Janis Joplin - I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again, Mama

This underrated 1969 recording was Janis Joplin's first solo studio album after she left Big Brother & the Holding Company. One objection at the time of its release centered on the horn section, which Big Brother loyalists were determined to hate to death. Moreover, the aggregate of musicians backing Joplin--she named the band Kozmic Blues--never solidified as a group, even after earning a warm response on a European tour that spring. There was considerable turnover among the players pulled in for the sessions and considerable discontent as well. Producer Gabriel Mekler would have gladly dumped the band entirely. The best tracks on the album resulted from a single session in June 1969: a supremely delivered rendition of "One Good Man" (with the great Mike Bloomfield on guitar), and, above all, "Little Girl Blue." The Rodgers and Hart estates, however, absolutely loathed Joplin's version of the song, as did a gaggle of older musicians. Joplin changed the words somewhat and made a magnificent tearjerker out of a song that was first performed by Doris Day. This reissue fleshes out the original eight-song collection with a studio outtake of Bob Dylan's "Dear Landlord" and live versions of "Summertime" and "Piece of My Heart" from Joplin's Woodstock appearance. --Myra Friedman Amazon.com

SHE MADE EACH SONG HER OWN!!!!!!

SHE MADE EACH SONG HER OWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Myra Friedman (Janis' first biographer) writes that at the time of JJ death she had od'ed 8x? and that as of recording this record she didn't have the maturity to lead a band, her first band being one where she was a member not a leader AND that at this time in her life she was so addicted she `could have been a junkie nodding in a doorway!!!!!!'
All that being said this makes this album even more amazing!
What writer Bob Christgau said is `JJ made a song her own merely by breathing on it, she didn't interpret the material!!'

February 15, 2008

Classic Janis

This is one of the best, full Janis recordings. Blues, rock, soul, and her demented energy make this a great edition to anyone's collection. May 19, 2007

Kozmic Blues Away

This is probably my all-time favorite album. To me this sounds like Janis Joplin, even if for various reasons she seemed to be most happy with her last album, Pearl. She wanted the horns for the album and she got them. The horns add a beautiful powerful melancholic feel to the album. There are artists, like Melissa Etheridge and Janis Joplin, who seem to be at their peak dealing with heart break and sorrows. I feel this album gets to the core of feelings better than any other album Janis worked on. My personal all-time favorite song can be found on this album. It's called Work Me Lord and it's written by the brilliant Nick Gravenites. June 6, 2006

It grows on you...

I had been warned before I purchased I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! that it was a poor, unfocused album. But, as Janis recorded so little for us to remember her by, I couldn't justify not checking it out for myself - I figured if there were just one or two songs that were as good as those on Pearl, it was worth buying. I got home, popped Kozmic Blues into my CD player and listened to the whole thing, bonus tracks and all. And you know what? It isn't bad at all.

Okay, the horns do take a little getting used to, but "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" is the perfect tune to lead the listener into the album. Other great tracks are present as well, especially "One Good Man," "Kozmic Blues," "Little Girl Blue," and "Work Me, Lord." That leaves three songs that drag a little - "Maybe" and "As Good as You've Been to This World" are okay, but the latter's intro sucks the momentum from the album, and "To Love Somebody" does not redeem it. The other songs from the original eight song album are good Janis - the final sequence, in particular, from "Kozmic Blues" to "Work Me, Lord" is excellent.

As for the bonus tracks...well, they're pretty rocky. "Dear Landlord" is a complete horn-laden revamp of the Dylan tune, but the brass just seem very out of place. The two Woodstock tracks are nice to have, but both "Summertime" and "Piece of My Heart" (especially the latter) don't match the Big Brother and the Holding Company versions Janis and the band unleashed with Cheap Thrills. The reed and horn opening to "Summertime" is the worst part on the entire album, though the rest of the song is okay. "Piece of My Heart" is unfortunately also drenched in horns, and the Kozmic Blues Band just isn't right for the song. However, Janis' little speech before "Piece of My Heart" is definitely worth hearing.

Had Janis Joplin recorded more music, it might be easier to dismiss I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, but only Pearl gives us a glimpse of what could've been. Admittedly, Pearl is the better album, and definitely the place to start listening to her. But after listening to that masterpiece and Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills, this album is definitely worth a listen. February 22, 2006

Great!

This is one of my favorite albums of all-time, and I would like to say my favorite Janis Joplin album, but I can't choose between the others.
There are so many good songs on this album. Janis Joplin had a certain way of getting a song out. She was unlike anybody before her, and no matter how hard people try-they can't be her! She was one of a kind, and this album-like her others-is fantastic! December 21, 2005

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