2. Big Brother And The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills (Janis Joplin)
Cheap Thrills is the most exciting thing Janis Joplin has ever taken part in, and for that, it deserves a nod as the most essential album in her discography. Yes, her "solo" debut Pearl might be more refined, but slickness was never meant to be a cornerstone of Joplin's music. She was about intense passion, and her backing band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, complimented that with their loose, blooze-rock stylings. Joplin's throat-shredding vocals really bloom, and they're as emotional and naked as they've ever been. The majority of Cheap Thrills finds the powerhouse vocalist screaming to the rafters, belting out fiery choruses on album highlights "Flower in the Sun," "Catch Me Daddy," and, of course, "Piece of My Heart." What's sometimes lost in the legacy of Janis Joplin, however, is the way she could restrain her wild vocal antics when she had to, whether it was to allow Sam Andrews a moment in the spotlight (the rocking opener, "Combination of the Two") or as a means of servicing lighter source material (their unusual cover of George Gershwin's "Summertime"). It's impossible to replicate the kind of raw passion and vocal power Joplin brings to the table, and so it's no surprise that after she left, BBHC took a steep drop off the map. It's just too bad she never had the opportunity to reunite with her old band, passing on in 1970.
