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Luxury You Can Afford was Joe Cocker's only album for Asylum Records. Released in 1978 and produced by Allen Toussaint, it had all the pedigree to be a great recording. With Cocker's trademark wounded, Ray Charles-derived vocal style and Toussaint's genius with fluid, soulful horn charts, it really should have been another high-water mark in Cocker's career. That it only partly succeeds is the disappointment, but with this reissue from Wounded Bird Records, a reappraisal seems in order, and with hindsight, Luxury You Can Afford was much more solid an outing than it first appeared to be. Cocker's version of Bob Dylan's "Watching the River Flow" is a perfect cover, and Toussaint's horns give the arrangement a solid swing, and some swagger and punch as well. "I Can't Say No," written by John Bettis and Daniel Moore, could stand in as an autobiography of Cocker's early years, and lines like "I can't say no/I never could" sung in Cocker's woozy, world-beaten voice carry the ring of absolute truth, as does the soulful and wounded resignation of Cocker's signature rasp on "Wasted Years," a song written by Phil Driscoll. The lead track, the wonderful "Fun Time" (penned by Toussaint), was hyped as a disco track at the time of the album's release, but now appears to have been really more of a New Orleans dance and party cut, and it rocks smoothly and firmly without ever tipping over into Donna Summer territory. What mars Luxury You Can Afford, though, are two covers that must have looked good on paper, Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and Norman Whitfield's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," most notably done in a for-the-ages version by Marvin Gaye. Both songs would seem tailor-made for Cocker's vocal approach, but the arrangements on Luxury sink them immediately. "Pale" is paced too slow, a critical problem for a song that depends on its hazy ennui to work in the first place, while the arrangement for "Grapevine" come across as disjointed and blustery, a situation that plays to Cocker's weaknesses rather than his strengths. Without these two serious missteps, Luxury You Can Afford would have the coherence of tone to be resurrected as an underappreciated classic. With them, unfortunately, it suffers from a sad musical schizophrenia.
© Steve Leggett /TiVo
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Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Howie Hersh, Bass Guitar - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - David Newman, Tenor Saxophone - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Acoustic Piano, Clavinet, MixingEngineer - Allen Toussaint, Producer, Writer, Horns Arranger - Hank Crawford, Alto Saxophone - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Gary Brown, Tenor Saxophone - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Leroy Cooper, Baritone Saxophone - Cliff Goodwin, Guitar - Mitch Chakour, Guitar - Philip Guilbeau, Trumpet - John Riley, Drums - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment Group for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Wayne Jackson, Trumpet - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - Richard Tee, Acoustic Piano - Bob Dylan, Writer - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Producer, MixingEngineer - Allen Toussaint, Producer, Electric Piano - Stephen Gadd, Drums - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Ronnie Eades, Baritone Saxophone - Harvey Thompson, Tenor Saxophone - Pete Carr, Slide Guitar, Lead Guitar - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Charlie Rose, Trombone - Harrison Calloway Jr., Trumpet, Horns Arranger - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment Group for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Howie Hersh, Bass Guitar - Phil Driscoll, Writer - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Organ, Piano, Mini Moog, Strings, MixingEngineer - Allen Toussaint, Producer, String Arranger, Electric Piano - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Pete Carr, Guitar - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Bobby Keys, Tenor Saxophone - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Cliff Goodwin, Guitar - Mitch Chakour, Guitar, Acoustic Piano - Philip Guilbeau, Trumpet - John Riley, Drums - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment Group for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Randy McCormick, Electric Piano - Howie Hersh, Bass Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - David Hood, Bass Guitar - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Mini Moog, Strings, Acoustic Piano, MixingEngineer - Billy Preston, Organ - Matthew Fisher, Writer - Allen Toussaint, Producer, String Arranger - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Keith Reid, Writer - Gary Brooker, Writer - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Cliff Goodwin, Guitar - Mitch Chakour, Guitar - Philip Guilbeau, Trumpet - John Riley, Drums - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Jimmy R. Johnson, Rhythm Guitar - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment Group for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Wayne Jackson, Trumpet - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar - Charles Rose, Trombone - Daniel Moore, Writer - Howie Hersh, Bass Guitar - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - Richard Tee, Acoustic Piano - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Producer, Piano, MixingEngineer - Allen Toussaint, Producer, Organ, Clavinet - JOHN BETTIS, Writer - Stephen Gadd, Drums - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Ronnie Eades, Baritone Saxophone - Harvey Thompson, Tenor Saxophone - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Joey Murcia, Guitar - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, Harmonica, MainArtist - Cliff Goodwin, Guitar - Mitch Chakour, Guitar - Philip Guilbeau, Trumpet - John Riley, Drums - Harrison Calloway Jr., Horns Arranger - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment Group for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar - Howie Hersh, Bass Guitar - Phil Driscoll, Writer - Bernard Purdie, Drums - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - Richard Tee, Acoustic Piano - Dr. John, Electric Piano - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Piano, MixingEngineer - Allen Toussaint, Producer, Organ - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Cliff Goodwin, Guitar - Mitch Chakour, Guitar - Philip Guilbeau, Trumpet - John Riley, Drums - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment Group for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Wayne Jackson, Trumpet - Charles Rose, Trombone - Randy McCormick, Electric Piano - Howie Hersh, Bass Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - David Hood, Bass Guitar - David Newman, Tenor Saxophone - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Producer, Acoustic Piano, MixingEngineer - LARRY BYROM, Lead Guitar - Allen Toussaint, Producer - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Ronnie Eades, Baritone Saxophone - Harvey Thompson, Tenor Saxophone - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Barbara George, Writer - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Clyde Kerr, Trumpet - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Cliff Goodwin, Guitar - Mitch Chakour, Guitar - Philip Guilbeau, Trumpet - John Riley, Drums - Harrison Calloway Jr., Trumpet, Horns Arranger - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 WEA International. Elektra Entertainment. A Division of Warner Communications.
Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Wayne Jackson, Trumpet - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar - Charles Rose, Trombone - Howie Hersh, Bass Guitar - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - Richard Tee, Acoustic Piano - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Producer, Piano, MixingEngineer - Allen Toussaint, Producer, Electric Piano - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Harvey Thompson, Tenor Saxophone - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Cliff Goodwin, Guitar - Mitch Chakour, Guitar - Philip Guilbeau, Trumpet - John Riley, Drums - Bettye Crutcher, Composer - Harrison Calloway Jr., Trumpet, Horns Arranger - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment Group for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Doug Flett, Composer - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar - Howie Hersh, Bass Guitar - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - Richard Tee, Acoustic Piano - Donny Hathaway, Electric Piano - David Newman, Tenor Saxophone - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Piano, MixingEngineer - Allen Toussaint, Producer - Hank Crawford, Alto Saxophone - Stephen Gadd, Drums - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Harvey Thompson, Tenor Saxophone - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Guy Fletcher, Lyricist - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Cliff Goodwin, Guitar - Mitch Chakour, Guitar - Philip Guilbeau, Trumpet - John Riley, Drums - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment Group for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar - Howie Hersh, Bass Guitar - Phil Driscoll, Writer - Cornell Dupree, Guitar - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - Richard Tee, Acoustic Piano - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Piano, MixingEngineer - Allen Toussaint, Producer - Stephen Gadd, Drums - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Pete Carr, Lead Guitar - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Joey Murcia, Guitar - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Cliff Goodwin, Guitar - Mitch Chakour, Guitar - Philip Guilbeau, Trumpet - John Riley, Drums - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment Group for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Skip Goodwin, Engineer - Wayne Jackson, Trumpet - Charles Rose, Trombone - Randy McCormick, Clavinet - Rick Danko, Bass Guitar - Howie Hersh, Bass Guitar - Roger Hawkins, Drums - Alex Sadkin, Engineer - Marcus Belgrave, Trumpet - BARRY BECKETT, Producer, Piano, MixingEngineer - Allen Toussaint, Producer - Michael Lang, ExecutiveProducer - Ronnie Eades, Baritone Saxophone - Harvey Thompson, Tenor Saxophone - Pete Carr, Lead Guitar - Steve Melton, Engineer - Mona Lisa Young, Backing Vocals - Norman Whitfield, Writer - Clydie King, Backing Vocals - Bill Gazecki, Engineer - Joe Cocker, Lead Vocals, MainArtist - Cliff Goodwin, Guitar - Mitch Chakour, Guitar - Philip Guilbeau, Trumpet - Barnett Strong, Writer - John Riley, Drums - Harrison Calloway Jr., Trumpet, Horns Arranger - Roberta Grace, AssistantEngineer - David Yates, AssistantEngineer - Terry Dunavan, MasteringEngineer - Sheila Taylor, AssistantEngineer - Gregg Hamm, Engineer - Jimmy R. Johnson, Rhythm Guitar - Ann Lang, Backing Vocals - Bob Gore, AssistantEngineer - Jerry Mastters, Engineer
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 1978 Elektra Entertainment Group for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States.
Album review
Luxury You Can Afford was Joe Cocker's only album for Asylum Records. Released in 1978 and produced by Allen Toussaint, it had all the pedigree to be a great recording. With Cocker's trademark wounded, Ray Charles-derived vocal style and Toussaint's genius with fluid, soulful horn charts, it really should have been another high-water mark in Cocker's career. That it only partly succeeds is the disappointment, but with this reissue from Wounded Bird Records, a reappraisal seems in order, and with hindsight, Luxury You Can Afford was much more solid an outing than it first appeared to be. Cocker's version of Bob Dylan's "Watching the River Flow" is a perfect cover, and Toussaint's horns give the arrangement a solid swing, and some swagger and punch as well. "I Can't Say No," written by John Bettis and Daniel Moore, could stand in as an autobiography of Cocker's early years, and lines like "I can't say no/I never could" sung in Cocker's woozy, world-beaten voice carry the ring of absolute truth, as does the soulful and wounded resignation of Cocker's signature rasp on "Wasted Years," a song written by Phil Driscoll. The lead track, the wonderful "Fun Time" (penned by Toussaint), was hyped as a disco track at the time of the album's release, but now appears to have been really more of a New Orleans dance and party cut, and it rocks smoothly and firmly without ever tipping over into Donna Summer territory. What mars Luxury You Can Afford, though, are two covers that must have looked good on paper, Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and Norman Whitfield's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," most notably done in a for-the-ages version by Marvin Gaye. Both songs would seem tailor-made for Cocker's vocal approach, but the arrangements on Luxury sink them immediately. "Pale" is paced too slow, a critical problem for a song that depends on its hazy ennui to work in the first place, while the arrangement for "Grapevine" come across as disjointed and blustery, a situation that plays to Cocker's weaknesses rather than his strengths. Without these two serious missteps, Luxury You Can Afford would have the coherence of tone to be resurrected as an underappreciated classic. With them, unfortunately, it suffers from a sad musical schizophrenia.
© Steve Leggett /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:41:50
- Main artists: Joe Cocker
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Rhino - Elektra
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing ℗ 2004 Elektra Entertainment Group Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing
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