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40 of 41 found the following review helpful:
 WHAT A BORN NATURAL, SOULFUL SINGER !!! BRAVO, JOE COCKER !!! Apr 22, 2008
By Matthew G. Sherwin
The Ultimate Collection by Joe Cocker may not have all of his best hits; but this is still a pretty good compilation nevertheless. The sound quality is excellent and I like the artwork. This CD is a must-have for Joe Cocker fans.
"With A Little Help From My Friends" is partially a cover a this famous tune by The Beatles; but when Joe Cocker performs his own rendition this number takes flight just about as good as when The Beatles performed it! The backup chorus bolsters Joe Cocker's performance and overall he delivers this ballad with a great deal of sensitivity. It makes a great beginning for this album. "Feelin' Alright" is a rockin' tune that has a catchy, almost irresistible melody to it; and Joe Cocker performs this without a single superfluous note! The percussion helps to mark the beat but there's an excellent arrangement for the piano--I love it!
"She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" is another cover of a Beatles tune; and Joe would make The Beatles proud with his sublime rendition! Joe sings this very well and the somewhat jazzy musical arrangement embellishes the number a great deal. Listen also for a live recording of "Cry Me A River;" this gets a jazzy, somewhat rock and roll treatment for this classic ballad made so famous by the great Julie London. In addition, "You Are So Beautiful" is clearly one of the greatest love songs ever written--Joe Cocker sings this with passion, heart and soul. It always amazes me to hear Joe sing "You Are So Beautiful."
"Up Where We Belong" is another duet made famous by both Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. The two artists complement each other rather well and this makes "Up Where We Belong" a solid number. There's also a "90s version" of "Unchain My Heart." "Unchain My Heart" really rocks and it sounds very good! The backup chorus enhances the natural beauty of this ballad. Awesome!
"Summer In The City" is a fine cover that gets a somewhat Caribbean treatment from Joe and his musician friends; the tempo slows down and the melody overall is very pretty. "Sail Away" is a tender number that touches me when I hear it; and the album also ends very strong with Joe Cocker performing "First We Take Manhattan." "First We Take Manhattan" rocks and only Joe Cocker could make this tune sound so good!
Joe Cocker possesses a great talent and we are all better off for his sharing his giftedness with us. This is a great Joe Cocker album for his fans; and it's also a great starter CD for people just discovering the fine artistry of Joe Cocker.
30 of 34 found the following review helpful:
"many legendary hits from the past ~ Joe Cocker" Jan 13, 2004
By J. Lovins
"Mr. Jim"
Hip-O Records presents "Ultimate Collection-Joe Cocker", featuring an anthology from 1969 through 2000 with a masterpiece within each cue ~ some signature tunes appear making this a not to be missed album that will fit nicely on the shelf of anyone's collection.Opening track "WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS", the great Lennon/McCartney song is a blanket of hits the Beatles that gave Cocker became a huge, huge hit in his career ~ "DELTA LADY", composer Leon Russell gave Joe the funky ingredients he needed to make this his own ~ "SHE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW", an emotional lyrical tone with another Beatles endeavor ~ "THE LETTER", if it's blues you're craving, then my friend you've arrived...sit back and give this a serious listen ~ "YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL", the 1974 hit with piano and bass, shows another side of Cocker with heartfelt admiration for the girl he loves ~ "UP WHERE WE BELONG", simple ballad with Jennifer Warnes with the problems that arise in a relationship ~ "SHELTER", get ready for some fancy footwork, Cocker at his rockin' best (this is more than a toe-tapping track) ~ "SUMMER IN THE CITY", a catchy tune, soak up the beat and you're hooked ~ "SAIL AWAY", Randy Newman composed and sits in at the piano, a message that hits the mark everytime...a perfect bullseye! For many Cocker fans, there are titles missing ~ but give this a listen and enjoy the twenty songs from the past thirty years...gotta love it! Total Time: 79:59 on 20 Tracks ~ Hip-O Records 61208 ~ (1/13/2004)
25 of 33 found the following review helpful:
 Bad sound-quality Mar 02, 2004
It appears the record company's intentions for this new CD was only to maximize profits; certainly very little was invested in assuring good sound. I wish I had not bought this CD. I already own several Joe Cocker CDs, and I bought this one hoping that, since it is a newer release, it would have better sound-quality than the ones I already own. Quite the contrary. Even though the older CDs are not great (sonically), the overall sound on this new CD is noticeably worse. This CD sounds harsh and brittle, sometimes making you want to leave the room while plugging your ears. If you already own Cocker's greatest-hits CD from circa 1987, keep it, for it has considerably better sound: on that CD the piano, percussion, and other instruments sound much more true to life than they do on this new CD. I expect some reviewer will read this and respond that I am wrong, that the CD is perfectly clean and crisp and clear sounding. Yes, but "clean, crisp and clear" is not enough; recorded music should also present the music in its best form, with voices and instruments sounding natural and lifelike, with no harshness. Clarity alone is not sufficient. Somehow, the record company has stripped away the musical naturalness. This CD is not very pleasant to hear; and that's a shame, because Cocker's music is good. Don't buy this CD. Send the message to the record company that we expect (and will wait for) a quality recording of Cocker's music. No more of this harsh, bad-sounding junk they keep reissuing...
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Not a fan before -- NOW I AM! Jan 19, 2004
By David Quinn
Bluntly, I wasn't a fan of Cocker's material before I got this CD. I was familiar with his work, having grown up listening to him on the radio, etc. I was one of those people who would look at him and think, "What the heck is he doing with his body? Can't the man just stand up and sing??" ;) Well, this CD just BLEW ME AWAY. I consider it a MUST-HAVE for any music fan. Great compilation of material, great sound (nice mastering job Hip-O), great liner notes. Shut up and buy it.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
FABULOUS!!!!! Sep 15, 2006
By E. Adams
"loves to read"
From the first "Aaargh!" I became captivated with the soul singing of Joe Cocker. The two songs recorded live, "The Letter" and "Cry Me a River" is more than enough reason to purchase this CD. The constant beat in the background music is clear, sharp and a perfect match to Cocker's passion. A great buy.
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