Big Brother & the Holding Company: Piece of my Heart
“I met a girl who sang the blues,and I ask her for some happy news, she just smiled and turned away”…… Don McLean,American Pie
As usual, in 1968, Billboard published its annual hot 100 list, charting that years most popular songs. If you read the list, you’d better hold on to your socks, you’re not going to believe your eyes. While the Beatles Hey Jude managed to captured the #1 spot, from there, the universe seems to careen into cosmic disorder. Paul Mauriat’s Love Is Blue & Bobby Goldsboro’s Honey come in at Number 2 & 3. Thereafter, with a few exceptions, most of what’s left of the Top 20 is populated by such unmemorable nonsense as Harper Valley PTA, Little Green Apples and Grazing in the Grass. What the hell? Well, to be honest, in the 60′s, we were all grazing in the grass a little bit. But still, I don’t’ think I killed so many brain cells that I wouldn’t remember spending all my time listening to Hugh Masekela.
Imagine my further astonishment when I discovered that the 1968 Big Brother rock/blues classic Piece Of My Heart not only failed to make billboards top 20, but had barely managed to sneak onto the list at #96, giving ground to the drivel produced by such rock & roll stalwarts as the 1910 Fruitgum Company, the Cowsills, Ohio Express and other bubblegum bands. Apparently, by 1968, 14 year old girls were already entrenched as the dominant record consumers
“We were the established rock and roll band. We were heavy. We were like: all right, out of three or four bands in this city, we are one of them…..” Sam Andrew, guitar, Big Brother & the Holding Co.
Spawned in late 1965 by the evolving Haight-Ashbury music scene, and nurtured by San Francisco music promoter Chet Helms (considered by most to be the “father of the summer of Love”), Big Brother and the Holding Company epitomized the reckless indulgent qualities of San Francisco’s psychedelic rock lifestyle. Amazingly, the new bands first gig would be to share the stage with the Grateful Dead at the 1966 Trips festival, a milestone in the emerging Hippie counterculture, organized by Stewart Brand, a member of Ken Kesey’s Merry Prankster’s (a group who formed around the author in the early 1960s, promoting the use of LSD as a means to break through conformist thought and change American society). Big Brother was soon working as the House band at Chet Helms famed Avalon Ballroom, which between 1966 and 1968 booked the entire pantheon of psychedelic rock bands, which also resulted in an anthology of psychedelic posters, produced to promote the shows
“She came in and she was dressed like a little Texan. She didn’t look like a hippie, she looked like my mother, who is also from Texas” Sam Andrew, guitar, Big Brother & the Holding Co
In June 1966, Big Brother manager Chet Helms recruited bluesy Texan vocalist Janis Joplin to join the band, which had by that time gained a following in the blossoming Haight-Ashbury hippie community. The band was less than enthusiastic about her appearance. They weren’t bowled over, but neither was Joplin. It was more of a curious standoff. And smoothing out the edges would take over a year, with Janis sharing vocals and the band learning to meld their anything goes improvisational style to Joplin’s more structured style. In the end, it was obvious that Joplin’s gut wrenching vocals were key to taking the next step. During 1967, the band would release their first album, Big Brother and the Holding Company, along with two singles, first Blind man, and later Down on Me, both from the album. Although well received in the San Francisco area, they garnered little national attention.
The bands big break would come with their performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop festival. Big Brother would perform a five song set which would grab the attention of a national audience, bring them a new manger in Albert Grossman, and most importantly, a recording contract with Columbia Records.
“You can’t always get what you want, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.” The Rolling Stones
Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills; the intended title, proved too much for Columbia executives, and what would become Big Brother and the Holding Company’s breakout album was re-titled simply, Cheap Thrills. If the title seemed too much, the cover, planned by the band to be a photo of the group naked in bed, wasn’t going to fly, and in one of those “happy accidents”, the original cover was supplanted with artwork from underground cartoonist Robert Crumb, which had been intended for the albums back side. The original musical concept was for a live album, however, disappointed in the quality of the live material, Columbia sent the band into the studio, where four of the tracts (Summertime, Piece of my Heart, Turtle Blues & Oh Sweet Mary) were re-recorded, and combined with the live recordings of Combination of the Two, I Need a Man to Love, and Ball and Chain. The result of it all; a name we can live with, a classic album cover, and an exciting, sometimes raw, intensely original recording. The marriage between psychedelics and blues is unlike anything else ever produced. Cheap Thrills was released in the summer of 1968, and reached #1 on the Billboard Charts by October.
Well, that brings us back to Piece of my Heart. A masterful recording that was seemingly given short shrift on the 1968 Billboard top 100 list. However, time has a wonderful way a making everything clear. I wonder, if we could gather those 14 year old record buyers in a room today, and offer them each an original copy of Harper Valley PTA, or Piece of my Heart, would any walk away without the Holding Company classic. I think not.
Janis Joplin performed with Big Brother and the Holding Company from 1966 to 1968. After which, she had a solo career with The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band. On October 4th, 1970, Janis Joplin died of a drug overdose at the Landmark Motor Hotel in Hollywood. She left an indelible mark on American music. Janis was 27 years old at the time of her death.
“All my life I just wanted to be a beatnik. Meet all the heavies, get stoned, get laid, have a good time. That’s all I ever wanted. Except I knew I had a good voice and I could always get a couple of beers off of it. All of a sudden someone threw me in this rock ‘n’ roll band. They threw these musicians at me, man, and the sound was coming from behind. The bass was charging me. And I decided then and there that that was it. I never wanted to do anything else. It was better than it had been with any man, you know. Maybe that’s the trouble.” Janis Joplin
P.S. I hadn’t intended to comment on other versions of Piece of my Heart, Sometimes second best , is just that. However, in the gimme a break category; they don’t all belt them out just the same down South. Just a warning to those with a weak constitution, Mississippi born superstar cow chic Faith Hill’s upbeat, saccharin version of Piece Of My Heart, is a real stomach churner.
Big Brother & the Holding Co., Cheap Thrills
Columbia #kcl 2900 “mono” (RELEASED 1968)
Goldmine record album price guide values original mono copies of Cheap Thrills, with original cover & sleeve, in near mint condition, at $300.00
To listen the song, and related items, visit our website at: http://newcenturycollector.com/records
About the Author
Dennis Barker is publisher of the New Century Collector, a monthly Utah based collector’s newspaper, which features collecting news, along with antiques advertising and articles related to the field. Distributed throughout Utah and parts of Idaho, the publication can be picked up free from most antiques shops within their distribution area. The current issue, along with past issues can be read at our website www.newcenturycollector.com
Competitive Cyclist Reviews Crank Brothers Joplin Seatposts
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Big Brother & the Holding Company Featuring Janis Joplin [Remaster] by Big… $5.00 |
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Cheap Thrills Big Brother & The Holding Company Janis Joplin Columbia KCS 9700 $14.99 |
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Crank Brothers Joplin 4 lever adjustable height seatpost 100mm 31.6 – reverb $99.99 |
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BIG BROTHER & the HOLDING COMPANY Janis Joplin – Cheap Thrills – UK Vinyl LP EX $1.56 |
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Crank Brothers Joplin 31.6 $7.99 |
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Big Brother & The Holding Company Cheap Thrills Foldgate vinyl OP67 Joplin rock $11.00 |
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BIG BROTHER (JANIS JOPLIN) & THE HOLDING COMPANY 45 HOME ON THE STRANGE $2.99 |
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Lot 4 Janis Joplin Vinyl Record Collection Big Brother Kozmic Blues Concert $17.50 |
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JANIS JOPLIN/BIG BROTHER Cheap Thrills CD Bonus Trx NEW $17.79 |
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Janis Joplin with Big Brother RSD 45 w/ Pic Slv Call On Me & Magic Of Love NM+ $27.00 |
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Live at Winterland 68, Janis Joplin, Big Brother, Live $5.78 |
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Janis Joplin classic: CHEAP THRILLS/Big Brother and the Holding Company $10.00 |
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Big Brother & the Hold Tour Poster 1968 W/ Janis Joplin $5.00 |
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Big Brother & the Hold Tour Poster 1968 W/ Janis Joplin $5.00 |
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BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY 1967 JANIS JOPLIN New Sealed VINYL LP $14.99 |
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BIG BROTHER & JANIS JOPLIN s/t 1st LP – psych garage blues 67 orig on Mainstream $4.99 |
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Crank Brothers Joplin 4 R 30.9 mm Remote Adjustable Seatpost NEW $122.50 |
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Janis Joplin BIG BROTHER Live At The Carousel Ballroom 2LP Vinyl Set EX+ $22.00 |
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Janis Joplin & Big Brother at The Ark in Sausalito Concert Poster 1967 $9.99 |
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Janis Joplin & Big Brother at the Whisky A Go Go Concert Poster 1967 $9.99 |
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Cheap Thrills [Remaster] Big Brother & Holding Company (Janis Joplin) (CD 1999) $5.38 |
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BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY LP, JANIS JOPLIN’S FIRST ALBUM Mainstream $11.00 |
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Joplin/Big Brother & the Holding Company – FACTORY SEALED ! LP “Cheap Thrills” $9.99 |
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CRANK BROTHERS JOPLIN 4 31.6 X 400mm Bike Seatpost With Lever NEW $149.99 |
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JANIS JOPLIN!! – “BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING CO” – 1968 TOUR POSTER!! $10.00 |
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BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY Feat JANIS JOPLIN LP Columbia P13313 VG+ $9.99 |
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CRANK BROTHERS JOPLIN SEATPOST 31.6mm LEVER new $134.95 |
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JANIS JOPLIN Big Brother&Holding Co.Summertime Blues Italian Promotional Live Cd $30.00 |
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JANIS JOPLIN BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY MAINSTREAM STEREO LP ORIG PRESS $9.00 |
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The David Mayfield Parade CD josh joplin avett brothers jessica lea mayfield $0.99 |
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Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & The Holding Company (CD 1987) Janis Joplin Rock $1.25 |
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Big Brother & The Holding Co… Janis Joplin JPN CD $56.78 |
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Big Brother and the Holding Company Janis Joplin Crazy World Winterland ’68 $30.00 |
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JANIS JOPLIN LP BIG BROTHER & HOLDING CO ARGENTINA_4264 $24.00 |
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JANIS JOPLIN “PEARL” SKULLEBRITIES STICKER COSMIC BLUES BIG BROTHER WOODSTOCK $8.99 |
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Super Hits Janis Joplin BIB BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES $0.01 |
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New Crank Brothers Joplin 4R 30.9 Adjustible Seatpost Dropper $149.00 |
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1972 “JOPLIN IN CONCERT” JANIS BIG BROTHER / FULL TILT BOOGIE DOUBLE REEL 3 3/4 $29.95 |
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JANIS JOPLIN Big Brother Classic Psychedelic Rock Concert mini Posters SET $13.99 |
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e0036 Japan Laserdisc Janis Joplin Live Big Brother And The Holding Company θ $29.70 |
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Big Brother & the Hold Tour Poster 1968 W/ Janis Joplin $5.00 |
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Big Brother &The Holding Co. Sam Andrews Peter Albin signed 5″x7″ photo J.Joplin $99.99 |
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Vintage Psychedelic Era Christmas Poster – Janis Joplin Big Brother, Quicksilver $32.77 |
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1968 CHEAP THRILLS REEL TO REEL TAPE BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY JOPLIN $8.50 |
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Nine Hundred Nights – Big Brother and the Holding Co. with Janis Joplin, DVD, Pe $12.58 |
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JANIS JOPLIN BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY CHEAP THRILLS, COLUMBIA $7.50 |
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Janis Joplin Big Brother & the Holding Company Cheap Thrills SACD 5.1 Surround $30.97 |
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Big Brother and the Holding Company Matrix NR-4 1st Janis Joplin Concert Poster $199.00 |
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Big Brother Holding Co Moby Grape Ark 60s Psychedelic Poster Janis Joplin $95.00 |
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JANIS JOPLIN – BIG BROTHER & HOLDING CO.- FREE SHIPPING! $24.50 |
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Janis Joplin: Big Brother & The Holding Company – Cheap Thrills – Vinyl LP $0.99 |
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Janis Joplin 2 CDS:Greatest Hits & CHEAP THRILLS w/ Big Brother & The Holding Co $8.99 |
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Carousel Ballroom 1968 Handbill Big Brother Janis Joplin H.P. Lovecraft $250.00 |
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Family Dog Postcard FD60 Big Brother Janis Joplin Sir Douglas Quintet Griffin $35.00 |
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Big Brother & Holding Company / Joplin, Janis Big Brother & The Holding Company $7.26 |
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Janis Joplin & Big Brother The Ark Concert Poster ’67 $9.99 |
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Janis Joplin & Big Brother at Selland Arena Poster 1968 $9.99 |
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Janis Joplin & Big Brother Whisky Concert Poster 1967 $9.99 |
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CRANK BROTHERS JOPLIN 4 31.6 X 400mm Bike Seatpost With Lever NEW $120.00 |
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CRANK BROTHERS Joplin 4 Adjustable 31.6 Mountain Bike Seatpost Black $139.50 |
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JANIS JOPLIN BIG BROTHER HOLDING COMPANY Japan Reissue 15AP-602 NM LP CHEAP THRI $39.99 |
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BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY JANIS JOPLIN // LIVE AT THE CAROUSEL // NEW CD $9.92 |
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OOP Cheap Thrills Big Brother Holding Company Janis Joplin IMPORT CD JAPAN PRESS $6.99 |
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JANIS JOPLIN BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY Cheap Thrills JAPAN LP g774 $19.99 |
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Big Brother & The Holding Company LP original mainstream janis joplin stereo $0.99 |
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Crank Brothers Joplin Adjustable Mtb Seatpost 31.6mm Gn $225.93 |
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BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY JANIS JOPLIN 1966 3RD PRINT POSTER ZIG ZAG MAN $199.00 |
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Janis Joplin – Big Brother Live 1968 NEW 2x 12″ LP 180g vinyl gatefold jacket $35.99 |
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FILLMORE EAST POSTCARD 8- 2-3 68 BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING CO W/ JANIS JOPLIN $35.00 |
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Big Brother And Holding Company/Janis Joplin Big Brother And Hold CD $2.61 |
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BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY JANIS JOPLIN 1967 CONCERT POSTER 2ND PRINT $499.00 |
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CHEAP THRILLS Janis Joplin BIG BROTHER & HOLDING COMPANY Aust Pressing Vinyl $14.85 |
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Big Brother (Janis Joplin)/Steve Miller Concert Poster – San Francisco 1967 $9.99 |
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JANIS JOPLIN big brother & the JAPAN NEW MINI LP CD W/O $29.99 |
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Big Brother & The Holding Company/Janis Joplin; LIVE, 14 TRACK PR ADV CD $65.00 |
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BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY FACTORY SEALED ALBUM ‘LIVE’ (JANIS JOPLIN) $24.99 |
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Janis Joplin Big Brother Matrix Stanley Mouse SIGNED Limited Ed Poster Print $199.95 |
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Crank Brothers Joplin Adjustable Seatpost Remote Kit $55.00 |
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BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING CO. Janis Joplin SEALED 180 GRAM VINYL LP $14.00 |
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Janis Joplin:4 CD+Pearl Promo Box Japan Mini-LP SS (big brother holding Z $335.00 |
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Big Brother and The Holding Company – LP – Janis Joplin $6.99 |
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CRANK BROTHERS JOPLIN 4 31.6 X 400mm Bike Seatpost With Lever NEW $156.99 |
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Janis Joplin’s Greatest Hits LP Record Stereo Big Brother & Holding Company $14.99 |
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MINT 1968 JEFFERSON AIRPLANE THE DOORS BIG BROTHER JANIS JOPLIN CONCERT HANDBILL $75.00 |
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Crank Brothers Joplin 4 Adjutsable Mtb Seatpost 30.9mm $250.00 |
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Big Brother & The Holding Company-S/T ’67 Orig. 1st LP MAINSTREAM JANIS JOPLIN! $29.99 |
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JANIS JOPLIN-BIG BROTHER AND THE HO~-JAPAN PROMO WL iii $129.99 |
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Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin Mainstream Record Album LP $14.99 |
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Big Brother and the Holding Company Cheap Thrills Record Album LP Janis Joplin $22.99 |
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Crank Brothers Joplin Remote Lockout Kit $52.95 |
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Janis Joplin, Big Brother, Live, SEALED, Mint, 1984 LP, 1966 concert, Rhino 121 $40.99 |
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JANIS JOPLIN BIG BROTHER USA 1990′s Reissue Brand New SEALED LP CHEAP T6HRILLS $39.99 |
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BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY “be a brother” Rare Acid Psych Janis Joplin $19.99 |
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JOPLIN,JANIS – BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDIND COMPANY [CD NEW] $9.33 |
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BIG BROTHER & HOLDING COMPANY/JANIS JOPLIN**LIVE AT CAROUSEL BALLROOM 1968 **CD $12.95 |
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EXTRAORDINARY CHEAP THRILLS BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY JANIS JOPLIN LP $250.00 |
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BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY – JANIS JOPLIN – CHEAP THRILLS – LP $43.08 |
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JAPAN MINI LP CD BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING JANIS JOPLIN $29.99 |
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Janis Joplin : Big Brother & the Holding Company: Remas $13.59 |
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The Pearl Sessions (2 CD) $11.15 A collection of never-before-heard studio outtakes, live recordings, and other rarities, The Pearl Sessions documents the legacy of Janis Joplin’s masterpiece album. In 1971, the posthumous release of Pearl topped the charts, yielding the hit single “Me and Bobby McGee” and going on to sell nearly 8 million copies.For the first time in one package, the original mono versions of the album’s 45s can… |
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Live At The Carousel Ballroom 1968 $6.97 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
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Cheap Thrills $4.59 One of the most eagerly awaited albums in rock history, Big Brother & the Holding Company’s 1968 major label debut (they’d previously released one thinly produced collection on the small Mainstream label) made good on all the hype generated by Janis Joplin’s amazing performance at the Monterey Pop Festival the year before. Crowned by its hit single, a churning remake of Aretha Franklin’s sister Er… |
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Nine Hundred Nights – The Story of Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin [VHS] $9.98 This document, devoted to the two-plus years (’66-’68) that Janis Joplin spent as a member of San Francisco’s Big Brother and the Holding Company, offers ample material to support the view that Joplin, who died in 1970 at age 27, was a great singer and an enduring inspiration. On the other hand, it probably won’t dissuade those who agree with Pete Townshend of the Who (one of the stars of the ’67 … |
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Comin’ Home [VHS] $14.95 … |
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Janis Joplin LARGE Wall Car Truck Boat Decal Skin Sticker $21.95 11.0″inch tall 13.5″inch wide This decal only comes in white Printed on high quality vinyl that has an outdoor life expectancy of 5-8 years. The decal will be the white, the background will be whatever you are putting the decal on, this is a single color white decal. Can be applied on outside of any smooth, flat, clean and dry surface. |
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The Complete Monterey Pop Festival (The Criterion Collection) $42.95 This three-disc collection opens with documentarian D.A. Pennebaker’s chronicle of the Monterey International Pop Festival, which featured classic stage turns by such psychedelic-era icons as Big Brother and The Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, The Mamas and The Papas, Otis Redding, The Who and, in its U.S. debut, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Disc two offers a double bill of “Jimi Plays Monter… |
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Woodstock – 3 Days of Peace & Music (The Director’s Cut) $19.98 The three-day Woodstock music festival in 1969 was the pivotalevent of the 1960s peace movement, and this landmark concert film is the definitive record of that milestone of rock & roll history. It’s more than a chronicle of the hippie movement, however; this is a film of genuine historical and social importance, capturing the spirit of America in transition, when the Vietnam War was at its peak … |
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The Dick Cavett Show – Comic Legends $20.49 840 minutes (that’s fourteen hours, including various bonus features). Four discs. Twelve shows. Eleven famous guests. The Dick Cavett Show – Comic Legends boasts some big numbers, but what it doesn’t have, surprisingly, is a whole lotta laughs. The lineup is certainly impressive, from old school stalwarts like Groucho Marx, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, and George Burns to relative youngste… |
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Country Joe and Me $9.99 “Ron Cabral chronicles his 40+ year friendship with Country Joe McDonald. It’s a journey that weaves through the Vietnam conflict, the psychedelic 60′s of San Francisco, the peace movement, and of course, some highflying rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a wonderful story that contains many interesting side trips with some colorful characters, many of whom are no longer with us. Cabral revisits the era with a b… |
