Joe Cocker - vocals; Cliff Goodwin - guitar; Maxine Greene - vocals; Howie Hersh - bass; Linda Lawrance - vocals; Larry Marshall - keyboards; Tom Nicholson - piano, vocals; BJ Wilson - drums
Joe Cocker had come a long way from being a bar singer in Sheffield, England when he made this recording for the King Biscuit Flower Hour at the historic Chance club in the New York suburb of Poughkeepsie, NY, in 1982. It had been 13 years since Cocker performed at Woodstock and became a worldwide sensation with his thrilling performance that later appeared in the filmed documentary of the event, and Cocker had released several hits since then.
Although he has written some of his own material, Joe Cocker prefers to offer his own interpretations of the best songs he can find. This show is no exception with a strong variety of hits and legendary songs that had spanned his entire career. He opened the show with "Look What You've Done," the newest single at that time from his LP Sheffield Steel. Dave Mason, who wrote his landmark hit "Feelin' Alright" originally for Traffic, has likely seen more publishing royalties from the Cocker version, featured here. Cocker also does a solid read of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." The fact that he has original Procol Harum drummer BJ Wilson in his band didn't hurt this riveting rendition. On Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" and Bobby Charles' "The Jealous Kind," he changes the arrangement enough to make them sound brand new.
Cocker is a great interpreter of Dylan's material and his cover of "Watching The River Flow" is no exception. Cocker wraps up the set with his well established arrangement of The Beatles classic "With A Little Help From My Friends," a tender read of Billy Preston's "You Are So Beautiful," a thrilling version of the Marvin Gaye's classic, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," and he gives new life to the '60s pop tune, "The Letter," which had been a hit for the Box Tops in 1966.