''18 Essential Songs'' is a collection of songs recorded throughout

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

's career released in 1995 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. It included songs from her solo career as well as with Big Brother & the Holding Company. The

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA)

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

it as gold on April 12, 1999.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic William Ruhlmann awarded the album 4.5 out of five stars and noted:

Track listing

Personnel

– lead vocal, acoustic guitar (on "Me and Bobby McGee"), chorus voices *

James Gurley James Martin Gurley (December 22, 1939 – December 20, 2009) was an American musician. He is best known as the principal lead guitarist of Big Brother and the Holding Company, a psychedelic/acid rock band from San Francisco which was fronted ...

John Till John Till (December 28, 1945 – September 4, 2022) was a Canadian musician. He was noted for co-founding The Revols, as well as heading Full Tilt Boogie Band, which was Janis Joplin's backup band. Early life Till was born in Stratford, On ...

, Jorma Kaukonen, Michael Bloomfield – guitars * Sam Andrew – guitars, backing vocals *

Gabriel Mekler Gabriel Mekler (2 December 1942 – 4 September 1977) was an American songwriter, musician, and record producer who attained fame in the 1960s, helming albums for Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, and Janis Joplin. He also collaborated with R&B singer ...

Richard Kermode Richard Kermode (October 5, 1946 – January 16, 1996) was an American keyboardist, known for performing with Janis Joplin, Malo, Santana, and Ray Cepeda. History Richard Kermode was born on October 5, 1946, in Lovell, Wyoming. Kermode grew ...

– keyboards *Ken Pearson – organ * Richard Bell – piano *Cornelius "Snooky" Flowers –

baritone sax The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

, backing vocals *

Terry Clements Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 196 ...

–

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

*Luis Gasca –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

*Brad Campbell, Peter Albin – bass *Clark Pierson,

Dave Getz Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Jefferson Airplane. After some in ...

, Lonnie Castille, Maury Baker, Roy Markowitz – drums, percussion *

Sandra Crouch Sandra Crouch (born July 1, 1942) is an American gospel music performer, drummer and songwriter. Musical career Crouch won a Grammy Award in 1984 for "Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female" for the 1983 album, "We Sing Praises," and was nominate ...

– tambourine * Bobbye Hall – conga/bongos *

Full Tilt Boogie Band Full Tilt Boogie Band was a Canadian rock band originally headed by guitarist John Till and then by Janis Joplin until her death in 1970. The band was composed of Till, pianist Richard Bell, bassist Brad Campbell, drummer Clark Pierson, and org ...

, Vince Mitchell, Phil Badella, John Cooke - chorus voices *Songs produced by Jorma Kaukonen,

Bob Shad Robert "Bob" Shad (born Abraham Shadrinsky; February 12, 1920 – March 13, 1985) was an American record producer and record label owner. He produced the first album by Big Brother and the Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin). Among his ...

, John Phillips, Lou Adler, Elliot Mazer,

Paul A. Rothchild Paul Allen Rothchild (April 18, 1935 – March 30, 1995) was a prominent American record producer of the 1960s and 1970s, widely known for his historic work with the Doors, producing Janis Joplin's final album ''Pearl'' and mid-60s production of ...

*"Tell Mama" remixed by Elliot Mazer

Sales certifications

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1995 compilation albums Janis Joplin compilation albums Compilation albums published posthumously