Calling something "
The Ultimate Collection
" is fraught with problems -- usually of omission. Certainly over these two discs -- containing a total of 30 tracks -- there are plenty of fine moments from some of
Joe Cocker
's earliest material, such as
"The Letter,"
"With a Little Help From My Friends,"
"Delta Lady,"
"She Came In Through the Bathroom Window,"
etc. Also present are virtually all of his later hits and some that should have been:
"Up Where We Belong,"
"You Are So Beautiful,"
"Many Rivers to Cross,"
"Leave Your Hat On,"
etc. But there's just too much that isn't here. Where are
"Bird on a Wire"
and
"Hitchcock Railway,"
for starters? Nonetheless, given the length of
Cocker
's career, this is not an unusual complaint. One thing that is unique about this set -- other than the fine sound -- is the sequencing that crisscrosses over the breadth and chronology of
's discography. There are also a couple of rarities, which would have been OK to leave off in order to include some of the more classic titles. But this is quibbling;
fans will have a good time with this, but it's a safe bet they won't be selling off their original albums/CDs to replace them with this. ~ Thom Jurek