Excellent. Take pictures and post.

I think you're both right. Certainly the context (drugs, Woodstock etc.) was a large part of what made that particular performance as memorable as it was. Hard to picture the same performance in Carnegie Hall for example.

And it is precisely this context that distinguishes this performance from other—more wooden(polished)—performances of the same song, and which makes this a classic that anyone who lived through the '60's will treasure.

Whether or not Joe was baked during that set is known to him and the handful of people around him at the time.

Considering it was the 60's and it was Woodstock I'm going to go with he was not completely straight. That's circumstantial but probably accurate.

One constant of Joe is diction, it's never been good. Sometimes better than others but still, not good.

I will disagree that he was "borderline passed out".

Other than the diction that is a tight performance. He is not out of tune or off time at any point. If he were falling down sloppy baked he'd be missing all over the place.

And if you play all the way through his little speech at the end is completely coherent.

I don' know man. Them camera buttons get real confusing sometimes when I'm partying, man. But I'll try, man. It is an outdoor concert, so chances are the smoke haze won't be thick as a brick...ohhh, wait man, that was Jethro Tull, man!

Hey, wait a minute man! This is a Joe Cocker concert....right. Sorry, man. My connection jus' left an' I had to have a little breakfast toke before I paid him.

Anyway...what were we talking about, man?

I realize this thread is about Jethro Tull, but here's an excerpt from a Joe Cocker Interview - December 30th, 2003:

"Q: Tell us about the original Woodstock, what was that experience like?

Looking back It's getting further and further away. The experience itself, the more I look back on it was what was valuable. I have sung to large crowds since then, and there is a feeling that once you get over 100,000 people, you kind of lose the control element, you don't know if you are really getting through or not. When we did that show, it was only a one-hour set. The song "Let's Get Stoned" came through about three-quarters of the way through. All of a sudden, I kinda felt like it was just this social -- everyone smoking pot happened, but until then I felt they were enduring what I was doing but not really diggin' it, and those last three or four numbers I just could feel this weird sort of consciousness, you know what I mean? We felt like we were getting through to them, it was very strange. Once you get into entertaining a quarter of a million people, it's a very weird place to be. When I did the second one, we opened up, I was in the first song and the crowd, there were some strange people looking at me like I was from another planet, and all of a sudden they raised this girl up out of nowhere. It was in the moshing days, you know, and this girl with this huge black crotch came, they passed her forward like an offering, then she disappeared back into the crowd."

He's aged rather well, I think, with all that clean living. ;)


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1241452144.jpg

Perhaps the disagreement lies in how you define a great performance. Is it pitch-perfect, hitting all the right notes at the right time? Polished? Clean and audible? Or is it rich and soulful, accuracy be damned? This is a dichotomy that classical performers deal with all the time - technical chops vs. expressivity, and in that world it's a very fine line to walk. The best performers display both in spades.

However in the rock world, technical ability isn't held up to such high standards, and generally audiences would prefer a more expressive interpretation of a song than a technically accurate one. Though still you find exceptional musicians that display great talents at both - Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, people like that come to mind. This Cocker performance is at one far end of that scale, and I think what you're finding is that most people (myself included) really dig that expressiveness, even at the expense of accuracy. For music like this, if you want accuracy, buy the record. If you want to experience the expressiveness of it, see (or watch) it live.

The drug issue only pushes it further toward that end of the scale.

BTDT!!!!! I always get that opening credit/theme song stuck in my head for days at a time.

By whom?

This performance is compelling for many because it is on the edge. Really living your art is incredibly difficult and often painful. It is rare that you see someone willing to let go and travel there. Different artists have different ways of doing that, hence the variability in performance styles. And most never are able to get there.

Speaking of that SNL episode...I've wondered if Joe Cocker knew Belushi was going to do that impersonation. JC seemed suprised and a bit annoyed...or maybe he AND Belushi were chemically obliviopus.

I viviidly remember watching the episode when it aired live. Well sorta vivid;)

I still don't understand the 60's, but, I like Joe Cocker's music.

Someone brought it to JC's attention just after the skit aired.

The person who showed it to him was surprised at JC's reaction assuming he would be upset.

JC reportedly laughed his ass off.

Joe Cocker and Belushi actually shared the same stage on Sat night Live.
Joe had a huge problem with alcohol, a legal "drug".

Lucky D...you will enjoy the show..
saw him a yrs ago in Munich (Unchain my Heart tour)
front ...he was awesome!

Rika

The irony of the song and Cocker's performance is the "What would you do if sang out of key...would you stand up and walk out on me?" In some ways I think he intentionally botched it up.

I'm a 60's child, born 1960.
I'm sure my mother did drugs and I was born with child fetal drug & alcohol syndrome, been fighting the urge all my life ;)

wish I was there, not bloody likely I'd have remembered much of the concert though, based on my attendance at other concerts?

Boston, the Orpheum Theater - 1974 or 5 (can't rightly remember). Middle of concert, Joe starts looking a bit queasy, more than usual, ambles around back of the drummer and boots. Comes back, wipes his mouth, takes a swig of beer and proceeds on w/ concert. Priceless.

87 blk coupe