I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! [Bonus Tracks] [Remaster] (CD - 1969)

Also available with BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY FEATURING JANIS JOPLIN, CHEAP THRILLS, PEARL and bonus disc RARE PEARLS in BOX OF PEARLS: THE JANIS JOPLIN COLLECTION.

Also available with CHEAP THRILLS and PEARL in a 3-CD set.

Personnel: Janis Joplin (vocals); Sam Andrew (guitar, background vocals); Terry Clements (tenor saxophone); Cornelius "Snooky" Flowers (baritone saxophone, background vocals); Luis Gasca (trumpet); Richard Kermode, Gabriel Mekler (organ); Brad Campbell (bass); Maury Baker, Lonnie Castille (drums).

Producer: Gabriel Mekler.

Reissue producer: Bob Irwin.

Engineers: Sy Mitchell, Jerry Hochman, Alex Kazanegras.

Recorded in June 1969. Live bonus tracks recorded at Woodstock Festival, Woodstock, New York in August 1969.

Includes liner notes by John Byrne Cooke.

Personnel: Janis Joplin (vocals, guitar); Sam Andrew (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Terry Clements (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Cornelius "Snookey" Flowers (saxophone, baritone saxophone, background vocals); Luis Gasca (trumpet); Brad Campbell (brass); Gabriel Mekler, Richard Kermode (organ, keyboards); Maury Baker, Lonnie Castille (drums).

Audio Mixer: Vic Anesini.

Liner Note Author: John Byrne Cooke.

Recording information: Woodstock Muisc & Arts Festival (06/13/1969-08/??/1969); Woodstock Music And Arts Festival (06/13/1969-08/??/1969).

Photographers: Bruce Steinberg; Richard DiLello; David Gahr; Fred Lombardi; Elliott Landy; Jim Marshall ; Michael Friedman.

Unknown Contributor Role: Terry Clements .

Arranger: Gabriel Mekler.

KOZMIC BLUES officially marks the start of Janis Joplin's solo career, using Stax-Volt-style horn arrangements and a backing band including guitarist Sam Andrew, who she brought along from Big Brother And The Holding Company. While the band proves to be mightily up to its task, Joplin's tortured, insistent, blues-soaked performances leave little doubt as to who's in charge here.

With her whisper-to-a-roar dynamics and multi-octave range, Janis and The Kozmic Blues Band bury listeners in the soul blues. Her take on the Gibb Brothers "To Love Somebody" is impossibly funky. If she needs to make sure her man loves her enough, she'll "Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)" to let him know how she feels. While whooping it up at a wild, happening party, she enjoys all the fun but is really just looking for "One Good Man." Not many of the numerous Janis imitators in the US gained much notoriety, but it's certain that over in England, one Robert Plant was paying close attention.

Janis Joplin's solo debut was a letdown at the time of release, suffering in comparison with Big Brother's Cheap Thrills from the previous year, and shifting her style toward soul-rock in a way that disappointed some fans. Removed from that context, it sounds better today, though it's still flawed. Fronting the short-lived Kozmic Blues Band, the arrangements are horn heavy and the material soulful and bluesy. The band sounds a little stiff, though, and although Joplin's singing is good, she would sound more electrifying on various live versions of some of the songs that have come out over the years. The shortage of quality original compositions -- indeed, there are only eight tracks total on the album -- didn't help either, and the cover selections were erratic, particularly the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody." On the other hand, "Try" is one of her best soul outings, and the reading of Rodgers & Hart's "Little Girl Blue" is inspired. The 1999 CD reissue adds three bonus tracks: a cover of Bob Dylan's "Dear Landlord" from the Kozmic Blues sessions that was first heard on the Janis box set, and previously unreleased versions of "Summertime" and "Piece of My Heart" from the Woodstock Festival. "Summertime" is okay, but this "Piece of My Heart" really pales next to the Big Brother interpretation. ~ Richie Unterberger minimize