A&M's double-disc
Anthology may be too much for casual fans that just want the hits, but anyone else will find this exhaustive 37-track chronicle of
Joe Cocker's prime years definitive. The first disc concentrates on his first three albums, buttressed by a rare 1964 single of
the Beatles' "I'll Cry Instead" and his 1970 non-LP single "The Letter"/"Space Captain." Disc two features highlights of all the albums he recorded between 1972 and 1982, selecting not only hits, but key album tracks. The end result is a collection that is concise and definitive. It may be missing such latter day hits as "When the Night Comes" and doesn't cover as much ground as the box set Long Voyage Home, but anyone looking for a comprehensive collection of
Cocker's classic recordings will be satisfied by
Anthology. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine