Leon Russell | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 23 March 1970 | |||
Recorded | September 1969 – January 1970 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 38:06 | |||
Label | Shelter (US) A&M (UK) | |||
Producer | Denny Cordell, Leon Russell | |||
Leon Russell chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [3] |
Leon Russell is the debut solo album by the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Leon Russell. It followed his debut with the Midnight String Quartet and a production by Russell and Marc Benno billed as the Asylum Choir.
"A Song for You", written by Russell for this album, is a slow, pained plea for forgiveness and understanding from an estranged lover. The tune is one of Russell's best-known compositions. It has been performed and recorded by over 200 artists, spanning many musical genres. Elton John has called the song an American classic. [4] [5]
On January 17, 2018, "A Song for You" was added to Grammy Hall of Fame. [6] [7]
All tracks composed by Leon Russell except where indicated
Side one
Side two
The 1993 "Gold Disc" CD reissue contains 5 bonus tracks:
Technical
"This album is dedicated to: Chris Stainton / George Harrison / Ringo Starr / Charlie Watts / Bill Wyman / Eric Clapton / Klaus Voorman / BJ Wilson / Alan Spenner / Jim Gordon / Greg Dempsey / Stevie Winwood / Jim Horn / Mr. & Mrs. Bramlett / Bobby Whiplash / Clydie King / Merry Clayton & Joe Cocker, for their inspirational music."
Chart (1970–1972) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [10] | 9 |
US Billboard 200 | 60 |
Derek and the Dominos was an English–American blues rock band formed in the spring of 1970 by singer-guitarist Eric Clapton, keyboardist-singer Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon. All four members had previously played together in Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, during and after Clapton's brief tenure with Blind Faith. Dave Mason supplied additional lead guitar on early studio sessions and played at their first live gig. Another participant at their first session as a band was George Harrison, the recording for whose album All Things Must Pass marked the formation of Derek and the Dominos.
David Thomas Mason is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic, and went on to play and record with many notable pop and rock musicians, including Paul McCartney, George Harrison, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney & Bonnie, Leon Russell, and Cass Elliot.
Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert is a live album by Eric Clapton, recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London on 13 January 1973 and released in September that year. The concerts, two on the same evening, were organised by Pete Townshend of the Who and marked a comeback by Clapton after two years of inactivity, broken only by his performance at the Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971. Along with Townshend, the musicians supporting Clapton include Steve Winwood, Ronnie Wood and Jim Capaldi. In the year following the two shows at the Rainbow, Clapton recovered from his heroin addiction and recorded 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974).
Live at the Fillmore is a live double album by Derek and the Dominos, recorded in two performances in October 1970 at the Fillmore East and released on 22 February 1994. It includes live material previously released on the In Concert album, live material previously released on Eric Clapton's Crossroads box set, and several previously unreleased numbers.
Eric Clapton is the debut solo studio album by English rock musician Eric Clapton, released in August 1970 by Atco and Polydor Records.
Crossroads is a 1988 music collection box set of the work of Eric Clapton released by Polydor Records. The set includes his work with the Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends and Derek and the Dominos, as well as his solo career.
Christopher Robert Stainton is an English session musician, keyboard player, bassist and songwriter, who first gained recognition with Joe Cocker in the late 1960s. In addition to his collaboration with Cocker, Stainton is best known for his work with Eric Clapton, The Who, Andy Fairweather Low and Bryan Ferry.
On Tour with Eric Clapton is a 1970 album by Delaney & Bonnie with Eric Clapton, recorded live at the Fairfield Halls, England. Released on Atco Records, it peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 in April 1970, at No. 39 on the UK Albums Chart, and was certified a gold record by the RIAA.
Joe Cocker! is the second studio album by English singer Joe Cocker, released in November 1969. Following the template of his first LP, the album features numerous covers of songs originally performed by Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Leonard Cohen, and future touring partner Leon Russell. Cocker also co-wrote one song, "That's Your Business Now", with Chris Stainton, who was a frequent songwriting partner.
The ARMS Charity Concerts were a series of charitable rock concerts in support of Action into Research for Multiple Sclerosis in 1983. The first event took place at the Royal Albert Hall on September 20, 1983, with subsequent dates occurring in the United States, with slightly different lineups of musicians.
In Concert is a live double album, recorded by Derek and the Dominos in October 1970 at the Fillmore East and released January 1973.
D&B Together is the sixth album by Delaney & Bonnie and Friends and their first for Columbia Records. It was their last album of new material, as Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett would divorce soon after its release.
Eric Clapton at His Best is a two-LP compilation of Eric Clapton's work after he left his earlier band Cream, released in September 1972. It was concurrently released with a two-LP compilation of Cream tracks, Heavy Cream, along with "at His Best" solo retrospectives by Cream's other members Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.
Backtrackin' is a two-disc compilation album by Eric Clapton spanning the years 1966 to 1980. It was released in 1984. The compilation contains all of Clapton's best known songs with Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominos, and his solo 1970s work through his 1980 live album Just One Night. This compilation album is made in Germany and is only available in the United States as an import. It was originally released by Starblend Records, and has since been reissued by Polydor Records. This 2 CD compilation is currently out of print in some markets while still available in some form in others.
Delaine Alvin "Delaney" Bramlett was an American singer and guitarist. He was best known for his musical partnership with his wife Bonnie Bramlett in the band Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, which included a wide variety of other musicians, many of whom were successful in other contexts.
Timepieces Vol. II Live in the Seventies is a live album released in 1983 by Eric Clapton.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen: The Complete Fillmore East Concerts is a live album by Joe Cocker, recorded in New York City in 1970.
"Let It Rain" is a song and single written and released by the British rock musician Eric Clapton and Bonnie Bramlett; it appears on his 1970 debut studio album Eric Clapton. In 1972 it was released as a single as part of the promotion for his compilation album Eric Clapton at His Best
Leon Live is a live album by singer and songwriter Leon Russell recorded on August 28, 1972, at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California. It was Russell's first live album and was originally released as a three-LP set in a tri-fold cover on Russell's Shelter Records label. The album was mixed at Ardent Studios and distributed by Capitol Records. The album peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and received a gold certification for sales of over 500,000 albums. Leon Live was re-released on CD by The Right Stuff Records in 1996. The album has gold certification for sales of over 500,000 albums in the US and Canada
Live in Japan is an live album by singer and songwriter Leon Russell. The album was recorded two live tour sessions. The first record section is a 1973 tour show at Budokan in Japan on November 8, 1973. The second recorded section is from a 1971 tour show in Sam Houston Coliseum. While the album had some of Leon's new hits, like "Tight Rope" and "A Song for You," the album did not chart in the top 200. His early live album Leon Live peaked at #9 on the U.S. charts. The album was first released as a vinyl LP by Shelter Records. Live in Japan was re-released on CD by Omnivore Recordings in 2011 and again in 2013 with bonus tracks. The album was by produced by Leon Russell, Nobuya Itoh, Peter Nicholls and Denny Cordell. The new CD releases were after Leon recordings earned six gold records. He received two Grammy awards from seven nominations. In 2011, he was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. One of his biggest early fans, Elton John, said Russell was a "mentor" and an "inspiration". They recorded their album The Union in 2010, which earned them a Grammy nomination.