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"…I Get The
Feeling…"
Joe
Cocker's first two albums on England's Regal Zonophone Records "With A
Little Help From My Friends" (September 1969) and "Joe Cocker!"
(January 1970) are two absolute belters (issued on A&M Records in the USA)
- and yet their American CD Reissues/Remasters in 1999 seem to have gone
largely unnoticed here in good old Blighty. Time to rectify this cruel
administrative oversight...here are the details...
USA
released October 1999 - "Joe Cocker!" by JOE COCKER on A&M 069
490 420-2 (Barcode 606949042028) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster and breaks down
as follows (43:14 minutes):
1.
Dear Landlord
2.
Bird On A Wire
3.
Lawdy Miss Clawdy
4.
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
5.
Hitchcock Railway
6.
That’s Your Business
7.
Something
8.
Delta Lady
9.
Hello, Little Friend
10.
Darling, Be Home Soon
Tracks
1 to 10 are the album "Joe Cocker!" - released January 1970 in the UK
on Regal Zonophone SLRZ 1011 (Stereo only) and A&M Records SP 4224 in the
USA
BONUS
TRACKS:
11.
She's Good To Me (Non-Album Track – B-side of "Delta Lady" released
September 1969 in the UK on Regal Zonophone RZ 3024)
12.
Let It Be – Previously Unreleased – Recorded during the "Joe Cocker!"
sessions
Originally
Produced by DENNY CORDELL and LEON RUSSELL - this zippy little CD reissue is
Produced by BILL LEVENSON and features the remastering skills of two superb
names in Universal's camp - THERESA MALHAM and SUHA GUR. Suha Gur has been
involved in large amounts of the much-praised Hip-O Select label (in particular
their Motown reissues) - and is a name I actively seek out for great sonic
results. The audio quality here is fabulous - punchy, detailed, never too amped
up for effect - just really well done. The 8-way foldout inlay has rudimentary
liner notes by J.P. BEAN and recording credits with a very cool photo of Cocker
with a dog (previously unreleased artwork). His 1969 debut album "With A
Little Help From My Friends" was also issued on remastered CD in October
1999 (use Barcode 606949041922 on Amazon to get the right issue) and also
features two crucial bonus tracks.
The
album opens with a double-whammy of covers - a jaunty Dylan's "Dear
Landlord" and a soulful Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire". A cool
change of pace brings a Rock-Funky version of Lloyd Price's Rhythm 'n' Blues
classic "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". He delivers a superb version of The
Beatles "Abbey Road" gem "She Came In Through The Bathroom
Window" - the first time you also hear the five lady backing vocalists - a
sensational line up of MERRY CLAYTON, BONNIE BRAMLETT, RITA COOLIDGE, PATRICE
HOLLOWAY and SHIRLEY MATTHEWS. By the time it reaches my fave-rave
"Hitchcock Railway" (lyrics above) - I'm grooving like a loon. It's
just fabulous stuff - every instrument so clear. The irrepressibly brill
"Hitchcock Railway" opens the "Cocker Happy" compilation LP
in 1971 (see below). It's a Donald "Duck" Dunn and Tony McCashen song
- Jose Feliciano put out a single of it in 1968 on RCA. It’s also at this point
that you realize how good the players are...
His
backing group The Grease Band included CHRIS STAINTON on Keyboards/Guitar,
HENRY McCULLOUGH on Guitar with CHRIS SPENNER on Bass and BRUCE ROWLAND on
Drums. 'Friends' at the sessions were two from The Byrds - SNEAKY PETE KLEINOW
and CLARENCE WHITE while LEON RUSSELL is in their too (Keyboards) with MILT
HOLLAND on Drums.
The
excellent "That's Your Business" is a Joe Cocker/Chris Stainton
original which is followed by his lovely version of the George Harrison
masterpiece "Something". Your then hit with one of my real loves -
"Delta Lady" - a Leon Russell gem. It was of course issued as a
single and it rocks to this day. It ends with his knack of turning a good song
into a great one on his superb re-working of The Lovin' Spoonful's
"Darling Be Home Soon". The two bonus tracks are "She's Good To
Me" - originally the non-album B-side to "Delta Lady" when it
was released in September 1969. Then there's "Let It Be" - an outtake
from the "Joe Cocker!" sessions - this cover of The Beatles classic
is Previously Unreleased.
So
there you have it - a top album remastered to perfection and released at a
budget price. What a voice and what a memory...do the hippy shake baby...
PS:
As a by the way - I've always loved the compilation LP "Cocker Happy"
(pictured above) which came out in the UK in April 1971 on Fly Records HIFLY 3.
If you purchase the 1999 A&M CD of his 1969 debut album "With A Little
Help From My Friend" on A&M 069 490 419-2 (which also has two crucial bonus
tracks - 45:44 minutes) and a "Best of" containing the Mono Single
Mix of "The Letter" - you'll be able to sequence the whole album in
remastered form as follows (instead of paying for highly-priced budget issues):
Side
1:
1.
Hitchcock Railway (from "Joe Cocker!")
2.
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (from "With A Little
Help...")
3.
Marjorine (from "With A Little Help...")
4.
She's Good To Me (bonus track on "Joe Cocker!" CD)
5.
Hello, Little Friend (from "Joe Cocker!)"
6.
With A Little Help From My Friends (from "With A Little Help...")
Side
2:
1.
Delta Lady (from "Joe Cocker!")
2.
Darling Be Home Soon (from "Joe Cocker!")
3.
Do I Still Figure In Your Life (from "With A Little Help...")
4.
Feeling Alright (from "Joe Cocker!")
5.
Something's Coming On (bonus track on the "With A Little Help..." CD)
6.
The Letter (7" Mono Single Version) (from "Best Of" CD)
