Joe+cocker

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.

Greatest Hits features most, but not all (no "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" or "It's a Sin When You Love Somebody"), of his biggest hits from the early '70s. Nevertheless, there's plenty of fine music here, making the record a solid compilation.

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).

1987 German 18-track compilation CD album featuring his greatest songs includes three lives tracks plus two bonus tracks. Fold-out picture sleeve including family tree.

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.

Another one-stop shop from Universal's 20th Century Masters Millennium Collection, here's all the Joe Cocker you need in one packed-with-hits single-disc collection. Kicking off with "Feelin' Alright," "With a Little Help From My Friends," and "Delta Lady," the set also includes his later hits like "You Are So Beautiful" and his duet with Jennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong." This may only clock in at 11 tracks, but it's a very potent little package and highly recommended as the perfect starter set.

The Life Of A Man, brings together the hits of Joe Cocker into the first comprehensive hits collection for 12 years, and the first package ever to cover his entire career from 1968 to his untimely passing in 2014. Cocker was raised on blues and grew up in Sheffield inspired by Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Lightnin’ Hopkins. These influences are evident in Cocker’s idiosyncratic style of vocals which adds a rough edge to the most delicate of melodies. Cocker began making a name for himself in the UK initially, with his prolific and powerful voice lending itself tastefully to love songs which lyrically juxtaposed with his gruff voice. This stunning collection features the international hit, With A Little Help From My Friends and the Grammy Award winning smash duet, Up Where We Belong.

Joe Cocker was an English singer, gravel-voiced vocalist whose animated live shows (especially at Woodstock) made him a legend, perhaps the finest soul singer Britain ever produced. He hit number one in the U.K. in November 1968 with his version of the Beatles' "A Little Help from My Friends." His career really took off after he sang that song at Woodstock in August 1969. A second British hit came with a version of Leon Russell's "Delta Lady" in the fall of 1969 and both of his albums, With a Little Help from My Friends (April 1969) and Joe Cocker! (November 1969), went gold in America. In 1970, his cover of the Box Tops hit "The Letter" became his first U.S. Top Ten.

The very title of Joe Cocker's Hymn for My Soul suggests that this, his 2007 studio album, is a gospel affair, or at least something inspired by faith – something that isn't true to the letter, yet there is something true about the spirit of this sentiment, for these are songs that serve as a tonic to Cocker's soul. He's pulled songs from several familiar sources – Stevie Wonder, George Harrison, Bob Dylan – and found other newer songs that share a similar sentiment, offering reassuring thoughts in troubled times. While nobody could ever claim that this album – produced by Ethan Johns, son of Glyn – has any grit, it nevertheless is warmer than recent Cocker discs, boasting a soulful heart (even if it has been polished and cleaned until it sparkles).

For most intents and purposes, No Ordinary World is an ordinary latter-day Joe Cocker album, filled with slick but impassioned ballads, moderately paced rockers, and smooth adult contemporary pop songs. The thing is, this is just a cut above average, thanks to uniformly fine performances from Cocker and a strong set of songs. Yes, at 14 songs, there are inevitably a couple of slow patches, but there are not only good covers here ("First We Take Manhattan," "While You See a Chance") but some good professionally crafted tunes like "Different Roads," the title track, and the Michael McDonald/Tony Joe White composition, "Where Would I Be Now." No Ordinary World may not erase memories of the fiery early Cocker albums, nor is it quite as memorable as the best of his latter-day work, but for longtime fans, it's a nice, satisfying listen.