Mad Dogs and Englishmen

• Artist: Joe Cocker
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1970 08
• Total Time: 78:44
• Type: Live
• Genre: Rock

Review

Listening to this CD brings back a lot of memories. Mad Dogs & Englishmen was just about the most elaborate album that A&M Records had ever released, back in 1971, a double LP in a three-panel, fold-out, gatefold sleeve, with almost 80 minutes of music inside and a ton of photos, graphics, and annotation wrapping around it. A live recording done in tandem with a killer documentary film of the same U.S. tour, it was recorded at the Fillmore East, where the movie was a cross-country affair, and the two were, thus, completely separate entities -- also, as people couldn't "buy" the film in those days, the double LP has lingered longer in the memory, by virtue of its being on shelves, and also being taken off those shelves to be played. Unlike a lot of other "coffee table"-type rock releases of the era, such as Woodstock and The Concert for Bangladesh, people actually listened to Mad Dogs & Englishmen -- most of its content was exciting, and its sound, a veritable definition of big-band rock with three dozen players working behind the singer, was unique. The CD offers a seriously good sound, whether it's just Joe Cocker and a pianist and organist in the opening of "Bird on a Wire," or the entire band going full-tilt on "Cry Me a River"; the remastering was set at a high volume level and there was a decent amount of care taken to get the detail right, so you can appreciate the presence of the multiple drummers, and the legion of guitarists and singers, plus the multiple keyboard players. The lead guitar and solo piano on "Feelin' Alright," for example, come through, but so do the 34 other players and singers behind the lead. This record was also just as much a showcase for Leon Russell as it was for Joe Cocker, which A&M probably didn't mind a bit, as Russell was selling millions of records at the time. As is now known, and it's recounted in the new notes, the tour from which this album was drawn all but wiped out Joe Cocker -- on a psychic level -- because the music was presented on such a vast scale (and there is a moment in the movie where he mentions breaking up his former backing group, the Grease Band, with a hint of regret in his voice) and his own contribution was so muted by Russell's work as arranger and bandleader. He may well have been the "victim" of a "hijacking" of sorts, but the musical results, apart from the dubious "Give Peace a Chance," are difficult to argue about upon hearing this record anew, decades after the fact -- it's almost all bracing and beautiful. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Introduction		Joe Cocker	(:43)
Honky Tonk Woman	Mick Jagger, Keith Richards	Joe Cocker	(3:47)
Introduction		Joe Cocker	(:17)
Sticks and Stones	Titus Turner	Joe Cocker	(2:37)
Cry Me a River (Lyrics)	Arthur Hamilton	Joe Cocker	(4:00)
Bird on a Wire (Lyrics)	Leonard Cohen	Joe Cocker	(6:34)
Feelin' Alright (Lyrics)	Dave Mason	Joe Cocker	(5:47)
Superstar (Lyrics)	Leon Russell, Bonnie Bramlett	Joe Cocker	(5:02)
Introduction		Joe Cocker	(:16)
Let's Go Get Stoned (Lyrics)	Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Joseph Armstead	Joe Cocker	(7:30)
Blue Medley: I'll Drown in My Own Tears/When Something Is Wrong ...	Jerry Butler, Otis Redding, Henry Glover, Isaac Hayes, David Porter	Joe Cocker	(12:46)
Introduction		Joe Cocker	(:12)
Girl from the North Country (Lyrics)	Bob Dylan	Joe Cocker	(2:33)
Give Peace a Chance	Leon Russell, Bonnie Bramlett	Joe Cocker	(4:24)
Introduction		Joe Cocker	(:41)
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (Lyrics)	John Lennon, Paul McCartney	Joe Cocker	(3:01)
Space Captain (Lyrics)	Matthew Moore	Joe Cocker	(5:15)
The Letter	Wayne Carson Thompson	Joe Cocker	(4:46)
Delta Lady	Leon Russell	Joe Cocker	(5:41)

Credits

Joe Cocker (Vocals), Joe Cocker (Main Performer), Joe Cocker (?), Rita Coolidge (Vocals), Rita Coolidge (Choir, Chorus), Rita Coolidge (?), Leon Russell (Guitar), Leon Russell (Piano), Leon Russell (Arranger), Leon Russell (Keyboards), Leon Russell (Vocals), Leon Russell (Producer), Leon Russell (?), Bobby Jones (Vocals), Bobby Jones (Choir, Chorus), Nickey Barclay (Vocals), Nickey Barclay (Choir, Chorus), Claudia Lennear (Vocals), Pamela Polland (Vocals), Pamela Polland (Choir, Chorus), Jim Price (Trumpet), Jim Price (Horn), Jim Price (Keyboards), Jim Price (Vocals), Jim Keltner (Drums), Jim Keltner (?), Jim Gordon (Drums), Chuck Blackwell (Percussion), Chuck Blackwell (Drums), Denny Cordell (Producer), Glyn Johns (Mastering), Glyn Johns (Mixing), Bobby Keys (Saxophone), Bobby Keys (Sax (Tenor)), Bobby Keys (?), Sanford Konikoff (Percussion), Edwin H. Kramer (Engineer), Bill Levenson (Reissue Producer), John Mendelsohn (Liner Notes), Daniel Moore (Vocals), Daniel Moore (Choir, Chorus), Matthew Moore (Vocals), Matthew Moore (Choir, Chorus), Don Preston (Guitar), Don Preston (Guitar (Rhythm)), Don Preston (Vocals), Don Preston (Choir, Chorus), Don Preston (?), Carl Radle (Bass), Carl Radle (?), Chris Stainton (Organ), Chris Stainton (Bass), Chris Stainton (Piano), Chris Stainton (Arranger), Chris Stainton (Keyboards), Chris Stainton (?), Bobby Torres (Percussion), Bobby Torres (Conga), Donna Washburn (Vocals), Donna Washburn (Choir, Chorus), Donna Weiss (Vocals), Claudia Linnear (Vocals), Claudia Linnear (Choir, Chorus), Donna Wiess (Vocals), Donna Wiess (Choir, Chorus), Tom Wilkes (Design), Jim McCrary (Photography), Ron Wolin (Illustrations), Craig Braun (Concept), Theresa Malham (Mastering), Craig Bruan (Artwork), Cosmina Andee Cohen (Photography), J.P Bean (Liner Notes), Bob "Congo" Jones (Vocals)

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