In the double album Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited, the Tedeschi Trucks Band revives the wild energy of Cocker. With a 12-member rock-blues orchestra led by Leon Russell, they capture the spirit of the seventies and bring it to the streaming generation, with power and playing almost lost to the world.
The American ensemble, composed of 12 members and somehow not well known in the country, is led by two: the excellent vocalist and guitarist Susan Tedeschi and her even more remarkable guitarist husband, Derek Trucks, especially in slide guitar. The latter is also the nephew of Butch Trucks, one of the drumming duo of the Allman Brothers, who also had the honor of playing with the legendary band (and not due to nepotism). The couple and the many accompanying musicians excel at creating thrilling Southern rock that combines blues, soul, and Americana, sounding like a natural continuation of early seventies Southern US music, with a contemporary twist, but effortless.
When they are not releasing new albums (the last time was in 2002 with I Am the Moon), they enjoy offering their interpretation of legendary double albums from 1970. They did this successfully in 2021 with Derek and the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, and recently their equally fascinating version of Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen, recorded in 2015, finally saw release after a full decade.
When Cocker led the Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour in 1970, later documented in a double album and a film, he was at the peak of his career. He had just finished his iconic performance at Woodstock, and with a promising debut album that also featured Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin. But alongside potential came a great deal of missed opportunity. What was meant to be his triumphant tour ended with mixed results, and his career experienced many downs, never fully recovering until his death in 2014.
Cocker was given another chance to participate in this renewed project led by the couple and their band, but he refused and died a year before the show went on stage. Russell, meanwhile, also no longer with us, did participate, alongside vocalist Claudia Lennear from the original, performing Bob Dylan’s Girl From the North Country.
Other guests in this rich event include Dave Mason from Traffic, thrilling with Feelin’ Alright, and Chris Robinson, former Black Crowes member, shining through She Came in Through the Bathroom Window by The Beatles. Just before the end comes another Beatles cover, the song that made Cocker one of Woodstock’s biggest stars With a Little Help from My Friends, a nine-minute performance with no drop in energy.
For those familiar with and loving the original album, the Tedeschi Trucks Band version recalls many forgotten details. Those new to it will discover a skilled group of musicians playing with soul, not computers. In an era where young listeners continue to discover treasures of the past, the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s refreshed take on this 1970 classic is an invitation to a new-old rock-blues celebration, hard not to fall in love with from the first listen.
