Search - Joe Cocker :: Mad Dogs & Englishmen (Dlx)

Worth EVERY penny and then some

Benjamin J. Fowle | Michigan | 12/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I initially balked at the outrageous price of 27 dollars for this cd set but let me tell you rest assured that this is a bargain considering the quality of this album.



The sound qaulity is absolutely phenomenal and the bonus material is not filler. I have not heard other versions of this record but on this set everything is crystal clear and none of the musicians (and there were a lot of them) get lost in the mix. The Weight is my favorite song included and it is a previously unreleased track. It is shocking that a track as powerful as this one went so long without being released.



Kudos to whoever put this set together because the packaging is flawless. If you are going to buy mad dogs and englishmen this is the edition to own.



LONG LIVE COCKER POWER"

If you are going to listen to Joe Cocker, then listen to the

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 11/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are those that insist that "Mad Dogs & Englishmen," the 1970 record of the Joe Cocker tour, is the high point in the music career of the gravely voiced soul singer. I can see the reasons for the argument, but even with his once powerful voice worn away by alcohol abuse there is something to be said for his sense of phrasing in the later years. He still came up with a great howl on "When the Night Comes" and if I am only allowed to listen to one Joe Cocker track for the rest of eternity I am going to take the monster 9:27 long live version of "With a Little Help From My Friends" that is on "The Best of Joe Cocker." That being said, if you are talking about an entire album, then "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" is the one to go with, because Cocker live was always better than Cocker in the studio, not that this pronouncement is exactly news to anyone.



It helps to set the scene for the 1970 tour. Two years earlier Cocker had hit the top of the charts in the U.K. with his cover of the Beatles' "A Little Help From My Friends," and when he sang the song at Woodstock he made a name for himself in the colonies. Leon Russell became Cocker's musical director and provided a second hit in England with "Delta Lady." Two albums came out in 1969, "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "Joe Cocker!", both of which went gold. What makes this live album so amazing is that Cocker only sings one song form his first album (and it is not even the title cut but "Feelin' Alright") and only three cuts from the second: "Bird on a Wire," "Delta Lady" and another in a series of classic Beatles coves, "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window." So out of 16 songs on the album, a dozen of them are "new" material for Cocker.



Of course such things are a lot easier when you are a cover artist rather than a singer-songwriter. This frees Cocker to come up with songs by the Rolling Stones ("Honky Tonk Woman") and Bob Dylan ("Girl From the North Country"). But whatever the songs a lot of the credit for Cocker's career and this album have to go to Leon Russell and Chris Stainton for coming up with the greatest live arrangements on the Sixties (Give me George Martin in the studio and Leon Russell). The concert was recorded at New York's Filmore East in the spring of 1970 (as a film as well as an album). There were almost two dozen musicians involved, giving a whole new meaning to Noel Coward's famous song title, and the result is the definitive mixture of rock 'n' roll soul with a big brassy sound and Russell's awesome piano playing behind Cocker's powerful vocals.



Part of the impressive result was a couple of Cocker standards in "Cry Me a River" and "The Letter." It was the cover of the later, originally by the Box Tops, that broke Cocker into the U.S. Top 10 for the first time. Other standout tracks include the slower "Superstar" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long, " along with "Give Peace a Chance." Of course, "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" went gold as well as if there are those who want to argue that Joe Cocker's first three albums were his best, it is hard to argue with them. My preference for this one as the best of the lot is based almost on much as it being a double-album as it being live, but the live part is still the key consideration."

A True Band of Gypsies!

Matthew Turner | Singapore | 03/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First, without a doubt this is one of the top ten live albums in history. Like other notable live discs that are a must (The Who Live at Leeds, James Brown Live at the Apollo, The Stones Get Yer Ya Ya's Out, Zep How the West Was Won..) Mad Dogs send that classic shiver of inspiration down your spine. The band is incredibly tight, with fantastic musicians, and passion. And of course Joe Cocker belts out every song with equal intensity and passion, yet he also shares the spot light with other members of the band. More than anything you get a sense that everyone involved can sense how special this touring gypsy company is, and it is very interesting to read in the booklet how quickly acrimony and ego led to an implosion of the Mad Dogs and one quirky Englishman. Very sad, and made me want to find out more behind the history. But again this is pure passionate music, and many of the songs here are the DEFINITIVE version any music lover must have. The remix and deluxe soungs really help flesh out the depth and passion of the concert, and especiall with the inclusion of With a Littl Help From My Friends...a whole troupe of friends indeed! Another great thing about the remix is that this disc sounds much warmer and full, and much louder! The older release was very stagnent and low volume mix. In short...GET IT! And play at maximum volume!"