Customer Reviews

Luxury You Can Afford

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I used to listen to this record when I was in the Army stationed in Germany late 70's early 80's. We used to sit in the barracks drinking really good German beer and cranking Joe on the stereo. Always being asked to turn it down.

This album has continuity to it. Goes together from beginning to end. Has a few power ballads on it that are just so soulful. Joe can rock too. Highly recommended to the hard core Joe fan and the casual listener. Produced and arranged by Allan Toussaint so you can gather that it is a superbly recorded album. Nothin but class. A luxury you can afford. Seriously.

I recommend this to anyone that loves classic Cocker. I have been trying to track this one down every since they stopped selling vinyl. Fun Time is the greatest party song, and all the others are true classics. I promise if you buy this you will not be disappointed.

I bought the vinyl album of Luxury for $2 in a Paragould, Ark., flea market in 1988 and nearly played the grooves off it on the turntable. I just purchased the CD and play it constantly. It's a lesser known Joe album, but it is ever as good as anything else he does. (Joe could sing the headlines from daily newspapers and it would be classic).

There is a great mix of Joe's talent on this album. The third track, Boogie Baby, in infectous. It's followed with Whiter Shade of Pale, the Procol Harum classic. Like all else, Joe covers this better, I think, than the original artist ( I know, blaspheme against Harum). I told him this once when I met him in Memphis and he got embarrassed. He's a very humble, likable guy! The ninth track, Lady Put the Lights Out, is a personal favorite of mine. The neat thing is that I loved the song when I first heard it. Nearly 20 years later, despite a lot of changes in my musical tastes, I still am moved by the beauty of the tune.

Even the track Heard It Through The Grapevine, a song I am not particularly fond of, is done well by Joe.

This album features a good range of his talent. From the moving Lady and Wasted Years to the funky Fun Time to the rocking What You Did To Me Last Night, Joe covers it all. I'd buy the greatest hits albums first.. Gold is a good one, but once you get hooked on Joe, Luxury You Can Afford is a must.

After trying to buy and waiting for three vendors, I finally got my CD
Every Joe Cocker fan needs this one. Has Joe's version of "A Whiter
Shade of Pale" rarely heard except on live performance cd's. A winner!

I remember owning this album (yes, vinyl) when I was younger. I remembered the song Fun Time and the album cover distinctly, but could not find the CD anywhere. Mr. Cocker's voice is so unique and almost iconic. He makes everything he sings come to life. Each song on the CD is Luxurious as Joe adds his style and sound to make them his own.

This is worth it's price only because of the best version of A whiter shade of pale I've ever heard! Cocker is probably one of the best singers in his genre. Hurry up and get the Stingray album if you haven't got it. It getting more expensive on the used-market all the time. It's Cocker's best album!

Upon it's release in 1978 Stereo Review hailed this album as one of the years best and with good reason. Producer Allen Toussaint gets the best out of Joe and the musicians who contributed to the album which include Billy Preston, DR. John, Rick Danko, Donny Hathaway, Richard Tee and Steve Gadd just to name a few. There is some real soul shouting here on numbers like Dylan's "Watching The River Flow" and splendid covers of "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" and a blistering version of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" which is with out a doubt the best rock cover version of this song to date including CCR'S version. Also Joe is credited for playing an instrument for the first and only time on the train driven tune "I Can't Say No"[he plays the harmonica]. "Luxury You Can Afford" is the one forgotten Cocker cd that should be in your music libary if you enjoy the classic Joe Cocker sound. I strongly recommend this cd.

This release was available as an import CD some time ago...it's nice to see it back. If you like Joe in a reggae mood, this is an excellent CD. It also features some nice ballads. I think it followed Stingray in the '70's. It reminds me more of Jamaica Say You Will. At any rate, you won't go wrong with this one. My personal favorite is Wasted Years, but Boogie Baby is right up there, too.

I was looking for something a bit more obscure when I came across the title of this album, which I listened to for so many years that I may have heard it more often than anything else Joe Cocker has ever recorded. Popularity is not a good guide to what I have been listening to. I want to hear songs that I would like to sing, and I wish I could sing "Boogie Baby" so anyone would want to listen to me. If the title of this is about being selfish, don't let that keep you from enjoying this. Treat yourself.