With a Little Help from My Friends in Bloomington, MN

Joe Cocker
's debut album holds up extraordinarily well across four decades, the singer's performance bolstered by some very sharp playing, not only by his established sideman/collaborator
Chris Stainton
, but also some top-notch session musicians, among them drummer
Clem Cattini
,
Steve Winwood
on organ, and guitarists
Jimmy Page
and
Albert Lee
, all sitting in. It's
Cocker
's voice, a soulful rasp of an instrument backed up by
Madeline Bell
Sunny Weetman
Rossetta Hightower
that carries this album and makes
"Change in Louise,"
"Feeling Alright,"
"Just Like a Woman,"
"I Shall Be Released,"
and even
"Bye Bye Blackbird"
into profound listening experiences. But the surprises in the arrangements, tempo, and approaches taken help make this an exceptional album. Tracks like
with its soaring
gospel
organ above a lean textured acoustic and light electric accompaniment, and the guitar-dominated rendition of
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
-- the formal debut of the
Grease Band
on record -- all help make this an exceptional listening experience. The 1999
A&M
reissue not only includes new notes and audiophile-quality sound, but also a pair of bonus tracks, the previously unanthologized B-sides
"The New Age of Lily"
"Something Coming On,"
deserved better than the obscurity in which they previously dwelt. ~ Bruce Eder