Cheaper Thrills (1984)

About this title: Recorded on July 28, 1966, before the band had cut any studio material, this performance was one of Janis Joplin's first gigs with Big Brother. The sound is decent, with several famous staples of their repertoire already in place -- "Down on Me," "Coo-Coo," "Ball and Chain..." Big Brother were never noted for their polish, but made up for that with reckless bravado; however, this...finds them sounding somewhat tentative in their adaptation of R&B and garage-band ethos to heavy guitar arrangements...This set is pretty reliant on R&B staples like "Let the Good Times Roll" and "I Know You Rider" ...

Tracks:

1. (Come on Baby) Let the Good Times Roll [Lee Leonard]
2. I Know You Rider [Traditional]
3. Moanin' at Midnight [Burnett]
4. Hey Baby [Big Brother/Holding]
5. Down on Me [Traditional]
6. Whisperman [Big Brother/Holding]
7. Women Is Losers [Joplin]
8. Blow My Mind [McCracklin]
9. Ball and Chain [Thornton]
10. Coo Coo [Traditional]
11. Gutra's Garden [Big Brother/Holding]
12. Harry [Getz]
13. Hall of the Mountain King [Grieg]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.