JOE COCKER: The 2nd Album

Original released on LP Regal Zonophone 

SLRZ 1011

(UK, November 1969)

Joe Cocker's first three A&M albums form the bedrock of a career that spans over three decades. While Cocker certainly wasn't always in top form during this stretch - thanks to alcohol problems and questionable comeback moves in the '80s and '90s - his early records did inform the classic pub rock sound later credited to proto-punk figures like Graham Parker and Brinsley Schwarz. On those early records, Cocker mixed elements of late-'60s English blues revival recordings (John Mayall, et al.) with the more contemporary sounds of soul and pop; a sound fused in no small part by producer and arranger Leon Russell, whose gumbo mix figures prominently on this eponymous release and the infamous "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" live set. Russell's sophisticated swamp blues aesthetic is felt directly with versions of his gospel ballad "Hello, Little Friend" and Beatles-inspired bit of New Orleans pop - and one of Cocker's biggest hits - "Delta Lady." Following up on the huge success of an earlier cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends," Cocker mines more Beatles gold with very respectable renditions of "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" and "Something." And rounding out this impressive set are equally astute takes on Dylan's "Dear Landlord," Leonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire," and John Sebastian's "Darling Be Home Soon." Throughout, Cocker gets superb support from his regular backing group of the time, the Grease Band. A fine introduction to the singer's classic, late-'60s and early-'70s period. (Stephen Cook in AllMusic)

JOE COCKER Debut Album

Original released on LP Regal Zonophone 

SLRZ 1006

(UK, May 1969)

Joe Cocker's debut album holds up extraordinarily well across four decades, the singer's performance bolstered by some very sharp playing, not only by his established sideman/collaborator Chris Stainton, but also some top-notch session musicians, among them drummer Clem Cattini, Steve Winwood on organ, and guitarists Jimmy Page and Albert Lee, all sitting in. It's Cocker's voice, a soulful rasp of an instrument backed up by Madeline Bell, Sunny Weetman and Rossetta Hightower that carries this album and makes "Change in Louise," "Feeling Alright," "Just Like a Woman," "I Shall Be Released," and even "Bye Bye Blackbird" into profound listening experiences. But the surprises in the arrangements, tempo, and approaches taken help make this an exceptional album. Tracks like "Just Like a Woman," with its soaring gospel organ above a lean textured acoustic and light electric accompaniment, and the guitar-dominated rendition of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" - the formal debut of the Grease Band on record - all help make this an exceptional listening experience. The 1999 A&M reissue not only includes new notes and audiophile-quality sound, but also a pair of bonus tracks, the previously unanthologized B-sides "The New Age of Lily" and "Something Coming On," deserved better than the obscurity in which they previously dwelt. (Bruce Eder in AllMusic)

COCKER & RUSSELL: Mad Dogs & Englishmen

Original released on Double LP A&M SP 6002

(US, September 1970)

In the pantheon of classic live albums, Joe Cocker's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" is near the top, alongside "Woodstock" and "The Last Waltz" in defining the spirit of a generation. Now, the album – originally issued in 1970 – is heard with previously unreleased tracks and studio cuts. The 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition reveals in full for the first time, the repertoire of the craziest, loudest, longest rock 'n' roll circus to have ever hit America, featuring guests such as Leon Russell, Rita Coolidge, Claudia Lennear, and Don Preston. Along with already-legendary performances of "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," "The Letter," "Delta Lady," "Bird On A Wire," "Cry Me A River," "Feelin' Alright," "Let's Go Get Stoned" and "Space Captain" are seven previously unreleased live performances (whose inclusion now reflects the actual sequence of the show's set list) and four rare studio recordings.

When the original "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" album was released in September 1970, it reached #2 in the U.S. album charts, selling over a million copies, besides riding high in Britain, Europe and Australia. A&M Records loved it and not just because it had been a hit. As co-founder Jerry Moss would later say «It's an extraordinary record – one of the greatest records we've ever put out, and we've had some nice live albums.» Over thirty-five years on it remains an extraordinary record. Listening to this CD brings back a lot of memories. "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" was just about the most elaborate album that A&M Records had ever released, a double LP in a three-panel, fold-out, gatefold sleeve, with almost 80 minutes of music inside and a ton of photos, graphics, and annotation wrapping around it. A live recording done in tandem with a killer documentary film of the same U.S. tour, it was recorded at the Fillmore East, where the movie was a cross-country affair, and the two were, thus, completely separate entities – also, as people couldn't "buy" the film in those days, the double LP has lingered longer in the memory, by virtue of its being on shelves, and also being taken off those shelves to be played. Unlike a lot of other "coffee table"-type rock releases of the era, such as Woodstock and The Concert for Bangladesh, people actually listened to "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" – most of its content was exciting, and its sound, a veritable definition of big-band rock with three dozen players working behind the singer, was unique. The CD offers a seriously good sound, whether it's just Joe Cocker and a pianist and organist in the opening of "Bird on a Wire," or the entire band going full-tilt on "Cry Me a River"; the remastering was set at a high volume level and there was a decent amount of care taken to get the detail right, so you can appreciate the presence of the multiple drummers, and the legion of guitarists and singers, plus the multiple keyboard players. The lead guitar and solo piano on "Feelin' Alright," for example, come through, but so do the 34 other players and singers behind the lead. 

This record was also just as much a showcase for Leon Russell as it was for Joe Cocker, which A&M probably didn't mind a bit, as Russell was selling millions of records at the time. As is now known, and it's recounted in the new notes, the tour from which this album was drawn all but wiped out Joe Cocker – on a psychic level – because the music was presented on such a vast scale (and there is a moment in the movie where he mentions breaking up his former backing group, the Grease Band, with a hint of regret in his voice) and his own contribution was so muted by Russell's work as arranger and bandleader. He may well have been the "victim" of a "hijacking" of sorts, but the musical results, apart from the dubious "Give Peace a Chance," are difficult to argue about upon hearing this record anew, decades after the fact – it's almost all bracing and beautiful. [In 2005 "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" was reissued in a two-CD deluxe edition with eight previously unreleased live performances inserted throughout the discs and four rare studio recordings tacked onto the end. The new live performances are longer and looser and Russell plays an even bigger role. They're excellent, as are the stereo studio mixes of "The Letter" and "Space Captain," available for the first time here.]

Personnel: Joe Cocker (vocals); Leon Russell (guitar, piano); Don Preston (guitar); Bobby Keys (tenor saxophone); Jim Price (trumpet); Chris Stainton (piano, organ); Carl Radle (bass instrument); Chuck Blackwell (drums, percussion); Jim Gordon , Jim Keltner (drums); Bobby Torres (congas); Sanford Konikoff (percussion); Rita Coolidge (background vocals) and others…