Joe Cocker’s album “Stingray”, 1976, is a favorite of mine. Its flavor is so similar to Joe’s 1974 album, “I Can Stand A Little Rain” they could have been a double album.
I purchased the vinyl album of this and played it until the needle wore the record down. Once, after a show that I opened for Joe, I was privileged to meet Pam Cocker. I told her that Stingray was a favorite of mine and she said it was a favorite of hers too. I told her that I had found and purchased just about all of Joe’s albums on Cd but Stingray had not been released on Cd yet and I wondered why. I constantly was searching for it and when I finally found it available, I rushed to order it. When it arrived, I sat down, with headphones on, and marveled at the songs that I hadn’t heard in decades.
The first Track “The Jealous Kind” has a Reggae feel, and keyboardist Richard Tee, really sweetens the sound with his choice of keyboard and deftly played licks. I perform this song, a lot in my “As Joe Cocker” Tribute Shows. Track two, “I Broke Down” is an up tempo tune, with energy suitable for an opening song of a live concert. Track Three, “You Came Along” is a Bobby Charles song that features an echo effect at 36 seconds into the song, on Joe’s voice that is short but I listen for it every time that I listen to this track. Track Four, “Catfish” is a favorite of mine, written by Bob Dylan. It tells the story of Catfish Hunter, the famous baseball pitcher. Catfish is my favorite pitcher in baseball ever. I had never heard Dylan’s version of the song so I found it and gave it a listen. Since I had heard Joe’s version first and loved it, I hated Dylan’s original. Track Five, “Moon Dew” is a vehicle for the dynamics of Joe’s voice. It starts soft and low and builds to a gut felt, sorrowful, voice with an instrumental finish. Track Six, “The Man In Me”, is also a Bob Dylan composition. Joe’s version is a Reggae arranged song that has a happy bounce to it. Track seven, “She Is My Lady”, is a bluesy number with a distinct Gospel feel to it. I was surprised to learn that it was written by George Clinton. Donny Hathaway recorded this song. Joe’s version is so powerfully sang with feeling; I can’t imagine anyone doing a better version of this song than Joe. Track 8, “Worrier”, I love the lyrics to this song. On this call and answer arrangement, the girls really shine. One of the singers has a sound that I can only describe as a “Cockerish” growl. Track 9, “Born Thru Indifference”, features Richard Tee playing a B3 Organ, and the slinky sound of Eric Gale playing his guitar. The last track is “A Song For You” by Leon Russell. This arrangement is really slowed down from Leon’s version, which allows Joe’s heart and soul to stand out in his interpretation of these lyrics. Many Cocker Fans have not heard this album. I recommend it, especially if you heard and liked the “I can Stand A Little Rain” album.
As always, Thank You, for reading my cockertribute.com blog.
•