From the recent PBS Janis documentary, a lot of people thought dumping Big Brother was a terrible career move by Janis. But while they were together, the press did nothing but terrorize the band, saying they were below Janis level.

From the recent PBS Janis documentary, a lot of people thought dumping Big Brother was a terrible career move by Janis. But while they were together, the press did nothing but terrorize the band, saying they were below Janis level.

I agree with that statement. Some great tunes obviously but the guitars were out of tune and often playing in different keys. Maybe cool when you are high but after you get straight? Not so much.

The musical level on Pearl is high above what came before it. Would have only gotten better. I think Janis' best work was still to come.

Real cool pic by the way. Janis looks so young. I guess they all do.

From the recent PBS Janis documentary, a lot of people thought dumping Big Brother was a terrible career move by Janis. But while they were together, the press did nothing but terrorize the band, saying they were below Janis level.

I agree with that statement. Some great tunes obviously but the guitars were out of tune and often playing in different keys. Maybe cool when you are high but after you get straight? Not so much.

The musical level on Pearl is high above what came before it. Would have only gotten better. I think Janis' best work was still to come.

I saws a Big Brother a few years ago with a substitute Janis. They were just as bad then as they were back in the day.

Here's another one, also 1966:

Cheap Thrills had some fun tunes....The Full Tilt Boogie Band simply had a better grade of musicians....Big Brother....bless their hearts... 😉 ...were at best raw.....

[Edited on 5/22/2016 by goldtop]

Nice array of Fender Amps. I don't think I have ears of iron but I have a few BBAHC w/Janis shows that sound pretty excellent. Some of the old bootlegs were not good recordings and sometimes the speeds were off. They are one of my favorite groups.

Wow. Can't believe what I'm seeing. The last speaker cabinet on the right side (a black Fender Bandmaster) has a "Chevrolet" emblem on it instead of the "Fender" emblem. Those emblems came from the 1964 and 1965 Chevys. I had a '65 Chevy with one of those screwed on to the front grill. I was always thinking of taking it off and putting it on my black Fender Bassman speaker cabinet. Never got around to that and that emblem went to the junk yard with the car. I guess I wasn't the only person int the world who thought of that. Wow - 45 years later I get to see that.

Some great tunes obviously but the guitars were out of tune and often playing in different keys. Maybe cool when you are high but after you get straight? Not so much.

Cheap Thrills had some fun tunes....The Full Tilt Boogie Band simply had a better grade of musicians....Big Brother....bless their hearts... ...were at best raw.....

I love Cheap Thrills, and it certainly is RAW. It's also pretty psychedelic at times. That's what Big Brother was, for sure...........RAW.........PSYCHEDELIC. But Janis fit in perfectly with that.............raw playing with raw emotional vocals that cut right to the heart. Big Brother may not have been polished but with Janis they were a very special band. Their place in rock history is certainly secure, and they're the band that broke Janis Joplin. Drummer David Getz said, "Monterey Pop changed everything. After that we started to be known on the East Coast. Before that we were an underground band."

In the documentary someone who knew Janis well said that the biggest problem with Janis leaving Big Brother was that she was not cut out to be a bandleader, and she was thrust into that role after she left. Peter Albin was the leader of Big Brother.

I can see where Janis' sound became more polished after she left............it's evident on "I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama" (my favorite Janis record) and on "Pearl". Think of the places she could have gone..............if she just could have stayed away from the needle and the spoon.

[Edited on 5/22/2016 by robslob]

The key and timing issues were pretty much the norm and not the exception regarding Big Brother & The Holding Company. I still dig them 😛

The key and timing issues were pretty much the norm and not the exception regarding Big Brother & The Holding Company. I still dig them 😛

Same here as I liked the power and some of the songs are classic. As musicians, they were sloppy which is part of the appeal in a bizarre way. As lead players, some of those guitar lines make me cringe and laugh. Their music theory knowledge and understanding of keys was non-existent. Lots of things sound great to a player when they are high.

The Ramones were terrible and have their appeal. Neil Young will play one note over and over and call it a solo. I never got it and still don't but Neil seems to have done alright without my approval. 😉

The key and timing issues were pretty much the norm and not the exception regarding Big Brother & The Holding Company. I still dig them 😛

Same here as I liked the power and some of the songs are classic. As musicians, they were sloppy which is part of the appeal in a bizarre way. As lead players, some of those guitar lines make me cringe and laugh. Their music theory knowledge and understanding of keys was non-existent. Lots of things sound great to a player when they are high.

The Ramones were terrible and have their appeal. Neil Young will play one note over and over and call it a solo. I never got it and still don't but Neil seems to have done alright without my approval. 😉

They are the great American Garage band....A Garage band that made it.....When I was a kid there was band that played around the corner in their garage....I use to sit on the sidewalk and listen to them...one day they opened the door and saw me sitting there and invited me in to listen. I knew all of them they were just the older Neighborhood kids....they actually sounded good and had a real cute girl singer....I use to tag along with these guys and play softball then go sit out front of the house and listen to them play...

They played all the AM hits of the time....

Big Brother sounds just like a classic Garage band

The key and timing issues were pretty much the norm and not the exception regarding Big Brother & The Holding Company. I still dig them 😛

Same here as I liked the power and some of the songs are classic. As musicians, they were sloppy which is part of the appeal in a bizarre way. As lead players, some of those guitar lines make me cringe and laugh. Their music theory knowledge and understanding of keys was non-existent. Lots of things sound great to a player when they are high.

The Ramones were terrible and have their appeal. Neil Young will play one note over and over and call it a solo. I never got it and still don't but Neil seems to have done alright without my approval. 😉

They are the great American Garage band....A Garage band that made it.....When I was a kid there was band that played around the corner in their garage....I use to sit on the sidewalk and listen to them...one day they opened the door and saw me sitting there and invited me in to listen. I knew all of them they were just the older Neighborhood kids....they actually sounded good and had a real cute girl singer....I use to tag along with these guys and play softball then go sit out front of the house and listen to them play...

They played all the AM hits of the time....

Big Brother sounds just like a classic Garage band

X2

The funny part is when I was playing in the garage I used to copy their solos. 😛 Later found out why some notes seemed off whether they played it or I did. It worked for Janis in the beginning but obviously ran its' course.

But a garage band sound for sure.