Big Brother & the Holding Company

Big Brother & the Holding Company的艺人档案

在《Cheap Thrills》之前，Big Brother & the Holding Company这只乐队根本就属于一只二流的稍微有点名气的地方乐队，只在旧金山地区有着响亮名声，但是却没能写出什么博得除铁杆歌迷外的人们欢心的歌曲。已经几乎放弃自己歌唱事业并且有了结婚打算的Janis Joplin的意外加入改变了乐队的这种情况，当然，这也改变了Janis Joplin自己的命运。大家都被Janis Joplin源自内心那股脆弱和苦痛的情感所打动，她感情强烈的，近乎绝望的，崩溃塌陷般的演唱征服了无数人的心。

by Richie Unterberger
Big Brother are primarily remembered as the group that gave Janis Joplin her start. Theres no denying both that Joplin was by far the bands most striking asset, and that Big Brother would never have made a significant impression if they hadnt been fortunate enough to add her to their lineup shortly after forming. But Big Brother also occupies a significant place in the history of San Francisco psychedelic rock, as one of the bands that best captured the eras loosest, reckless, and indulgent qualities in its high-energy mutations of blues and folk-rock.

Big Brother was formed in 1965 in the Haight-Ashbury; by the time Joplin joined in mid-1966, the lineup was Sam Andrew and James Gurley on guitar, Peter Albin on bass, and David Getz on drums. Joplin, a recent arrival from Texas, entered the band at the instigation of Chet Helms, who (other than Bill Graham) was the most important San Francisco rock promoter. Big Brother, like the Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service, were not great songwriters or singers. They didnt entirely welcome Joplins presence at first, though, and Joplin did not dominate the group right away, sharing the lead vocals with other members.

It soon became evident to both band and audience that Joplins fiery wail — mature and emotionally wrenching, even at that early stage — had to be spotlighted to make Big Brother a contender. But Big Brother wasnt superfluous to the effort, interpreting folk and blues with an inventive (if sometimes sloppy) eclecticism that often gave way to distorted guitar jamming, and matching Joplins passion with a high-spirited, anything-goes ethos of their own.

Big Brother catapulted themselves into national attention with their performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, particularly with Joplins galvanizing interpretation of Ball and Chain (which was a highlight of the film of the event). High-powered management and record label bids rolled in immediately, but unfortunately the group had tied themselves up in a bad contract with the small Mainstream label, at a time where they were stranded on the road and needed cash. Their one Mainstream album (released in 1967) actually isnt bad at all, containing some of their stronger cuts, such as Down on Me and Coo Coo. It didnt fully capture the bands strengths, and with the help of new high-powered manager Albert Grossman (also handler of Bob Dylan, the Band, and Peter, Paul & Mary), they extricated themselves from the Mainstream deal and signed with Columbia.

The one Big Brother album for Columbia that featured Joplin, Cheap Thrills (1968), wasnt completed without problems of its own. John Simon found the band so difficult to work with that he withdrew his production credit from the final LP, which was assembled from both studio sessions and live material (recorded for an aborted concert album). Cheap Thrills nonetheless went to number one when it was finally released, and though it too was an erratic affair, it contained some of the best moments of acid rocks glory days, including Ball and Chain, Summertime, Combination of the Two, and Piece of My Heart.

Cheap Thrills made Big Brother superstars, a designation that was short-lived. By the end of 1968, Joplin had decided to go solo, a move from which neither she nor Big Brother ever fully recovered. Thats putting matters too simply: Joplin never found a backing band as sympathetic, but did record some excellent material in the remaining two years of her life. Big Brother, on the other hand, had the wind totally knocked out of their sails. Although they did re-form for a while in the early 70s with different singers (indeed, they continued to perform in watered-down variations into the 90s), nothing would ever be the same.