The show was filmed at the Metropol in Berlin on October 31st 1980 with Cocker in fine voice on a strong set with many of his most famous tracks including "Delta Lady", "Cry Me A River", "The Letter", "You Are So Beautiful" and his definitive take on the Lennon & McCartney classic "With A Little Help From My Friends". Also included are some rarer tracks including his versions of "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine".
This CD contains two separate European sessions taken from radio broadcasts. Tenor-saxophonist Dexter Gordon, who had just moved to Europe, is heard on lengthy versions of "I'll Remember April" and "Cry Me a River" from 1962 with a Danish trio comprised of pianist Atli Bjorn, bassist Marcel Rigot and drummer Williams Schiopffe. The two 1964 numbers ("The Thrill Is Gone" and "Suite") are by Bjorn's 1964 trio with bassist Benny Nielsen and drummer Finn Frederiksen; the talented pianist is well-showcased.
Cry me a regret that no one has yet stepped up to fill the sultry vocal gap left when Julie London passed on. Her unique style was a mix of languid phrasing and a smoky alto voice unfortunately fueled by cigarettes. Laura Taylor, a Vegas-based performer, comes close to London's sound. With tasteful accompaniment by guitarist Joe Lano and bassist Tom Warrington, London's takes on the title track and on "Blue Moon" are nearly as evocative as those of her model. A little more rasp in her whisper would have left London's bridges falling down and Taylor as the new fair lady.
The EVA labels were a group of sisterlabels made for compilations and Best-Of albums released as joint ventures between the national divisions of EMI, Virgin and Ariola. The label became active in 1984 but is now defunct in all countries. Early EVA albums were released with the logos of the three individual labels. Sometimes the label name EVA was not mentioned on those releases.
The EVA labels were a group of sisterlabels made for compilations and Best-Of albums released as joint ventures between the national divisions of EMI, Virgin and Ariola. The label became active in 1984 but is now defunct in all countries. Early EVA albums were released with the logos of the three individual labels. Sometimes the label name EVA was not mentioned on those releases.
Sentimental Journey CD series is a strong one with lots of fine music from a wide diversity of artists. I really like the music on this albums. The sound quality is really rather good considering the age of these recordings.