Recording information: Bill Graham's Winterland, San Francisco, CA (03/02/1968-05/20/1968); Columbia Studio's New York (03/02/1968-05/20/1968); Columbia Studios, Los Angeles, CA (03/02/1968-05/20/1968); Grande Ballroom, Detroit, MI (03/02/1968-05/20/1968); The Grande Ballroom, Detroit, M K Crossing (03/02/1968-05/20/1968).
Authors: David Getz; Sam Andrew.
Editor: Jen Wyler.
Illustrator: Robert Crumb.
Photographers: Jim Marshall ; Baron Wolman; David Gahr; Elliott Landy.
Arranger: Sam Andrew.
After a relatively obscure indie debut album, Big Brother's unforgettable appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival led to CHEAP THRILLS, their major label bow. Its R. Crumb cover art made it a visual standout, but the visceral power contained within heralded Janis Joplin's arrival as a new countercultural blues-rock diva. Partially recorded live at San Francisco's Fillmore, CHEAP THRILLS showed Joplin's affinity for the blues, as she effortlessly covered the standard "Summertime" as well as her heroine Big Mama Thornton's "Ball & Chain." Band conflicts caused by Joplin's high profile within the group resulted in her leaving soon afterward for a solo career.
Professional Reviews
Entertainment Weekly (10/1/99, p.75) - "...a blues-rock apotheosis, with Joplin's primal scream scraping up against Big Brother's willfully deranged, acid-stoked boogie..." - Rating: A-
Q (11/99, p.156) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...a raw fiery collection that includes the hits 'Piece Of My Heart', 'Summertime' and 'Ball & Chain'..."
