Consumer Guide Album

Janis Joplin: Joplin in Concert [Columbia, 1972]
Sure would be nice if there were more new material on this double-LP--all the Full Tilt cuts and over half the Big Brothers are available in earlier renditions. But given how little studio time she clocked, I treasure it, especially "Ego Rock," a screaming, joking blues duet with Nick Gravenites, and the expansive concert versions of three neglected classics from Big Brother's Mainstream album. Sound quality: vibrant. Stage patter: poignant. A-