The Union | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 19 October 2010 | |||
Recorded | 20 November 2009 – March 2010 | |||
Studio | The Village (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Producer | T Bone Burnett | |||
Elton John chronology | ||||
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Leon Russell chronology | ||||
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The Union is a collaboration studio album by singer-songwriters Elton John and Leon Russell, released on 19 October 2010 in the US and on 25 October in the UK. This is John's second collaboration album, after 1993's Duets . This is the first studio release by John since 1979's Victim of Love without any of his regular band members. It is also his highest charting studio album on the Billboard 200 since 1976's Blue Moves , debuting at No. 3, as well as Russell's highest charting studio album since 1972's Carney . The Union was No. 3 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010. [1]
The album features appearances by Booker T. Jones (on Hammond B-3), Neil Young (vocals), Robert Randolph (pedal steel), and Brian Wilson (vocal harmonies). This album was dedicated to Guy Babylon, John's keyboard player who died a year before its release. [2] "If It Wasn't for Bad" was nominated for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and "Hey Ahab" became a staple in John's concert tours.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "If It Wasn't for Bad" | Leon Russell | 3:43 |
2. | "Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes" | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | 3:23 |
3. | "Hey Ahab" | John, Taupin | 5:39 |
4. | "Gone to Shiloh" (featuring Neil Young) | John, Taupin | 4:50 |
5. | "Hearts Have Turned to Stone" (moved to twelfth track on some CD copies) | Russell | 3:47 |
6. | "Jimmie Rodgers' Dream" | John, Taupin, T Bone Burnett | 3:42 |
7. | "There's No Tomorrow" | John, Russell, Burnett, James Timothy Shaw | 3:45 |
8. | "Monkey Suit" | John, Taupin | 4:46 |
9. | "The Best Part of the Day" | John, Taupin | 4:45 |
10. | "A Dream Come True" | John, Russell | 5:07 |
11. | "I Should Have Sent Roses" | Russell, Taupin | 5:21 |
12. | "When Love Is Dying" | John, Taupin | 4:51 |
13. | "My Kind of Hell" (bonus track on iTunes digital deluxe LP, deluxe CD and vinyl only) | John, Taupin | 3:16 |
14. | "Mandalay Again" (bonus track on deluxe CD and vinyl only) | John, Taupin | 4:54 |
15. | "Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)" | John, Taupin | 4:58 |
16. | "In the Hands of Angels" | Russell | 4:43 |
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 76/100 [3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [4] |
Clash | [5] |
Consequence of Sound | [6] |
Contactmusic.com | [7] |
Daily Mirror | [8] |
Financial Times | [9] |
The Guardian | [10] |
The Independent | [11] |
Los Angeles Times | [12] |
Rolling Stone | [13] |
Uncut |
The Union received mostly positive reviews with critics praising it as some of the pair's best work to date. It reached No. 3 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010. [14]
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [15] | 28 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [16] | 28 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [17] | 66 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [18] | 91 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [19] | 7 |
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [20] | 15 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [21] | 60 |
French Albums (SNEP) [22] | 51 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [23] | 23 |
Greek Albums (IFPI) [24] | 62 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [25] | 52 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [26] | 28 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [27] | 24 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [28] | 5 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [29] | 30 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [30] | 24 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [31] | 27 |
UK Albums (OCC) [32] | 12 |
US Billboard 200 [33] | 3 |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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2011 | "If It Wasn't for Bad" | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals [34] | Nominated |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada) [35] | Gold | 40,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [36] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States | — | 329,000 [37] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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