SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Dalbert Pringle Impressively directed by Pierre Adidge - "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" certainly captures the raw intensity of singer, Joe Cocker as he goes into yet another spastic rendition of some great rock, blues, and soul songs (all recorded before a live audience).Released in 1970 - This live-concert documentary covers Cocker's tour of the US (from Detroit to San Francisco). And we look on as Cocker gets by with a little help from his friends.IMO - Joe Cocker (gravel-voice, and all) was a unique performer from his generation.This music-documentary not only looks at touring and backstage life for Joe, but it also includes performances by Leon Russell and Rita Coolidge, as well."Note" - In 2014 - Joe Cocker (70 at the time) died of lung cancer. He had been a heavy smoker all his adult life.

jc-osms Sure this on-tour movie is cliched in parts, none more so than with the post-Woodstock-ian split-screen techniques thrown into every musical sequence, but the whole is elevated by the great music this 30 strong band of gypsies generates.The story was that Joe, seeking to capitalise on his new-found Stateside success, found himself without a band for a coast to coast tour booked well in advance. Whereupon his US record label introduced him to the Master Of Space And Time, Mr Leon Russell who not only put together this massive band, comprising such later luminaries as Stones saxophonist Bobby Keys and most of Derek's (Eric Clapton) Dominos as well as Leon's own Delta Lady Rita Coolidge on backing vocalists, but also played lead guitar and lead piano, as well as arranging the music.I love the big sound this band makes, with almost every song given the celebratory, evangelical treatment just bound to get the crowd going. The song selection is excellent, lesser known Cocker gems like "Space Captain" and "Darling Be Home Soon" rubbing shoulders with established classics like "Feelin' Alright", "The Letter" and of course Joe's piece-de-resistance "With A Little Help From My Friends".One could argue that Cocker was something of an extra in his own movie which is partly due to Russell's charismatic presence, whether on guitar or piano, but also because Joe himself seems like such a self-effacing guy. Even when interviewed on camera, Cocker doesn't really have a lot to say and you can tell he's happiest when letting his frazzled larynx rip on songs whether he's live in concert or having a knees-up on the tour bus.So, nothing revelatory here either in the music, anything said by the contributors or the presentation of the film itself. Still, it's an entertaing travelogue by a band the size and quality of which hasn't been witnessed too many times since.

ligonlaw Joe Cocker was a spastic, possessed singer who had so much soul. Mad Dogs and Englishmen is a documentary about the singer and his band composed of many rock and roll greats including Leon Russell, Bobby Keys, Claudia Lennear, Rita Collidge, Chris Stanton and Bobby Jones, to name a few. The film is a creation of its time, capturing the hair and the clothing of 1970 when it was filmed in Berlin.The hard whiskey and cigarette voice lost some pitch over the years, but he continued to tour. This documentary shows Cocker and his best.The stage is filled with singers and musicians and I wanted so much to be with them then. Mad Dogs and Englishmen cover soul and R&B classics and some Beatles music. The covers depart from the originals and become unique interpretations of the songs we thought we knew well already. Cocker's hard-edged voice and his spell-binding movements made him the brightest light of that moment in Rock and Roll. The songs are still among my favorites. RIP.

runamokprods Charming, messy documentary of Joe Cocker's 1970 American tour. Some really fun performances are captured here (and, gratefully songs are allowed to pay out at their full length). At the same time, we get a pretty fascinating voyeur's peek into the odd, wild commune like life of Cocker's tour; a huge number of musicians, girlfriends, wives, babies, roadies and the occasional groupie. And, perhaps funniest of all, the off-screen Cocker – who's on stage energy and almost spastic movements famously make him look like a man possessed –off-stage seems like a quiet, likable, thoughtful, even somewhat shy fellow. Not a particularly deep film, but an enjoyable two hours if you're at all interested in Cocker and his hard edged rock-blues-gospel approach to some great classic rock tunes.