Cheap Thrills was released in the summer of 1968, one year after their debut album, and reached #1 on the Billboard charts in its eighth week in October.
Outtakes originally to have appeared on the album have since been released on Janis Joplin compilations such as Farewell Song (In which Big Brother's original instruments were replaced with studio musicians from 1983, angering the band) and the Janis compilation box set featuring all original studio songs and live recordings.