Love Leon.Saw him live twice in the early 70s with his revue style show which included Furry Lewis and Freddie King.Two absolute giants of the blues.I listen to Carney fairly regular,though my favorite is the first Shelter LP.Stop all That Jazz certainly merits play,The Cover likely would not fly in the modern world.Oddly it is reminescent of an Anna Russell jacket from (the 50s)?Hank Wilson's Back(Vol. 1 )with the fabulous guitar work of Billy Byrd is also totally outstanding.Just picked up a mint Billy Byrd LP in a thrift store.Gold Warner Bros label(Stereo issues 65-66) with an unbelievable soundstage.Leon certainly can play many styles and bring realism to them all. |
I'm a huge Leon fan. Some of his best work was with Delaney & Bonnie, give a listen to "Motel Shot". Otherwise, "Carney" & "Leon Live" rate my favorites. |
Yep, always had a soft spot for Leon. He still gets up to my area once a year for a show (Kent State Univ. - Ohio). This Masquerade, still gets me.
EMI-Capitol put out a half way decent budget Best Of cd. |
A sadly underappreciated artist. Goes back a LONG way. Did lots of studio work for others before branching out solo. Yea, he's great.
Listen to "Leon and the Shelter People". It's the joint. |
A sadly underappreciated artist. Goes back a LONG way. Did lots of studio work for others before branching out solo. Yea, he's great. Amen to that. Sold my lp collection two years ago with five or six Leon Russell albums. Never replaced them; threads like this give me reason to regret. I do have the double Best Of cd from EMI though. Unfortunately the sound is not wonderful. |
I wonder if the cover of Carny was the inspiration for Heath Ledger's take on the Joker in the new Batman movie. |
Have been a fan of Leon since way back. Saw him most recently at the House of Blues New Orleans.
Joe Cocker Mad Dogs and Englishmen is a all star line up including Leon.
My favorite is self titled Leon Russell |
Another exceptional and all but forgotten giant was David Bromberg. Can I get a witness? |
In the summer of 2007, I saw Leon Russell at an incredible outdoor venue here in Colorado. He came tottering out from behind the stage to a piano on the ground in front of us. His long white hair was flowing and his costume was just like you remember, cowboy hat and all Someone helped him get situated at the keyboard and took his cane. We were thinking this might be a dud.
But holy shit - he raised his hands above the keys and when they came down, thirty-five years evaporated in a torrent of reminiscence and cold chills. This guy hadn't lost a thing. He had an incredible band and two female backup singers who were his daughters from his former wife Mary.
It was a beautiful, stimulating and enchanting evening. And it was free, sponsored anonymously by a local philanthropist. I saw Dave Mason, Beausileil, Nancy Griffith, Spiro Gyra, and others I can't remember right now at the same venue in past seasons. All this happens right here in the town where I live. |
Leon's "Asylum Choir II" with Marc Benno easily ranks among my top ten fave albums of all time. Early LP pressings on the yellow Shelter label (has anyone seen this on a blue label?) sound great. If you're not into vinyl look for the CD from DCC. It is amazingly good and in some respects even surpasses the LP version. |
And don't forget Leons's stint with the New Grass Revival. The year they closed the Telluride Bluegrass Festival was a helluva night. |
I always picture Leon playing bass with Bob Dylan at "The Concert for Bangledesh." His cover of Jumping Jack Flash was a show stopper in my eyes as well. He deserves much more recognition. |
His cover of Beware of Darkness by George Harrison was exceptional IMO. Great to listen to George's version and then Leon's back to back. |
Saw Leon a few times in the 70s.
Wasn't he on Mad Dogs and Englishmen? |
A friend and I hitch-hiked over 100 miles to see him perform in Madison, Wisconsin, in the early '70s. I was 16 or 17 years old. No problem getting there, or back. One of the best concerts I attended. "Carney" is my favorite too. |
Yeah, Carney was a favorite of mine as well. Haven't listened to it in 30 years though. |
"Hank Wilson's Back" & "...Shelter People" are both great! |
i've always admired his talent, but never was a huge fan--for some reason he reminded me of schroeder, from charliebrown. however, "song for you", hummingbird" and "superstar" are three of the prettiest songs in the english language, so you gotta give him his props. |
One of my favs. Leon and the Shelter People, Carney, Asylum Choir II, Live, Hank Wilsons Back. He's great, hope to see him in Nashville sometime in April.
......A Stranger In A Strange Land ;)) |
Have you fans heard "The Union"? It's a collaboration between Leon and Elton John. |
"Stop All That Jazz" is one of my favorites from the ol' Okie. |
Saw Leon Russell once, years ago, with Richard Thompson opening. At the time hadn't heard of Richard Thompson. |
