Raw Beauty
Jamtoss, | 05/03/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have been a fan of Janis Joplin since I was a child, something about her has always been absolutely magnetic and disturbingly un-airbrushed, so raw and brilliantly sorrowful. And while I adore anything and everything she sings, because she puts all of herself into it all, and does in fact end up paying the ultimate price, her stuff with Big Brother and the Holding Company is I believe the best. This collection is wonderful, untouched, just taken right from tapes provided from the place they played at before they got big. I am a Janis completist and have never heard a few of these songs before, and they are awesome. Guitar is amazing. Janis is lovely. This is a must for all ... Big Brother fans. Love and Entertaining Dreams."
Early psychedelic explosions of unbelievable brilliance
Jamtoss, | NC, USA | 07/29/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've owned Cheaper Thrills on LP since the mid-eighties, when as a young "enthusiast" I stumbled across it. Glad to see it's now on CD. This is one of those that just gets better the more one listens to it, until it becomes a part of the psyche and a foundation of one's internal musics. Brilliant, raw, unpolished very early concert performance, pre-"Summer of Love" and when psychedelia in the SF area was in full, undiluted, innocent bloom. If you're a BBHC fan, it's a must. If you're a Janis fan, it's unpolished, will take some getting used to, but if you give it time and patience it will pay off in spades. One of my top ten, totally inspirational, fun, and creatively uplifting. Fantastic pictures and liner notes. I couldn't imagine living without it."