Box of Pearls: Janis Joplin Collection [Box set, Original recording remastered]

Janis Joplin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 1999)
• Original Release Date: August 31, 1999
• Number of Discs: 5
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Sony
• Copy Protected
• ASIN: B00000K2A3
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,682 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Janis Joplin was one of the most exhilarating performers of an era blessed with riveting stage artists, but all but her most emphatic champions must concede her recorded oeuvre is problematic. With Big Brother & the Holding Company she was surrounded by up-from-the-streets cohorts who were spiritually attuned to Joplin, even if they weren't always musically in tune. After one rushed, premature effort for the Mainstream label, Big Brother hit the top of the charts with one of the touchstones of the San Francisco sound, Cheap Thrills. Barraged by critics who believed Joplin's skills as a blues and soul singer were being squandered in a psychedelic setting, the toast of Haight-Ashbury went solo with the up-and-down I Got Them Ol' Kozmic Blues Again, Mama. Joplin was hitting her stride during the 1970 Pearl sessions when she died of a drug overdose at age 27. The album's posthumous release was a critical and commercial smash. Box of Pearls binds the 1999 remastered and expanded versions of the aforementioned albums and tosses in a five-track rarities EP entitled, appropriately enough, Rare Pearls. Much of Box of Pearls is brilliant while portions are badly dated, but it's all Joplin. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get it while you can, July 29, 2002

By 

Karen Anderson (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Box of Pearls: Janis Joplin Collection (Audio CD)

Here she is in all her glory. Four of Janis's original recordings, remastered, including many bonus tracks for added interest. The bonus CD "Rare Pearls" offers five cuts otherwise unavailable even to the most serious bootlegger. This box set is a must have for Janis fans. If you are torn between getting the 3CD box set and this one, start with this one first. Then get Winterland '68, Farewell Song, and the 3CD box set. Between all these CDs, you can create your own ultimate collection of top favorite Janis tracks, whether live, original release, or alternate take. It's up to Janis's fans to sort through the best of the best, and this box set is the best place to begin.

(Plus you gotta love the artwork replicating Janis's psychedelic Porsche. Only complaint: I would have liked to have seen a booklet of photos and text included, but the liner notes written by John Cooke and others for the respective CDs give an excellent overview for each recording, none the less.)

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Way to Go, July 28, 2007

By 

Benjamin (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Box of Pearls: The Janis Joplin Collection (Audio CD)

I rate this Box Set 4 stars and a half.
This Box Set contains 5 CDs with 55 re-mastered tracks feautirung all four Janis Joplin studio albums plus an exclusive bons EP of unreleased tracks.
The first two albums are the ones Joplin recorded with Big Brother and The Holding Company: Big Brother and the Holding Company and Cheap Thrills.
The other two are her solo albums I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, and her largely acclaimed Pearl.
The last CD is the EP Rare Pearls with 5 tracks that can only be found here. Be aware that this box does not include every single track Joplin recorded. For example, the tracks Misery'n, Farewell Song, and Raise Your Hand can be found in her last Essential compilation, but they are not included here. I would not bother about that, though. If you like Janis Joplin, I would recommend you to get this Box Set. You won't need anything else. It also contains a 36 page booklet with interesting pictures, credits, and liner notes to the five albums included here.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the 3 CD box set!, September 3, 1999

By 

Jean-Paul Montfort (Chanhassen, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Box of Pearls: Janis Joplin Collection (Audio CD)

I think that BOX OF PEARLS is exceptional, even better than the other box set of Janis'. It includes some of her songs from Calgary, Canada on 7/4/70, including a very interesting version of "Little Girl Blue" in that it has neither strings (as it is on the album I GOT DEM OL' KOZMIC BLUES AGAIN MAMA!) or horns (as I've heard is the case on the TV show THIS IS TOM JONES) in the background. And also, the remastered "Summertime" and "Piece Of My Heart" from Woodstock are no comparison to the gritty mono version which is a European import. "Magic Of Love" is a good tune to include as an extra track on CHEAP THRILLS. And lastly, the 5th CD, entitled RARE PEARLS has 2 outtakes from CHEAP THRILLS also, "Maybe", live in Amsterdam, Holland on 4/11/69 which also exists as a bootleg, and 2 songs, "Raise Your Hand" and "Bo Diddley" from a concert at the Fillmore East or the Winterland ballroom (there are conflicting reports) on 10/4/69. Anyway, this is a great and quite complete collection of music from a legendary blues/rock/folk singer.