Learning to Live Together: The Return of Mad Dogs & Englishmen

This documentary is indeed uplifting and inspiring. The parts with Leon Russell are particularly memorable, and the back-and-forth between the past and present is expertly woven together. The film showcases the legendary 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour, which was a musical experiment that brought together a diverse group of artists, including Joe Cocker, Leon Russell, Rita Coolidge, and Claudia Lennear, among others.

The documentary also features a reunion show with the Tedeschi Trucks Band, which includes 12 of the original Mad Dogs, as well as guest performers like Chris Robinson and Dave Mason. The performances are energetic and heartfelt, and the archival footage and interviews provide a fascinating look at the history of the tour.

One of the strengths of the documentary is its ability to balance the different aspects of the story, including the original concert, the reunion show, and the history of the tour. While some critics have noted that the historical aspect of the film could have been explored more deeply, overall, the documentary is a compelling and entertaining tribute to a pivotal moment in music history.

If you're a fan of classic rock or just looking for an inspiring story about the power of music, I highly recommend checking out Learning to Live Together: The Return of Mad Dogs & Englishmen.

This is a mind-blowingly great documentary blending the historic 1970 tour with its recreation in 2015 spearheaded by Tedeschi Trucks, including visual split-screens of the song being performed simultaneously in both eras. As of 2024 this is thankfully available on the Criterion Channel, but it's such a crime that it's not universally in the public consciousness. This is about timeless music dating back to the birth of R&B but played and captured with 21st century film and editing tools & techniques.

This is Scorsese-level filmmaking as far as I'm concerned - about an historic Woodstock-like musical collective - and it being successfully recreated in the present.

It so wonderfully conveys bandleader Leon - and how he loves chaos and the unknown - which is sure speakin my language, and boy he'd fit right in with the Merry Pranksters.

Unlike some movies where I'm clock-watching for it to be over - I didn't want this to ever end. And as soon as it did, I hit refresh and watched it again!

This shoulda been Oscar nominated. And boy, would this be a party to see in a theater!

As a forever fan of Leon Russell, and sad witness to his genius contribution to music being mostly underrated and under-appreciated, I applaud this film on every level. For one, Leon is a man of few words, so I just hang onto every opportunity of hearing him talk, sing, lead, play, and I only wish I could turn back time to help him realize how beloved he was, and is. I am also reading his biography atm, and own every LP he ever recorded (not counting the early session ones from the 60s).

I was also saddened to learn that he and Joe Cocker had not parted ways on good terms.

To see this, and the other Mad Dogs documentary or actually any footage of Leon at work is also to get a closeup peek at the incredible talent of backup singers. Whether female or male, it is their voices who lift these timeless songs from beautiful to profound, who elevate them from catchy to a multi-layered expression of gospel, R&B and everything in between.

As "Learning to Live Together: The Return of Mad Dogs & Englishmen" (2021 release; 111 min.) opens, we get footage of the 1970 tour of Joe Cocker with his band nicknamed Mad Dogs & Englishmen, with Leon Russell as the ringleader. We then forward 45 years, as Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks reassemble what is left of the original Mad Dogs & Englishmen (12 musicians, it turns out), and along with their own Tedeschi Trucks Band (also 12 musicians), will present the music of that Spring 1970 tour at a one-off reunion show at the 2015 Lockn music festival. At this point we are 10 minutes into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this gem of a music documentary has regained attention resulting from the recent announcement that Joe Cocker made it into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. As it turns out, the documentary pays as much attention to Joe Cocker (who at that time had just passed away) as it does to Leon Russell (who would pass away one year after the making of this documentary). Regardless, the end result is something very special. In fact this reminds me in spirit to "The Last Waltz", yes it is that good. Pay in particular attention to the musicians of the 1970 tour, including Rita Coolidge, Jim Keltner, Dave Mason, Claudia Lennear, etc. One of the best things in the documentary is the parallel footage of the 1970 tour and the 2015 one-off reunion. While much of the footage of the 1970 tour shows the bright side, there are some dark clouds as well, none more so that after the 1970 concluded, Joe Cocker and Keon Russell never collaborated again. All that said, this is a remarkable music documentary, to say the least.

It is unclear to me why this documentary, which was filmed in 2015, wasn't officially released until 2021, and even then released pretty much under the radar screen (I had never heard about it until now). That aside, this documentary is currently rated 100% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. I streamed this documentary on YouTube last night, commercial free. If you have any interest in either Joe Cocker or Leon Russell or the Tedeschi Trucks Band, or you are simply a fan of rock music history, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.