Joe Cocker "Mad Dogs & Englishmen," after the Noël Coward song of the same name. Cocker's music evolved into a more bluesy type of rock, compared to that of the Rolling Stones. During the ensuing Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour (later described by drummer Jim Keltner as "a big, wild party"), Cocker toured 48 cities, recorded a live album, and received very positive reviews from "Time" and "Life" for his performances. However, the pace of the tour was exhausting. Russell and Cocker had personal problems; Cocker became depressed and began drinking excessively as the tour wound down in May 1970. Meanwhile, he
Mad Dogs and Englishmen (song) song while driving from Hanoi to Saigon "without pen, paper, or piano". Coward himself elucidated: "I wrestled in my mind with the complicated rhythms and rhymes of the song until finally it was complete, without even the aid of pencil and paper. I sang it triumphantly and unaccompanied to my travelling companion on the verandah of a small jungle guest house. Not only Jeffrey [Amherst], but the gecko lizards and the tree frogs gave every vocal indication of enthusiasm". The lines refer to the Noonday Gun opposite the Excelsior Hotel in Hong Kong, which is still fired every day at