(U.K 1961 - 2014)
John Robert
"Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were covers of songs by other artists, though he composed a number of his own songs for most of his albums as well, often in conjunction with songwriting partner Chris Stainton.
His first album featured a recording of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which brought him to near-instant stardom. The song reached number one in the UK in 1968, became a staple of his many live shows, including Woodstock and Isle of Wight in 1969, the Party at the Palace in 2002, and was also known as the theme song for the TV series The Wonder Years. He continued his success with his second album, which included a second Beatles cover: "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window".
A hastily thrown together 1970 U.S. tour led to the live double-album Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which featured an all-star band organized by Leon Russell. His 1974 cover of "You Are So Beautiful" reached number five in the U.S., and became his signature song. Cocker's best selling song was the U.S. number one "Up Where We Belong", a duet with Jennifer Warnes that earned a 1983 Grammy Award. He released a total of 22 studio albums over a 43-year recording career.
In 1993, Cocker was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male. He was awarded a bronze Sheffield Legends plaque in his hometown in 2007, and received an OBE the following year for services to music. Cocker was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list. [Extract from Wikipedia]
Album Review
Cocker has finally gone totally mainstream, but so far, 'mainstream' for him still means 'retro' - you won't find any experiments with disco or even modernistic production on here, as that change wouldn't happen until the complete sellout of Sheffield Steel. The album cover is very demonstrative: Joe already sports a stylish official outfit, but at least his hair is still long, you know. And the record itself is for the most part dedicated to some covers of R'n'B and soul material. Huge arrangements, bombastic brass section, gospelish female backing vocals... ye know. Strong Motown influences.
'Whiter Shade Of Pale' does come out surprisingly good, perhaps it's because it's the only song on the album that ditches the formula, if only slightly. I seriously doubt that anybody could ever improve on the beautiful original version of the song, but Joe probably does it more justice than anybody else. It's kinda strange that he actually selected the song, though: so far, I haven't noticed him singing too many songs whose lyrics didn't make immediate sense, but it seems that he really digs this selection. So accolades to Joe for paying a tribute to one of the greatest art-rock bands of all time.
He sings pretty well on most of the tracks, but then again, name an album where Joe sings poorly? It's like naming a Led Zeppelin album where Jimmy Page didn't play guitar well. The faster, more upbeat numbers make this album different to previous releases, and his version of 'Grapevine' is energetic enough, but same can be said of the original, and after CCR's version of it the tune belongs to Mr Fogerty anyway.
Some of the slow numbers are really moving, though: I suppose that I could really extol the virtues of 'Southern Lady' and especially the subtle 'Wasted Years' without too much hypocrisy. See, when Cocker 'boogies' along, it seems that he's just boogieing for the sake of it. It's like 'I want to show my skills at doing a fast number, even if I don't feel like really getting it on'. But when we get these slow ballads where Joe's passionate vocal delivery isn't overshadowed by anything, it's hard not to get moved. Granted, 'Southern Lady' is hardly up to the standard of 'Something To Say', for instance; but I just love the way he roars through the lyrics like there was no tomorrow. And 'Wasted Years' is a concealed minor gem in the Cocker catalog that shouldn't be overlooked: the song is clearly heartfelt and self-referential.
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| The Joe Cocker Band |
Overall, not his best album but still an important part of Cocker's vast calogue and an honest attempt to liven things up in a world that was being subjected to disco and dance.
This album was ripped to FLAC from my vinyl copy and includes full album artwork and label scans. I played this album quite regularly during my early Uni years and found it to be very uplifting while studying for exams. I really liked his version of "A Whiter Shade Of Pale", and so probably played Side1 considerably more than the flip side. Cocker's voice is one of a kind and this album should not be missed. Pictured above is Cocker's life long friend Leon Russell
01. "Fun Time" (Allen Toussaint) – 2:39
02. "Watching the River Flow" (Bob Dylan) – 3:16
03. "Boogie Baby" (Phil Driscoll) – 3:51
04 . "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher) – 5:27
05. "I Can't Say No" (John Bettis, Daniel Moore) – 2:51
06. "Southern Lady" ( Phil Driscoll) – 3:16
07. "I Know (You Don'
08. "What You Did To Me Last Night" (Bettye Crutcher) – 3:28
09. "Lady Put The Lights Out" (Guy Fletcher, Doug Flett) – 4:46
10. "Wasted Years" (Phil Driscoll) – 4:49
11. "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" (Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong) – 4:29
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