Recorded - September 25, 1970
Released - January 11, 1971
#1 for weeks of March 20 and 27, 1971.
In a modern world that strives for uniform perfect pitch and Whitney Houston soundalikes, it's always more than refreshing to listen back to the delightfully raspy and soulful voice of the late great Janis Joplin. She was an immensely unique vocalist and spirit, who managed to perfectly emulate traditional blues music, but with a countercultural twist.
Born in Texas, and later settling down in San Francisco, Janis joined Big Brother And The Holding Company. This quintet spent two years making some of the finest blues rock tunes of the era. This includes "Down On Me", "Ball And Chain" and of course, "Piece Of My Heart". All of these songs showcase just how special Janis' voice was to the band's sound. Upon her leaving the group in late 1968, Big Brother was never the same.
After spending much of 1969 in the Kozmic Blues Band, Janis would start recording her first solo album, Pearl, in September of 1970. As fate would have it, she never got a chance to fully complete the album. On October 4th, Janis was found dead of an overdose at only 27 years old. Thus, Pearl was released as a partially unfinished posthumous work. Despite the circumstances, it is nonetheless a classic album.
One of the album's centerpieces, "Me And Bobby McGee", was a Kris Kristofferson original that had already been interpreted by several other artists. However good Kris' original version may be, I consider Janis' version to be the definitive arrangement. Her voice is just tailor-made for the song's very Western-influenced lyrics.
Part of the success of Janis' version of "Bobby" is that she manages to successfully fuse country, blues, and rock and roll into the arrangement. The country element is in the guitars and lyrics, the blues is in her vocals, and the rock element is the driving bass, keyboard, and drum lines of the song. It is a perfect blend of styles, and is a very entertaining and virtuous listening experience.
Final Verdict - The #1 hit status of "Me And Bobby McGee" may be mostly due to Janis' posthumous fame. Nevertheless, Janis' version of the song is fantastic, and it contains something for all fans of 20th century music to appreciate. If only Janis lived to see this song top the charts.
Coming Up Next - "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" by The Temptations.
Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rocky McGee -
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