This is a fun collection - sorry, but the print on the pamphlet inside is so small, it's hard to read. That's my only complaint. For a first-buyer of anything by Janis, I can write that off - I got a good deal on AMAZON.As far as I know, Janis was one of the first females who could scream songs the way she did... Patty LaBelle is the only woman who could step in and sing a song, or carry the torch in the same caliber as Janis. It's fascinating. Janis, who was out to defy racial tensions by celebrating the sounds of black music through her songs, opened the way for women like Patty, Tina Turner and Mary J. Blidge, who each have taken this kind of singing to other levels.The earlier Janis albums are very down-home and funky, enjoyable, but also raw. I love the later albums in this collection and will listen to them more. For me, the orchestration and horns add a lot to the instrumentals, jazzing-up and enhancing Janis's style. Janis was right there, as the modern-day Jazz Baby of the late '60's. It's just so sad that she didn't live long enough to appreciate her new sound, or enhance and refine it over the years (the way a Patty LaBelle would). Janis couldn't trust anyone and her manager was a self-serving poop, inheriting millions by taking a life insurance policy out on his client.There are moments of sweetness in these recordings where Janis is talking to her fans, where she reminds me of CHER. Just very sad that Janis was not mentored and better-guided - a great loss to the world of music and women's roles in the industry.For these reasons, every student of pop culture and the history of rock should own a "Box of Pearls"; there's much to learn.