cheap thrills

Big Brother and the Holding Company made their major label debut with the raw passion of this landmark album of acid rock and psychedelic blues.  Their eponymous first album on jazz label Mainstream Records was a disappointment to the band and the public after their historic performance at the Monterey Pop Festival.  They signed to Colombia Records and recorded two concerts at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit for a live album; but producer John Simon and manager Albert Grossman didn't like the results, and the project was scraped.  Recording in the studio took months to complete as the band struggled to capture their live sound.  Eventually, the album included some live material with the extended 'Ball and Chain' recorded completely live at at the Winterland Ballroom (although it was credited as Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium).   

Joplin would describe their loose live sound:    "Thats what Big Brother used to be all about...just goofing,and acting silly and going on a little too long because we were a little stoned. We weren't very tight but we were happy man. We used to have a very good time together. When you feel like playing its very hard to stop." 

The iconic cover for 'Cheap Thrills' was illustrated by Zap Comics cartoonist Robert Crumb.   It was originally intended as the rear cover; but Joplin insisted that Colombia make it the front cover.  'Cheap Thrills' was a huge success, spending eight non-consecutive weeks at the top of the album chart and became one of the biggest albums of 1968 with over a million copies sold.  It was the group's last album with Joplin, who left for a solo career later that year.  









http://www.bbhc.com/




http://www.janisjoplin.com/








"Piece of My Heart"  
Bert Berns, Jerry Ragovoy 4:15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA78eLqHLkM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TEyRMfvcSw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hcxbIln3sc




"Turtle Blues"   Joplin 4:22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liJUFlO47cs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi_b0EGLHRk



"Oh, Sweet Mary"   Peter Albin, Andrew, David Getz, James Gurley, Joplin 4:16
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1snaYP0YLXo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMg4JEI8l-k







One of the last performances Janis Joplin performed with Big Brother and the Holding Company, on the Saturday night variety TV show 'The Hollywood Palace' (11/2/68). Performing the songs "Summertime" and "I Need A Man To Love."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8npK1q6LY9Q






'Cheap Thrills' 
full album:




Side one
1. "Combination of the Two"   Sam Andrew 5:47
2. "I Need a Man to Love"   Andrew, Janis Joplin 4:54
3. "Summertime"   George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward 4:01
4. "Piece of My Heart"   Bert Berns, Jerry Ragovoy 4:15
Side two
1. "Turtle Blues"   Joplin 4:22
2. "Oh, Sweet Mary"   Peter Albin, Andrew, David Getz, James Gurley, Joplin 4:16

3. "Ball and Chain"   Big Mama Thornton 9:02