The stellar solo debut of Janis Joplin – fronting her own Kozmic Blues Band after the break from Big Brother! The raw emotion of her voice is as impressive as ever here – and there is more of a rockin' blues vibe here than on her earlier records – thanks the killer horn section in this new band. There's some stripped down numbers, too, giving this record a pretty balanced feel. A classic! Titles include "Try", "Maybe", "As Good As You've Been To This World", "Kozmic Blues", "To Love Somebody", "Little Girl Blue", and "One Good Man". LP, Vinyl record album

A posthumous set of live material, issued after the way-too-early passing of Janis Joplin – and one that features tracks recorded with Big Brother & The Holding Company in Detroit in 1968, San Francisco in 1968 and 1970 – and others with Full Tilt Boogie Band in Canada in 1970! CD

The sound of a legend – a raw rocking classic from Janis Joplin – arguably the most perfectly-formed record from her all-too-short run in modern music! There's a focus here that's even sharper than before – and a rising of the funky undercurrents that Janis always had in her music, matched with vocals that are some of the most soulful you could ever hope for from the blue-eyed hippie generation! The album was the last one that Janis ever recorded, and it's a classic through and through – with titles that include "Move Over", "Cry Baby", "A Woman Left Lonely", "Trust Me", "Get It While You Can", and "Mercedes Benz". CD

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The sound of a legend – a raw rocking classic from Janis Joplin – arguably the most perfectly-formed record from her all-too-short run in modern music! There's a focus here that's even sharper than before – and a rising of the funky undercurrents that Janis always had in her music, matched with vocals that are some of the most soulful you could ever hope for from the blue-eyed hippie generation! The album was the last one that Janis ever recorded, and it's a classic through and through – with titles that include "Move Over", "Cry Baby", "A Woman Left Lonely", "Trust Me", "Get It While You Can", and "Mercedes Benz". Includes 4 bonus tracks too! CD

The first full album featuring the incredible voice of Janis Joplin, as the singer of Big Brother & The Holding Company! Even at this early point, it's clear that there's some really incredible things happening with this band. Originally released on Mainstream, the production is a bit thin compared to the bigger sounding records to come, which actually works incredibly well – as Janis's voice just tears right through in a really exciting way. The rawer Big Brother backdrop is great, too! Titles include "Easy Rider", "Bye, Bye Baby", "Intruder", "Women Is Losers", Moondog's "All Is Lonliness", and "Down On Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Cheap Thrills, maybe – but they cut deeply and last forever! This is one of greatest albums by Big Brother & The The Holding Company – and it's also one of the most important in cementing the legacy of singer Janis Joplin. The raw manic energy of the group at their live best is somehow bottled and presented on record as perfectly as ever could be – and even better are the delicate moments that show such an incredible depth! Titles include "Turtle Blues", "Oh Sweet Mary", "Ball & Chain", "Summertime", "Piece Of My Heart", and "I Need A Man To Love". CD

The first full album featuring the incredible voice of Janis Joplin, as the singer of Big Brother & The Holding Company! Even at this early point, it's clear that there's some really incredible things happening with this band. Originally released on Mainstream, the production is a bit thin compared to the bigger sounding records to come, which actually works incredibly well – as Janis's voice just tears right through in a really exciting way. The rawer Big Brother backdrop is great, too! Titles include "Easy Rider", "Bye, Bye Baby", "Intruder", "Women Is Losers", Moondog's "All Is Lonliness", and "Down On Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Cheap Thrills, maybe – but they cut deeply and last forever! This is one of greatest albums by Big Brother & The The Holding Company – and it's also one of the most important in cementing the legacy of singer Janis Joplin. The raw manic energy of the group at their live best is somehow bottled and presented on record as perfectly as ever could be – and even better are the delicate moments that show such an incredible depth! Titles include "Turtle Blues", "Oh Sweet Mary", "Ball & Chain", "Summertime", "Piece Of My Heart", and "I Need A Man To Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes selections by Santana, Janis Joplin, Barbra Streisand, Lynn Anderson, and more! LP, Vinyl record album

Soundtrack to the 1994 DA Pennebaker documentary – include music by Joe Cocker, Richie Havens, Jefferson Airplane, Tim Hardin, Mountain, Jimi Hendrix, Crosby Stills & Nash, Janis Joplin, and Sly & The Family Stone. CD

Four full albums from Melanie – all brought together here in a single set! On Born To Be, Melanie's a folkie at heart, but one who's very open to new ideas too – as you'll hear in this surprisingly offbeat set from the late 60s! The record mixes Melanie's raspy, almost eerie vocal approach with some compelling charts from Roger Kellaway – who respects the folk impulses at the core, but also brings in some unusual inflections in the other instrumentation – that post-folk approach that was showing up in records by Leonard Cohen and others of the singer/songwriter generation. The difference is subtle, but very striking – and very different than the way the set would have been recorded a few years previously. Titles include "Christopher Robin", co-written with AA Milne – plus "In The Hour", "I'm Back In Town", "Bobo's Party", "Close To It All", "Merry Christmas", and "I Really Loved Harold". Next is Affectionately Melanie (aka Melanie) – a seminal self-titled set from Melanie – an album that's still proudly folk in some parts, while also embracing some of the more hard-edge styles of some of her contemporaries too – echoes of soul in some of the rhythms, a bit of grit in the instrumentation – which really seems to fit well with her raspy vocal style! The mix is almost a folksy approach to Janis Joplin territory – kind of a surprise if you only know the sweeter side of the singer – and titles include "Soul Sister Annie", "Uptown Down", "Again", "Beautiful People", "For My Father", "Deep Down Low", "Take Me Home", "I'm Back In Town", and "Any Guy". Some cuts feature arrangements by the great John Cameron – who we suspect of bringing the groovier elements to the record! Candles In The Rain is a record that shows the increasing strengths of Melanie as a singer/songwriter, and the confidence that her label had in letting her try out new material – as the mostly-pop Buddah Records allowed Melanie and producer/arranger Peter Schekeryk to really stretch out in the studio! Some moments are intimate, some have a full righteous quality – and the unique vocals of the lady herself have a subtle power that's almost out of time at the start of the 70s – yet that's also its great appeal. Titles include the hit "Candles In The Rain" – plus "Carolina In My Mind", "Citiest People", "The Good Guys", "Lovin Baby Girl", "Leftover Wine", and a version of "Ruby Tuesday". Leftover Wine is a set that mostly features Melanie singing solo at Carnegie Hall – just her vocals and guitar standing out in stark contrast to some of the larger arrangements used on a few of her previous records! The approach is great – and brings all the fragile beauty of her unique style right into the limelight, all with a timeless vibe on titles that include "Close To It All", "Uptown & Down", "Psychotherapy", "I Don't Eat Animals", and "Leftover Wine". Yet the album also features one studio track – the heady "Peace Will Come", which features some nice keyboards from Ron Frangipare! CD

Neat cover with a hodge podge of CBS artists – Simon & Garfunkel, Janis Joplin, Tremeloes, Christie, Tony Bennett, Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, Lafayette, I Profeti, Sangre, Sudor & Lagrimas. LP, Vinyl record album

Todd Rundgren's known to most as a hell of a songwriter, and a singer with surprising charms – but he's also a genius in the studio, with talents that were first demonstrated on all of his early self-produced classics – then shared with some key acts in the 70s and 80s! As with his own music, Rundgren really has a way with making a tune come together – a special ear for getting everything to sound right, but at a level that's simple and understated – so that all the best qualities of a song come out perfectly, but without making you feel like you're being hit over the head by the process behind the music! That quality is on great display here – in a set of 22 numbers that feature Rundgren at the helm, with details that are extrapolated more fully in the detailed notes within – but which come through loud and clear on tunes that include "Baby Blue" by Badfinger, "Long Times Gone" by Felix Cavaliere, "You're Much Too Soon" by Hall & Oates, "Frederick" by Patti Smith, Heaven's Falling" by Cheap Trick, "Jet Boy" by New York Dolls, "One Night Stand" by Janis Joplin, "L5" by New England, "We're An American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad, "Dear God" by XTC, "Something Warm" by Rick Derringer, "Long Road Home" by Fanny, "Fa La Fa Lee" by Sparks, "Piece By Piece" by The Tubes, "Love Is The Answer" by Utopia, "Goodbye" by The Psychedelic Furs, and "She's So Young" by The Pursuit Of Happiness. CD