Pearl (album)

Pearl is the fourth album by Janis Joplin, released posthumously on Columbia Records, catalogue PC 30322, in January 1971. It was the final album with her direct participation, and the only Joplin album recorded with the Full Tilt Boogie Band, her final touring unit. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200, holding that spot for nine weeks. It has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.^[4]

Content

The album has a more polished feel than the albums she recorded with Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Kozmic Blues Band due to the expertise of producer Paul A. Rothchild and her new backing musicians. Rothchild was best known as the producer of The Doors, and worked well with Joplin. Together they were able to craft an album that showcased her extraordinary vocal talents. The Full Tilt Boogie were the musicians who accompanied her on the famous Festival Express in the summer of 1970, and many of the songs on this album were introduced on the concert stage in Canada.

Pearl features the hits "Me and Bobby McGee" written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, and "Move Over," written by Joplin. Joplin sings on all of the tracks except "Buried Alive in the Blues", which remained an instrumental as she died before being able to add her vocals. The recording sessions, which began in early September, ended with Joplin's untimely death on October 4, 1970. The iconic album cover shows Joplin reclining on her Victorian Era loveseat with a drink in her hand, conveying that this is Janis Joplin as she really is.^[5]

Legacy

A reissue of Pearl remastered for compact disc was released August 31, 1999. It included four previously unreleased live recordings from the Festival Express Tour, recorded on July 4, 1970, as bonus tracks. In 2003, the album was ranked number 122 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.^[6] A two-disc Legacy Edition appeared on June 14, 2005, with bonus tracks including a birthday message to John Lennon of "Happy Trails," and a reunion of the Full Tilt Boogie Band in an instrumental tribute to Joplin. The second disc included an expanded set from the Festival Express Tour, recorded between June 28 and July 4, 1970.

Track listing

Personnel

• Janis Joplin – vocals, guitar on "Me and Bobby McGee"
• Richard Bell – piano
• Ken Pearson – organ
• John Till – electric guitar
• Brad Campbell – bass guitar
• Clark Pierson – drums

Additional personnel

• Bobby Womack – acoustic guitar on "Trust Me"
• Bobbye Hall – conga, percussion
• Phil Badella, John Cooke, Vince Mitchell – backing vocals
• Sandra Crouch – tambourine

Chart positions

Sales certifications

References