Track Listing
1. Move Over - (with Janis Joplin)
2. Cry Baby - (with Janis Joplin)
3. Woman Left Lonely, A - (with Janis Joplin)
4. Half Moon - (with Janis Joplin)
5. Buried Alive in the Blues - (with Janis Joplin)
6. My Baby - (with Janis Joplin)
7. Me and Bobby McGee - (with Janis Joplin)
8. Mercedes Benz - (with Janis Joplin)
9. Trust Me - (with Janis Joplin)
10. Get It While You Can - (with Janis Joplin)
11. Tell Mama - (with Janis Joplin)
12. Little Girl Blue - (with Janis Joplin)
13. Try (Just a Little Bit Harder) - (with Janis Joplin)
14. Cry Baby - (with Janis Joplin)
| Details | | Contributing Artists: | Bobby Womack, Sandra Crouch | | Producer: | Paul A. Rothchild | | Distributor: | Sony Music Distribution ( | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Personnel: Janis Joplin (vocals, acoustic guitar); John Till (guitar); Bobby Womack (acoustic guitar); Richard Bell (piano); Ken Pearson (organ); Brad Campbell (bass instrument); Clark Pierson (drums); Bobbye Porter Hall (congas, bongos); Sandra Crouch (tambourine).
Liner Note Author: John Byrne Cook.
Recording information: 09/04/1970 - 09/25/1970.
Janis Joplin's PEARL, from 1971, is a bluesy, organ-drenched benediction for the flower-child sound of the free-and-easy 60's. It is also one of great singer's most consistent and representative efforts. Gone are the ear-shattering sonics of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Full Tilt Boogie, the backing band here, steps in to offer a degree of polish and control that frames Joplin's vocals nicely. Yet the band still grooves hard with the fierceness her voice demands. Guitarist John Till's riffs, chords, and solos, in particular, are exciting and tightly executed.
"A Woman Left Lonely" and Bobby Womack's "Trust Me" are rain-on-the-windows ballads that come alive with Joplin's gritty vocal brilliance, while the burbling "Move Over" and "Half Moon" are among her funkiest, most driving cuts. The dramatic "Cry Baby" is offset by the tongue-in-cheek a cappella number "Mercedes Benz," while Joplin's version of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" went on to become her signature song. Joplin died during the sessions for PEARL, making these tracks the final word on her towering talent and a superb addition to her enduring legacy.
Editorial Reviews
4 stars out of 5 - ...her most fully formed [album]. Joplin was working with excellent musicians who raised her game accordingly....her voice has a new control and fluidity...
Q (11/01/1999)
Ranked #7 in Rolling Stone's Women In Rock: The 50 Essential Albums - ...Joplin helped invent modern country rock...
Rolling Stone (10/31/2002)
4.5 stars out of 5 - ...a poignancy that is as undeniable now as it was upon its posthumous release....'Me and Bobby McGee' is her greatest studio recording....frightening beauty...
Rolling Stone (09/30/1999)
...The voice cut off was clearly in its prime...there is every indication that Janis was working toward a new maturity and confidence....With PEARL it's a case of a conscious attempt to make something of Janis' talent; simply having it won't do anymore...
Rolling Stone (02/18/1971)
4 stars out of 5 - ...her most fully formed [album]. Joplin was working with excellent musicians who raised her game accordingly....her voice has a new control and fluidity...
Q (11/01/1999)
4 stars out of 5 - PEARL was Joplin's most mature and diverse collection and suggested there was no limit to where she might have taken that extraordinary voice.
Uncut
4 stars out of 5 - [With] tight, Stax-influenced arrangements.
Mojo
[A]n instant classic, featuring some of Joplin's most mature and well-played material...
Dirty Linen
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