Big Brother & The Holding Company - How Hard It Is (1971)

Big Brother & The Holding Company are an American rock band which emerged from the psychedelic music scene of San Francisco in the 1960s.
 

How Hard It Is was Big Brother's second album after reforming after Janis Joplin's departure from the band, and also their first since her death in October 1970. The new lineup of Sam Andew, James Gurley, Pete Albin, David Getz, Dave Shallock, Nick Gravenites and Kathi McDonald was expanded with the addition of keyboardist Mike Finnegan. It turned out to be a great step forward from the promising Be A Brother, with a unique style of guitar-driven rock throughout, and a stronger focus. One of the standout tracks was Gravenites' "Buried Alive In The Blues", which he had actually originally written to be sung by Joplin - she died before she could record her vocals, and it ended up on her Pearl album as an instrumental. Gravenite's version here is one of his best vocal performances, set to a stunning horn-driven arrangement.
Another couple of interesting songs were the classically-influenced instrumentals that closed each side of the album, showing the ambition and talent the band possessed. They could have gone on to more great things, but sadly it was not to be. The album didn't really go anywhere, as it seemed no one was too interested in them without Joplin, and by 1972 they had broken up.

Be A Brother (1970) <|> Cheaper Thrills (1984)
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Big Brother & The Holding Company - Be A Brother (1970)

Big Brother & The Holding Company are an American rock band which emerged from the psychedelic music scene of San Francisco in the 1960s.

After singer Janis Joplin left the band, Big Brother & The Holding Company momentarily split up. Sam Andrew had gone with her to help with her solo project (the Kozmic Blues Band). Meanwhile, Pete Albin and David Getz joined Country Joe & The Fish and appeared on their album Here We Are Again. However eventually the band got back together in 1969, though without Joplin they had to try and forge a new sound. They also found new members in guitarist Dave Shallock and singers Nick Gravenites and Kathi McDonald. Gravenites was already known in the 60s rock scene as a songwriter and producer, having worked with The Butterfield Blues Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service and The Electric Flag.
Their next album therefore featured the lineup of Sam Andrew (guitar/vocals), Nick Gravenites (vocals), Kathi McDonald (vocals), Pete Albin (guitar/bass), James Gurley (guitar/bass), Dave Shallock (guitar) and David Getz (drums). Gravenite's vocals dominate the album, which he also produced, though the others get to sing in places as well. Strangely, Kathi McDonald's contributions seem to just be backing vocals on a few songs. With four excellent lead guitarists in the band (Gurley and Albin taking turns to handle bass duties), there is predictably some really good six-string work throughout. It's some great psychedelic rock, with a country pastiche thrown in for good measure as well ("I'll Change Your Flat Tire, Merle"). Three of the songs are solo Gravenites compositions, and another ("Joseph's Coat") he wrote with John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service, who had already recorded it on their Shady Grove album.
All too often bands that lose key members and continue to record find their subsequent output unfairly criticised or simply ignored. This might be the case here, as after the departure of Joplin Big Brother never seemed to be considered such a big deal. A great shame, as they still produced some damn good rock music, as this album shows.

Cheap Thrills (1968) <|> How Hard It Is (1971)
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Big Brother & The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills (1968)

Big Brother & The Holding Company are an American rock band which emerged from the psychedelic music scene of San Francisco in the 1960s.

After the modest success of their first album and their historic performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, Big Brother & The Holding Company moved to Columbia records and began recording their follow-up with producer John Simon. It was originally planned to be a live album, but in the end Cheap Thrills consisted of three live songs with four studio recordings. However it managed to have a consistent sound throughout, raw and ragged, as the studio songs effectively captured the live energy of the band.
Cheap Thrills was a much heavier album than their debut, a great blend of psychedelic rock, blues and soul, and most importantly the twin lead guitars of James Gurley and Sam Andrew really got to shine, proving them to be one of the greatest guitar duos of 60s rock. Janis Joplin's vocals were even better than before, cementing her place as rock's greatest female singer of the age. Alongside four band originals were covers of "Piece Of My Heart", "Summertime" and Big Mama Thornton's "Ball And Chain". "Piece Of My Heart" proved to be their biggest success on the singles chart, reaching #12. Cheap Thrils itself reached #1, becoming one of the most successful albums of 1968, and is today considered a key record of the psychedelic rock scene.
However shortly after its success, Janis Joplin left the group for a solo career, and they would struggle to follow it up.

Big Brother & The Holding Company (1967) <|> Be A Brother (1970)
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Big Brother & The Holding Company - Big Brother & The Holding Company (1967)

Big Brother & The Holding Company are an American rock band which emerged from the psychedelic music scene of San Francisco in the 1960s.

Guitarists Pete Albin, Sam Andrew and James Gurley all met in San Francisco in the mid-60s and began playing together. They decided to form a band, having found a drummer in Chuck Jones, and Albin moved over to bass. Jones was soon replaced by David Getz. After a while they decided they needed a strong lead vocalist, and found one in Janis Joplin. Joplin moved up from Texas and debuted with the band in June 1966. Her raw, bluesy vocals completed the band's sound, and gave them a new focal point on stage. Her presence also reined in their more experimental tendencies, giving them a newly structured sound.
Their debut album was recorded in 1966, an interesting psychedelic blend of rock, folk, blues and soul. The album obviously presented Joplin as the dominant force in the group, though its worth noting that the other members did sing on certain numbers (most notably Pete Albin, who sings on "Caterpillar", "Blindman" and "Light Is Faster Than Sound"). The songs were mostly originals by Joplin, Andrews, Gurley and Albin, though it also included two covers - "Bye Bye Baby" (from fellow San Franciscan songwriter Powell St John) and "All Is Loneliness" (from eccentric blind New York street musician Moondog). It's worth noting that though the guitars of Andrews and Gurley have occasional moments to shine, in general they are not used to their full potential on the debut album (that would have to wait for its follow-up). Two songs ("Coo Coo" and "The Last Time") were recorded in the sessions for this album and released as singles later - they were included on the album when it was reissued in the 1970s. "Coo Coo" features Pete Albin on lead guitar. Whilst the album was being prepared for release, the band got to play at the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967, which propelled them into the national spotlight, and made the album a modest hit when it was finally released (peaking at #60).

|> Cheap Thrills (1968)
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