A host of contradictions--the insufficiency of her collaborators, the spectacular potential of her voice, the inconsistency of her efforts--have left Joplin's historical legacy a tangled mess. The new 3 CD box set, Janis, captures that mess in all its glory but does little to untangle it. Typical of compiler Bob Irwin's decisions was his choice to replace the familiar version of George Gershwin's "Summertime" from the "Cheap Thrills" album by a weaker but unreleased alternate take. There are too many examples of strangled singing by Joplin's male partners in Big Brother and not enough examples of her incendiary live performances. The album begins with Joplin's first-ever recording, a vocal-and-autoharp version of "What Good Can Drinkin' Do" taped in a friend's living room in Austin in '62. That's followed by two unreleased blues recorded with guitarist Jorma Kaukonen in a San Francisco living room in '65 and eight songs from the controversial (and hard-to-find) 1966 debut album, "Big Brother & the Holding Company." "Cheap Thrills" is represented by five cuts, four outtakes and one live version; "I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!" is represented by seven cuts, one outtake and two live versions; and "Pearl" by eight cuts and three outtakes. Other rarities include a longer spoken introduction to "Mercedes Benz" and two live performances on "The Ed Sullivan Show." The 48-page booklet features nude photos of Joplin on the outside and feminist essays about her on the inside. Ellen Willis compares Joplin's self-created image to Madonna's, ignoring the crucial fact that Joplin was a brilliant singer while Madonna is hardly any kind of singer at all. Ann Powers addresses the music itself and correctly points out that Joplin's art was not merely unmediated emotion but a premeditated mix of gambles and craft, of Bessie Smith's open-throated wails and Otis Redding's gruff shouts. She was some kind of singer, and that's what she should be remembered for.

A host of contradictions--the insufficiency of her collaborators, the spectacular potential of her voice, the inconsistency of her efforts--have left Joplin's historical legacy a tangled mess. The new 3 CD box set, Janis, captures that mess in all its glory but does little to untangle it. Typical of compiler Bob Irwin's decisions was his choice to replace the familiar version of George Gershwin's "Summertime" from the "Cheap Thrills" album by a weaker but unreleased alternate take. There are too many examples of strangled singing by Joplin's male partners in Big Brother and not enough examples of her incendiary live performances. The album begins with Joplin's first-ever recording, a vocal-and-autoharp version of "What Good Can Drinkin' Do" taped in a friend's living room in Austin in '62. That's followed by two unreleased blues recorded with guitarist Jorma Kaukonen in a San Francisco living room in '65 and eight songs from the controversial (and hard-to-find) 1966 debut album, "Big Brother & the Holding Company." "Cheap Thrills" is represented by five cuts, four outtakes and one live version; "I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!" is represented by seven cuts, one outtake and two live versions; and "Pearl" by eight cuts and three outtakes. Other rarities include a longer spoken introduction to "Mercedes Benz" and two live performances on "The Ed Sullivan Show." The 48-page booklet features nude photos of Joplin on the outside and feminist essays about her on the inside. Ellen Willis compares Joplin's self-created image to Madonna's, ignoring the crucial fact that Joplin was a brilliant singer while Madonna is hardly any kind of singer at all. Ann Powers addresses the music itself and correctly points out that Joplin's art was not merely unmediated emotion but a premeditated mix of gambles and craft, of Bessie Smith's open-throated wails and Otis Redding's gruff shouts. She was some kind of singer, and that's what she should be remembered for. --Geoffrey Himes

Be a part of one of the world's fastest growing imaging phenomenons: microstock photography. Microstock photography provides both professional and amateur photographers an opportunity to diversify their income and expand their artistic visibility by turning day trip photos or photography portfolios into viable business investments.

Most people are awash in digital photos-some taken, some received-stuffed here and there in random folders and albums across a hard drive. In The Digital Shoebox, Sarah Bay Williams, creator of the image archiving system used by the Academy Awards®, shares her foolproof method for effectively organizing, finding, and sharing photos so you never lose track of your most precious memories.

"Everyones camera can tell a story," says world-renowned photographer Douglas Kirkland. Follow along as he explores the process of shooting a series of photos that connect to tell a story.

Women want to feel as beautiful as Sue Bryce makes them look in her portraits. Join this award winning photographer as she teaches you the tools of the trade for modern glamour photography. Watch real shoots as Sue shows you step-by-step how to celebrate the timeless beauty of women.

In this Photoshop tutorial we will learn how to create striking visual effects solely in Photoshop. Throughout these lessons we will look at different steps that will allow you to create your own vibrant effects and apply them to photos to create a work of art. By the end of this tutorial you will have a solid understanding of composition placement and lighting knowledge, as well as how to create visual effects, retouch them, and manipulate them.

In this Photoshop tutorial we will learn how to create striking visual effects solely in Photoshop. Throughout these lessons we will look at different steps that will allow you to create your own vibrant effects and apply them to photos to create a work of art.

In this Photoshop tutorial we will learn how to create striking visual effects solely in Photoshop. Throughout these lessons we will look at different steps that will allow you to create your own vibrant effects and apply them to photos to create a work of art. By the end of this tutorial you will have a solid understanding of composition placement and lighting knowledge, as well as how to create visual effects, retouch them, and manipulate them.