Janis: Little Girl Blue [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

by Janis Joplin

Overview

As a soundtrack to the documentary Janis: Little Girl Blue, this 2016 album does its job, providing an aural biography to complement the visual one. The 17 tracks are sequenced chronologically -- the exception being the title track, pulled from I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! and functioning as a coda here -- so it's possible to hear her raw talent evolve from an early performance of "Careless Love" to a heavy dose of Big Brother & the Holding Company and on to her solo work. Although Big Brother's "Down on Me" and her lone Top 10 hit "Me and Bobby McGee" are here in their familiar studio versions, this soundtrack is populated by live tracks, many pulled from expanded reissues, so this functions almost as an alternate history: it tells the story through versions that aren't readily familiar. Also, these versions seem somewhat more rare than they actually are -- any dedicated Janis fan likely has all of the cuts here somewhere in their collection -- which speaks to how thoroughly the vaults have been combed. That said, this does a good job of rounding up some of the best rarities and presenting them in a fashion that's appealing to a broader audience. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/04/2016
Label:	Legacy / Sony Music
UPC:	0888751890329

Tracks

1. Careless Love
2. Down on Me
3. Women Is Losers [Live]
4. Ball and Chain [Live]
5. Piece of My Heart
6. Catch Me Daddy [Live]
7. Magic of Love [Live]
8. Summertime [Album Version]
9. Raise Your Hand [Live Version]
10. Maybe
11. Work Me, Lord [Live at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, August 16 1969]
12. Trust Me [Album Version]
13. Cry Baby [Live]
14. Tell Mama [Live]
15. Get It While You Can [Album Version]
16. Me and Bobby McGee
17. Little Girl Blue [Album Version]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Janis Joplin   Primary Artist
Big Brother & the Holding Company   Primary Artist