The one hundred twentieth album: Big Brother & The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills
One of the other things I got out of this album is how it's a studio album made to sound like a live one - knowing that, the cheers from the crowd seem weirdly out of place. The album wouldn't sound out of place - despite being psychedelic rock, it doesn't sound like it uses anything they wouldn't be able to do live. It's a more solid rock album, though drawing on the call and response that is more familiar from soul, probably because of the blues roots, but it also fits in well with the multiple vocalists in the ban. Led by Janis Joplin, there's something sharp about the vocals, contrasting with the deeper male vocals from some of the other members of the band.
Piece of My Heart and Summertime both show off the vocals well, classics rearranged to work incredibly well as rock songs, aggressive but emotional.The former is a particular high point, both full of energy and anguish. The blues influence shines through in all of this and is quite effective to create this emotion and outshines the likes of the Rolling Stones, in large part because of the vocals, but also because everything else is straight and polished enough to work.