Pearl (1971)

Pearl is the second and final solo album by the American singer Janis Joplin, released on January 11, 1971, by Columbia Records, three months after Joplin's death. It was the final album with Joplin's direct participation, and her only one recorded with the Full Tilt Boogie Band, her final touring unit. It peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, holding that spot for nine weeks. Pearl was certified quadruple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was ranked number 259 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2020 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Content

The album has a more polished sound than those Joplin recorded with Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Kozmic Blues Band, due to the expertise of producer Paul A. Rothchild and new backing musicians. Rothchild was best known as the recording studio producer of the Doors, and worked well with Joplin, calling her a "producer's dream". Together they crafted an album showcasing her extraordinary vocal talents; they used Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles.

The Full Tilt Boogie Band were the musicians who accompanied her on the Festival Express, a concert tour of Canada by train, in the summer of 1970. Many of the songs on this album were recorded on the concert stage in Canada two months before Joplin and the band started their LA recording sessions. The band also appeared twice on The Dick Cavett Show and played many American cities before and after Festival Express, though no recordings of those concerts were officially released.

All nine tracks Joplin sings on were approved and arranged by Joplin. Pearl features the number one hit "Me and Bobby McGee", written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster (Joplin played acoustic guitar on this track); "Trust Me", by Bobby Womack, written for Joplin; Howard Tate's "Get It While You Can", showcasing her vocal range; and the original songs "Move Over" and "Mercedes Benz", the latter co-written by Joplin, Bobby Neuwirth, and Michael McClure.

Joplin sang on all tracks except "Buried Alive in the Blues", which was a backing track on which she had not yet recorded vocals. The song's writer, Nick Gravenites, was offered the chance to sing it as a tribute to Joplin but turned it down, so the song ended up as an instrumental. He later sang it with Joplin's former band Big Brother and the Holding Company for their 1971 album How Hard It Is. The recording sessions, starting in early September, ended with Joplin's untimely death in 1970. Her final session, which took place Thursday, October 1, after a break of several days, yielded her a cappella "Mercedes Benz." It was the last song she recorded before her death.

The album cover, photographed by Barry Feinstein in Los Angeles, shows Joplin reclining on her Victorian-era loveseat with a drink in her hand.

Release and reception

In 2003, the album was ranked number 122 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, moving to 125 in a 2012 revised listing. It was moved to a 259 ranking in the 2020 list. In 2010, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Reissues

In 1993, Columbia reissued the album on 24kt gold CD as part of their MasterSound series; this edition was remastered by Vic Anesini using the Super Bit Mapping process. In 1999 it was remastered again for the Box Of Pearls box set; this version was also mastered by Vic Anesini. It included four previously unreleased live recordings from the Festival Express Tour, recorded on July 4, 1970, as bonus tracks; it was also released as a standalone release.

A two-disc Legacy Edition was released on June 14, 2005, with six bonus tracks including a birthday message to John Lennon of "Happy Trails," and a reunion of the Full Tilt Boogie Band in an instrumental tribute to Joplin. The second disc included an expanded set from the Festival Express Tour, recorded between June 28 and July 4, 1970. The album was again reissued again in 2012 as The Pearl Sessions. It contains the original album, six mono mixes, two live tracks and alternate takes of the songs that constituted the Pearl album when Columbia Records released it in 1971. Recordings of Joplin and Paul Rothchild talking between takes give the listener insight into their creative process.

In 2016, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab released the album on SACD and double 45 RPM vinyl; the SACD was mastered by Rob LoVerde, while the vinyl was cut by Kreig Wunderlich assisted by LoVerde.

Personnel

Full Tilt Boogie Band

Janis Joplin – vocals, acoustic guitar on "Me and Bobby McGee"

• Richard Bell – piano
• Ken Pearson – Hammond organ
• John Till – electric guitar
• Brad Campbell – bass guitar
• Clark Pierson – drums
• Additional personnel

Bobby Womack – acoustic guitar on "Trust Me"

• Bobbye Hall – bongos, congas
• Phil Badella, John Cooke, Vince Mitchell – backing vocals
• Sandra Crouch – tambourine
• Technical
• Paul A. Rothchild – producer
• Phil Macy – engineer
• Vic Anesini – mastering for 1999 reissue, 2005 Legacy edition and The Pearl Sessions 2012 edition