Janis Joplin-A forgotten legend?

If you meant to refer to all-time great rock vocalists- you might not rank her highly, but a lot of highly ranked female rock singers put Janis at the top: Pink, Chrissie Hynde, Stevie Nicks, the Wilson sisters, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge...

I remember reading an interview with one of the most famed vocal coaches in the USA- she passed away just a few years ago. She coached all sorts of people, male and female- Sinatra, I think. People at that level of fame, and later on, rock singers too. She said Janis had a world-class voice. But she squandered herself on that hard living lifestyle, all the booze and dope and cigarettes.

That said, the thing that needs to be remembered about Janis is that she was someone who left it all on the stage by the end of the night. Hardly anybody does that any more. I'm hard-pressed to think of anyone who has come up in recent years who does that.

 

I'd always known, loved and respected her for what she did for Bessie Smith--chipping in with Juanita Green (who's usually not mentioned at all, not being famous) to erect Smith's tombstone. But what I love most about the story is how Joplin wouldn't attend the ceremony because she didn't want her own celebrity to overshadow the event.

 

agree with this. I love cheap thrills and spent at least one summer with it residing on the turntable nonstop. its her masterpiece for me. she just needed a few more albums to round out her career and be placed alongside the legends. shes one for me




hanging at max's with tim buckley and paul morissey and andy warhol

 

Rufus take a listen. Gone but never forgotten!

 

She didn't write songs, didn't play an instrument, had a dreadful voice, and was a comically overwrought singer. If she was a modern pop star, most people here would endlessly mock her.

 

Her flamboyance and hard living image don't translate too well across half a century. Her recorded legacy is modest and unlike Hendrix, there wasn't a lot "in the can." They were still working on Pearl when she died.

I liked her as a teenager, but I pretty much stopped listening to her records when I discovered the original recordings of the Jerry Ragovoy tunes that were her signature; Piece of My Heart, Try (Just a Little Bit Harder), Get It While You Can, Cry Baby... There are many recordings of Me & Bobby McGee, but I still think of that one as "her song."

For me, she was a gateway into Soul music. The Rolling Stones and the J. Geils Band served a similar function, but her career was so short, she never eclipsed that 'cover version' beginning.

 

I count two irrelevancies and two very particular and debatable opinions, and one bogus conclusion.

 

impossible to say, she was of the time, you could say otis redding was an overwrought singer as well, I guess you get it or you dont, she was an original though....I don't think many mock an original talent like that

 

How about James Brown? The 60's were rife with "overwrought singers." It was part of the style at the time.

 

Great post, thanks for sharing

 

That, or they just don't like her.

 

No No No

 

I'm not sure how forgotten she is. I still hear her referenced. And many people seem to still know her. Kind of iconic really. Some of her compadres are forgotten. Tracy Nelson and Lydia Pense. Even Tina Turner is less known for her rockin' stuff. Janis seems hardly forgotten to me.

 

I can't even comprehend the thought that anyone thinks that Janis is an "acquired taste". If she doesn't immediately grab you, then I can only conclude that you really don't get her.....at all. Fantastic singer!

 

Her rising star burned out quickly, and her catalogue hasn’t been milked to death over the years. This has impacted on how she is remembered today, but I love her music, and I think she was a pioneer for so many who followed, whether they realize it or not. Love Janis to bits.

 

Any gal that can drink Jim Morrison under the table, then hit him over the head with a whiskey bottle (might be an anecdotal story, but who cares?), should not and will not be forgotten.

 

Her vocal style was raw and passionate. That doesn't jibe with a culture of soulless Idol contestants. The defining aspect of music 2017 is that it shouldn't disturb whatever else you're doing; cultivating a bogus persona on social media, net- shopping or Netflix chilling (eufemism for having intercourse) .

 

She was a legend in her own lifetime in America and very big in parts of Scandinavia (I believe).

In Britain, you need to be a fairly serious 'rock fan' to know who she was.

Her catalogue is still in print and there have been numerous box sets, so presumably her sales are good enough to justify that.

The 'overwrought blues singer' image isn't the whole story. She had her quieter moments, too - Maybe, Little Girl Blue.

I'd agree with those who reckon her voice was largely shot before she became famous. The 'typewriter tape' (with Jorma Kaukonen backing her on acoustic) shows her at her best.

 

It's true that she doesn't have the legendary status that other deceased rock icons have but she remains much respected by vintage rock and blues lovers.
She had a stunning voice and expressivity but I think that the music she put down has rather badly dated.

 

Certainly Robert Plant learned some bad lessons from her.

 

She was the Billie Holiday of rock.

 

Of course, women shouldn't yell. Even in rock music. Oh well, we all have lots of records in our collections where a man screams/yells, but that's alright.

 

So I will put you down as a "No" vote in the upcoming "Was Janis Great?" poll.

Or am I assuming too much?