Cheap Thrills (studio album) by Big Brother And The Holding Company

This album is pretty average in my opinion with there being just one song that is really worth listening to and the rest feeling like filler. Obviously, the vocal is phenomenal and it makes what would be a very dull album into one that is reasonably entertaining. Once you look past the voice though the music is pretty simplistic and feels very repetitive by the time you get to the end. It also doesn't take any risks and feels like a safe record that blends in with other generic rock releases. Overall, I was quite disappointed revisiting this album as I love the big single and Joplin's voice is fantastic but the rest falls flat in my opinion.

Not always sure "Pearl" is her best album; there's a lot of good stuff here. But apparently they were stressful sessions and management was determined to split her off from the band by the end.

From teague 09/08/2021 23:40

Blisteringly hot blues rock. Rivals the likes of Blue Cheer and The Velvet Underground for the title of most raucous release of 1968.

the energy of Janis. decent stuff

Great album. Love her voice

From planetneutral 01/18/2021 10:32

Janis is untouchable and the song material is almost as consistently great, though the half-assed effort to make it seem like a live album feels like the cheapest thrill.

From 2nd-Impressions 09/26/2020 23:37

60/100.

Best songs: Summertime, Piece of My Heart
Worst song: Oh, Sweet Mary

Pretty good album!

A powerful psychedelic album with plenty of edge and energy. Janis Joplin sounds like what Grace Slick might have sounded like if she gargled with Whisky regularly. Love 'Piece of my Heart'. Parts of Joplin's vocal style reminds me of a female version of Robert Plant.

From llibnanoon 08/21/2020 17:25

Janis is Amazing and The Holding Company can jam with the best of them. Rating (82.86)

There's a whole lot to like about this album as it is filled with energy throughout the entire band, it showcases the remarkable vocal talent of Janis Joplin, and walks the somewhat unusual line of sounding like an album from a jam band that veers into classic rock and roll as well. Like a lot of albums from the late 60s, it suffers from the infusion of jarring sound effects added to the recording, in this case to simulate the feel of a live performance. Some of the songs are actually live and not surprisingly, they sound great as they do not need to be enhanced with over the top sound. The recording of the album sounds great and allows each of the musical parts to take center stage at different times. If for no other reason, check this album out for the classic one-two punch of "Piece of My Heart" and "Summertime" but tune in ahead of time for "I Need A Man To Love" and towards the end for the live version of "Catch Me Daddy."