Pearl – Janis Joplin – What’s On The Table
Janis Joplin.
What an icon. It’s hard to think of the late 60s counterculture movement without thinking of Janis and her incredible voice.
Today we are having a listen to her second studio album “Pearl”, one that we keep coming back to again and again. We didn’t own it on vinyl until recently, when one of you – Jeff O. – sent it to us last Christmas!
We opened the gift during the Christmas livestream but we forgot to thank him during this WOTT video, so we wanted to mention it again in this post here. THANK YOU, Jeff!
Janis’ voice stands the test of time and doing this “What’s On The Table” made us wish once again that the world would have got to enjoy it for a little longer. She passed away at 27 – the age we are now – and we can only imagine what else she would have had in store for us.
We love this record and it was a joy to revisit it during this video.
Let’s sit back and enjoy it together …
Stay groovy,
Mona & Lisa
PS: We filmed this earlier in the year which is why we’re referring to ourselves as being 27 years old instead of 28 🙂
Mona & Lisa,
Ooohhhhhh! I love Janis Joplin! Never saw her live, but I was touring in the “Nico Wind Band” in 1986 & ’87, and Nico did a “Janis Joplin Medley,” including “Mercedes Benz,” and “Piece of My Heart.” We got such a great audience response from this, so I was disappointed when Nico dropped the arrangement, because it was too hard on her voice.
Unfortunately, I have no cassette recordings of us. Darn!
To answer Mona’s question about “Mercedes Benz;” in the US you have your Jazz, Rock,
Country, Latin, Rap, etc. fans, and they don’t always cross over. But I’m sure that any ’60’s Rock fans would know “Mercedes Benz.” Then there are people like me who enjoy ALL kinds of Music. I don’t know every piece by Beethoven, or by every Rock star, but I know many of the major works in a broad sense. So it just depends on who you’re talking to, and what they like!
It’s hard for me to watch videos of Janis singing “Piece of My Heart” without crying! That song just tears me up! Of course I feel the same way about Karen Carpenter! Yet I keep watching….. It makes me think about how fragile life is, & how we need to be careful, & take care of ourselves!
Thanks again ladies, keep up the good work! You two are very much appreciated! — Bud
Probably not everyone in the states know the words to Mercedes Benz but the Cool kids do. One of my favorite Janis songs is “Little Girl Blue”. There is a video of her singing it on Tom Jones Show on you tube that will tear your heart out.https://youtu.be/kTjUtrJp7Tg
Always loved Janis. I was a rock singer / electrician in Austin Texas years ago. I worked with a fellow who got us a job rewiring a old burnt out small upstairs apartment next to the UT campus. He was quite a bit older than me and told me Janis had lived there when she was in Austin. I think she went to school there but not sure I will have to look that up. I went through that place with a fine tooth comb hoping I could find something of hers. But no Luck. Great stuff gals. This is one Texan who loves your work. Would love to see you live at some point. I will be retiring next year and plan to do some traveling. So, grab your gear and get back on stage. Best to you. PEACE & LOVE.
In the US, Reina del Cid has been using it as an “encore” for their 2022 tour. In the bar, most people were able to sing along with it.
I love Reina del Cid and Toni Lindgren and their counterparts Josh Turner and Carson McKee and that whole group.
I heard she was voted ‘ugly man on campus’ at TX State U! Don’t know if it’s true! lol
Great show, Ladies!
And a great album to review! I was fortunate enough to be a teenager by the time Janis started getting famous, and eagerly followed her career until her sad death in 1971 not long after Jimi passed, which was on my 15th birthday. Her performance at Monterey Pop and then again months later at Woodstock were just so dynamic that even here fellow performrs were visibly shaken and royally blown away!!!
If I may, I’d like to suggest that when you shift over to the video of the record spinning on the turntable, that you make it spin at, or at least near, the correct speed (33 1/3 in this case). I suppose it is because I grew up most of my life watching the brilliant art work go round and round at that speed that I find it very distracting for the record to be spinning so slow. Or, maybe it;s just me.
Anyway, keep up the great work! Looking anxiously forward to the release of the new album!
Dee
I appreciate your impressions and insights as always, ladies! Loved seeing Janis praising the legends– Billie, Ella, and Elvis. As a teen I was visiting a sister in the Boston area and some friends of hers had Joplin’s new solo LP, “I got them Kosmic Blues again!” Wowza! Instant respect! The blues is such soulful music. Puts much of today’s country and pop to shame IMHO. ????
Janis’ singing is unbridled soul. Cry Baby for me is one of those songs like Oh! Darling that are impossible to recreate the vocals. Janis was well known in Argentina when I was growing up, and I did hear the Mercedes song way back when, but it’s not that well known there, at least not as much as here in the States. Your version though, is fantastic and you’ve made it perfect for live singalongs.
Piece of My Heart and Bobby McGee are my favorite of hers. The story of how Kris Kristofferson wrote it is quite interesting. I was lucky enough to work on a private show by Melissa Ethridge and she closed the show with Piece of My Heart. My respect for her went through the roof after seeing her rehearse and play it to a small room. Really gave me chills. I have not seen anybody do Janis that well. Her guitar skills are also quite extraordinary.
Thanks for these fab sittings! Inspires me to get my table turning. Van Morrison’s latest is on my table now. Rothchild… yes that name rings a bell ????
Mona and Lisa you picked a great album to talk about! Pearl was a huge album in 1971 and Me and Bobby McGee was all over the radio that year. It is so cool that you pick such great albums from the late 60’s to the early 70’s. That period of music was fantastic and the groups from the period still stand the time today. She was such a fantastic stage presence, people just loved her and yes she is in the 27 club, but her voice is still with us along with her music. Such a sad ending for sure with Janis. The movie the ROSE with Bete Middler was somewhat of her story some say. If is was wow. Yes I do have this album and play it from time to time. I feel the same way of thinking what music she would be doing today and along with John Lennon etc. Love whats on the table, you both make it fun and we all learn something. Thank you so much. I am a bit behind here, my son Joshua got married this past weekend so catching up on my emails and had to go to this one first!
Thanks
Bill and Maddie Isenberg Huge Fans from Pittsburgh PA USA
I wasn’t into Janice at first, I thought she was just a screamer. Then I saw the movie “Monterey Pop” and was blown away by her passion and power. She’s another one who you wonder what she could have become if she had lived longer. Mercedies Benz IS big here in the United States! On a side note, I absolutely love how you two are so into the music and how you honor and respect the artists who came before! You’re the grooviest!
I never really listened to much Janis growing up. I always felt sad thinking that despite her talent she didn’t feel good enough about life or herself that she needed some chemicals to cope, and ultimately deadly chemicals. Her voice was certainly passionate and soulful; but as so often happens, I enjoy the MLT covers more than the originals. Always cool listening to your experiences and feelings – thanks Mona and Lisa!
Great choice, girls ! “Pearl” is definitely Janis´best album and as you said that leaves us to wonder what she would have achieved if her life habits would have been healthier, “Move Over” is one of the best album openers ever (almost done by Slade by the way) and the res of it pure diamond. Her version from “Me And Bobby McGee” is great and maybe the most famous but I like Grateful Dead´s live version even more (Is it even allowed to say that ?). Janis by the also was in relationship with Dead´s Ron “Pigpen” McKernan who died in the year 1972. This time it wasn´t drug overdose but a deadly liver disease caused by drinking too much cheap wine.
I love that song “Me and Bobby McGee” and have played it so often in the last 50 years with my band. It´s one of my standards. And I love the interpretation of you singing the song “Mercedes Benz”. You give this song a new dynamic! Great! With love Frank
Hey there Honey, you had to be there, or be square. As commented on by Mona and Lisa, the touring and recording band, the Full Tilt Boogie Band, which later morphed into the Cosmic Blues Band, was primarily Canadian. These players, like The Band, were former members of Ronnie Hawkins’ band, The Hawks. This is the same Ronnie Hawkins, who hosted John Lennon during the Rock n’ Roll Revival Festival in Toronto, September 13, 1969, and later at his home in December of that year.
In the summer of 1970, Janis and her band, The Grateful Dead, The Band, and folkies Ian and Sylvia, among others, travelled to Toronto, then to Winnipeg, then to Calgary, by train, on the Festival Express Tour. Vancouver was supposed to be included, but the dubious reason it was not included, had something to do with a lack of suitable location. Think of the overhead require to rent a train! Tickets were around $15. I remember, (yes, I was there in Calgary, July 5), Janis’ last, or encore song, was Big Mama Thornton’s Ball And Chain. You have to remember that Janis was attempting to emulate, or at least draw attention to the great blues women, like Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Thornton. There is a movie documenting this excursion on YouTube.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one other Canadian connection about Janis. On his song Chelsea Hotel, Leonard Cohen relates his evocative encounter with Janis, in which she is purported to have said that she preferred handsome men, but for him, she would make an exception. One might wonder which of the two had the widest smile.
I always love WOTT . ..you’ve played some artists I either didn’t know or didn’t really like all that much …but playing parts of various songs I have changed my mind on a few…today for example JANIS JOPLIN to me 50 years ago was like listening to the chalkboard screeching..aaaaggghhhh….and it was a channel changer…anything was better…..but today listening to what you gave us on Janis I have a better appreciation of her talent from screaming to a more bluesy jazz sound…this just goes to back me up on something I’ve said a million times before…to heck with the “hit” record and let’s listen to the good stuff the record label calls album tracks….the GEMS we find in album tracks are some of the greatest songs that most people will never hear…..so THANK YOU for WOTT……a shout out to ROBERT “Bobby” SERENO about the BEE GEES…..for me it’s always been back and forth Beatles or Bee Gees as my favorite…in 1967 The Bee Gees released their first single after moving back to England…they had many singles while as young teenagers living in Australia and actually had a #1 with Spicks and Specks as they were on the boat leaving Australia and moving back to England….it was then they met ROBERT STIGWOOD and he signed The Bee Gees….their first international hit was 1941 NY Mining Disaster…it was climbing the charts as The Beatles “Eleanor Rigby” was falling off the charts….listeners all over the world…including radio DJ’s thought it was The Beatles…they soon realized this was something different and exciting happening…..the B side of 1941 NY Mining Disaster was a beautiful 3-part harmony “I Can’t See Nobody”…..I believe that the MonaLisa Twins could do something very special with this song…….the whole reason I even brought The Bee Gees up is because a couple of years ago our favorite twins mentioned in I think maybe a Q&A that they didn’t realize The Bee Gees were a 60’s group…they only thought of them as disco and Saturday Night Fever …..so Mona…Lisa…check out the BEE GEES of the 60’s….you’ve probably heard some of these songs and didn’t realize who it was….Holiday…..I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You…Words…I Started a Joke…Massachusetts…To Love Somebody…..and as always I LOVE WHAT YOU DO for us❤️????
Hi Rick. Of the Bee Gees 60s music one of my favourites is “Spick and Specks”. Sounds very Beatley.
You make it so easy to casually drift back to my high school days and hang out together talking about the artists who were making the scene then. Then I have to wake up and realize that its actually fifty something years later. Thanks for the time machine. You really are the grooviest friends.
Janis Joplin what a unique powerful voice.
Me and Bobby Mc Gee, probably my favorite.
Hello Ladies,
A bit late due to work.
Janis was destined for immediate success. No one had seen nor heard of anyone like her.
I have either seen or heard Janis and Mercedes Benz with a full band, but it’s been a long time.
Piece Of My Heart, for me, is the most recognizable song of hers. It’s the first song of hers I got.to hear when I was able to listen. (Parents didn’t approve) so I had to wait till I got in school.
Her vocals on that song showed the strength in her voice.
As the story goes she auditioned for a producer, and was signed right away. We will never know what could have been, but do thankful to have gotten a sample of what Janis vocals were truly like.
Thanks Ladies for bringing this to the Table.
Rick Ross.
It’s great that you feature artists and albums I’m not really familiar with. I have always known of her but never bought any of her records. She does have a great voice and I’d associate her more with the original summer of love. As usual you always find something suitable to wear to get into the era of the music! Always love sitting down and listening to albums with you both… Allan
Thanks for reminding me of Janis. I was in the bleachers at what turned out to be her last concert, which was at Harvard, where I was going to the concert (not to the school). I would never have guessed they were playing with scrounged equipment. Maybe because I was high, the main thing I remember, even more than Janis, was the aptly named Full Tilt Boogie. It was one hot performance by all.
Some how you seem to never cease to amaze me how eclectic your taste in music is!!! Who would have guessed you loved Janis Joplin. Ill have to admit that when Janis was at the top of her game, I was only 13-14 years old and still being bombarded a lot of other genres of music. I remember hearing and my first impression was her voice was like finger nails on a chalk board at the time. Over time Ive come to admire Janis and her rare, amazing voice. Like others I think…. if she hadn’t died, what the possibilities could have been. Thanks for bring her music back life for me.
Well-done ladies, as always!
Your knowledge and appreciation of music is evident…learned a great deal about Joplin.
Have a great weekend!
Janis Joplin – what a voice and what a loss that was!
It’s always sad when anyone dies too soon, but artists who die before their time always seem to catch our hearts. I had been listing to the Cranberries a while back and was struck by Dolores O’Riordan’s death, and of course your cover of Don McLean’s “Vincent” reminds us that this is nothing new.
I guess it’s a warning to us all to not take this beautiful life we have for granted, and not to forget to stop and smell the roses, or kiss the baby geese.
These WOTT episodes are always fun. We always learn some interesting facts about the featured artist. Your outfits are great, too. Marlo commented that Mona’s hair is like a barometer for when the videos were filmed. “More blonde, I think they filmed this a while ago?” You do look a little younger here.
Heroin addiction is the worst. Insecurities can be like an open door to addiction. Just a little pin prick and there’ll be no more aah-a-ahh It is remarkable how some artists recorded their best work while in the throws of addiction. Although one wonders if there was more to come. Very sad indeed. But what a voice she had. If you like one song, you like them all.
I think I know Janis’s songs more through assimilation than actually seeking them out.Mercedes Benz is one of those songs everyone knows, at least everyone our age knows. I remember it being part of a staple diet on most radio stations when I was a kid. Your performance is stellar. It’s such a classic sing-a-long song. I am sure nowadays your audience would drown you out as we sang along with you.
It was cute when you said she was so young when she set out on her musical journey. Ahem, we know of a couple of sisters who decided to live out their dream at a very young age. They even relocated to a different city in a different country to fulfill their groovy dreams. Their heart lights shine a little brighter with every new song they write, and in turn, the world gets a little warmer. Hope this dream goes on forever.
Have a great weekend!
Marlo & JP
Way to go Jeff. Thanks for providing this episode’s album.
Janis was like a firework. She went up fast, loud, burnt brightly and was spectacular. And then she was gone.
She was a troubled person, insecure, and susceptible to the demons of life in the fast lane. I don’t know if she would have gone on to higher levels of greatness or ended up a drunk in a trailer park.
I am thankful that you ladies do not follow her in that lifestyle. I don’t even see a tattoo on you which makes me appreciate you even more. I want you around the rest of my lifetime singing your songs and giving me a reason to get excited about Friday’s again like when I was a teenager. Your smiles are what makes me high!
You guys would have done great during the summer of Love. Your clothes are perfect!! So, hippies you could have been, far out!!! When she played the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 Pearl was so good as all the bands were that played including Hendrix, Mama’s and Pappa’s, The Association and Eric Burton and the Animals just to name a few. My mom would never let my hair get long so I always combed my hair to one side, looked really stupid but it made me look different. I was not there but I have the Documentary and album. You should play Me and Bobbie McGee as you would be great!!!! Great album and RIP Janis!!! Stay Groovy!!!
I first I think knew of her in my childhood in the 70s from the radio and having watched that famous Woodstock Film Documentary later on when I was a teenager to match voice with name, face….Despite having gone at a young ripe age at 27….She left a legacy, for generations…Gift of Vocal Distinctiveness… I’m not quite certain of her private life , off stage personna but I’m thinking perhaps, shy…quiet , etc but OMG get her at a Mic and her world opened up vocally, she could express….and did she ever..I’m not sure about her charting wise in the Canadian music scene back in the day but all I’ll say is that she touched all of us on some capacity …. Kudos & Well done Episode of WOTT…Enjoyed…Gotta Luv her Groovy Famous Customized Porsche too… It would of been cool to see where her music Odyssey would of taken her too. If she had lived on longer …. Definitely One of A Kind, Legendary ????????✌️????????????????????????✌️????????????????????????????????????????☮️????
Well. I just learned that Kris Kristofferson wrote “Bobby McGee”. Three favorites on one song! (song, singer, composer).
Yes Nima,
Kris K wrote some songs that other artists recorded. I think one of the best was “Help Me Make It Through the Night” sung by Sammi Smith. She was considered one of the “Outlaw” country artists.
I haven’t thought about him in a while. I know he was both a singer and songwriter. I just didn’t know he wrote “Bobby McGee”. Man. I haven’t thought of “Help Me Make It Through the Night” in I don’t know how long. Hello YouTube!
I just reread some of the old comments. Talking about Kris K. he also did some acting and was in several films.
Take Care
Hello.
Thanks for sharing this WOTT today. Janis sure was a Pearl.
And thanks for writing the P.S. telling us that the video was filmed earlier in the year. I was saying to myself – gee, they aren’t 27 anymore – is this an old WOTT from a previous time?
My favorite Joplin songs are probably Piece of my Heart and Cry Baby.
I was recently listening to some of her music. She performed a version of the Bee Gees song To Love Somebody (which has been covered by lots of artists). I did not like her rendition of it. Sorry.
Hey Mona & Lisa have you ever considered covering any of the Bee Gees songs? I do not think that you have done any, have you? They have lots of great songs.
If anyone is interested – there is a YouTube Video of Janis singing “Summertime” live in 1969. That song is a classic which has been sung by many people over the years. Her version is awesome.
Hope everyone has a groovy weekend. Take good care and stay cool.
Arrivederci,
Bobby S.
Oh, yes!!! I agree with Bobby S. Please cover Bee Gees.
I’ll have to listen to this album this weekend. Janis had an incredible voice. I really like the Move Over song, love Bobbie McGee ,She does a great version. not familiar with Get it While You Can but it sounds pretty cool. Thank you for sharing . Love WOTT one of my favorites. and I like the MLT version Mercedes Benz.
Hi Mona and Lisa. Thank you for playing this album. It has been a long time since I listened to or thought of Janis. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I loved her voice and her passion. Such a tragedy. Drugs are awful!
Another super enjoyable WOTT! Always find so valuable your take and impression of an artist and their album. It’s like Mario Andretti or Richard Petti talking about racing or the merits of a sports car. Interestingly although I’ve heard of Janis Joplin and seen clips of her in the 60s music scene documentaries, I’ve never been familiar or very exposed to her songs, only knew Mercedes Benz from your awesome cover. Superb singing there Lisa BTW! From Joni Mitchell to Janis Joplin, that is so very impressive the range you both can cover and do them justice. Her vocals are very unique and special indeed. Loved your singing impression on that first track! Thanks so much for this as always, it was really fun!
Janis had the pipes, and could bring it. She was really popular during my high school years (I was in 10th grade when she died). Lisa, your vocals on MLTs version of “Mercedes Benz” sounds right at home in east Texas and in Oklahoma too. Janis was from Port Arthur, TX. (close to Corpus Christi). Anyway, loved your “table” session. Stay gravy, LuvYa Dbya, Peace be.
You really made my day with this one! Thanks so much for featuring Janis’s Pearl on WOTT! One of my favorite LPs for sure! It brings me so much joy to see you two deeply enjoying this and other LPs on WOTT sessions! The biggest reason I enjoy “Mercedes Benz” so much is your rendition on YouTube that you showed a couple clips of. I LOL every time this vid starts and you can see Mona scanning the stage for where she laid that pesky tambourine! The little warble in Lisa’s voice is sublime and so appropriate for this song, and when she turns Mona loose with her shaker, tambourine and blues harp all at once, my grin is huge and uncontrollable! Truly one of my all-time favorite MLT vids! Thanks again, Ladies! You’re such a blessing!
Thanks for putting this on the table, it’s a great album. In answer to your question about Mercedes Benz, Yes, this was a hit in the U.S. and well know by many people.
Yes Mercedes Benz was a big hit here in the US, but I thought I remember it having a musical accompaniment with it? I dunno? Maybe not?
Thanks for sharing my friends, I really enjoy these what’s on the tables