So Janis was recast as a white, but otherwise classic R&B act. They put this huge soul band behind her — one that also could very obviously play too — complete with a horn section. And what was once a very earthy blues singer backed by an even rawer band became something more akin to a rhythm and blues act in the mold of Tina Minus Ike. Or maybe Sam and Dave...and Janis. Anyway, something like that.
In the long run, the public didn't buy this version of Janis, and by the next year she was back to a five-piece band on the more rock-oriented Pearl album. Still, Kozmic Blues does have its moments.
On "One Good Man," the guitar, by lone Big Brother holdover Sam Andrew, is brought to the forefront just enough to recall the more loosey-goosey groove of the Cheap Thrills days. Oddly, this is one of very few tracks on this album where the guitar is at all prominently featured.
"Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)" also features a classic Janis vocal, and probably should have been a bigger hit than it was. The title track is a slow cookin' blues cut that builds in intensity and is probably the one track where the big horn arrangement adds — rather than detracts from — the power of the actual song.
Other tracks on the album include a cover of the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody," and the bluesy "Little Girl Blue." There's also something of an attempt to recreate Janis' signature version of Willie Mae Thornton's "Ball And Chain" in "Work Me Lord." This works for awhile, but it eventually collapses under the weight of a horn arrangement that overpowers everything else, including the vocal and finally, the song itself.
Janis' live performance at Woodstock — also with the big soul band heard on Kozmic Blues — is likewise kind of a mixed bag. While it's definitely great to finally be able to hear it, this still comes from a period where Janis was in a bit of a career and artistic flux, and it shows at times here.
At first though, Janis and the band come on like gangbusters.
With the band cranked and the horns blaring away on "Raise Your Hand," Janis herself belts out the song with all of the passion that made her such a huge star back then. For a second or two there, you get the feeling this is gonna' be the same sort of high-energy treat that Sly And The Family Stone's set was. Janis and the band continue this frenetic pace through Nick Gravenites' "As Good As You've Been To This World."
Article comments
1 - Scott Reno
I have waited since I was about 13 (1975) to finally hear this concert live (now may we see the footage?...it has been 40 years!).
I have to admit I have all but 2 of the songs from the live set, from previously released material. I know from the movie "Janis-The way she was"-1975 that Janis did sing on "Can't turn you loose", which I loved, but was very disppointed it's missing on this CD. It's well worth it for any Janis fan...I am Janisfied!
Thank you for the great story as well.