Janis (1975 album)
Encyclopedia
Janis is a collection of performances by Janis Joplin
, issued in 1975 as a compilation album containing film soundtrack and live recordings. Disc one is subtitled "From the soundtrack of the motion picture Janis
(with substituted performances of 'Piece of my Heart' and 'Cry Baby')". In addition to concert recordings from Toronto and Frankfurt, there are several short TV-interviews. Disc two contains recordings from Austin, Texas (1963 and 1964), plus four recordings from San Francisco (1965). The album booklet contains a photo documentary, with 22 pictures from Janis Joplin's life and career.
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, issued in 1975 as a compilation album containing film soundtrack and live recordings. Disc one is subtitled "From the soundtrack of the motion picture Janis
Janis (film)
Janis is a 1974 documentary film about the rock singer Janis Joplin. The film was directed by Howard Alk with a lot of assistance from Albert Grossman, Janis' manager. It was available on videocassette in the United States in the 1980s and 1990s, but DVD versions have been released only in France,...
(with substituted performances of 'Piece of my Heart' and 'Cry Baby')". In addition to concert recordings from Toronto and Frankfurt, there are several short TV-interviews. Disc two contains recordings from Austin, Texas (1963 and 1964), plus four recordings from San Francisco (1965). The album booklet contains a photo documentary, with 22 pictures from Janis Joplin's life and career.
Disc one: Janis
- "Mercedes Benz" (J. Joplin, M. McClureMichael McClureMichael McClure is an American poet, playwright, songwriter, and novelist. After moving to San Francisco as a young man, he found fame as one of the five poets who read at the famous San Francisco Six Gallery reading in 1955 rendered in barely fictionalized terms in Jack Kerouac's Dharma Bums...
) (With The Full Tilt Boogie Band; from the album PearlPearl (album)-Personnel:* Janis Joplin – vocals, guitar on "Me and Bobby McGee"* Richard Bell – piano* Ken Pearson – organ* John Till – electric guitar* Brad Campbell – bass guitar* Clark Pierson – drums-Additional personnel:...
) - "Ball and Chain" (W. M. ThorntonBig Mama ThorntonWillie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton was an American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter. She was the first to record the hit song "Hound Dog" in 1952. The song was #1 on the Billboard R&B charts for seven weeks in 1953. The B-side was "They Call Me Big Mama," and the single sold almost two million...
) (With The Kozmic Blues Band; Frankfurt, Germany Concert 1969) - Rap on "Try" (Toronto, Canada Concert 1970)
- "Try (Just a little bit Harder)" (J. RagovoyJerry RagovoyJordan "Jerry" Ragovoy was an American songwriter and record producer.His best-known composition "Time Is on My Side" was made famous by The Rolling Stones, although it had been recorded earlier by Kai Winding and Irma Thomas...
, C. Taylor) (With The Kozmic Blues Band; Toronto, Canada Concert 1970) - "SummertimeSummertime (song)"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP....
" (D. HeywardDuBose HeywardEdwin DuBose Heyward was a white American author best known for his 1925 novel Porgy. This novel was the basis for the play by the same name and, in turn, the opera Porgy and Bess with music by George Gershwin.-Life and career:Heyward was born in 1885 in Charleston, South Carolina and was a...
, G. GershwinGeorge GershwinGeorge Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
) (With The Kozmic Blues Band; Frankfurt, Germany Concert 1969) - Albert Hall Interview (1969)
- "Cry BabyCry Baby (song)-Janis Joplin's version:In September and October 1970, Janis Joplin recorded it for her album Pearl, posthumously released. The song was in blues-rock style and its producer was Paul A. Rothchild. B-side of the track was hit "Mercedes Benz"...
" (J. Ragovoy, B. BernsBert BernsBertrand Russell Berns , most commonly known as Bert Berns as well as Bert Russell and Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s...
) (With The Full Tilt Boogie Band; from the album Pearl) - "Move Over" (J. Joplin) (With The Full Tilt Boogie Band)
- Dick Cavett T.V. Interview (1970)
- "Piece of My HeartPiece of My Heart"Piece of My Heart" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns and originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. The song came to greater mainstream attention when Big Brother and the Holding Company covered the song in 1968 and had a hit with it...
" (J. Ragovoy, B. Berns) (With Big Brother and the Holding Company; from the album Cheap Thrills) - Port Arthur High School Reunion
- "Maybe" (R. Barrett) (With The Kozmic Blues Band; Frankfurt, Germany Concert 1969)
- "Me and Bobby McGeeMe and Bobby McGee"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, originally performed by Roger Miller. Others performed the song later, including Kristofferson himself, and Janis Joplin who topped the U.S. singles chart with the song in 1971 after her death, making the song the second...
" (F. FosterFred FosterFred Foster is an American songwriter, record producer, and founder of Monument Records.-Biography:...
, K. KristoffersonKris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
) (With The Full Tilt Boogie Band; from the album Pearl)
Disc two: Early Performances
- "Trouble in MindTrouble in Mind (song)"Trouble in Mind" is a slow eight-bar blues song written by jazz pianist Richard M. Jones. The song was recorded in 1924 by singer Thelma La Vizzo with Jones providing the piano accompaniment...
" (R. M. JonesRichard M. JonesRichard M. Jones, born Richard Marigny Jones, was a jazz pianist, composer, band leader, and record producer. Numerous songs bear his name as author, including "Trouble in Mind"....
) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964) - "What Good Can Drinkin' DoWhat Good Can Drinkin' Do (song)"What Good Can Drinkin' Do" is a blues song by Janis Joplin, the first song she ever recorded.The song has six verses, following the 12-bar blues pattern...
" (J. Joplin) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964) - "Silver Threads and Golden NeedlesSilver Threads and Golden Needles"Silver Threads and Golden Needles", a song written by Jack Rhodes and Dick Reynolds, was first recorded by Wanda Jackson in 1956. The original lyrics, as performed by Jackson, contain a verse not usually included in later versions, which also often differed in other minor details.-Other versions:*...
" (J. Rhodes, D. Reynolds) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964) - "Mississippi River" (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964)
- "Stealin'" (L. Stock, A. Lewis) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964)
- "No Reason For Livin'" (J. Joplin) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964)
- "Black Mountain Blues" (R. Cole) (Recorded 1965 San Francisco with Dick Oxtot Jazz Band)
- "Walk Right InWalk Right InWalk Right In is the title of a country blues song written by musician Gus Cannon and originally recorded by Cannon's Jug Stompers in 1929, released on Victor Records, catalogue 38611. It was reissued on album in 1959 as a track on The Country Blues....
" (G. CannonGus CannonGus Cannon was an American blues musician, who helped to popularize jug bands in the 1920s and 1930s. There is doubt about his birth year; his tombstone gives the date as 1874....
, H. Woods) (Recorded 1965 San Francisco with Dick Oxtot Jazz Band) - "River Jordan" (Recorded 1965 San Francisco with Dick Oxtot Jazz Band)
- "Mary JaneMary Jane (Janis Joplin song)"Mary Jane" is a blues song by Janis Joplin.The song has five verses; the first features the line "when I bring home my hard-earned pay, I spend my money all on Mary Jane"....
" (J. Joplin) (Recorded 1965 San Francisco with Dick Oxtot Jazz Band) - "Kansas City Blues" (C. Parker) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964)
- "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" (J. Joplin) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964)
- "See See RiderSee See RiderThe song is generally regarded as being traditional in origin. Ma Rainey's version became popular during 1925, as "See See Rider Blues." It became one of the most famous of all blues songs, with well over 100 versions. It was recorded by Big Bill Broonzy, Mississippi John Hurt, Lead Belly,...
" (M. RaineyMa RaineyMa Rainey was one of the earliest known American professional blues singers and one of the first generation of such singers to record. She was billed as The Mother of the Blues....
) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964) - "San Francisco Bay BluesSan Francisco Bay Blues"San Francisco Bay Blues" is an American folk song and is generally considered to be the most famous composition by Jesse Fuller. Fuller first recorded the song in 1954 for a small label called World Song. The song was brought into wider popularity in the early 1960s by club performances by...
" (J. FullerJesse FullerJesse Fuller was an American one-man band musician, best known for his song "San Francisco Bay Blues".-Early life:...
) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964) - "Winin' Boy" (J. R. MortonJelly Roll MortonFerdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....
) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964) - "Careless LoveCareless Love"Careless Love" is a traditional song of obscure origins.Blues versions are popular; the lyrics change from version to version, but usually speak of the heartbreak brought on by "careless love." Frequently, the narrator threatens to kill his or her wayward lover.The song's melody also is used in...
" (H. LedbetterLeadbellyHuddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
, A. LomaxAlan LomaxAlan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964) - "I'll Drown In My Own TearsDrown in My Own Tears"Drown in My Own Tears" is a 1956 Blues single, written by Henry Glover and released by the singers Ray Charles & Dinah Washington on the Atlantic & EmArcy record labels respectively....
" (H. GloverHenry GloverHenry Glover was an American songwriter, arranger, record producer and trumpet player. In the music industry of the time, Glover was one of the more successful, and influential, black executives. He gained eminence in the late 1940s, primarily working for the independent King label...
) (Austin, Texas 1963 or 1964)