I have been depressed since I was a kid. I have found that if I listened to Janis Joplin singing Ball and Chain on the Cheap Thrills album it will relieve much of my depression. That’s on a good depression day, if there is such a thing. She’s screaming her feelings, the same feelings I can’t express. To me, this song is all about exorcising pain. Thank you Janis. Love you always
People who say that Big Brother & the Holding Company were lousy musicians haven't got a clue.They cranked out some of the most heartfelt psychedelic blues-rock ever played and I think they were a perfect match for Janis.Thank God for this legacy they left for us to enjoy.
being a super technically brilliant instrumentalist doesn't make you good at music, just good at playing your instrument... so go play classical in an orchestra . Feeling the music makes you rock and roll. That is what rock is.
Consider their first LP. Thats where that opinion comes from. Once they realized the great potential of Janice, they changed their experimental hippie weirdness into this psychedelic blues masterpiece! Fortunately today, years after Janices death, they've had the good sense to maintain this impeccable style of rock&roll. Peace.
I was 12 when I first heard her. I was hooked on the whole hippie vibe and I'm 67 and I've still got that whole hippie vibe. What a fantastic experience. ❤
Janis was quite possibly one of the most beautiful women to ever grace a stage. Her soul felt like this, that’s why she could sing it. The death certificate may say heroin overdose as cause of death, but truly she died of a broken heart. She died a little over a month before I was born and I have loved her my whole life.
73 years young now, living in the border of Texas/Mexico, and every time I listen to these people (Janis, JImi Hendrix, Santana, ,the Doors, etc.) I am reminded of what an awesome life I've had and how blessed I was to have lived and experienced all of it in the midst of all of them in my always loved California.
@guntotinmedic I love your comment. So true. A broken heart, especially when broken over and over, can definitely kill. "Take another little piece of my heart now, baby"...until it couldn't take anymore. Thanks for your insightful comment. Take good care. ✌️💔✌️
James Gurley; great heavy blues guitar player, very underrated. He's so heavy , has so much deepness playing the blues with fantastic distortions... he deserved more recognition.
They called their style Hurricane Blues. When this record came out, I could find all the guitar breaks on it, wore down the grooves where they were. And almost half a century later, they still hold up. Also, I still can't describe it other than its real blues music blown all out of distortion. My fave guitar licks and I've heard thousands of them.
Gurley was held in high regard by his peers in S.F. Personally, I would love to hear Big Brother before Janis joined. Nothing against Joplin but I've read that had to slow down their playing greatly to accommodate her.
In 1969 I became totally immersed in this album. 53 yrs later, still kick ass psychedelic blues on steroids,…a classic ! Janis introduced me to the blues, the rest has been history. 💙
Her dynamics are awesome. From the first verse to the chorus, she went from whispering to screaming. Both are a sign of how she could control her voice. And the band goes with it. Please do not forget, that her vocals (and most of the instruments) are actually a live performance from the Winterland in 68.
Her control, her subtlety, along with her kick ass strength and emotion in her voice. Flawless. I was 12 when I first heard this and would play it constantly at full blast, singing along. Luckily, I had an understanding mother. lol
real psychedelic sound, and very different from Hendrix and other guys. but i wish he practiced more; as much as i love his playing he often goes over the top, out of tune etc. a little too much.
''James Gurley'' the most seriously underappreciated guitar player since Hubert Sumlin. Lookin forward to the big concert in the sky. May they both reside in Heaven. RIP.
This has got to be her BEST PERFORMANCE. Every hair folic in my entire body went up on its end and carried me around... I had goosebumps even on my nails...
Ĵanis singing Ball & Chain at the Monterey Pop festival is what put her over the top. Killer performance. I get chills listening to her belt this number out.
you are so correct, my friend. The absolute best of Big Brother as well as Janis. If someone from another planet would ask, how did they sound?....this is what I would play for them!
This is bombazz❤ I envision myself in an underground blues & jazz mafia tavern somewhere in Lousianna. Sitting at a round table smoking an xl cig while I wait for my 'guys' to show up with their cut. Lol
The distorting of the sine wave form is a bit fizzy, somewhat dizzy, soft as a kittens belly hair , and warmer than the afterglow of a nice pump on a nice day before all the cards get stacked. Definitely no fuzz though , I know fuzz from buzz and that's cuz people really want out of the higher side of my number and you had mentioned that to him about getting put in my notes from the clubhouse for a few days but I can imagine how quick you would like to ride without a phone.
@@softest_eevee Jesus Christ, what the fuck worships the mule? That is some bona fide down and dirty true rambling on there. I have not got even a fuzzy memory of spouting this drivel...wow But for the fuzz my recomendation Best fuzz - the tiny, almost imperceptible little forests you find on your sweets upper backside thighs or just below the naval Avoid at all cost- your dad's face after the weekend camping trip
Hi I'm pretty sure this is live Fillmore San Francisco I was there. there were some hells Angel's there a couple had tears in their eyes .that's the music that's played at the end of a concert .
@@russellrustin1028 You are correct that the song, Ball and Chain, was recorded at the Fillmore, but the rest of the album was done in the stdio, with crowd noises added.
Have you had the opportunity to see the video of Janis Joplin singing this song at the Monterey Pop Festival. If not check it out. Her performance blew Mama Cass Elliott away!
I played this track with some young college boys listening and one of them immediately asked me about the guitar intro. "Man that is some sick guitar solo!" i'd rate it one of the three or four greatest guitar breaks of the era. Compliments of James Gurley, RIP, "the best bad guitarist in San Francisco."
@@jamesbarta5452 If you mean that Clapton is far better than Beck, I agree. Regarding Gurley vs. Garcia. I agree that Gurley's solo on Ball and Chain is astounding. But he has only a limited amount of good work. If you're talking about the best; listen to Dark Star,
a SF native 26. , work near the Fillmore & .. I listen this album in hs, & realized.. the winterland ballroom was at a intersection I ALWAYS walk by.. literally get goosebumps listening to Janis. she saves lives
Ball & Chain here....was a Studio Recording with sound effects added to make sound "live". No live version exist, I've looked for years just to SEE this PERFECT rendition. The entire album of Cheap Thrills STILL gives chills to this 72 year old man :) Makes me wish I could still find a three finger bag of Mexican :)
Absolutely INCORRECT!. Three tracks on the original album (I Need a Man to Love, Combination of Two and Ball and Chain) ** ARE ** indeed full and unoverdubbed live recordings, taken from the group's actual performance at the Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. You probably have live parts of the album conflated with the remaining four tracks, which are recorded 'live' in Columbia's studio (I am not aware of any canned audience added to these tracks and you most certainly won't hear any on, for example, 'Summertime'. If some background banter is audible on these four tracks, this is purely a chat between the group members and the studio crew, I honestly doubt that this was intended to give the four studio tracks a faux-live feel. Another falsehood is that there are no live versions of Ball and Chain, this is just plain wrong. In fact, there are more than a dozen known live and demo versions of Ball & Chain, including (but not limited to) Janis' performances from the Monterey International Pop Fest, Woodstock, San Francisco, Germany, Toronto, as well as versions released on her posthumous recordings (Joplin in Concert, 1972 and Janis, 1975). Still, the Cheap Thrills version is by far the most grandiose and heart-wrenching. I doubt that Janis ever reached those emotional high notes again. And of course. Sam Andrews' galactic fuzz solo is a nothing short of cosmic orgasm on steroids.
This was my first LP. I was a kid and thought the cover looked cool. Little did I know I would listen for hours , and own it in many formats over these 53 years. Now it has a place of honor in my phone. I can call on it’s fire whenever I want. Thank you Janis.
I’m just listening to music from back in the day and it made me nostalgic. It’s good to look back every once in a while I think. Those weee were good times
@@michaelmcknight8419 ah yes indeed they were. My head is full of music. 68 years worth. Now I love it all. I have over a 1000 songs in my phone alone. Everything from Janis to Buck Owens, Pink Floyd, and yes Pavaotti! I tell Siri to play my music shuffled and I never know what will be next but I KNOW it will be GOOD! 😂
@@bruscifer You appreciate all the good new technology brings. But it’s a good thing I think. It’s just good to hear others say the same. I grew up in the Bay Area. (California) and I’m thankful for all the great music. I even remember Buck Owens crooning out of Bakersfield!!! But above all, Big Brother was my favorite.
But we have T. Swift!. LOL Some really good crap, right there! Come back in 50 years. Janis will still be screaming the blues but Swift? WHO? YEAH. NOT TIMELESS!
I am floating through purple haze and kozmic color explosions. Big brother and the Holding Company as the backdrop to Joplin's voice is absolutely symphonic!True musical creativity and talent like this are a rare and almost non-existent find today. Good stuff here!
I was fourteen years old when this came out in 1968. I blasted this on my stereo in my bedroom and played drums along to it. To think my parents put with all the noise I made above their heads upstairs amazes me now that I'm old. I wouldn't put up with it for my own kids. They were very tolerant parents.
Nobody before or since Janis could make you feel the song like her, it's still unreal how she reaches out and grabs you, you're not listening with your ears you're feeling with your being down to the core of your soul, and it's wonderous and disturbing that she reached what you believed was a private heart
Love the soft crooning in this song as well as the sceetching raw emotion. What range she had. My favorite song of hers hands down. The base in this song is phenomenal.
My youngest son, born eleven years after this album was released, asked me to give him my personal "Cheap Thrills" album, as he was moving out of state, an original pressing, with original paper jacket, and a newspaper article that came out years ago about Janis saved inside the album cover...and I gave it to him!!! 😢
Listened to this when I was a toddler, and on. The album cover made me ponder odd territories - LOL!. As time has gone on, this album, to me, is the definitive essence/peak with a band she NEVER should have parted with. Oh well... RIP. Janis.
Absolute perfection. The song and its entire interpretation epitomizes the grandeur of Texan women, and their original and genuine emotionality. Janis Joplin forever. This is a masterpiece that will stand the test of time.
lyrics Sittin' down by my window Honey, lookin' out at the rain Lord, Lord, Lord, sittin' down by my window Baby, lookin' out at the rain Somethin' came along, grabbed a hold of me And it felt just like a ball and chain Honey, that's exactly what it felt like Honey, just dragging me down And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now hon', tell me why Why does every single little tiny thing I hold on goes wrong? Yeah it all goes wrong, yeah And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now babe, tell me why Why does every thing, every thing Hey, here you gone today, I wanted to love you Honey, I just wanted to hold you, I said, for so long Yeah! Alright! Hey! Love's got a hold on me, baby Feels just like a ball and chain Now, love's just draggin' me down, baby, yeah Feels like a ball and chain I hope there's someone out there who could tell me Why the man I love wanna leave me in so much pain Yeah, maybe, maybe you could help me, come on, help me! And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now hon', tell me why Now tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me why, yeah And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, when I ask you When I need to know why, c'mon tell me why, hey hey hey Here you've gone today I wanted to love you and hold you Till the day I die I said whoa, whoa, whoa! And I say oh, whoa, whoa, no honey It ain't fair, daddy it ain't fair what you do I see what you're doin' to me and you know it ain't fair And I say oh, whoa whoa now baby It ain't fair, now, now, now, what you do I said hon' it ain't fair what, hon' it ain't fair what you do Oh, here you gone today and all I ever wanted to do Was to love you Honey an' I think there can be nothing wrong with that Only it ain't wrong, no, no, no, no, no Sittin' down by my window Lookin' at the rain Lord, Lord, Lord, sittin' down by my window Lookin' at the rain, see the rain Somethin' came along, grabbed a hold of me And it felt like a ball and chain Oh this can't be in vain And I'm gonna tell you one just more time, yeah, yeah! And I say oh, whoa whoa, now baby This can't be, no this can't be in vain And I say no no no no no no no no, whoa! And I say whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa Now now now now now now now now now no no not in vain Hey, hope there is someone that could tell me Hon', tell me why Hon', tell me why love is like Just like a ball Just like a ball Baaaaaaalllll Oh daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy And a chain Yeah!
What a version of that song....Janis...big brother...all in sync....playing on full emotion to pull that off.....today the day she passed away....song still gives me goose bumps every time I hear it.....
I remember when my oldest brother brought this GEM home back in the 60s. I was blown away then..........still am in 2020. What a voice, and the guitar just cuts through my soul. Haven't heard anything that comes close to this masterpiece. RIP Janis, You did one hell of a job on this one
I have a friend who lives in Maine who bought this album when it was first released and she has played it over and over and over and over again and it’s still in good shape and she wants to know how much it’s worth? My opinion this album is priceless.
All Hail Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Wish you were still here wailing from the depths of your souls. We need you now as then. Your passion, delivery and message would make such a difference today. Rest in Peace and thank you for giving us Everything You Had.
Speaking as one who was a teenager when this album came out in 1968, it's my opinion that both Jimi and Janice lived in the time that they were meant to, and were instrumental in the underground movement which lead to so much great music, thought, and vibes from back then .. so many great memories, both good and bad, from back then . my biggest fear is that, as age creeps up on me, those memories will fade into oblivion.
The opening and mid song guitar solo is burned into my heart. Heard many, many, guitar riffs over the decades, but this is my favorite. Its an explosion of violent blues notes, clicking, snapping and running insane.
I actually saw Janis with Big Brother perform at the Fillmore in San Francisco in 1968. BTW the same night at the Oakland Colosseum on stage were Jimi Hendrix and Vanilla Fudge. It was quite a time Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, Doors, Moby Grape, Electric Prunes, Country Joe & the Fish, Jethro Tull, and more. Some us old hippies never sold out to Reaganomics, BMW's, and other indicia of greed. Janis was unforgettable.
At the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. First time I heard this song I was 17 and was never the same. Blues queen! The best, loved her audience too. Can't remember what she broke, a hip or a arm or something before a show and went on and did an hour set anyway.
Cheap Thrills feat. Janis Joplin, no question one of the 10 best Rock albums ever. Maybe the top 5. She was incredible. RIP Janis. It really hurt when she passed just 2 weeks after Jimi Hendrix in 1970. I was 15 at the time.
This is my favorite version, blows away Monterey, James Gurley- wow, hey Robert Fripp, listen to this cat😊 the quiet section is just so magical, Janis never sounded better, Robert Plant may have got something from this too
I think it was 66 that I bought this album and I played it on a little junkie turntable until it wouldn’t work anymore, but I loved it and it’s frustrating that this album that’s on here doesn’t have all the songs
An incomparable blues vocal performance juxtaposed against an acid rock guitar music rendition. 55 years after I first heard this, it still sounds as unique now as then.
I met this much older gentleman last night and he was super impressed that I referred to my favorite band as “big brother and the holding co” and not Janis Joplin
Had skipped school one Tuesday in '67 (?) and was watching Dick Cavett. He interviewed JJ for a while (as she giggled and fidgeted and wouldn't meet his eyes) and then she just walked over to where Brother was set up and belted out this song (might have been Summertime. It was a long time ago). FAN-FUCKIN'-TASTIC!
Since 1973. It never, never gets old. Big Mamma Thornton would be proud of Janis. She was the first white girl to sing the blues. And sing them with soul. Theres never been another singer like her. One who could both project her voice, even without a PA system! And could also emote through every timber of her voice. She was unique. One of a kind. She is the undisputed queen of rock and roll. No one else even comes close. The interplay of her voice and the tempo and rhythm of Big Brothers Holding Co. are unparalleled. Her loss still hurts. RIP Listening still in 2019, 2020 and beyond. Peace.
Thanks Janis. There is that beautiful, mind bending, seven second pause on James Gurleys guitar before the drop that just kills! Absolutely makes this ball and chain hit! Fantastic San Francisco guitar work at it's best on full display. NFA
i physically don't know how to act when i listen to this. from the "go baby go" @ 0:08 to the fucking intro i feel like i'm awake during surgery thank you miss joplin!
Still moves me every time I listen. Saddest part is that after listening to Janis crank out Ball and Chain, even the "best" of today's performers seem like rubbish at the curb...
Truly, an AMERICAN ORIGINAL!!! GLAD I WAS AROUND WHEN SHE WAS ON TOP!!!!
I was born in 1969. I was born too early in life. I hated the 80's
@@LisaHorvath-yo2tb Most people hated the 80s, couldn't figure out how it happened after 60 solid years of great music.
IS NO ONE GONNA SPEAK OF THAT SOLO?? Jesus, that disgusting fuzzy tone shakes me to the core and melts my brain, it’s damned beautiful!
Wow, you know it brother! It is a thunderous, stomping, gargantuan, Godzillian, genius of a guitar solo. Hardly anyone mentions James Gurley.
I'll speak of it ! ... Probably the heaviest, grittiest, live blues guitar tone ever recorded. IMHO.
@@rodgerdrew8500 And I will second that! Not many women comment on this tune, but I will agree it is Smolderingly HOT and Sexy!
Loved it!! Jazz man I got to see her in San Diego! Absolutely amazing!
@Jazz Man nope, James Gurley.
In Vietnam, we used to listen to this all the time, but especially after s bad mission. Her screams were exactly how we felt
Make love not war
Where did you listen (if I may ask) ? I always thought those reconnaissance were a little like hiking trips and you'd sleep out in the jungle....
Thanks for your service.
@@mmmm-uy2se it wasn't like they had a choice!
Fake? Fake subman? Fake little fish? Fake. Neanche sa.dov'è il Vietnam. Orrido.
I have been depressed since I was a kid.
I have found that if I listened to Janis Joplin singing Ball and Chain on the Cheap Thrills album it will relieve much of my depression. That’s on a good depression day, if there is such a thing.
She’s screaming her feelings, the same feelings I can’t express.
To me, this song is all about exorcising pain. Thank you Janis. Love you always
Rock On ! 👍👍👍
Unique- unique- unique!!!! No one can " copy" this soul searching song!!!!
I know this is a long time later, but there's no doubt music is therapeutic. Janis hits at the bone makes them rattle and feel better.
I'm b nknmnñ@@chrisretired5379
I feel this comment...
People who say that Big Brother & the Holding Company were lousy musicians haven't got a clue.They cranked out some of the most heartfelt psychedelic blues-rock ever played and I think they were a perfect match for Janis.Thank God for this legacy they left for us to enjoy.
I cant imagine who would say that, but if they did, they were fools!
They played the super blues!
being a super technically brilliant instrumentalist doesn't make you good at music, just good at playing your instrument... so go play classical in an orchestra . Feeling the music makes you rock and roll.
That is what rock is.
Consider their first LP. Thats where that opinion comes from. Once they realized the great potential of Janice, they changed their experimental hippie weirdness into this psychedelic blues masterpiece!
Fortunately today, years after Janices death, they've had the good sense to maintain this impeccable style of rock&roll.
Peace.
I have never heard anyone , ever , call them a lousy band
I was 12 when I first heard her. I was hooked on the whole hippie vibe and I'm 67 and I've still got that whole hippie vibe. What a fantastic experience. ❤
AMEN TO THAT I 73
This isn’t hippie in any way. The hippies were idiots. This is them kosmic blues mama!
Anything that brings tears to your eyes and grabs a hold of you some 50 years later is amazing. She had heart and soul. RIP beautiful sister.
Janis was quite possibly one of the most beautiful women to ever grace a stage. Her soul felt like this, that’s why she could sing it. The death certificate may say heroin overdose as cause of death, but truly she died of a broken heart. She died a little over a month before I was born and I have loved her my whole life.
73 years young now, living in the border of Texas/Mexico, and every time I listen to these people (Janis, JImi Hendrix, Santana, ,the Doors, etc.) I am reminded of what an awesome life I've had and how blessed I was to have lived and experienced all of it in the midst of all of them in my always loved California.
@guntotinmedic I love your comment. So true. A broken heart, especially when broken over and over, can definitely kill. "Take another little piece of my heart now, baby"...until it couldn't take anymore. Thanks for your insightful comment. Take good care. ✌️💔✌️
Nothin cheap about these thrills. First heard it 50 years ago and it still kills today.
Wow... I wish I was round for all of this. Amen that it kills today. The voice mmmmmmm
Ya !
TY.
Truth!!
Every thing is cheap about these thrills and that is what makes it so beautiful
James Gurley; great heavy blues guitar player, very underrated. He's so heavy , has so much deepness playing the blues with fantastic distortions... he deserved more recognition.
They called their style Hurricane Blues. When this record came out, I could find all the guitar breaks on it, wore down the grooves where they were. And almost half a century later, they still hold up. Also, I still can't describe it other than its real blues music blown all out of distortion. My fave guitar licks and I've heard thousands of them.
It's a shame Janis got all the credit and left the band nothing, but that's corporate thinking for you
The band was phenomenal.... I always loved the sound of this band..
@@philipshirk729 Corporate thinking led to the Full Tilt Boogie Band. So much for corporate thinking.
Gurley was held in high regard by his peers in S.F. Personally, I would love to hear Big Brother before Janis joined. Nothing against Joplin but I've read that had to slow down their playing greatly to accommodate her.
Possibly the best live version, because that screaming guitar just adds to the unmatched vocals.
Sorry, this is a studio version made to sound "live".
@@MrMikebutkus That's incorrect. It was recorded live on March 8, 1968 at the Fillmore East. The rest of the album was recorded in the studio.
@@randyhammill9021 Combination of the Two also sounds live, though the crowd could've been dubbed.
In 1969 I became totally immersed in this album. 53 yrs later, still kick ass psychedelic blues on steroids,…a classic ! Janis introduced me to the blues, the rest has been history. 💙
Tout à fait. 56 ans . !!!!🇫🇷🙏🙏🙏🙏💜💜💜💜
I started listening to this when it first came out - nearly 50 years later I still listen to it with much joy.
To each their own, but this is an assault to my ears and to r&b ! This belongs to Big Mama T
Her dynamics are awesome. From the first verse to the chorus, she went from whispering to screaming. Both are a sign of how she could control her voice. And the band goes with it.
Please do not forget, that her vocals (and most of the instruments) are actually a live performance from the Winterland in 68.
the music literally infects the listener with overwhelming emotion and movement
It gets there with her every time I hear it! She put everything into it! she was only about 5" feet tall!
💣🎵🎶🎵🎵❤ yes Janis Haight ASHBURY Fillmore 1960s
This is blues music. It's meant to sound dramatic, sad, serious & deep.
The music itself puts me on a psychedelic trip...no drugs needed- love Janis!
True. I think we all feel the same, but a little Mr. Natural wouldn't hurt! 😂
Shrooooms😉
Hello Lorie how are you doing hope you’re having a great time with your family may God bless you and your family
Ikr! Straight trippin
Her control, her subtlety, along with her kick ass strength and emotion in her voice. Flawless. I was 12 when I first heard this and would play it constantly at full blast, singing along. Luckily, I had an understanding mother. lol
James Gurley's guitar playing is just the essence of blues not to mention he is puttin a hurtin
on his guitar.
real psychedelic sound, and very different from Hendrix and other guys. but i wish he practiced more; as much as i love his playing he often goes over the top, out of tune etc. a little too much.
You a smart man
''James Gurley'' the most seriously underappreciated guitar player since Hubert Sumlin. Lookin forward to the big concert in the sky.
May they both reside in Heaven. RIP.
@@mchorchos That was done intentionally. Like John Cippolina's sound.
@@mchorchos that's what makes it psychedelic
when I was 14 and listened for the first time.... I was changed! I never knew there was music like this! I get chills 52 years later...
18 for me!
Nobody cares
@@Mikemyers2948 131 people do, sit down
Yeah Frank, I was 14 also. Girl on the bus had this LP.
Ditto
People who say that Big Brother & the Holding Company were lousy musicians weren't there.
I wasn't there. I was too young. But, I know that they were great!
Is there anyone ever saying this?...
Easily best band she had
@@WolfShenda The people who told Janis she could better. They were wrong.
She was just magnificent. Her voice had so much emotion. You could feel her pain as she sang. She left us too soon.
This has got to be her BEST PERFORMANCE. Every hair folic in my entire body went up on its end and carried me around... I had goosebumps even on my nails...
Ditto again
No doubt this is the BEST version of Ball and Chain. She is in so much pain and ain't no relief.
Ĵanis singing Ball & Chain at the Monterey Pop festival is what put her over the top. Killer performance. I get chills listening to her belt this number out.
She sings from the soul ! She knows pain .....
Janis Joplin at her best.
The best nasty blues guitar riff of all tyme.
If you don't like this, you don't deserve ears.
you are so correct, my friend. The absolute best of Big Brother as well as Janis. If someone from another planet would ask, how did they sound?....this is what I would play for them!
This is bombazz❤ I envision myself in an underground blues & jazz mafia tavern somewhere in Lousianna. Sitting at a round table smoking an xl cig while I wait for my 'guys' to show up with their cut. Lol
That distortion is pure sexual rage
more of a fuzz than distortion
@@yese1697 yeah. More people used fuzz in blues than distortion. Like Clapton, Hendrix, etc.
The distorting of the sine wave form is a bit fizzy, somewhat dizzy, soft as a kittens belly hair , and warmer than the afterglow of a nice pump on a nice day before all the cards get stacked. Definitely no fuzz though , I know fuzz from buzz and that's cuz people really want out of the higher side of my number and you had mentioned that to him about getting put in my notes from the clubhouse for a few days but I can imagine how quick you would like to ride without a phone.
Can you give me some good recommendations for some good fuzz? You sound like someone who might know
@@softest_eevee Jesus Christ, what the fuck worships the mule? That is some bona fide down and dirty true rambling on there. I have not got even a fuzzy memory of spouting this drivel...wow
But for the fuzz my recomendation
Best fuzz - the tiny, almost imperceptible little forests you find on your sweets upper backside thighs or just below the naval
Avoid at all cost- your dad's face after the weekend camping trip
It's unfortunate they didn't make a video of this recording. By FAR the Best rendition of Ball & Chain
This album, Cheap Thrills, was recorded entirely in the studio. The live effects were just that.
Hi I'm pretty sure this is live Fillmore San Francisco I was there. there were some hells Angel's there a couple had tears in their eyes .that's the music that's played at the end of a concert .
@@russellrustin1028 You are correct that the song, Ball and Chain, was recorded at the Fillmore, but the rest of the album was done in the stdio, with crowd noises added.
Pat Benny ok I'll by that. I will check you may right
Have you had the opportunity to see the video of Janis Joplin singing this song at the Monterey Pop Festival. If not check it out. Her performance blew Mama Cass Elliott away!
When my dad said this was rubbish, I just glared. This is pure heaven
Didn't yer dad listen to rubbish?
Shoulda told him so.
I did.
Then I picked myself up off the floor and went to listen to my rubbish.
@@usandthemx LOL!
I love Janis, but actually her voice almost cracks several times in this song. So, technically seen this could be called rubbish. ;)
@@matthiasgossen4334 thats what makes it beautiful. Pure passion
Sounds like my dad . He says there’s only two types of music , country and western . The man has no soul.
I played this track with some young college boys listening and one of them immediately asked me about the guitar intro. "Man that is some sick guitar solo!"
i'd rate it one of the three or four greatest guitar breaks of the era. Compliments of James Gurley, RIP, "the best bad guitarist in San Francisco."
I love James Gurley, but what about Jerry Garcia?
@@steveborst5386 no comparison..like Clapton vs Beck..
@@jamesbarta5452 If you mean that Clapton is far better than Beck, I agree. Regarding Gurley vs. Garcia. I agree that Gurley's solo on Ball and Chain is astounding. But he has only a limited amount of good work. If you're talking about the best; listen to Dark Star,
Janis Joplin had a gift from God that will never be duplicated. This concert was at the Fillmore West.
No, it was a studio recording to sound like a live concert. But, when in concert, she sounded just like this. No phony autophone.
@@MrMikebutkus This is from the Fillmore West. But, it's the only true live one on Cheap Thrills. Two or three other ones on it are as you described.
@@RichardMNixon-zh6uz i was standin outside fillmore bout 1130 pm couldnt get in but got listen from outside still can hear it burned into my brain
No gods were allowed in this space. It was ALL Janis.
Still is and always will be the Queen!!! I can't listen to this song without mildly tearing up at the loss of such a magnificent talent!!!
As a christian now, shes still my girl..always.....
a SF native 26. , work near the Fillmore & .. I listen this album in hs, & realized.. the winterland ballroom was at a intersection I ALWAYS walk by.. literally get goosebumps listening to Janis. she saves lives
La mia unica e sola Regina del Blues!!!! Nessuno riesce a strapparmi il cuore come te!!!!!! Ti adoro, Janis!!!!❤️
Ball & Chain here....was a Studio Recording with sound effects added to make sound "live". No live version exist, I've looked for years just to SEE this PERFECT rendition. The entire album of Cheap Thrills STILL gives chills to this 72 year old man :) Makes me wish I could still find a three finger bag of Mexican :)
Absolutely INCORRECT!. Three tracks on the original album (I Need a Man to Love, Combination of Two and Ball and Chain) ** ARE ** indeed full and unoverdubbed live recordings, taken from the group's actual performance at the Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. You probably have live parts of the album conflated with the remaining four tracks, which are recorded 'live' in Columbia's studio (I am not aware of any canned audience added to these tracks and you most certainly won't hear any on, for example, 'Summertime'. If some background banter is audible on these four tracks, this is purely a chat between the group members and the studio crew, I honestly doubt that this was intended to give the four studio tracks a faux-live feel. Another falsehood is that there are no live versions of Ball and Chain, this is just plain wrong. In fact, there are more than a dozen known live and demo versions of Ball & Chain, including (but not limited to) Janis' performances from the Monterey International Pop Fest, Woodstock, San Francisco, Germany, Toronto, as well as versions released on her posthumous recordings (Joplin in Concert, 1972 and Janis, 1975). Still, the Cheap Thrills version is by far the most grandiose and heart-wrenching. I doubt that Janis ever reached those emotional high notes again. And of course. Sam Andrews' galactic fuzz solo is a nothing short of cosmic orgasm on steroids.
Well, there's the live version from the 1967 Monterrey music festival, videoed and can be seen in the documentary Monterrey Pop
This was my first LP. I was a kid and thought the cover looked cool. Little did I know I would listen for hours , and own it in many formats over these 53 years. Now it has a place of honor in my phone. I can call on it’s fire whenever I want. Thank you Janis.
Mine too! My parents worried. 😂
@@michaelmcknight8419 🤣🤣🤣😂
I’m just listening to music from back in the day and it made me nostalgic. It’s good to look back every once in a while I think. Those weee were good times
@@michaelmcknight8419 ah yes indeed they were. My head is full of music. 68 years worth. Now I love it all. I have over a 1000 songs in my phone alone. Everything from Janis to Buck Owens, Pink Floyd, and yes Pavaotti! I tell Siri to play my music shuffled and I never know what will be next but I KNOW it will be GOOD! 😂
@@bruscifer You appreciate all the good new technology brings. But it’s a good thing I think. It’s just good to hear others say the same. I grew up in the Bay Area. (California) and I’m thankful for all the great music. I even remember Buck Owens crooning out of Bakersfield!!! But above all, Big Brother was my favorite.
nine minutes that feel like one. her voice was great, oh gosh, why can' t we have more voices as good as hers around?
Ask Ryan Seacrest & Simon Cowell...They Bout Effed Up Music as LOW As lt Could Go Today... ldull, lndeed...
But we have T. Swift!. LOL
Some really good crap, right there!
Come back in 50 years.
Janis will still be screaming the blues but Swift?
WHO? YEAH.
NOT TIMELESS!
I am floating through purple haze and kozmic color explosions. Big brother and the Holding Company as the backdrop to Joplin's voice is absolutely symphonic!True musical creativity and talent like this are a rare and almost non-existent find today. Good stuff here!
Grew up on this as a young teen. Janis, Jimi, Jim and Zep introduced me to the blues.
Just learned this f sharp minor blues classic. I love it. I woke my daughter screaming it out baby. I'm hooked
I was fourteen years old when this came out in 1968. I blasted this on my stereo in my bedroom and played drums along to it. To think my parents put with all the noise I made above their heads upstairs amazes me now that I'm old. I wouldn't put up with it for my own kids. They were very tolerant parents.
What Notes she hit in this Song!!! She gave it her all she could!!! Purely Passion!!
one of the sexiest songs ever made
Aspa Kostarakou OMG yesss
yes
horizontal dance music . . .
Absoultely
So totally true!
Nobody before or since Janis could make you feel the song like her, it's still unreal how she reaches out and grabs you, you're not listening with your ears you're feeling with your being down to the core of your soul, and it's wonderous and disturbing that she reached what you believed was a private heart
I hope that wherever you are Janis, that you're singing for the Angels above, that voice brings you to tears😭.
Love the soft crooning in this song as well as the sceetching raw emotion. What range she had. My favorite song of hers hands down. The base in this song is phenomenal.
Pure blues at its best.
Hello Linda how are you doing hope you’re having a great time with your family may God bless you and your family
My youngest son, born eleven years after this album was released, asked me to give him my personal "Cheap Thrills" album, as he was moving out of state, an original pressing, with original paper jacket, and a newspaper article that came out years ago about Janis saved inside the album cover...and I gave it to him!!! 😢
Those vocals are fire. You can't find this kind of quality nowadays
Listened to this when I was a toddler, and on. The album cover made me ponder odd territories - LOL!. As time has gone on, this album, to me, is the definitive essence/peak with a band she NEVER should have parted with. Oh well... RIP. Janis.
Finest female American Blues singer of the 20th century backed by a fantastic band SF style: Haloes all round!
This song brings tears to my eyes RIP Janis, you will always be amazing 🌹
Every time.
I'm 71 years old and a west coast person ~ this is one of my 5 all-time favorite songs.
What happened to your ponytail?
@@rosa7236 Over the years I watched it all fall out as male pattern baldness enveloped my head. No one ever asked that before ~ thanks Rosa!
@@MissMyPonytail Hehehe I was afraid to ask for fear that was what happened. But I bet it was a beauty back then!!
@@rosa7236 Indeed it was!! Thanks again, Rosa!
@@MissMyPonytail peace ✌ to you and yours
Still gives me goosebumps 47 years later. Damn!
Me too.
Same here
Agreed!
godam, me too.
I just woke from a dream of this being played, had to hear it again.
Absolute perfection. The song and its entire interpretation epitomizes the grandeur of Texan women, and their original and genuine emotionality. Janis Joplin forever. This is a masterpiece that will stand the test of time.
She was amazing. Had the privilege to see her in person. Unforgettable!
me to
lyrics
Sittin' down by my window
Honey, lookin' out at the rain
Lord, Lord, Lord, sittin' down by my window
Baby, lookin' out at the rain
Somethin' came along, grabbed a hold of me
And it felt just like a ball and chain
Honey, that's exactly what it felt like
Honey, just dragging me down
And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now hon', tell me why
Why does every single little tiny thing I hold on goes wrong?
Yeah it all goes wrong, yeah
And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now babe, tell me why
Why does every thing, every thing
Hey, here you gone today, I wanted to love you
Honey, I just wanted to hold you, I said, for so long
Yeah! Alright! Hey!
Love's got a hold on me, baby
Feels just like a ball and chain
Now, love's just draggin' me down, baby, yeah
Feels like a ball and chain
I hope there's someone out there who could tell me
Why the man I love wanna leave me in so much pain
Yeah, maybe, maybe you could help me, come on, help me!
And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, now hon', tell me why
Now tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me why, yeah
And I say, oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, when I ask you
When I need to know why, c'mon tell me why, hey hey hey
Here you've gone today
I wanted to love you and hold you
Till the day I die
I said whoa, whoa, whoa!
And I say oh, whoa, whoa, no honey
It ain't fair, daddy it ain't fair what you do
I see what you're doin' to me and you know it ain't fair
And I say oh, whoa whoa now baby
It ain't fair, now, now, now, what you do
I said hon' it ain't fair what, hon' it ain't fair what you do
Oh, here you gone today and all I ever wanted to do
Was to love you
Honey an' I think there can be nothing wrong with that
Only it ain't wrong, no, no, no, no, no
Sittin' down by my window
Lookin' at the rain
Lord, Lord, Lord, sittin' down by my window
Lookin' at the rain, see the rain
Somethin' came along, grabbed a hold of me
And it felt like a ball and chain
Oh this can't be in vain
And I'm gonna tell you one just more time, yeah, yeah!
And I say oh, whoa whoa, now baby
This can't be, no this can't be in vain
And I say no no no no no no no no, whoa!
And I say whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Now now now now now now now now now no no not in vain
Hey, hope there is someone that could tell me
Hon', tell me why
Hon', tell me why love is like
Just like a ball
Just like a ball
Baaaaaaalllll
Oh daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy
And a chain
Yeah!
That little bit of feedback around 2:00 never fails to send chills down my spine.
What a version of that song....Janis...big brother...all in sync....playing on full emotion to pull that off.....today the day she passed away....song still gives me goose bumps every time I hear it.....
Man- Janis, Jimi and Stevie Ray what a great compilation that would have been? R.I.P. ALL THREE LEGENDS.
I'm listening to this stoned out of my mind and I'm telling you, beautiful songs like this make it feel as if the high intensifies. It's beautiful.
I'm stoned too right now.
It's obligatory to get stoned when listening to Janis
@@spookisghostly4619 Nope. Enjoying this just fine completely sober.
amen ♡
Drugs are the fuel, music is the main control of your own space time ship.
She was a legend even she was alive. and she will always be remembered with respect.
Anyone watching this masterpiece in (can you believe it ) 2020 !!! PEACE TO THE WORLD!!!!
my heart goes faster every time
I remember when my oldest brother brought this GEM home back in the 60s. I was blown away then..........still am in 2020. What a voice, and the guitar just cuts through my soul. Haven't heard anything that comes close to this masterpiece. RIP Janis, You did one hell of a job on this one
It's 2021 dude...
I have a friend who lives in Maine who bought this album when it was first released and she has played it over and over and over and over again and it’s still in good shape and she wants to know how much it’s worth? My opinion this album is priceless.
All Hail Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Wish you were still here wailing from the depths of your souls. We need you now as then. Your passion, delivery and message would make such a difference today. Rest in Peace and thank you for giving us Everything You Had.
Yeah! man they peeled his souls and still gorgeous..."It`s a way of life" said Frank Zappa,I`m still love those figures:(
Speaking as one who was a teenager when this album came out in 1968, it's my opinion that both Jimi and Janice lived in the time that they were meant to, and were instrumental in the underground movement which lead to so much great music, thought, and vibes from back then .. so many great memories, both good and bad, from back then . my biggest fear is that, as age creeps up on me, those memories will fade into oblivion.
not to worry, Simon. What goes in dosen't come out.
And… god damn the pusher man - he deprived us all of these great souls.
The opening and mid song guitar solo is burned into my heart. Heard many, many, guitar riffs over the decades, but this is my favorite. Its an explosion of violent blues notes, clicking, snapping and running insane.
Il blues nella sua espressione più emotiva!!! Solo Janis….❤️
Best in Song within the last 100 years!
yes, why not, it's up there.
I actually saw Janis with Big Brother perform at the Fillmore in San Francisco in 1968. BTW the same night at the Oakland Colosseum on stage were Jimi Hendrix and Vanilla Fudge. It was quite a time Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, Doors, Moby Grape, Electric Prunes, Country Joe & the Fish, Jethro Tull, and more. Some us old hippies never sold out to Reaganomics, BMW's, and other indicia of greed. Janis was unforgettable.
lucky basterd I m glad too visite the museum of the Gulf in 2017
At the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. First time I heard this song I was 17 and was never the same. Blues queen! The best, loved her audience too. Can't remember what she broke, a hip or a arm or something before a show and went on and did an hour set anyway.
This song, Ball and Chain, was written by Big Mama Thornton.
Janis, Sam and James went backstage after club date of Thornton's and personally asked permission to cover her song.
After many decades I realised just how Soul this is. Just with Rock instrumentation.
Edit 12 Aug 24. At the same time it is basically a 12-bar Blues.
This my favorite version! Great vocal performance and intense guitar playing.
Cheap Thrills feat. Janis Joplin, no question one of the 10 best Rock albums ever. Maybe the top 5. She was incredible. RIP Janis. It really hurt when she passed just 2 weeks after Jimi Hendrix in 1970. I was 15 at the time.
RIP JANIS.... No One Yet, Has, or Can Take Your Place... Stay Under That Hardened Shell, My Beautiful Friend... Miss You ✌😎
Later, I saw her in Golden Gate Park live for free and just blew me away. She controlled everybody there. Just they were focused on her.
Goddess of Rock forever and ever.
I wasn’t around during the late-60s to mid-70s, but this makes me feel nostalgic for a time I never experienced.
It was the best and worst times of mine and lots of other people's lives. And the music was so damn good.
How did we get from this to Mumble Rap? Something went terribly wrong.
U missed out on some great time and great music I lived in the 60s 70s,when music was not like today's crap. Some of the music ever
I always feel like I was born in the wrong era. Your statement resonates with me as I can DEFINITELY RELATE!!
Aesthetical Twat glad i am still alive. I was a puppy then.
This is my favorite version, blows away Monterey, James Gurley- wow, hey Robert Fripp, listen to this cat😊 the quiet section is just so magical, Janis never sounded better, Robert Plant may have got something from this too
I agree, I only check out those others to see her foot-stomping. Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me....................
@@peterbaruxis2511 how bout the 1970 Festival Express Tell Mama version?? That's a great one also.
I think it was 66 that I bought this album and I played it on a little junkie turntable until it wouldn’t work anymore, but I loved it and it’s frustrating that this album that’s on here doesn’t have all the songs
An incomparable blues vocal performance juxtaposed against an acid rock guitar music rendition. 55 years after I first heard this, it still sounds as unique now as then.
Nothing like drinking outback at night and listening some great tunes.
She still gives me goosebumps.
I met this much older gentleman last night and he was super impressed that I referred to my favorite band as “big brother and the holding co” and not Janis Joplin
Had skipped school one Tuesday in '67 (?) and was watching Dick Cavett. He interviewed JJ for a while (as she giggled and fidgeted and wouldn't meet his eyes) and then she just walked over to where Brother was set up and belted out this song (might have been Summertime. It was a long time ago). FAN-FUCKIN'-TASTIC!
Listening to this stoned is amazing!!!! Specially the solo!!!
I’m feeling you
Anyone else enjoying this masterpiece in 2019? ✌🏻😀❤
indeed, Janis lives for me here......
yo mero
Since 1973. It never, never gets old. Big Mamma Thornton would be proud of Janis. She was the first white girl to sing the blues. And sing them with soul. Theres never been another singer like her. One who could both project her voice, even without a PA system! And could also emote through every timber of her voice. She was unique. One of a kind. She is the undisputed queen of rock and roll. No one else even comes close. The interplay of her voice and the tempo and rhythm of Big Brothers Holding Co. are unparalleled. Her loss still hurts. RIP Listening still in 2019, 2020 and beyond.
Peace.
Simon
Vinyl Dad ik!
This band is so tight during this song one of my favorite albums of this time period
Goddess Joplin ❤
The most impressive performance by a singer I’ve ever seen. Thanks from Brasil!
Thanks Janis. There is that beautiful, mind bending, seven second pause on James Gurleys guitar before the drop that just kills! Absolutely makes this ball and chain hit! Fantastic San Francisco guitar work at it's best on full display. NFA
Złapałem się zawsze kiedy tego słucham,nie napisałem 🎉żadnej recenzji .Tak wćąga.arcydzieło rokowe!
love the raw emotions. At 39 most folks don't think I know The classics. Her voice is amazing!
You don't know jack shit, period.
First rock concert I ever went to was Big Brother and the Holding company. Blew me away! I was 15.
i physically don't know how to act when i listen to this. from the "go baby go" @ 0:08 to the fucking intro i feel like i'm awake during surgery thank you miss joplin!
The Greatest Version of the Heartbreakingly Emotional Song…
James Gurley on lead guitar. Quite possibly the greatest shreader that ever lived.
The “Agony” of the Guitar sends Chills throughout my Body….
That is some kick ass 60's distortion guitar a la Steppenwolf, etc.. Great era for music
Still moves me every time I listen. Saddest part is that after listening to Janis crank out Ball and Chain, even the "best" of today's performers seem like rubbish at the curb...
THE BEST FOREVER ❣️❣️❣️
this song rattles my bones and shakes me down to my core. chilling.