Cheap Thrills is the second album from Big Brother and the Holding Company and their last album with Janis Joplin as primary lead vocalist.

Record history

Big Brother obtained a considerable amount of attention after their 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival and had released their debut album soon after. Despite their newfound success, the album was a modest hit reaching only number 60, though the single Down On Me nearly broke the Top 40. Columbia Records offered the band a new recording contract, but it took months to get through since they were still signed to Mainstream Records.

Cover and title

The cover was drawn by underground cartoonist Robert Crumb after the band's original cover idea, a picture of the group naked in bed together, was dropped by the record company. Crumb had originally intended his art for the LP back cover, with a portrait of Joplin to grace the front. But Joplin—an avid fan of underground comics, especially the work of Crumb—so loved the Cheap Thrills illustration that she demanded Columbia Records place it on the front cover. It is number nine on Rolling Stones list of one hundred greatest album covers.

Initially, the album was to be called Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills, but the title was not received well by Columbia Records.

A variation of the title on the cover is used as the logo for the Cheap Thrills record label, owned by British DJ Hervé.

Success and legacy

The album was released in the summer of 1968, one year after their debut album, and reached number one on the Billboard charts in its eighth week in October. It kept the number one spot for eight (nonconsecutive) weeks while the single, "Piece of My Heart," also became a huge hit. By the end of the year it was the most successful album of 1968, having sold nearly a million copies. The success was short-lived however, as Janis Joplin left the group for a solo career in December, 1968. In 2003, the album was ranked number 338 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. They previously ranked it #50 on their Top 100 Albums of the Past 20 Years list in 1987. It is often regarded as one of the key recordings of the late 1960s. It is also listed on the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Outtakes originally to have appeared on the album have since been released on Janis Joplin compilations such as Farewell Song (In which Big Brother's original instruments were replaced with studio musicians from 1983, angering the band) and the Janis compilation box set featuring all original studio songs and live recordings. The 1999 re-release of Cheap Thrills features the outtakes "Flower in the Sun" and "Roadblock" as well as live performances of "Magic of Love" and "Catch Me Daddy" as bonus material.

Personnel

* Janis Joplin - Vocals, Engineer, Performer

* Peter Albin – Bass, Guitar

* Sam Andrew – Bass, Guitar, Arranger, Vocals, Author

* James Gurley - Bass, Guitar, Engineer

* David Getz - Piano, Drums, Author

* John Simon - Piano, Producer

* Vic Anesini – Mastering, Mixing

* Nicholas Bennett – Packaging Manager

* Steven Berkowitz – A&R

* Fred Catero – Engineer

* John Byrne Cooke – Liner Notes

* Robert Crumb – Artwork, Illustrations

* David Diller – Engineer

* Mark Feldman – Project Director

* David Gahr – Photography

* Diana Reid Haig – Digital Editing, Mixing

* Jerry Hochman – Engineer

* Bob Irwin – Producer, Reissue Producer

* Elliott Landy – Photography, Tray Photo

* Jim Marshall – Photography

* Patti Matheny – A&R

* Elliot Mazer – Producer, Mixing, Assistant Producer

* Nathan Rosenberg – Digital Editing

* Roy Segal – Engineer

* Smay Vision – Art Direction

* Baron Wolman – Photography, Back Cover

* Jen Wyler – Editing, Mastering, Assembly, Authoring

Chart positions

References

Category:1968 albums

Category:Janis Joplin albums

Category:Big Brother and the Holding Company albums

Category:Albums released in Super Audio

Category:Albums produced by John Simon

Category:Columbia Records albums

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