Today I've made an exception to my "random selection routine" due to the sad news of Joe Cocker's passing. He was a unique singer with a rough and gritty but extremely soulful voice who became known more for his masterful interpretation of others' music rather than for any songwriting ability. He shot to fame during the late 60's with a legendary Woodstock performance and a couple of excellent records. Alcohol problems saw him following an erratic course but he resurfaced in the 80's with a new string of hits. He wasn't consistently great, though. Although his vocal performance should not be faulted, he needed a real band behind him. On early records where he was backed by The Grease Band, his talent shined. Later recordings were often plagued by indifferent studio musicians and sterile production. This Dutch compilation focuses on the hits and is a bit of a mixed bag. It opens up with a 1987 Top 40 hit: "Unchain My Heart" re-introduced Ray Charles to a younger generation and remains one of the best soul covers by a white artist. "Up Where We Belong" was a #1 hit in 1982 and is a duet with Jennifer Warnes from the film "An Officer and a Gentleman". "There Goes My Baby" has a 50's retro vibe and Traffic's "Feeling Alright" is even better than the original as he is backed by some great musicians and the song is given a pleasant Latin twist. His cover of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends" is probably the definitive rendition of the song and also notable for featuring a young Jimmy Page (pre-Zeppelin) on guitar. "Civilized Man" sports some nice electric guitar while "You Are So Beautiful" is another song that Joe Cocker didn't write (Billy Preston did) but managed to make his own. "Delta Lady" is an intricately written and arranged piece by his then collaborator Leon Russel. Randy Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On" was a mid-80's hit, originally from the movie "9 1/2 Weeks". The album continues with covers of songs by Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Cliff and Randy Newman, all performed in an exemplary manner. R.I.P. Joe Cocker. You will be missed...
***** for Unchain My Heart 1987, With A Little Help From My Friends 1968
**** for Feeling Alright 1969, You Are So Beautiful 1974, Delta Lady 1968
*** for Up Where We Belong 1982, There Goes My Baby 1984, Ruby Lee 1982, Civilized Man 1984, Two Wrongs 1987, You Can Leave Your Hat On 1986, Inner City Blues 1986, Many Rivers To Cross 1982, Guilty 1974
** for Don't You Love Me Anymore 1986, Threw It Away 1988, Long Drag Off A Cigarette 1984, Seven Days 1982
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