Cheap Thrillsformat: cd (1999 remaster) / vinyl (2012 remaster - gatefold)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: John Simon
label: Columbia / Music On Vinyl - nationality: USA
Key track: 4. "Piece of My Heart" (5 / 5)
2nd studio album by Big Brother & The Holding Company follows one year after the self-titled debut (Aug. 1967), and this is a different breed and what appears as a live album. In reality, it's instead the band's second studio release. Cheap Thrills is the band's most famous release and its last featuring Janis Joplin. The band members credited here are vocalist Janis Joplin, bassist & guitarist Peter Albin, bassist, guitarist & vocalist Sam Andrew, bassist & guitarist James Gurley, and pianist and drummer David Getz. Additionally, producer John Simon is also credited on piano. Compared to the uneven debut, which unfortunately wasn't given the time nor the effort the material asked for, Cheap Thrills is considerably better arranged and produced.
The album has gained iconic status primarily for the band's and in particular Joplin's performance, and it's part of numerous best-of-lists, including Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years, and "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
Note: The cover art by 'Underground' cartoonist Robert Crumb is just as legendary as the musical content. The front cover here is a copy of the 2012 remaster, which replicates the original US cover.
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5 stars ]
