| Wicked Woman | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Live album by Janis Joplin and her Full Tilt Boogie Band | ||||
| Released | 1976 | |||
| Recorded | August 12, 1970 | |||
| Genre | Rock, blues rock | |||
| Label | Memory Records | |||
| Janis Joplin and her Full Tilt Boogie Band chronology | ||||
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Wicked Woman is a live bootleg recording of Janis Joplin's final concert before her death less than two months later. The recordings were made by members of the audience. [1]
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging. Recordings may be copied and traded among fans of the artist without financial exchange, but some bootleggers have sold recordings for profit, sometimes by adding professional-quality sound engineering and packaging to the raw material. Bootlegs usually consist of either unreleased studio recordings, live performances or interviews with an unpredictable level of quality.
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American rock, soul, and blues singer-songwriter, and one of the most successful and widely known rock stars of her era. After releasing three albums, she died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27. A fourth album, Pearl, was released in January 1971, just over three months after her death. It reached number one on the Billboard charts.
The performance of Janis Joplin and her Full Tilt Boogie Band took place in Harvard Stadium among an audience of approximately 40,000. For the performance, the band utilized loaned amplifiers after their own were stolen while in Boston. Despite the setback, Joplin is still noted for giving a soulful performance. [2]
Harvard Stadium is a U-shaped college football stadium in the northeast United States, located in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned and operated by Harvard University and is home to the Harvard Crimson football program. The stadium's seating capacity is 30,323.
Three tracks, "Half Moon", "Mercedes Benz", and "My Baby" would be a part of Joplin's final studio album, Pearl. It would be released January 11, 1971.
"Mercedez Benz" is an a cappella song written by singer Janis Joplin with the poets Michael McClure and Bob Neuwirth, and originally recorded by Joplin. In the song, the singer asks the Lord to prove His love for her by buying her a Mercedes-Benz, a color TV, and a "night on the town." There is also a reference to Dialing for Dollars, a franchised format local television program, which required one to be watching the show to win when the show called your phone number, hence the singer's need for a TV.
Pearl is the second and final solo studio album by Janis Joplin, released posthumously in January 1971. It was the final album with her direct participation, and the only Joplin album recorded with the Full Tilt Boogie Band, her final touring unit. It peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, holding that spot for nine weeks. It has been certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.
