| 18 Essential Songs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | January 24, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1963–1970 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 69:39 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Bob Irwin (compilation) | |||
| Janis Joplin chronology | ||||
| ||||
18 Essential Songs is a collection of songs recorded throughout Janis Joplin's career released in 1995 by Columbia Records. It included songs from her solo career as well as with Big Brother & the Holding Company. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as gold on April 12, 1999.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann awarded the album 4.5 out of five stars and noted:
18 Essential Songs is a one-disc distillation of the triple-disc Janis box set. Running 70 minutes, it is a more extensive best-of than the ten-track 1973 Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits album. But it is denied "first pick" status because, unlike that album, it does not contain the hit version of Joplin's only number one single, "Me and Bobby McGee." (It does, however, contain an alternate demo version of that song.) [1]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Trouble in Mind" | Richard M. Jones | demo (1963) | 2:54 |
| 2. | "Down on Me" | traditional, arr. Janis Joplin | Big Brother & the Holding Company | 2:05 |
| 3. | "Bye Bye Baby" | Powell Saint John | Big Brother & the Holding Company | 2:38 |
| 4. | "Ball and Chain" | Big Mama Thornton | recorded live 6/17/67 at Monterey Pop Festival | 8:13 |
| 5. | "Piece of My Heart" | Bert Berns, Jerry Ragovoy | Cheap Thrills | 4:26 |
| 6. | "I Need a Man to Love" | Joplin, Sam Andrew | Cheap Thrills | 4:51 |
| 7. | "Summertime" | George, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward | Alternate take. Original on Cheap Thrills | 4:06 |
| 8. | "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" | Ragovoy, Chip Taylor | I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! | 3:56 |
| 9. | "One Good Man" | Joplin | I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! | 4:09 |
| 10. | "Kozmic Blues" | Joplin, Gabriel Mekler | I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! | 4:22 |
| 11. | "Raise Your Hand" | Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd, Alvertis Isbell | recorded live 3/16/69 on The Ed Sullivan Show | 2:18 |
| 12. | "Tell Mama" | Clarence Carter, Marcus Daniel, Wilbur Terrell | Farewell Song | 5:47 |
| 13. | "Move Over" | Joplin | Pearl | 3:40 |
| 14. | "Mercedes Benz" | Joplin, Mike McClure, Bob Neuwirth | Pearl | 1:46 |
| 15. | "Get It While You Can" | Ragovoy, Mort Shuman | Pearl | 3:23 |
| 16. | "Half Moon" | Johanna Hall, John Hall | Pearl | 3:52 |
| 17. | "Trust Me" | Bobby Womack | Pearl | 3:15 |
| 18. | "Me and Bobby McGee" | Kris Kristofferson, Fred Foster | Alternate mono demo. Original on Pearl | 3:58 |
| Total length: | 69:39 | |||
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ) [2] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United States (RIAA) [3] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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