Sunday, March 10, 2013

Joe Cocker Live - Across from Midnight Tour (1997)

Joe Cocker Live - Across from Midnight Tour 1997
Filmed in Berlin in 1997, this good-looking production finds the aging bluesman mixing his classic covers with more recent material, all for an appreciative audience in a startlingly dramatic venue. Warming up with "Could You Be Loved" and "Feeling Alright," Cocker soon finds his footing and launches into the Scotch whiskey soul of "Have a Little Faith," the kinky comedy of "You Can Leave Your Hat On," and the gospel-flushed agony of "When the Night Comes." A take on Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic" is welcome, while "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" mines the old Animals chestnut for further blues testimony. The crumpled valentine of "You Are So Beautiful" is touchingly familiar and dedicated, on this occasion, to the late Princess Diana. In all, Cocker is in very good, professional form here, a tempered force of nature, perhaps, but an expressive stylist of mature conviction. --Tom Keogh
Joe Cocker's Across From Midnight captures his 1997 performance at Waldbuhne, Berlin. His 17-song, 86-minute performance includes hits like "Feelin' Alright," "Up Where We Belong," "You Are So Beautiful," and "You Can Leave Your Hat On." Inspired cover choices such as "The Letter," "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," and "Into the Mystic" round out an entertaining set list.

Track Listing:
1. Could You Be Loved
2. Feelin' Alright
3. Have a Little Faith In Me
4. Up Where We Belong
5. You Can Leave Your Hat On
6. When the Night Comes
7. N'Oubliez Jamais
8. Summer in the City
9. You Are So Beautiful
10. Into the Mystic
11. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
12. Delta Lady
13. The Letter
14. Unchain My Heart
15. With a Little Help From My Friends
16. Across From Midnight
17. Cry Me a River