I've never liked Janis's later renditions of "Piece of My Heart." She and the band rush through this one as if it were just a tired hit - and perhaps that's how it seemed to them, a song from an earlier era played only to please fans. (Compare it to Big Brother's eye-opening version on Live at Winterland '68, when the song was exciting to the band and new to the audience.) During this "Piece of My Heart" from two years later, even Janis's singing seems tired.
Clearly, that perfunctory concert closer was going to be followed by some hellacious encores. An extended version of "Cry Baby" was the first. Initially sounding exhausted and flat, Janis nevertheless clearly had her heart in this performance, especially in the long central rap, where she wrapped her blues-mama sermon-blanket over the audience. "Get It While You Can" and "Ball and Chain" made suitably titanic final encores. During the latter, Janis preached a message which it helps to bear in mind when we listen to this work from her last blast and wish she'd lived to sing another day. "Tomorrow never happens," she tells us. "It's all the same f*cking day, man."
That goes for yesterday, too.
Article comments
1 - Laurie
Nice review Jon! I recently picked up the Festival Express DVD. The clips of Janis' performances were electrifying. Perhaps it was the choice of concert footage used for the documentary, but when Janis hit the stage, she outshone all the other acts riding that train. I guess I never truly realized what a charismatic live performer she was. The fact that she didn't look like a mass-produced beauty queen makes her even more appealing and more fascinating to watch.
2 - George
Great information. Does any one know about a demo LP record with a jacket called Janis Joplin "Infinity Blue" The 12" record is clear red with just the #1 and #2 on it no song titles I live near the Woodstock Site in NY and this was given to a local DJ to play Anybody know of this? email me at ghandforth@hvc.rr.com Thanks