GREATEST HITS spans the length of Janis Joplin's recording career, and features songs recorded with each of her three bands--Big Brother & The Holding Co., the Kozmic Blues Band, and the Full Tilt Boogie Band.

Producers: Paul Rothchild, Bob Shad, John Simon, Gabriel Mekler.

Reissue producer: Bob Irwin.

Originally released on Columbia (32168). Includes liner notes by Jaan Uhelszki.

Digitally remastered by Vic Anesini at Sony Music Studios, New York, New York.

Personnel: Janis Joplin (vocals, guitar).

Recording information: 12/13/1966-10/01/1970.

Photographers: Don Hunstein; Daniel Kramer; Baron Wolman; Jim Marshall ; Clark Pierson.

Arranger: Janis Joplin.

Drawing inspiration from Bessie Smith and Odetta, Joplin developed a brash, uncompromising vocal style quite unlike accustomed folk madonnas. In 1966 Janis was invited to the Bay Area to front Big Brother And The Holding Company. Their CHEAP THRILLS, a joyous celebration of true psychedelic soul, contained two Joplin 'standards', "Piece Of My Heart" and "Ball And Chain", but she left the group in November 1968. Electric Flag members Mike Bloomfield, Harvey Brooks and Nick Gravenites helped assemble a new act, known as the Kozmic Blues Band. I Got Dem Ol' KOZMIC BLUES Again Mama was coolly received, but the set contained several excellent Joplin vocals, notably "Try," "Maybe" and "Little Girl Blue". The singer subsequently dissolved the band and undertook medical advice for drink/drug abuse. A slimmed-down group, the Full Tilt Boogie Band, was unveiled in May 1970 featuring a tighter, more intimate sound. Sessions for a debut album were all but complete when, on 4 October 1970, Joplin died of a heroin overdose at her Hollywood hotel. The posthumous PEARL proved her most consistent work, with "My Baby," "Cry Baby" and the anthemic "Get It While You Can." The highlight was the chart-topping "Me And Bobby McGee", which allowed Joplin to be both vulnerable and assertive. Janis knew few boundaries, artistic or personal, and her sadly brief catalogue is marked by bare-nerved honesty.

A solid, if skimpy, ten-track best-of that gathers the most important songs from Janis Joplin's solo career, as well as her stint with Big Brother & the Holding Company. The compilation 18 Essential Songs offers a wider selection, but does not include the original version of "Me and Bobby McGee," which makes Greatest Hits the better purchase for those who only want one Janis Joplin disc, even if it isn't definitive. The 1999 CD reissue adds two bonus tracks, "Maybe" and "Mercedes Benz." ~ Steve Huey

Rolling Stone (8/16/73, p.50) - "...Janis Joplin's GREATEST HITS is no final testament to an artist, nor is it a document of its period. It is a record for people who can't get her out of their minds, and for whom she has become some sort of ghost, a permanent image of rock's capacity for generating self-destruction....Janis Joplin, Superstar..."

Q (1/95, p.273) - 3 Stars - Good - "...It's not so much the timbre of her voice that stands out...but the sheer cathartic vitality that emanates from within. It's a soul-deep, blues act that was emphatically matched by her backing bands..."