Customer Reviews

With a Little Help From My Friends

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Joe Cocker's 1969 debut album "With a Little Help From My Friends", is without question, one of the greatest debut albums of the classic rock era. This release packs a punch from the very start. Beside the title track, which is one of the most recognized rock songs ever recorded, Joe is simply stunning, on tracks like "Feeling Alright", which also was a huge hit and his version of "Bye Bye Blackbird". His take on Dylan's "I Shall Be Released", and "Just Like A Woman" are some of the most gut wrenching, and emotional versions of these songs ever waxed. At the time of it's release 35 years ago, rock and soul had never been blended, with such power and grace. Jimmy Page and Stevie Winwood along with B.J Wilson and long time Cocker keyboard man Chris Stainton, were all part of the supporting cast, that helped this album become a huge hit, that propelled Joe Cocker to rock stardom, that continues to this day, some 35 years later.

This is an incredible album, showcasing Joe Cocker's unique soulful vocals and brilliant song interpretations. The musicians are first rate, including Henry McCullough, Albert Lee and Jimmy Page, Guitar; Chris Stainton, Tommy Eyre & Steve Winwood, keyboards, and Procol Harum's organist and drummer: Matthew Fisher and the late B.J.Wilson. For me, the highlight of this exceptional set is the title track which was released as a single prior to the album and of course was a huge hit, remaining a classic today. The Joe Cocker biography by J.P. Bean (Omnibus press, 1990) describes how Jimmy Page and B.J. Wilson were last-minute replacements on the track, and Wilson, especially, was credited by Joe with saving the session after 35 unsuccessful takes with Jim Capaldi. In the sound sample on this page, you only hear a few seconds of Wilson's wonderful beats, but I think they're enough to illustrate how instrumental he was to the success of the song. There's fantastic musicianship throughout this CD, a must-have for fans of big, soulful exciting rock.

What a great remastering--no hiss and the separation between instruments is great! The highlights are so many--Page's gut-busting solo on "Blackbird," the title track, Sandpaper Cadillac, Matthew Fisher's great organ on Just Like A Woman....The Bonus tracks make it even better--Something's Coming On is a great song and New Age of Lilly has an interesting melody and arrangement, but some of the most ridiculous lyrics anyone has ever recorded. A keeper!!

this is a fine start. cocker is helped out on this debut album by an impressive list of british rock luminaries-jimmy page and steve winwood are certainly the best known, but also guys from bands like spooky tooth and procol harum, among others. cocker's band from the period is, of course, also excellent on this disc. cocker is probably the finest male white soul singer period, with the possible exception of the aforementioned winwood.there's a few decent originals, such as the hippieish sandpaper cadillac and the soulful ballad change in louise. the minor british hit marjorine is ok. everyone knows the versions of feelin' alright and with a little help from my friends. there's also good covers of the standard blackbird, nina simone's don't let be be misunderstood, and dylan's i shall be released and just like a woman. for me though, the masterpiece on this album is an incredible tour de force called do i still figure in your life? this is a cover of a song by an obscure british late 60's aggregation known as the honeybus. it's an excellent , sad track with great organ work by winwood and superb vocals by cocker and the female backup singers. i'm surprised that this isn't a well known cut by cocker, and that it wasn't released as a single. this is a fine debut record , most of the tracks are first rate, and cocker's 2nd album, simply called joe cocker! is another worthy addition to one's record collection.

This is Joe's first album and it is his best IMHO. His following release, Joe Cocker, is also highly praised but I think falls a distant second to this one. Alot of soul and great musicians to back him up, including Jimmy Page. This one is great.

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS is an exceptional debut from Joe Cocker. It contains a wonderful mix of covers and a few originals, and the title cut rips the Beatles' original to shreds any day. Also not to be missed is Cocker's rendition of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", sung to sound like it's coming from an at-heart pacifist who occasionally loses his cool on other people. Pointing out other highlights is pointless, as this album should be taken as a whole.

Masterful album with more soul than you can shake a stick to. Cocker's version of 'Bye Bye Blackbird'is worth the price alone.

When Cocker does covers of the Beatles or Dylan, he does sonething that is difficult to do--he adds new elements and takes em' to a new level.

This record is a must for the audiophile who loves 60's R&B or just good ole' rock n roll.

Joe Cocker and a stellar case of rock's Who's Who from the late `60s overcame a bit of turbulence in the studio to create one of the defining works of that time, a great introduction to Mr. Cocker, and a great reminder of just how much talent and musicianship existed then.

Listening to these songs now, it's interesting to hear Jimmy Page underplaying his parts and to hear how Albert Lee was already the consummate guitar session man. Of course, this album is all about vocals, and Mr. Cocker let the world know he was ready to be reckoned with on this debut. The fine backup singers really help frame his sometimes out-of-bounds singing, but this set still swings and sound remarkably fresh considering it is 40-plus years old now.

The sound is a bit cleaner on this remaster, and the bonus tracks, while worth a listen, neither add to or detract from the recording's status.

Joe Cocker really takes the crown as the king of Beatle covers with his take on WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS. And it's the perfect title for the album because he had more than a little help cutting these sessions with many of England's top rock musicians. He covers Dylan and others in fine fashion and his singing is just superb. An honest to god soul man. He could have easily showed up at the Stax Records studio in Memphis and made an even a better record than this one. And that's the only reason I don't give this record 5 stars. The playing here is quite good but the production is a little heavy handed. I'm one who actually slightly prefers his self titled follow up album because there's less of that deep reverb, layered sound. Having said that, this is still a great record. Joe's screamin' howl during the second bridge of the title track, is simply unequaled in the history of Rock 'n Roll.........

Believe it or not, tonight, I experience the awesome Joe Cocker for the first time. I happen to be surfing on the television and a program from Austin limits was coming on featuring Joe Cocker. The man sat me down in my seat and I was held
captive the complete show...... All I can say is the man is "Awesome!" I must now find and hear more.