Joe Cocker’s ‘Mad Dogs & Englishmen’ Concert Film Premieres on YouTube
The documentary release arrives just before the legendary rocker’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Joe Cocker’s decorated legacy continues to be celebrated, with the release of the acclaimed documentary Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Originally debuted in theaters in 1971, the documentary (which also doubles as a concert film) is now available on Cocker’s official YouTube channel to watch in its entirety for the first time.
Directed by Pierre Adidge, Mad Dogs & Englishmen followed the Grammy-winning English rocker on his 1970 North American tour alongside fellow singer-songwriter Leon Russell. Throughout its two-hour runtime, the documentary shows Cocker’s impassioned performances of classics like “Delta Lady” and “Feeling Alright” with scenes highlighting moments in tour buses, vans, and planes.
Tour manager Sherman “Smitty” Jones and infamous figures like rock groupie Barbara Cope, also known as “The International Butter Queen,” also make appearances. There’s also fun backstage footage, with Cocker sharing quotables like “I used to sing in front of the mirror with a tennis racket…full of shit I am” and “If you really want results, you have to forget everything you have of your old self, let’s say, and just surrender to what’s going on.” Footage of Cocker performing the Beatles’ “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” from the film was previously remastered and released in August.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen drew praise from iconic film critic Roger Ebert, who called its performance footage “the best rock coverage since Woodstock” in his Chicago Sun-Times review. “The sound is first rate, for one thing,” Ebert added, “and director Pierre Adidge has some idea of why Cocker electrifies a crowd.” Vincent Canby of The New York Times shared similar sentiments, praising it as “one of the best concert films so far.”
The YouTube premiere of Mad Dogs & Englishmen comes just before Cocker’s posthumous induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony takes place on November 8 in Los Angeles and will also be streaming live on Disney+ beginning at 8 pm ET.
Last month, three classic albums from Cocker’s lengthy discography were reissued on vinyl. 1967’s With A Little Help From My Friends and 1969’s Joe Cocker! were both re-released on new 1LP Standard black vinyl. The rocker’s 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen, the tour’s accompanying live album, was reissued on 2LP standard black vinyl.
