That heavenly choir has just acquired one hell of a gyrating soloist.

For everyone hurting at this news, at any other tragic news, or for whatever reason in this "festive" season of enforced jollity, hypocrisy, commercial exploitation and greed ...

I'm much saddened at the news of Joe's passing to the great beyond, he has ever been one of my  all time favourites. And for a bit of Classic Cocker in rememberance

Islanddawn wrote:

I'm much saddened at the news of Joe's passing to the great beyond, he has ever been one of my  all time favourites.

Me too. Thanks for posting both songs, Nord and ID.

I had forgotten how much I liked Joe Cocker's voice and style until our radio played a selection of requests yesterday.

Odd you should choose the Indonesia one, Nordmann.  Yesterday I started a library book picked up spontaneously at the library called Indonesia: Exploring the Improbable Nation.  It looked interesting and up-to-date, and Indonesia is so close to Australia that it seems shameful that all I know of it could fit into two sentences.  Bali is what is known here as a favoured holiday place. It has no appeal for me.  I don't suppose Britons go there so much.  She began by saying Indonesians feel their country - so large and diverse - is the least known in the world - I would have thought that honour would go to an African one. Or Suriname, which my head says is an African country but everyone else claims is a South American one. (I expect they are all wrong.)

Not quite on the subject perhaps.

But this is ...



The guy just couldn't help improving other people's stuff.

I liked Joe Cocker doing "Delta Lady" though of course he had a power house of a voice and I can't randomly think of a bad track that he ever recorded.  It is sobering when another of the persons who was a "star" in my younger days passes.  A little earlier in time I was also saddened by the passing of Baroness (PD) James, the writer of (to me at least) clever thrillers, though I can't expect everyone to have the same tastes as myself.  Baroness James was in her 90s so older than Mr Cocker of course. Returning to Joe Cocker's singing, I guess we are lucky that we live in a time when sound recordings are possible, so the renditions of the songs can still be listened to after the demise of the singer.