My wife and I regularly play a double CD compilation of Joe Cocker's best material. Never a prolific or even regular songwriter, he was instead, rather like the more feted and certainly more commercially successful Rod Stewart, an interpreter of other writers' songs covering everyone from the Beatles to Leonard Cohen, Bob Marley to Elton John. His biggest musical hero was Ray Charles and it's good to see the clip here of master and pupil together reminding us that the first recording Joe ever made was of the Genius's "Georgia On My Mind".
Elsewhere the film takes us back to his Sheffield roots with some fascinating footage of the time in the late 60's when the now local-boy-makes-good returns to his hometown to escape the distractions of the music business. There's no doubt however that the man had his demons, the usual dysfunctional duo of drink and drugs and while they unquestionably affected his behaviour and treatment of those around him, the picture emerges of a softer, gentler man than his wild man image might have you think. Even people he abruptly stopped seeing appear to have forgiven him, although it just may be no one wants to speak ill of the recently dead.
There are excerpts from many of his famous songs with his talismanic debut smash "With A Little Help From My Friends" omnipresent on the soundtrack. Among the admirers paying generous tributes to him are Randy Newman, Billy Joel and Jimmy Webb, three of the best piano-writers you could ever hear.
I was glad that by the end of his life, Cocker appeared to have found lasting love with his wife and peace in their mountain retreat in Colorado. From the footage of one of his last recorded concerts in Germany, where he was massively popular, he still had the voice too, up until the end.
How this hellraiser got all the way to 70 before dying would probably be a mystery to him too. This respectful tribute will hopefully encourage devotees and more casual fans like me to deeper explore his musical legacy. As they might have said in his native Yorkshire, he were a right good singer.
Elsewhere the film takes us back to his Sheffield roots with some fascinating footage of the time in the late 60's when the now local-boy-makes-good returns to his hometown to escape the distractions of the music business. There's no doubt however that the man had his demons, the usual dysfunctional duo of drink and drugs and while they unquestionably affected his behaviour and treatment of those around him, the picture emerges of a softer, gentler man than his wild man image might have you think. Even people he abruptly stopped seeing appear to have forgiven him, although it just may be no one wants to speak ill of the recently dead.
There are excerpts from many of his famous songs with his talismanic debut smash "With A Little Help From My Friends" omnipresent on the soundtrack. Among the admirers paying generous tributes to him are Randy Newman, Billy Joel and Jimmy Webb, three of the best piano-writers you could ever hear.
I was glad that by the end of his life, Cocker appeared to have found lasting love with his wife and peace in their mountain retreat in Colorado. From the footage of one of his last recorded concerts in Germany, where he was massively popular, he still had the voice too, up until the end.
How this hellraiser got all the way to 70 before dying would probably be a mystery to him too. This respectful tribute will hopefully encourage devotees and more casual fans like me to deeper explore his musical legacy. As they might have said in his native Yorkshire, he were a right good singer.