Joe Cocker: Mad Dog with Soul (2017)
**** (out of 4)
Recent times have been very mixed for music fans as so many of our most beloved artists are dying off. At the same time, the documentary business is booming as so many artists are getting wonderful tributes to them. Both cases are true for the legendary Cocker who passed away in 2014 but here's a terrific documentary that will help keep his legacy going through the decades.
I really loved the way this documentary presented itself as it pretty much tells Cocker's young life and then we get into a year- by-year look at his musical talents. This includes his breakthrough, his performance at Woodstock and the infamous Mad Dogs and Englishman tour. From here we see the various issues that the drugs and alcohol caused and, as Billy Joel states, how he was like a cockroach and everything you thought he was done he'd come back with another terrific single.
If you're a fan of Cocker then you're going to love this documentary, which is full of touching interviews as well as plenty of archival concert footage. Interviews feature his widow, his brother as well as various musicians and producers that he worked with. All of them give you a great idea of what made Cocker who he was and it covers the darker times where he struggled with a various of issues. The documentary also focuses on that wonderful voice and the amazing songs that we'd get from it.
JOE COCKER: MAD DOG WITH SOUL is certainly a highly entertaining documentary and it does a fantastic job at covering all the highs and lows of the man's career. One really couldn't have asked for a better documentary.