A limited-edition five-CD box set comprising both albums that Janis Joplin made with Big Brother & the Holding Company (Cheap Thrills and Big Brother & the Holding Company), both of her solo albums (I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! and Pearl), and a bonus EP with five previously unreleased recordings. Each of these four albums includes previously unreleased bonus tracks (including live material), and each is available separately with the same bonus cuts. The tracks on the bonus EP aren't available anywhere else, and if you're devoted enough to consider laying out for this deluxe box, you're probably most interested in what's on that fifth disc. There are a couple of Cheap Thrills outtakes, "It's a Deal" and "Crazy Once You Know How," with a garagey feel and some typically scorching, uninhibited Big Brother lead guitar; it can be seen why they may not have been deemed strong enough for the album, but they're pretty cool to have. The live versions of "Maybe" (April 1969) and "Raise Your Hand" (October 1969) are OK, but not essential; of greater curiosity is the raw live charge through "Bo Diddley" (also October 1969). In the original long-box shaped release, each of the CDs is packaged in a mini-LP-type jacket, which would be really cool except for the fact that, cheapskates that Sony management is, none has an inner-sleeve, so the CDs tend to roll out of the sleeve once they're unsealed, unless you put them back in the box very carefully; additionally, the producers didn't re-create the gatefold design of Cheap Thrills; there are two subsequent versions of the set, a domestic wide CD-sized box containing full, jewel-cased versions of the five discs, and a Japanese version in mini-LP sleeves (with inner sleeves) and with two accompanying booklets. Note that this box does not include a good deal of material that has shown up on the Janis box, the Janis movie soundtrack, In Concert, and Farewell Song, so it's not a complete collection of Joplin's recordings.

Tracklist:

1967 - Big Brother and the Holding Company

01. Bye, Bye Baby
02. Easy Rider
03. Intruder
04. Light Is Faster Than Sound
05. Call On Me
06. Women Is Losers
07. Blindman
08. Down On Me
09. Caterpillar
10. All Is Loneliness


Bonus Tracks

11. Coo Coo (Single)
12. The Last Time (Single)
13. Call On Me (Alternate Take)
14. Bye, Bye Baby (Alternate Take)


1968 - Cheap Thrills

01. Combination Of The Two
02. I Need A Man To Love
03. Summertime
04. Piece Of My Heart
05. Turtle Blues
06. Oh, Sweet Mary
07. Ball And Chain


Bonus Tracks

08. Roadblock (Studio Outtake)
09. Flower In The Sun (Studio Outtake)
10. Catch Me Daddy (Live)
11. Magic Of Love (Live)


1969 - I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!

01. Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)
02. Maybe
03. One Good Man
04. As Good As You've Been To This World
05. To Love Somebody
06. Kozmic Blues
07. Little Girl Blue
08. Work Me, Lord


Bonus Tracks

09. Dear Landlord (Session Outtake)
10. Summertime (Live At Woodstock)
11. Piece Of My Heart (Live At Woodstock)


1971 - Pearl

01. Move Over
02. Cry Baby
03. A Woman Left Lonely
04. Half Moon
05. Buried Alive In The Blues
06. My Baby
07. Me And Bobby McGee
08. Mercedes Benz
09. Trust Me
10. Get It While You Can


Bonus Tracks - From Festival Express in Calgary

11. Tell Mama (Live)
12. Little Girl Blue (Live)
13. Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) (Live)
14. Cry Baby (Live)


Rare Pearls (Bonus EP)

01. It's A Deal (Studio Outtake)
02. Easy Once You Know How (Studio Outtake)
03. Maybe (Live)
04. Raise Your Hand (Live)
05. Bo Diddley (Live)