BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY - Be A Brother (1970)

Big Brother and the Holding Company - Be Brother (1970) (@256)
(Review from bbhc.com, allmusic, wikipedia, amazon)

Janis Joplin left Big Brother in December 1968 and Sam Andrew went with her to form the Kozmic Blues Band, while Peter Albin and Dave Getz joined Country Joe and the Fish and the band disintegrated.

In the fall of 1969, the band reformed around the same line-up (except Joplin); Albin, Andrew, Getz and Gurley were joined by Nick Gravenites (vocals), Dave Schallock (guitar) and Kathi McDonald (vocals).

Their 1970 album, "Be A Brother" is a good indicator of what they would have sounded like without Joplin's amazing voice. These ten original compositions include "Home on the Strange", "Mr. Natural", "Funkie Jim", and "I'll Change Your Flat Tire, Merle" dedicated to Merle Haggard. This is a decent blues-based session similar to early Butterfield Blues Band records, which isn't a bad thing at all.

The album is a taste of west coast sixties music. The songs pretty much all have that naive yet honestly hopeful quality that makes certain "hippy" songs still seem fresh after all those years. The musicianship has improved since the likes of cheap thrills, not that it was bad then, but now every note is exquisite, with a whole heap of different approaches to aid the variety of the songs.

Whether Big Brother & the Holding Company would have made any waves at all in the late-'60s San Francisco music scene without Janis Joplin could be argued. Nevertheless with this album, the band prove that they are more than just one great singer.

Line-up :
* Peter Albin / Bass, Guitar
* Sam Andrew / Bass, Guitar, Arranger, Vocals
* David Getz / Piano, Drums
* James Gurley / Bass, Guitar
* Kathi McDonald / Vocals
* Nick Gravenites / Vocals
* David Schallock / Guitar, Vocals
with
* Mike Finnigan / Keyboards, Vocals
* Richard Greene / Violin
* Ira Kamin / Keyboards

Track List :
01. Keep On - 4:21
02. Joseph s Coast - 3:10
03. Home On Strange - 2:15
04. Someday - 2:17
05. Heartache People - 6:36
06. Sunshine Baby - 3:30
07. Mr Natural - 3:31
08. Funkie Jim - 3:47
09. I'll Change Your Flat Tire Merie - 3:14
10. Be A Brother - 3:04

http://fp.io/379eb425/

BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING CO. - THE LOST TAPES

Big Brother And The Holding Company - The Lost Tapes [1995]

The Lost Tapes combines previously unreleased material with performances that have been floating around on bootlegs for years. Listening to these early live recordings from late 1966 and early 1967, it's hard to imagine that this is the same band that would level the audience at the Monterey Pop Festival — alongside Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding — and propel Janis Joplin into superstardom. The 26 songs are a loose mix of originals from their self-titled Mainstream album, along with cover versions of "Amazing Grace," "Hi Heel Sneakers," "Let the Good Times Roll," "I Know You Rider," and "Moanin' at Midnight." By far, the oddest cover is "Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!," which musically has absolutely nothing in common with the version performed in the Russ Meyer film by the Bostweeds. The rambling spoken intro is longer than the actual song itself! Very weird! This material is unquestionably sloppy and miles away from the slick soul-rock Joplin would perform with Full Tilt Boogie and the Kozmic Blues Band after leaving Big Brother in late 1968. It's also what makes this relic so charming; hearing a young Janis Joplin not burdened with being the star, but just another member of the band, relaxed and playful. Airline's 2008 version of The Lost Tapes was licensed from Big Brother & the Holding Company, with 24-bit remastering and notes by drummer David Getz and guitarist Sam Andrew. ”


CD 1

01 Bye, Bye Baby [#] 4:10
02 Great White Guru [#] 5:46
03 Women Is Losers [#] 5:09
04 Oh My Soul [#] 2:34
05 Amazing Grace [#] 11:30
06 Caterpillar [#] 4:11
07 It's a Deal [#] 2:13
08 Hi Heel Sneakers [#] 3:36
09 Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! [#] 2:22
010 Turtle Blues [#] 6:46
011 All Is Loneliness [#] 9:04
012 Light Is Faster Than Sound [#] 6:26

CD 2

01 (Come on Baby) Let the Good Times Roll 2:37
02 I Know You Rider 3:13
03 Moanin' at Midnight 4:57
04 Hey Baby 2:50
05 Down on Me 2:45
06 Whisperman 1:46
07 Women Is Losers 3:48
08 Blow My Mind 2:34
09 Oh My Soul 2:34
10 Ball and Chain 6:43
11 Coo-Coo 2:30
12 Gutra's Garden 4:36
13 Harry :37
14 Hall of the Mountain King 6:51

http://www.fileserve.com/file/eNzuHMP