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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
"Pearl," (1971), is one of the most legendary of recordings. It was, sadly, posthumously released, as Janis Joplin, its greatly-talented maker, died of a heroin overdose on October 4, 1970, at the age of 27, as she was finishing it up. She left her vocal to "Buried Alive in the Blues" unsung; so that it was released on the record as an instrumental by Full-Tilt Boogie, the backing band she'd put together for herself, which most people preferred to Big Brother and the Holding Company, the San Francisco -based psychedelic blues rock band with which she first became popular.
"Pearl" is bluesy, funky, driving, much like its troubled maker, and will have to stand as her memorial. It has powerful tracks of "Cry Baby," and a live "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder," and a witty acapella "Mercedes Benz." "A Woman Left Lonely," and Bobby Womack's "Trust Me," are gritty blues. "A Woman Left Lonely," was, I believe, described by Time magazine as music to which a girl might cut her wrists. Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee," of course, became her signature song: it was her only number one hit, achieved posthumously.
I actually was once able to see Janis live, with "Big Brother," performing the Cheap Thrills repertory, at a famous venue of the time, Bill Graham's Fillmore East, on New York's Lower East Side. All these years later, I still remember the expectant hush when the house lights went down, the sweet aroma of various illegal substances, and Joplin's electrifying performance. It was quite a night, I can tell you. Nobody will ever have that chance again, but the recordings remain.
"Pearl" is bluesy, funky, driving, much like its troubled maker, and will have to stand as her memorial. It has powerful tracks of "Cry Baby," and a live "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder," and a witty acapella "Mercedes Benz." "A Woman Left Lonely," and Bobby Womack's "Trust Me," are gritty blues. "A Woman Left Lonely," was, I believe, described by Time magazine as music to which a girl might cut her wrists. Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee," of course, became her signature song: it was her only number one hit, achieved posthumously.
I actually was once able to see Janis live, with "Big Brother," performing the Cheap Thrills repertory, at a famous venue of the time, Bill Graham's Fillmore East, on New York's Lower East Side. All these years later, I still remember the expectant hush when the house lights went down, the sweet aroma of various illegal substances, and Joplin's electrifying performance. It was quite a night, I can tell you. Nobody will ever have that chance again, but the recordings remain.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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8 reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Classic and historic
29 April 2002
Format:Audio CD
Paul Rothchild (Doors' producer) came along at just the right time to produce this classic and historic work, which was Janis' last album, released posthumously after her tragic and premature departure from the planet. "Me and Bobby McGee" never ceases to amaze me, especially when she delivers the word "nuthin" after singing the famous line, "freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose." The way she says "nuthin" is just so flat-out REAL, you know she's speaking to you straight from her bones. (The acoustic demo of this song is available on the 3-CD box set, which sheds light on how Janis single-handedly created the blueprint for this track, just her and her guitar). "My Baby" is gospel-like and redemptive, and is my favorite song on the "Pearl" album. It's as though her voice is a gateway into another realm and sends chills thru the body. "Cry Baby" is also one of Janis' most amazing vocal performances. (I like the alternate version of "Cry Baby" available on the 3-CD box set even better, because it captures some interesting moments of spontaneity and laughter in the studio, along with a very amusing rap midway thru the song.)
What many people don't realize about Janis is that she wrote some of her own (and best) material. "Move Over" is a Janis original and rocks as hard as anything she ever recorded. She sang this song on the Dick Cavett show right before her infamous high school reunion in Port Arthur.
She also performed "Get It While You Can" on the same show, which is as much of an anthem as any song she recorded. The line, "we may not be here tomorrow," is all too prophetic. And the instrumental track of the ironic "Buried Alive in the Blues" is hard to listen for all the obvious reasons because Janis is conspicuous by her absence. (She was scheduled to finish the vocals for this Nick Gravenites tune the day she was found dead from an accidental overdose in her hotel room. The juxtaposition of the uptempo, happy beat of "Buried Alive in the Blues" is at odds with the circumstances, but it is a fitting tribute that it was included on the album, and a stark reminder that Janis was truly a force of nature and an highly exuberant (and joyous) personality, even when missing in action.)
... "Pearl" is rock 'n' roll history, a must for every record collection. There will always be a bummer element to this album because of the association of her death, but her energy and brilliance rock on and shine on, none the less. All praise to Janis---Legend, icon, pioneer---the late, the great Janis Joplin, still-reigning queen of rock.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Justin Crawford's Pearl review
11 Aug 2000
Format:Audio CD
Janis Joplin's 1971 release "Pearl" is the best album by Janis. Even though it's not a finished album but it never will be. She died before she had time to finish the album. Thats why "Buried Alive in The Blues" has no vocal, because she died the night before she was suppose to record that vocal. The rest of the album is Janis at her best vocally and musically "Move Over" a song penned by Janis is the lead track and probably the best song on the record. All the songs are great and very emotional. She left this world too soon but we do have her music. What little there is, but go get pearl it is her best.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
TIMELESS MASTERPIECE
24 May 2002
Format:Audio CD
What struck me about Pearl upon listening to it again recently, is the authenticity of the music. Some reviewer once claimed that rock merely gets stale whereas pop music rots with time. There is nothing stale about Joplin and her band on this all-time classic. After all these years, it remains a magnificent listening experience because of the quality of the songs, the band's tight playing and the impressive emotional range of Joplin's vocals. Unlike on Cheap Thrills, where there was mostly a cosmic battle between her voice and Big Brother's heavy metal onslaught, here the voice is the star. My favorites on an album of classics include the incredible Me and Bobby McGee, the tender A Woman Left Lonely, the nervous Half Moon, the emotional Cry Baby, the buoyant Get It While You Can and the plaintive/humorous Mercedes Benz. Perfect arrangements, brilliant playing and masterly vocalization combine here to create a timeless masterpiece.
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