Nine Hundred Nights - Big Brother & The Holding Company with Joplin

Experience the mind-bending sound and soulfoul voice that turned on a generation of rebellious youth. Witness the formation-and disintegration- of one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated bands of the era, the band that launched Janis Joplin: Big Brother and the Holding Company. Hear the untold story in Big Brother's own words. Includes D.A. Pennebaker's rarely-seen live Generation Club footage of "Piece Of My Heart," and "Comin' Home," their breakout performance of "Ball And Chain" and the unreleased "Combination Of The Two" from Monterey Pop; Cheap Thrills recording session of "Summertime," rehearsal and studio performances of "Down On Me,""Blow My Mind,""hall of The Mountain King" and "Light Is Faster Than Sound."

Nine Hundred Nights might start with the premise of documenting the history of Big Brother & the Holding Company s birth, rise to fame, and brief moment in the sun, but it inadvertently provides evidence of how bright Janis Joplin's star was and still is, and how without her energy these talented guys may have remained an obscure San Franciscan cult band. The first 19-20 minutes have the focus on Sam Andrew, James Gurley, Peter Albin and David Getz and a few moments with Janis Joplin but as it unfolds it's clear this is a deep DVD chock-full of rare photographs, insight, and valuable commentary not readily available elsewhere.

Journalist Ellen Willis, guitarist Lenny Kaye, songwriter/journeyman Nick Gravenites – the man who wrote songs for Joplin's post-Big Brother work while replacing her in the band – and the individual members of the group make it clear why Janis was such a big, big star. All due respect to the four guys and to the recurring mantra on this disc that James Gurley was the star prior to Janis taking control, the sparkle is evident mostly when the singer moves, walks, or gestures: all eyes go to her. When Janis sings, forget it: game over. That distinctive voice brings the Holding Company's experimental psychedelia to another level.

The documentary (576x432) is 59 Minutes. The DVD extras consists of 120 minutes with complete interviews 720x544) and 17 minutes of complete performances (688x512).

With: Peter Albin, Sam Andrew, David Getz, Nick Gravenites, James Gurley, Janis Joplin, Lenny Kaye and Ellen Willis.

Enjoy :)