The Best of Joe Cocker: 20th Century Masters (Millennium Collection) [Original recording remastered]

Joe Cocker | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: A&M
• ASIN: B00004TKEP
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,552 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #91 in Music > Music Deals > $8.99 and Under
  • #93 in Music > Blues > Contemporary Blues

Editorial Reviews

The 20th Century Masters series is the best-selling single-artist line in music history and is being re-released by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) in its ground-breaking, environmentally-friendly packaging format. A first for the music industry, the standard package (both sleeve and tray) will be completely paper-recyclable, continuing the company's long-standing commitment to being "green."

To further reduce the amount of paper in the Eco-Pack, the CD booklet will no longer be offered. Official liner notes are easily accessible on the Internet at http://www.ilovethatsong.com/green.

UMe is the first North American music company to replace the traditional jewel case with recycled paperboard sleeves and the plastic tray with trays made from PaperFoam®, a new packaging technology from Shorewood Packaging, a business of International Paper, that is paper-recyclable and biodegradable. Shorewood Packaging is the first North American packaging supplier to produce disc trays from PaperFoam®. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice review of UK soul man, October 24, 2000

By 

Vincent M. Mastronardi (Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best of Joe Cocker: 20th Century Masters (Millennium Collection) (Audio CD)

Joe Cocker maybe more famous for his near fits on stage than for his music. If that is so, it's a shame because the man can really sing and make a song a masterpiece for many generations. Once again "20th Century Masters" makes a pretty cool retrospective for another legendary music artist. This one for Joe Cocker is somewhat. Mostly early works of the late sixties to the mid seventies. Most of his truly signature tunes are here. "You are so Beautiful" is are really simple and short piece with manly just a piano and Joe's vocals in pure admiration of this lady. The catchy big ballad with Jennifer Warnes "Up Where We Belong" is a nice little sentimental tune of love rising above problems. Another big wedding song along with "You are...". His other huge hit is the cover of the Beatles "With A Little Help From My Friends". What a frenzy of solid soulful rock this one is. This version just blows the silly little ditty of pop the Fab Four did. No offense, but that was one of their least pleasing singles and this is a landmark of music when Joe does it.

The other songs are really good and full of emotional high points. It's a hot combo of soul and rock with background singers, hot guitar sounds, etc. This set is flawed with the fact that it was to have some tracks are live (although they are full of energy) and by a too short track list even for his early stuff. These "Millennium Collection" aren't always perfect, but this one represent Joe Cocker pretty well.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All the Casual Joe Cocker Fan Will Need, July 16, 2002

By 

Steven R. Seim "Steve Seim" (Beaver Dam, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best of Joe Cocker: 20th Century Masters (Millennium Collection) (Audio CD)

This is the best single-disc Joe Cocker anthology available. All of his best tracks from the '60s and '70s are included.

The only reason it doesn't deserve 5 stars is that the lesser-known "Jealous Kind" and "Many Rivers to Cross" are entirely unnecessary and should have been replaced with a couple of Cocker's '80s classics like "Night Calls" or "You Can Leave Your Hat On."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I must be going insane! I' m actually enjoying budget-priced compilations! "WHAT? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND, CAPTAIN???", March 23, 2006

By 

finulanu ""the mysterious"" (Here, there, and everywhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Joe Cocker: 20th Century Masters (Millennium Collection) (Audio CD)

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this eleven-track Milliennium Collection is actually somewhat worth it! Granted, some Millennium Collections are very bad ideas (listen to those by the Who and B.B. King, for instance--better yet, don't). But somehow, this one works. I don't know, maybe the presence of With a Little Help From My Friends (Cocker's best song) has clouded my visions, but this is actually somewhat GOOD!!! Granted, I would've loved to have heard the versions of Bathroom WIndow and Delta Lady from Mad Dogs and Englishmen, as well as a couple other selections from that LP (namely LEt's Go Get Stoned) but I already own Mad Dogs in the first place, so why am I complaining? Especially when it's got Cry Me A River and the Letter from that concert? Not to mention the flat-out rocker High Time We Went and Traffic classic Feelin' Alright.
Sadly, there are a couple tunes that don't work. You Are So Beautiful is the most overproduced thing Joe pulled off...possibly ever. His vocals are a big plus, though, And Up Where We Belong never really did much for me. But this collection isn't half bad!