Hard indeed...
James D. Morrow | Omaha,NE USA | 06/19/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There is no way that Big Brother could have expected much success commercially after Janis left the band, but you should not assume that these albums were simply an attempt to "cash in", and even if they had been they are still both solid records. If you simply must have every recorded piece Janis did, she does a guest vocal on "Mr. Natural" but otherwise it's Nick Gravenites and the superb (but under used) Kathi McDonald on vocals, along with Sam and James. If you've never heard BB& the HC, this is not where to begin, but if you like San Francisco bands like Moby Grape and QMS then you may be surprised at how good both of these albums are. The first-Be a Brother-is a little more in tune with the band's original sound. That is to say, it's a bit sloppy (in a good way) and loose, with lots of guitars. A little blues, some country, some soul, and rock 'n' roll, all delivered in the sonic style of the group, but never overdone. Standout tracks are; "Keep On" "Joseph's Coat" and "Someday."
How Hard It Is strays a bit from the old Big Brother sound, as if to acknowledge that they were closing the chapter on their previous incarnation. The cover illustration seems to give the impression-four featureless black shadows-that w/o Janis, people perceived them as non-entities. That's too bad, as this album was good enough to start them in a new direction. Unfortunately, nobody gave them that opportunity, or they just caved in and gave up. Three instrumentals are all interesting, but maybe one too many. "Buried Alive in the Blues" "Shine On" "House On Fire", "You've Been Talking...", and "Black Widow Spider" (feat. McDonald) are all standout tracks. I bought both of these when they were initially released and regretted losing them somewhere along the way. Unlike many albums, fondly remembered but not so good many years later, both of these held up very well. Classics? No. Good solid albums? Definitely."
Excellent!
H. Bowman | Cambridge, OH | 09/15/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is great! Listening to the band was quite different from listening to it with Janis. They're great in their own right."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1
