Personnel: Joe Cocker (vocals); Leon Russell (guitar, piano); Don Preston (guitar); Bobby Keys (tenor saxophone); Jim Price (trumpet); Chris Stainton (piano, organ); Carl Radle (bass instrument); Chuck Blackwell (drums, percussion); Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner (drums); Bobby Torres (congas); Sandy Konikoff (percussion); Donna Weiss, Matthew Moore, Pamela Polland, Rita Coolidge, Daniel Moore, Claudia Lennear, Bobby Jones, Donna Washburn, Nicole Barclay (background vocals).
Recording information: Fillmore East, New York, New York (03/27/1970 - 03/28/1970); A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA.
One of the first classic post-Woodstock albums, MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN was recorded at precisely the moment that Cocker and his bandleader Leon Russell found themselves, however briefly, at the epicenter of the rock & roll universe. The big hits here--the juiced-up version of Traffic's "Feelin' Alright," the Memphis soul revamp of the Box Tops "The Letter"--have been ubiquitous for years, and remain as potent as ever.
Some of the less familiar tracks are equally rewarding though, particularly the Cocker/Russell duet on Dylan's "Girl From the North Country" (with the composer in attendance), and the obscure early Ray Charles raver "Sticks and Stones." This one shot ensemble (including veteran British musicians and the cream of then current L.A. sessioneers) was a great band, however unwieldy (twenty-one members!) and we're lucky to have this document of its only tour.
What the critics say...
Q (4/97, p.142) - 5 Stars (out of 5) - "...there's an organised abandonment and sense of spiritual pilgrimage in this set that remains virtually unrivalled."
