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#1
12-22-2014, 08:41 PM
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RIP: Joe Cocker
The man gave his all to any song he sang.
He'll be missed.
__________________
. "A life is not important except in the impact it has on others lives" - Jackie Robinson “If you have a chance to make life better for others and fail to do so, you are wasting your time on this earth.”- Roberto Clemente 
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#2
12-23-2014, 01:58 AM
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One of the great ones has passed...
While Joe's passing has been covered on the national news, I feel that it should be an even bigger deal than it's being made out to be. Joe Cocker is one of the greats of popular music in the last century. There are two things that go to this man's greatness. Well, you could really say three, and you wouldn't be wrong.
Most popular artists, if they are lucky, have one truly iconic song. Some have two. Cocker, it could be said, had three. Cocker's music is the first unmistakable nod to his greatness. When you hear one of his classics, within seconds, you instantly know what the song is, and you know who the man behind the microphone is. Though "With a Little Help From My Friends" was written and recorded by the Beatles, appearing on their masterpiece album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, it could be argued that Cocker's cover is just as popular, and as important in the history of popular music, if not more so. What is not debatable, however, is that Cocker made the song his own, and it is one of the great cover songs of all-time. It is the rarest of accomplishments when a song written, performed, and popularized by the Beatles is brought up, and the Beatles' version is not the first you think of. Cocker's second iconic song, a cover of "the fifth Beatle", Billy Preston's "You Are So Beautiful", is one of the greatest love songs ever written, and Cocker, again, took a great song, slowed it down, altered the arrangement, and came up with a timeless classic. The number of children conceived as a direct result of Cocker's cover are legion. Cocker squeezed every last ounce of emotion out of his smoky, raspy voice. I've heard this song hundreds of times, and I never get tired of it. In fact, if I were asked to come up with a list of my favorite ten songs of the 70s, this would be near the very top, challenging Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street, and a select few others, for the top spot. For me to say that, as a complete progressive rock and metal devotee, is a testament to just how great those two songs, and performances, are to me. The third iconic song, ironically enough, was his biggest hit in the states. This would be "Up Where We Belong", a #1 smash he recorded with Jennifer Warnes for the Movie An Officer And a Gentleman. The song won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy Award. While the songs will be what Cocker is most remembered for, as should be the case with any great singer, his instrument, his voice, is instantly recognizable. Nobody sounded like Joe Cocker. And he was masterful at controlling his voice to get precisely what he was looking for. The third element of his greatness is the homage paid by John Belushi on Saturday Night Live. I can't think of Cocker without thinking of Belushi's spot on pantomime, his spastic arm movements, and facial contortion, made for one of the great moment's in the long-running show's history. He will be missed.
__________________
Building these sets: T206, 1953 Bowman Color, 1975 Topps. Great transactions with: piedmont150, Cardboard Junkie, z28jd, t206blogcom, tinkertoeverstochance, trobba, Texxxx, marcdelpercio, t206hound, zachs, tolstoi, IronHorse 2130, AndyG09, BBT206, jtschantz, lug-nut, leaflover, Abravefan11, mpemulis, btcarfagno, BlueSky, and Frankbmd.
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#3
12-23-2014, 08:53 AM
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__________________
. "A life is not important except in the impact it has on others lives" - Jackie Robinson “If you have a chance to make life better for others and fail to do so, you are wasting your time on this earth.”- Roberto Clemente Last edited by clydepepper; 12-23-2014 at 12:58 PM.
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#4
12-23-2014, 02:23 PM
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His cover of "With A Little Help From My Friends" is probably my favorite cover song of all time and definitely my favorite cover of a Beatles tune.
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#5
12-23-2014, 06:58 PM
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Give me "she came in thru the bathroom window" anytime.
__________________
Check out my aging Sell/Trade Album on my Profile page HOF Type Collector + Philly A's, E/M/W cards, M101-6, Exhibits, Postcards, 30's Premiums & HOF Photos "Assembling an unfocused collection for nearly 50 years."
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