Live in San Francisco 1966 [Live]

Big Brother | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 30, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1966
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B000065UJK
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,385 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. (Come On Baby) Let The Good Times Roll

2. I Know You Rider

3. Moanin' At Midnight

4. Hey Baby

5. Down On Me

6. Whisperman

7. Women Is Losers

8. Blow My Mind

9. Oh My Soul

10. Ball And Chain

11. Coo-Coo

12. Gutra's Garden

13. Harry

14. Hall Of The Mountain King (bonus track)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pre-fame live album from 1960s legends, May 28, 2002

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Live in San Francisco 1966 (Audio CD)

Recorded somewhere in San Francisco (the liner notes don't say where) in the Summer of 1966, these thirteen live tracks document the bond that Joplin had formed with Big Brother after only a couple of months practice. Big Brother drummer David Getz's liner notes (written in the mid-80s, perhaps for the original vinyl issue of this material) provide an evocative description of how the band's early communal living helped forge their unity as performers.

By the time they released their second album ("Cheap Thrills") two years later, the band would have more original material, but at this point in their career they were still relying heavily on R&B and blues standards. Covers include "I Know You Rider" (a favorite of the Grateful Dead), Shirley & Lee's "Let the Good Times Roll," Howlin' Wolf's "Moanin' At Midnight," and Jimmy McCraklin's "Blow My Mind." Joplin's take on Willie Mae ("Big Mama") Thornton's "Ball and Chain" was still developing into the full-blown showstopper she'd deliver a year later at the Monterey Pop Festival, and the single "Coo Coo" is presented in early form.

The band would later be recorded in their more famous form on "Live at Winterland '68." This earlier tape shows off the band's formation, including their transition to, essentially, a backing band for Joplin. Though she's front-and-center for the lion's share of the vocals, her presence is occasionally diluted by other band members' vocals.

The tape, from a source uncredited in the liner notes, is hissy, though very listenable. A bonus track, recorded at San Francisco's KQED in April 1967, provides a higher-fidelity 7-minute instrumental freakout on "Hall of the Mountain King." Most of this material was released in 1984 on a Rhino Records LP titled, "Big Brother & the Holding Company Live," and by other labels as "Cheaper Thrills." An import CD of the latter is available from the UK on Acadia, but it costs more and offers no extra material.

Those looking for an introduction to Joplin and Big Brother are probably better served by "Cheap Thrills." Those wishing to look more deeply into the band's history will find this a compelling document.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Early Big Brother, February 2, 2003

By 

Craig T. Case (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live in San Francisco 1966 (Audio CD)

Chronlogically this was recorded before their first album on Mainstream Records in 1967. Some of the tracks here also appeared on that first studio album. So how is it? The Monterey performance was a little more polished but this disc is a nice addition although the playing is a little more ragged. The track "Coo Coo" appeared on the "Cheap Thrills" album with new lyrics as "Oh Sweet Mary". If you have all of Janis's other discs I would pick this one up; you won't be disappointed and it is interesting to hear the band in their formative stage.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Serious Fans Only, October 30, 2007

By 

A. Karamazov - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live in San Francisco 1966 (Audio CD)

The sound quality is poor, its the kind of record that sounds like a blur after you have listened to it for more than fifteen minutes, and the kind that disrupts any mix CD or playlist because of differing levels. The recording has a lot of highs and no separation. The bass is practically inaudible. The highlights are the first three songs, particularly Moanin' at Midnight which is more of a Howlin' Wolf potpourri than a straight cover. But as Janis screams, mimicking Howlin' Wolf's famous cry, you can see how much talent she really had. Overall it's an album for serious fans interested in a complete collection or the development of the band.