Gold

AMG Review of Gold

Al Campbell
All Music Guide

Hip-O's double-disc Joe Cocker set Gold unites the tracks on 2004's single-disc Ultimate Collection with 16 favorites that had been left off that package due to space restrictions. With that situation corrected, these original recordings span the singer's 30-plus years by not only including all the obvious favorites from his A&M days ("Feelin' Alright," "Delta Lady," "The Letter," etc.) but important overlooked hits of that era like "Put Out the Light," "High Time We Went," and "Midnight Rider." His later work on MCA, Island, Capitol, and Sony is also documented thoroughly with the inclusion of his number one 1992 duet with Jennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong," and the tastefully selected cover versions Cocker recorded in the 1990s of songs by Ray Charles, Elton John, Lovin Spoonful, and Randy Newman among others. Anyone looking for a comprehensive collection of Cocker's best recordings should pick this up.