Joe Cocker Greatest Hits (licence) 2008 Mfa

Calling something "The Ultimate Collection" is fraught with problems – usually of omission. Certainly over these two discs – containing a total of 30 tracks – there are plenty of fine moments from some of Joe Cocker's earliest material, such as "The Letter," "With a Little Help From My Friends," "Delta Lady," "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window," etc. Also present are virtually all of his later hits and some that should have been: "Up Where We Belong," "You Are So Beautiful," "Many Rivers to Cross," "Leave Your Hat On," etc. But there's just too much that isn't here. Where are "Bird on a Wire" and "Hitchcock Railway," for starters? Nonetheless, given the length of Cocker's career, this is not an unusual complaint. One thing that is unique about this set – other than the fine sound – is the sequencing that crisscrosses over the breadth and chronology of Cocker's discography.

Few stars of the '60s reinvented themselves as successfully as Marianne Faithfull. Coaxed into a singing career by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham in 1964, she had a big hit in both Britain and the U.S. with her debut single, the Jagger/Richards composition "As Tears Go By" (which prefaced the Stones' own version by a full year)…

Although Cocker's Capitol material wasn't as consistent as his A&M work, this compilation successfully distills the highlights, including the splendid "When the Night Comes," onto a single CD.

Although Cocker's Capitol material wasn't as consistent as his A&M work, this compilation successfully distills the highlights, including the splendid "When the Night Comes," onto a single CD.

The Album Recordings 1984-2007 is an impressive Joe Cocker 14CD box. The new collection comprises all of Cocker’s studio albums released from 1984 – 2007 [along with 'Live'] and a newly compiled bonus CD of ‘Related Recordings’ that includes rarities, additional content from European deluxe discs, US Album versions and songs found on tribute albums for the likes of Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. The Album Recordings 1984-2007 is packaged as a clamshell box containing a 16-page booklet. All CDs come housed in replica cardboard sleeves. The albums included in this box are: 1. Civilised Man (1984) 2. Cocker (1986) 3. Unchain My Heart (1987) 4. One Night Of Sin (1989) 5. Joe Cocker (Live) (1990) 6. Night Calls (1992) 7. Have A Little Faith (1994) 8. Organic (1996) 9. Across From Midnight (1997) 10. No Ordinary World (1999) 11. Respect Yourself (2002) 12. Heart & Soul (2004) 13. Hymn For My Soul (2007) 14. Related Recordings (Exclusive Bonus Disc).

The turbulent life of soul and blues singer, the late Joe Cocker. A former gas fitter from Sheffield , catapulted to world stardom in 1969 at Woodstock with his legendary performance of the Beatles song,"A Little Help from My Friends". But in the early 1970s, Joe Cocker's inner demons nearly killed him…