Janis Joplin’s Greatest Hits
Janis JoplinGREATEST HITS.
Released after Janis Joplin's death, this ten-song compilation became one of the simplest entry points into recordings from both her Big Brother and solo periods.
Album artwork shown for commentary and historical reference. Image source: Cover Art Archive / MusicBrainz.
SEVEN THINGS
WORTH KNOWING.
Recording stories, personnel, physical details and numbers worth keeping with the record.
Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits was released by Columbia in 1973.
The original compilation contains 10 tracks.
The collection was assembled after Joplin's death in October 1970.
The track list includes "Piece of My Heart," "Me and Bobby McGee" and "Move Over."
It also includes recordings such as "Summertime," "Cry Baby" and "Get It While You Can."
The album draws from more than one phase of Joplin's career rather than reproducing a single studio lineup.
"Me and Bobby McGee" had become a posthumous No. 1 U.S. single before the compilation was released.
WHY THIS
ALBUM MATTERS.
The compilation matters because it helped preserve Joplin's public identity in one compact album, bringing together the psychedelic-rock power of Big Brother and the more focused solo recordings that followed.
THE
NUMBERS.
TRACKS
The original compilation contains ten songs.
RELEASE
Columbia issued the collection three years after Joplin's death.
BOBBY McGEE
Me and Bobby McGee became a posthumous U.S. No. 1 single.
THE
PHYSICAL OBJECT.
The package is built around Joplin herself rather than a complicated concept, which makes sense for a retrospective designed to turn several recording eras into one recognizable collection.
RESEARCH SOURCES
Facts are checked against official artist archives, release databases, recording credits and established archival sources before publication.
KEEP
DIGGING.
More recording stories, strange credits, cover art, chart numbers and details hiding inside the records.