Joe Cocker - Stingray (1976)

(U.K 1961 - 2014)

Joe Cocker was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright?" and "Unchain My Heart", were recordings of songs written by other songwriters, though he composed a number of 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 (Woodstock and the Isle of Wight in 1969, the Party at the Palace in 2002) and was also known as the theme song for the late 1980s American TV series The Wonder Years. He continued his success with his second album, which included a second Beatles song, "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window". A hastily thrown together 1970 US tour led to the live double-album Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which featured an all-star band organized by Leon Russell. 

His 1974 recording of "You Are So Beautiful" reached number five in the US, and became his signature song. Cocker's best-selling song was the US 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.

Joe Cocker died on 22 December 2014 at the age of 70. The cause was lung cancer [extract from wikipedia].

Cocker's 1976 album 'Stingray', his seventh LP release, is an album of such power and beauty it affirms, once again, why Joe Cocker had a special place in music. Recorded in Jamaica with the aid of crack producer Rob Fraboni, and a tightly sprung soul band (including the great Eric Gale), Stingray moves with an understated forcefulness that simultaneously generates both moonlit loveliness and churning dramatic tension. Cocker's entire range of vocal expression - from his fragile whisper to his desperate scream - comes across with breathtaking urgency. 

When it comes to Joe Cocker, I have to admit that I much prefer his albums up to the mid-eighties than his later ones. I can't say that there is more singing from the heart and soul in them (because that's how he always sang), but I think they were recorded with much more sensitivity and love.

'Stingray' was certainly not one of his most popular albums with his fans, but certainly one of his best in my opinion. It was sung with a lot of emotion in a specific voice that only he possessed. The songs are mostly of a slower tempo and primarily a mixture of rhythm and blues, soul and jazz, although the flip side starts off with two reggae numbers featuring assistance from Peter Tosh and Tyrone Downey (probably left over tracks from his earlier Jamaica album) 

The musicians who played on it also contribute to the great impression of this record. I'm specifically thinking of guitarists like Eric Gale (the phenomenal "Catfish" which for me is one of the best songs Cocker recorded and "Moon Dew"), Eric Clapton with his distinctive guitar ("Worrier"), Cornell Dupree ("The jealous kind") and Albert Lee ("You came along"). The album closes with the famous Leon Russell classic "A song for you" dominated by Richard Tee on keyboards.

Stingray is a great record but unfortunately has been unfairly neglected by the public, so I hope you won't let this one pass you buy now folks.

In 1975, Cocker embarked on an Australian tour to rebuild his image (which sadly I missed, as I was preparing for my Year 12 studies) and in 1976, he recorded his sixth album, Stingray, at Kingston Studios in Jamaica. Unfortunately, the album was a financial flop and went largely unnoticed. In the second half of the 1970s, Cocker's situation was dire. He was swimming in debt (A&M Records was demanding $800,000 from him for failing to fulfill his contracts) and continued to struggle with his escalating alcoholism. A classic example of the impact that his addiction to alcohol was having on his performances was when he sang at the Riviera Jazz-Rock Festival in July, 1976 in front of 40,000+ jazz-rock enthusiasts.

He collapsed on stage after two songs, dead drunk. Very unfortunate and a lot of disappointed fans. His band "Stuff" completed the set without him ...

Riviera Jazz-Rock Festival 1976 - Joe Cocker and Stuff

Video of Joe Cocker "under the influence" before he collapsed and was taken away, can be seen here:  Riviera 76 

Members of Stuff were among the most sought session musicians of that era, playing with Aretha Franklin, John Lennon and Paul Simon; they supported Joe Cocker during his world tour to promote his Stingray album.

Later in 1976, producer Michael Lang organized a tour of New Zealand, Australia, and South America for Cocker and agreed to become his manager, provided he gave up alcohol. During this collaboration, another LP was recorded, which became Cocker's first to be released on CD. Unfortunately, 'Luxury You Can Afford' also failed to achieve much success, selling "only" 300,000 copies. In my opinion, this album was far better than Stingray, and is on my list for blog posting, so stay tuned.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my vinyl and includes full album artwork for CD and vinyl, along with label scans. 

Track Listing:

01 - The Jealous Kind

02 - I Broke Down

03 - You Came Along

04 - Catfish

05 - Moon Dew

06 - The Man In Me*

07 - She Is My Lady

08 - Worrier

09 - Born Thru Indifference

10 -  A Song For You

The Joe Cocker Band:

Vocals - Joe Cocker

Bass – Gordon Edwards

Drums, Percussion – Steve Gadd

Guitar – Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale

Keyboards – Richard Tee

Background Vocals - Lani Groves, Deniece Williams, Patti Austin, Brenda White, Gwen Guthrie, Phyllis Lindsay

Guest Artists:

Eric Clapton - Guitar Solo [Track 8]

Albert Lee - Guitar Solo [Track 3]

Sam Rivers - Soprano Sax [Track 1]

Felix 'Flaco' Falcon - Congas [Tracks 1,2]

Album produced by Rob Fraboni except for * Peter Tosh, Tyrone Downey & Rob Fraboni

Recorded at Dynamic Sounds, Kingston, Jamaica.

Mixed at The Village / Mastered at A&M.

Stingray Link (249Mb)