Buyer Beware!

Having been a Joe Cocker fan in the late 60s and the 70s, I recently realized that I had no Joe on CD (only on vinyl). After picking up his greatest album ever ("Joe Cocker!") on CD, I ordered "The Best of Joe Cocker" to bring me up to speed. One of the main reasons for getting this CD was that it contained the LIVE VERSION of "Help from My Friends." However, after receiving the CD and listening to the first few notes of "My Friends," I realized that this was NOT the live version we all know and love. The classic live version of this song done at Woodstock (as well as the studio version on his 1st LP) makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck (the way the lead to "Stairway to Heaven" always does). This version is OK, but BUYER BEWARE - it is WAY less powerful than the Woodstock version. The rest of the album is OK, but all these songs are so overproduced compared those songs exhibiting the raw energy that his earlier work had. This was a disappointing buy.

Mixed Bag Anthology

"The Best of Joe Cocker" contains the highlights of his career from after the period covered by his "Greatest Hits" album, so it must be noted that the version of "With a Little Help from My Friends" is newer and not the "classic" version. Cocker's later career was not nearly as interesting as his late 60s and early 70s peak. A song like the syrupy duet ballad "Up Where We Belong" may have been a massive hit, but it has little in common with the raw power of his best work. The album's best moments come early. The first three songs, "Unchain My Heart," "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and "When the Night Comes," may be a bit heavy on the bombast, but they are quite tuneful and Cocker's never been in better voice. After that the songs are less memorable, with few standouts.

Overall, an up-and-down anthology from the latter part of Joe Cocker's great career.

Where Is "Love Is Alive?"

I agree this is not up to par with Joe's best stuff from the 60s and early 70s, but given that, they even left off his best song from this period, "Love Is Alive." That song really ROCKS and it is not here. Shame.