By the time Joplin had scored her first Number One album,
Cheap Thrills, with Big Brother and the Holding Company, she had outgrown
the group's punk-blues sound. After an uneven solo bow, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic
Blues Again Mama! (1969), Joplin joined Doors producer Paul Rothchild to
make this more assured and intimate album, digging into quality soul such
as "Get It While You Can" and Kris Kristofferson's "Me and
Bobby McGee" with the combined authority of Billie Holiday and Big
Mama Thornton. Joplin did not live to enjoy her triumph. She died of a drug
overdose in 1970, before the album was completed. She was twenty-seven.
(Rolling Stone)
Total album sales: 4 million
Peak chart position: 1 |