🎵 AotW AOTW: JOE COCKER (A&M SP 4368)

[LPJim]

Joe Cocker
JOE COCKER
A&M SP-4368

This second self-titled set from 1972, not to be confused with 1969's JOE COCKER!, included well-known singles "High Time We Went," "Pardon Me Sir," "Woman to Woman" and "Midnight Rider."

SIDE ONE: Pardon Me Sir 3:37/ High Time We Went 4:25/ She Don't Mind 3:13/ Black-Eyed Blues 4:37/ Something to Say 5:00.

SIDE TWO: Midnight Rider 4:00/ Do Right Woman 7:00/ Woman to Woman 4:25/ St. James Infirmary 6:10.

Produced by Denny Cordell except for "Woman to Woman" and "Do Right Woman" (Nigel Thomas) and "Midnight Rider" & "St. James Infirmary" (Thomas and Cordell).

All songs by Cocker/Stainton except "Something to Say" (Cocker-Nichols), "Midnight Rider" (Greg Allman, No Exit Music Co Inc. BMI), "Do Right Woman" (Penn-Moman, Press Music Co. Inc. BMI) and St. James Infirmary" (Frey Assunto, Matador Music BMI).

All other titles: TRO-Andover Music Inc. ASCAP

Joe Cocker - vocals/ Chris Stainton - piano & organ/ Allan Spenner: bass -courtesy of Shelter Records/ Neil Hubbard - guitar, courtesy of Shelter/ Jim Keltner - drums/ Alan White - drums/ Felix Falcon - assorted percussion/ Rick Alphonso - trumpet/ Fred Scerbo and Milton Sloane - sax/ Jim Horn - sax on "Do Right Woman" courtesy of Shelter/ Reebop: congas, courtesy of Island Records/ Gloria Jones, Viola Wills (lead vocal on "Do Right Woman"), Virginia Ayers, Beverly Gardner -backing vocals/ Conrad Isidore -drums.

SP 4368 entered the Billboard Top 200 on 12/2/72 and charted for 21 weeks, peaking at # 30 according to Whitburn's "Top Pop Albums."

JB

 

[Dave]

This LP ranks very well with Cocker's earlier Joe Cocker! and ...With A Little Help From My Friends...

I think he does a good work-out with The Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider" and the he way he uniquely improvised The Box-Tops' "The Letter" is the reason it became a frequently-heard "Classic Rock Radio-Staple", ranking with "Feelin' Alright", "With A Little Help From My Friends" and "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"... The song-titles on Side 1, almost look like Joe intended to make a "suite" or "connect" them in some way...

"Must-hear's" are "St. James Infirmary", done by several artists, well-known and obscure, and of many genre's (including A&M/CTi's own J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding) and both, Cocker's own "Woman to Woman" and especially, "Do-Right Woman", which you last heard on A&M, by The Flying Burrito Brothers and will hear again on A&M, coming from Elkie Brooks, and Aretha Franklin on Atlantic started it, while a little-known version by Lulu on Chelsea, also emerged around this time...


Dave