Joe Cocker

With A Little Help From My Friends
Joe Cocker!
Mad Dogs & Englishmen


With A Little Help From My Friends (A&M '69) Rating: A-
Much like Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker underachieved after an impressive start to his career, albeit for altogether different reasons (exhaustion and drugs as opposed to leggy blondes and a big head). However, his first three albums belong in any rock and soul collection, as this album is equal parts both, with a slightly psychedelic sound that features guitar parts from Jimmy Page, church-y organ or upbeat piano played by the likes of Steve Winwood, co-producer Leon Russell, and collaborator Chris Stainton, prominent female backing vocals, and of course Cocker's own inimitably hoarse voice, which is improbably powerful given the frog he just swallowed. Although Cocker tries his hand at songwriting, co-penning three songs (two with Stainton), all of which are pretty good but none of which are highlights, he's really more of an interpreter of other people's songs than a creator of them (and therein lies another major difference with Stewart, who could create classics as well as interpret them). Of course, the song that everybody associates with this album - indeed, with Cocker's entire career - is his complete transformation of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends," which had been a huge hit at Woodstock (indeed, his even better performance of it there made him an instant star even before this album was released, helped in no small part due to his memorably spastic stage movements, which became much imitated, most famously by John Belushi years later on Saturday Night Live) and later served as the theme song to the excellent T.V. show The Wonder Years. Anyway, Cocker had a knack for remaking other people's songs as his own, and none more so than this classic, which features memorable riffs from Page, those churchy-keys/female backing vocals I previously mentioned, and most of all Cocker's completely over-the-top vocal performance, replete with one of the most spine-tingling screams on record. Elsewhere, his groovy take on Traffic's "Feelin' Alright" is similarly definitive if far more low-key, and surprisingly enough he even improves on The Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," though it's the song's slow, sexy riffs that make it such a standout. As such, much credit should go to the Grease Band, who give Cocker the just-right backing he needs to shine. But give Cocker credit as well; he rarely plays it safe on these cover songs, but instead often drastically rearranges them ("With A Little Help From My Friends" had been a minor "Ringo song," after all). When he does play it close to the vest, as on his update of Bob Dylan/The Band's "I Shall Be Released," the results are often solid enough but fail to improve on the original, and as such I prefer more adventurous attempts such as his nearly unrecognizable rendition of Dylan's "Just Like A Woman." Looking at the rest of the track listing, I suppose I'd name "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Do I Still Figure In Your Life" (a couple of slow, soulful ballads with singable choruses) as other highlights, while "Marjorine," which is almost waltz-like and is the most overtly British song of the bunch, would likely get my nod as the most creative among Cocker's originals. Still, like I said before, Cocker is at his best doing other people's songs, and some of these covers are pretty spectacular, while the rest of this fine debut simply offers consistent quality.

Joe Cocker! (A&M ’70) Rating: B+
Although some people seem to think that this is the definitive Joe Cocker album (5 stars in the 1983 Rolling Stone Record Guide, and indeed the album title itself would seem to indicate as much), I find it a slight step down from the debut, though it likewise is a fine album in its own right. The main difference here is that the cover songs are merely good and not revelatory, with his take on Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire" being the most notable. Elsewhere, he again tackles Bob Dylan (a more rocking version of John Wesley Harding's "Dear Landlord" that's a nice update) and The Beatles (a very good romp through a standalone version of "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window," which became a minor hit, and a wholly unnecessary cover of George Harrison's perfect-to-begin-with "Something"), while a short Lloyd Price cover ("Lawdy Miss Clawdy," whose best moment is actually its perfect segue into "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window") and a Lovin' Spoonful ("Darling Be Home Soon," another enjoyable effort albeit another one where I prefer the gentler original) number are also included. Most of these songs are more straightforward and therefore less interesting than the covers on the previous album, and though Cocker again puts in a performance that makes you take note that he was once one of the premiere singers of his era, the material simply isn't as memorable on the whole. There are some standout songs, though, in the form of "Hitchcock Railway" (credited to Donald "Duck" Dunn and Tony McCashen), a jaunty gospel soul/rock song, and "Delta Lady," written by producer and de-facto musical director Leon Russell, who also supplies the swampy blues pop sound both here and elsewhere. Russell also wrote the less memorable "Little Friend," while Cocker/Stainton again teamed up to write "That's Your Business," which has an appealing carnival-esque atmosphere. Still, that's the lone original on an album that comes and goes without the obvious highlights of its predecessor. However, even without any classic songs (aside from "Delta Lady") you should still be able to easily appreciate the Grease Band's loose, lively vibe and Cocker's impassioned singing performances.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen (A&M ’71) Rating: B+
Riding the crest of two highly successful albums, Joe Cocker undertook a massively ambitious tour called Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which was recorded and filmed for posterity. And though Cocker was billed as the star, in truth this album belongs as much to Leon Russell and his mighty band, which included eleven instrumentalists and nine female backup singers! Russell, Bobby Jones (whoever he is), and Rita Coolidge even get a singing spotlight, while the gospel backing vocals and the band’s loose 'n loud accompaniment drown Cocker out on more than one occasion. The sheer number of people onstage gave the tour a circus-like atmosphere, and Cocker strains to keep pace with the chaotic big band attack (propelled by Russell’s piano, Jim Keltner’s drums, members of Delaney and Bonnie's band who were also in Derek & the Dominos, and a busload of brassy horns) going on behind him. Cocker does dominate the slow ballads, though, including a 12-minute soul medley (“I’ll Drown In My Own Tears,” "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby," and “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”) and a rendition of "Bird On A Wire" that even makes his original version seem lively. Don’t tell Cocker that a white man can’t sing the blues, as his ragged voice is an excellent instrument for conveying desperate emotions. This is exhibited to fine effect on “Cry Me A River,” while other highlights include a horn-fuelled take on The Box Tops’ “The Letter” (a minor hit), a cover of Ray Charles’ “Let’s Go Get Stoned” (where he finally pays direct tribute to his prime influence), and beefed up renditions of signature songs such as “Feelin’ Alright” and “Delta Lady.” On the downside, the frenetic pace does grow wearying after awhile, some of the songs are stretched out too long, and the band forces Cocker to rush his delivery on several songs, such as on their cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman.” Perhaps some more practice would've made a difference in tightening up some of the band's messier moments, but even with the album's many flaws it must be said that the energy and excitement of these performances are fairly contagious. In fact, in retrospect the album was to be Cocker’s last moment where he so much as sniffed greatness, as, several smash hit singles aside ("You Are So Beautiful," "Up Where We Belong," a duet with Jennifer Warnes, and "Night Calls"), the rest of his disappointing career could (much like Stewart) probably be summed up by a single well-chosen compilation. Questions: Where the hell is "With A Little Help From My Friends?" Why is Mad Dogs & Englishmen still being sold as a double album even though its contents could easily fit onto a single cd?


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