Customer Reviews
500 - By: P. Loebig, 11 Nov 2007 
This is generally accepted as one of the top 500 albums of all time. Listen to it & find out why. Not only that, but the live album captures the band at it best.
Just love it! - By: Just another bookworm, 24 Oct 2005 One of my favorites. I expected to enjoy it, must say it exceeded my expectations. If you like ... well, if you like music & are serious about it, you must definitely own a copy. Nice bonus tracks, too.
Four gentlemen and one great, great broad... - By: nicjaytee, 11 Jun 2005 That's what the announcer says at the beginning of this live/studio masterpiece... & for good reason because what follows is an outstanding example of blues-rock singing at its very best. But there's a lot more on offer here than just the touchstone that catapulted Janis Joplin to international stardom. First off, the band,in particular James Gurley's guitarwork, lay down some seriously impressive playing that's not only fully up to the task of keeping pace with her but which provides the perfect backdrop for her raw, stunningly powerful vocals. Then there's the quality & range of the songs themselves (other than the unnecessary, second rate "bonus tracks") including the "hippy" enthusiasm of "Combination of the Two", the driving acid-rock of "Sweet Mary" & "I Need a Man to Love", & the quite outstanding electric blues of "Summertime", "Piece of my Heart" & "Ball & Chain". And finally, the whole "style" of the album itself with it's quintessential Robert Crumb artwork, its atmospheric, often heavily reverbed sound, the enthusiastic audience reaction & the announcer's wonderfully laid-back contributions, all of which combine to capture what San Francisco's hugely influential ballroom scene was all about. A perfect time capsule that stands the test of time because it's more than good enough to & which, on the way, showcases a truly great singer on absolutely top form.
Gutsy psychedelic blues-rock!! - By: , 18 May 2004 This is an example of the heavey blues influence on the San Fransisco music at the time. Dominated by Janis Joplin's frightening voice & the screaming guitar of James Gurley, Cheap Thrills invites you on an epic of energetic, predominantly blues numbers. The first track: Combination of the two,for me the highlight of the album, is a real rocker that eptomises the San Fransiscan rock vibe of the time, with awesome whoa whoa chants by Janis. Other blues tracks such as Summertime have a very psychedelic sound (James Gurley = father of psychedelic guitar) & showcase the talent of Janis's voice.(Although second to Grace).
Buyers looking for one of the most prominent (with good reason) acid-rock albums of the era cannot let this one slip!
EXUBERANT ACID ROCK - By: Pieter, 19 Jun 2002 Cheap Thrills is a great, raucous, exuberant celebration of life with Joplin's at times desperate, always intensely emotional vocals & the enthusiastic playing of Big Brotherin their powerful acid rock/psychedelic onslaught. Piece Of My Heart sweeps the listener alongin its maelstrom of sound, while Combination Of The Two has a certain addictive, hypnotic quality that is the trademark of great rock music. Summertime & Ball & Chain are innovative interpretations of the Gershwin & Big Mama Thornton tunes respectively, while of the added tracks, Magic of Love is the only one that matches the intensity of the original album's songs. Because of the Big Brother onslaught, it does sometimes seem that there's a cosmic battle taking place between Joplin's vocals & the band's wall of sound, but this creates a further element of tension that adds to the overall force of these performances. This is a great show of Joplin's magic.
