organ-drenched benediction for the flower-child sound of the free-and-easy 60's. It is also one of great singer's most consistent and representative efforts. Gone are the ear-shattering sonics of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Full Tilt Boogie, the backing band here, steps in to offer a degree of polish and control that frames Joplin's vocals nicely. Yet the band still grooves hard with the fierceness her voice demands. Guitarist John Till's riffs, chords, and solos, in particular, are exciting and tightly executed. "A Woman Left Lonely" and Bobby Womack's "Trust Me" are rain-on-the-windows ballads that come alive with Joplin's gritty vocal brilliance, while the burbling "Move Over" and "Half Moon" are among her funkiest, most driving cuts. The dramatic "Cry Baby" is offset by the tongue-in-cheek a cappella number "Mercedes Benz," while Joplin's version of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" went on to become her signature song. Joplin died during the sessions for Pearl, making these tracks the final word on her towering talent and a superb addition to her enduring legacy.
Genre - Rock
Styles - Album Rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock, Rock & Roll
Time - 34:30
Format - mp3@192 Kbps
Size - 31 mb
Tracks
01. Mover Over
02. Cry Baby
03. A Woman Left Lonely
04. Half Moon
05. Buried Alive in the Blues
06. My Baby
07. Me and Bobby McGee
08. Mercedes Benz
09. Trust Me
10. Get It While You Can
Credits
Janis Joplin (vocals, acoustic guitar)
John Till (guitar)
Bobby Womack (acoustic guitar)
Richard Bell (piano)
Ken Pearson (organ)
Brad Campbell (bass)
Clark Pierson (drums)
Bobbye Porter (congas, bongos)
Sandra Crouch (tambourine)
Label
Columbia, 1971
5 comentarios:
Que pedazo de disco. Desde el primer tema (con la guitarra al unísono de Janis) hasta el último. Que gran voz. Y que bien acompañada por los músicos. Excelente el instrumental (Buried Alive in the Blues). Sobresaliente.
Sin duda una obra maestra del rock...
Mercedes Benz es la última canción grabada de Janis. Que poco tiempo duró su actividad musical, pues los discos con Big Brother and the Holding Company empezaron en 1967 creo (al menos el famosísimo Cheap Thrills es de 1968 y fue el segundo)y éste, ya póstumo es del 71. Sólo cuatro años. Que pena.
Pearl," (1971), is one of the most legendary of recordings. It was, sadly, posthumously released, as Janis Joplin, its greatly-talented maker, died of a heroin overdose on October 4, 1970, at the age of 27, as she was finishing it up. She left her vocal to "Buried Alive in the Blues" unsung; so that it was released on the record as an instrumental by Full-Tilt Boogie, the backing band she'd put together for herself, which most people preferred to Big Brother and the Holding Company, the San Francisco-based psychedelic blues rock band with which she first became popular. "Pearl" is bluesy, funky, driving, much like its troubled maker, and will have to stand as her memorial. It has powerful tracks of "Cry Baby," and a live "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder," and a witty acapella "Mercedes Benz." "A Woman Left Lonely," and Bobby Womack's "Trust Me," are gritty blues. "A Woman Left Lonely," was, I believe, described by Time magazine as music to which a girl might cut her wrists. Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee," of course, became her signature song: it was her only number one hit, achieved posthumously. I actually was once able to see Janis live, with "Big Brother," performing the Cheap Thrills (Exp) repertory, at a famous venue of the time, Bill Graham's Fillmore East, on New York's Lower East Side. All these years later, I still remember the expectant hush when the house lights went down, the sweet aroma of various illegal substances, and Joplin's electrifying performance. It was quite a night, I can tell you. Nobody will ever have that chance again, but the recordings remain.
Podría decirse que este es uno de los mejores álbumes de rock y blues de la historia. "Pearl", de principio a fin, fue la perfecta puesta de largo de Janis Joplin, una artista que estaba empezando a alcanzar su maximo nivel, tanto crítica como comercialmente. La calidad de este álbum de estudio, dado a conocer después de su muerte por sobredosis de droga, nos hace reflexionar sobre la trágica pérdida de Joplin, preguntandonos lo que podría llegar haber sido.