Something to say (Joe Cocker) (LP 2114 - 2117)

Joe Cocker   With A Little Help From My Friends (Vinyl, Cube Records, 1969) ***  

Joe Cocker   Mad Dogs And Englishmen (Vinyl, A&M Records, 1970) ***  

Joe Cocker   Cocker Happy (Vinyl, A&M Records, 1971) *****

Joe Cocker   Joe Cocker (Vinyl, A&M Records, 1971) ***  

Genre: Pop/rock 

Places I remember: Spellbound Wax Company (Gisborne); JB Hi-Fi; Vinyl Countdown 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Feeling Alright

Gear costume: Marjorine (WALHFMF); The Letter (MDAE)

Active compensatory factors: The debut album along with Joe Cocker! was released as a double album package on Cube Records and I have that version.

It's a good debut album, but not a great 5 star classic debut album (like, The Doors, for instance). There are a couple of classics on there though. The two I've highlighted about and, of course, the title track.

The friends in this case are seriously impressive: Jimmy Page; Chris Stainton; Stevie Winwood; Henry McCullough; Carol Kaye; Tony Visconti; plus, members of Procol Harum. Wow!!

Statement of intent and massive support right there.

By the Mad Dogs And Englishmen tour Joe had enlisted the support of Leon Russell, and the band he pulled together for Joe was, again, seriously impressive.

The sound is very different to those first two albums though. Bring in the horns Leon! Bring in that down home Okie rock'n'soul revue! All good. Joe shines in this setting too, because he's got that voice!

Into 1971 and 1972 and another imaginatively named couple of albums. And this is where I came in really. 

For some reason my mother, bless her cotton socks, hated the title Cocker Happy and she absolutely would not let me buy it. I guess she found it vaguely obscene - she never explained. So I didn't buy it, I had absolute respect for her decision, until many years later.

It is a five star classic compilation. All the great hits are there and Marjorine! What an album!

Joe Cocker in 1972, was probably the first Joe Cocker I listened to a lot. All of the others I've back tracked to over the years. It's probably not that well regarded though and listening to it with the benefit of hindsight - he sounds pretty knackered.

Where do they all belong? And that's it for Joe in the vinyl category. I'll return to him when we get back to the CDs.