Personnel: Joe Cocker (vocals); Jim Price (vocals, trumpet, trombone, brass); Robbie Shakespeare (vocals, bass guitar); Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews, Merry Clayton (vocals, background vocals); Jennifer Warnes, Jimmy Cliff, Matthew Moore, Venetta Fields, Daniel Moore (vocals); Chris Stainton (guitar, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organ, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards); Leon Russell (guitar, piano, organ); John Miles (guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, background vocals); Clarence White, Cornell Dupree, Phil Grande, Ralph Hammer, David Cohen, Deanie Parker, Dan Sawyer, Eric Gale, Henry McCullough, Michael Hart Thompson , Jay Graydon, Jimmy Page, John Shanks, Michael Landau, Mike Campbell , Mikey Chung, Neil Hubbard, Ray Parker, Jr., Richie Zito, Steve McEwan, Steve Power, Tim Pierce, Barry Reynolds, Cliff Goodwin, Mitch Chakour, Ben Benay (guitar); Dean Parks (acoustic guitar); Johnny Lee Schell (electric guitar); Sid Page, Peter Kent (violin); Evan Wilson (viola); Suzie Katayama (cello, accordion); Rudy Stein (cello); The Sid Sharp Strings (strings); Don Shelton , Deric Dyer, Mel Collins, Wilton Felder, Bruce Eskovitz (saxophone); Sam Rivers (soprano saxophone); Hank Crawford, Jim Horn (alto saxophone); Clarence Clemons, Gary Brown , David "Fathead" Newman , Trevor Lawrence, Bobby Keys (tenor saxophone); Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Steve Madaio (trumpet, horns); Philip Guilbeau, William Churchville, Marcus Belgrave, Rick Baptist, Wayne Bergeron, Chris Tedesco , Stewart Blumberg (trumpet); Mayo Tiana, Nick Lane (trombone); Crispin Cioe, Dick "Slide" Hyde, Robert Funk, Joel Peskin, Arno Hecht, Uptown Horns, Hollywood Paul Litteral (horns); Jeff Levine (piano, keyboards); Jamie Muhoberac (piano, synthesizer); Nicky Hopkins, Artie Butler, Peggy Sandvig, Chris Elliott (piano); C.J. Vancston (Fender Rhodes piano, organ, synthesizer); Tommy Eyre (organ); David Paich (Hammond b-3 organ); Joe Sample, Larry Marshall, Patrick Warren, Richard Tee, Wally Badarou (keyboards); Arthur Barrow, Spike Edney (synthesizer); T.M. Stevens (bass guitar); Jim Keltner, Kenny Aronoff, Steve Gadd , Chuck Blackwell (drums, percussion); Michael Baird , Paul Humphries, John "J.R." Robinson , David Beal , Jeremy Stacey, Jim Gordon , Mike Baird, Ndugu, Ollie Brown, Steve Holley, Stix Hooper, B.J. Wilson, John Riley , Eric Parker, Jack Bruno, Joe Correro, Bruce Rowland (drums); Bobby Torres (congas); Laudir Soares (maracas, tumba); Sticky Thompson, Starz Vander Lockett, Milt Holland, Andy Duncan, Paulinho Da Costa, Rafael Padilla (percussion); Maxine Green, Alexandra Brown, Curtis King, Helen Hampton, Virginia Ayers, Julia Tillman Waters, Mary Bond Davis, Sunny Weetman, Fred White, Maxine Sharp, Deirdre Tuck Corley, Sydney Davis, Ann Lang, Joey Diggs, Julia Waters, Katie Kissoon, Lamont VanHook, Madeline Bell, Maxine Willard Waters, Patrice Holloway, Rita Coolidge, Tawatha Agee, Viola Wills, Benny Diggs, Mary Carewe , Gloria Jones, Mortonette Jenkins, Marlena Jeter, Bonnie Bramlett, Rosetta Hightower, Brenda Holloway, Carmen Twillie (background vocals); Adrian Belew, Steve Lukather (guitar); Jerry Goodman (violin); Greg Phillinganes (synthesizer); Jeff Porcaro, Sly Dunbar (drums); Lenny Castro (percussion); Cissy Houston (background vocals); The Crusaders.

Audio Mixers: Chris Lord-Alge; Daniel Lazerus; Marc DeSisto; Rik Pekkonen; Tony Visconti; Bob Clearmountain.

Audio Remixers: Chris Lord-Alge; Glyn Johns.

Recording information: A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (09/1968-??/1977); Ardent Studios, Memphis, TN (09/1968-??/1977); Capitol Studios B (09/1968-??/1977); Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas (09/1968-??/1977); Criteria Recording Studios, Miami, FL (09/1968-??/1977); Dynamic Sounds, Kingston, Jamaica (09/1968-??/1977); Fillmore East, New York, NY (09/1968-??/1977); Henson Studios, Los Angeles, CA (09/1968-??/1977); Image Recording, Los Angeles, CA (09/1968-??/1977); Island Studios, London, England (09/1968-??/1977); Metropolis, London, England (09/1968-??/1977); Muscle Shoals Studios, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, AL (09/1968-??/1977); Oasis Recording Studios, Universal City, CA (09/1968-??/1977); Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, CA (09/1968-??/1977); Olympic Studios, London, England (09/1968-??/1977); Power Station, NY (09/1968-??/1977); Record Plant (09/1968-??/1977); Royaltone Studios (09/1968-??/1977); Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, CA (09/1968-??/1977); Soundworks Digital Audio-Video, NY (09/1968-??/1977); Sunset Sound Studios (09/1968-??/1977); The Treehouse (09/1968-??/1977); The Village recorder, West Los Angeles, CA (09/1968-??/1977); Trident Studios, London, England (09/1968-??/1977).

Photographers: Gered Mankowitz; Jim McCrary; Michael Putland; Barry Feinstein; Henry Diltz.

Arrangers: Jim Price; Chris Stainton; Leon Russell; Richard Tee; Uptown Horns; C.J. Vancston.

Hip-O's double-disc Joe Cocker set Gold unites the tracks on 2004's single-disc Ultimate Collection with 16 favorites that had been left off that package due to space restrictions. With that situation corrected, these original recordings span the singer's 30-plus years by not only including all the obvious favorites from his A&M days ("Feelin' Alright," "Delta Lady," "The Letter," etc.) but important overlooked hits of that era like "Put Out the Light," "High Time We Went," and "Midnight Rider." His later work on MCA, Island, Capitol, and Sony is also documented thoroughly with the inclusion of his number one 1992 duet with Jennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong," and the tastefully selected cover versions Cocker recorded in the 1990s of songs by Ray Charles, Elton John, Lovin Spoonful, and Randy Newman among others. Anyone looking for a comprehensive collection of Cocker's best recordings should pick this up. ~ Al Campbell