Album Review: Joe Cocker - Joe Cocker! (1969)

Mad Dogs & Englishmen was the first Joe Cocker record I listened to in its entirety.  With a little help from the likes of Leon Russell, as well as Rita Coolidge, of course, it is a sensational album.  With live renditions of the likes of "Space Captain" and "The Letter", I was sold on the album in no time.  But for a while now, I feel I needed a studio album to really further whet my appetite and appreciate Joe Cocker a bit more.  So I've decided to try and listen to Joe Cocker! from 1969.  And it's an absolute beauty.  Perhaps I shouldn't have said "try" - listening to it is effortless, because it is so bloody good.  There is not a single rubbish song on the album - "Hello, Little Friend" is probably the "least good" song on the album, and I say "least good" because to use the word "worst" would be somewhat overkill in a way and would insinuate that the song is bad when in truth, it is nothing of the sort.  His legacy as a cover artist is well noted here - anybody who has heard "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" can testify to that - and the songs that I didn't know before, such as "Dear Landlord" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" I have a lot to thank for one of the better Sunday arvos I've had in a while.  And don't get me started on "That's Your Business" - that'd be my top pick here for sure.  One thing is for certain here - I'm going to buy this album, and perhaps you should too.  It's a shame I'll be waiting for what seems like an eternity for the damn thing to arrive.  A+

Album Review: Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs & Englishmen (1970)

Joe Cocker does write his own songs.  But it isn't in that capacity, of course, that he is best known for.  When we think of Joe Cocker, we think of  a raspy-voiced covers artist.   And it's a role that he excels in.  That's why he was so much loved.  Covering Beatles songs is what he is undoubtedly most famous for, but of course, he's covered much more than just Lennon-McCartney numbers.  Mad Dogs & Englishmen, a live album from 1970, contains many of the staple Cocker covers, but also features guest artists, including Rita Coolidge and her uncanny rendition of  "Superstar", a song perhaps best known for being performed by The Carpenters.  Stylistically, I will admit that this album is rather repetitive musically speaking, but not that it matters.  Most of the songs here still sound brilliant, and Cocker sounds as if he's singing them with heartfelt enthusiasm.  Not bad, given that the album was a recording of a purportedly rushed tour.  Leon Russell was perhaps the weakest point for me on this album, but even then I couldn't complain too much about him - I do think "Dixie Lullaby" is a great song, even if some of his others sounded a little too drained and paced for my liking.   A great cover of Bob Dylan's "Girl From the North Country", "Cry Me a River", "The Letter" and an excellent rendition of The Band's "The Weight" are my favorites on this record, but in spite of the overall monotony of the album, the vast majority of the songs here are certainly commendable and worth taking the time to listen to.  In conclusion, I can safely say that this is one of the better live albums that I have heard in a long time.  A-