Pearl is the second and final solo studio album by Janis Joplin, released on January 11, 1971, three months after her death on October 4, 1970. 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. All nine tracks that she sings on were personally approved and arranged by Joplin. Joplin sang on all tracks except Buried Alive in the Blues, which was actually a backing track in which she had not yet recorded vocals. The song's writer Nick Gravenites was offered the opportunity to sing it as a tribute to Joplin, but he turned it down, and as a result, the song ended up as an instrumental. The recording sessions, starting in early September, ended with Joplin's untimely death on October 4, 1970. Her final session, which took place on Thursday, October 1 after a break of several days, yielded her a cappella Mercedes Benz. It was the last song she recorded before her death. The album cover, photographed by Barry Feinstein in Los Angeles, shows Joplin reclining on her Victorian era loveseat with a drink in her hand. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.