Joe Cocker: the movie “Mad Dogs & Englishmen” on YouTube

To celebrate Joe Cocker’s induction into the Hall of Famethe film “Mad Dogs & Englishmen” is available for free (for a limited time) on YouTube.

The 1971 film “Mad Dogs & Englishmen” is a documentation of Joe Cocker’s long US tour, with Leon Russell as musical director. The film tells the story of a rock/soul road show: not just concerts, but travel, buses, backstage, moments of relaxation and tension, and the performance as the visual and sound fulcrum.
The direction – entrusted to Pierre Adidge – plays with the idea of the concert film: it alternates live shots, shots of the band and choir in action, “behind the scenes” moments and the energy of the tour that spreads onto the stage.
Musically, the film reflects the rock + soul fusion of the era: Cocker is not just lead vocalist, but part of a massive ensemble — choir, horn section, percussion — that gives the tour and the film an epic feel.
From a technical point of view, the sound quality is quite good.
“Mad dogs & Englishmen” is considered one of the significant concert films of the early 70s, a testimony to what it meant to undertake a large-scale rock tour in that era: great lineup, great audience, great ambitions.

The tour was also documented by a double live album (see the album set list below).

Watch the film: it lasts a couple of hours, and it’s worth it (there are English subtitles, very useful for understanding the dialogues).

Side One

Introduction (0:44)
Honky Tonk Women (Jagger/Richards) (3:47)
Introduction (0:17)
Sticks and Stones (Titus Turner/Henry Glover) (2:37)
Cry Me a River (Arthur Hamilton) (4:00)
Bird on the Wire (Leonard Cohen) (6:37)

Side Two
7. Feelin’ Alright (Dave Mason) (5:47)
8. Superstar (Leon Russell/Bonnie Bramlett) (5:02)
9.Introduction (0:16)
10. Let’s Go Get Stoned (Valerie Simpson/Nickolas Ashford/Joseph Armstead) (7:30)

Side Three
11. Blue Medley (12.46) –:

I’ll Drown in My Own Tears (Henry Glover)
When Something Is Wrong With My Baby (Isaac Hayes/David Porter)
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (Otis Redding/Jerry Butler)

Introduction (0:21)
Girl from the North Country (Bob Dylan) (2:32)
Please Give Peace a Chance (Leon Russell/Bonnie Bramlett) (4:14)

Side Four
15.Introduction (0:41)
16. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (Lennon/McCartney) (3:01)
17. Space Captain (Matthew Moore) (5:15)
18. The Letter (Wayne Carson) (4:46)
19. Delta Lady (Leon Russell) (5:40)