Elton John& Leon Russell

The Union

The Union ή το Χρονικό μιας Συνάντησης.

Η ιστορία είναι απλή και σύντομη. Δυο μύθοι της μουσικής, ο διαχρονικός Mr. Rocket Man, Elton John και ομεγαλοφυής Leon Russell –σε ένα απίστευτο comeback,39 χρόνια μετά τη μοναδική του εμφάνιση στην ιστορική συναυλία για το Μπαγκλαντές, με τη συμμετοχή όλων των θρύλων της rock–, μπαίνουν στο στούντιο και ηχογραφούν ζωντανά με δύο πιάνα 16 τραγούδια, σε στίχους Bernie Taupin.

«Το τρίο [John, Russell και Taupin] ηχογράφησε rock κομμάτια στο στυλ του “Exile On Main Street” των Rolling Stones, country μπαλάντες, gospel ακόμα κι έναν Sinatraσυγκινητικό μέχρι δακρύων που θυμίζει το “In the wee small hours”, γράφει ο Taupinσε τρίτο πρόσωπο στη σελίδα του στο web, για να μας προϊδεάσει και να μας δοκιμάσει...

Για αυτό που επακολούθησε. Την απόλυτη έκπληξη. Ένα R&B, soul, gospel, country, pop και rock άλμπουμ, ηχογραφημένο live στο στούντιο του (βραβευμένου με Oscar και μια πληθώρα από Grammy)παραγωγού TBone Burnett.

“The Union” ο τίτλος του –στην κυριολεξία–, και στη γιορτή παίρνουν μέρος οι Neil Youngκαι Brian Wilsonστα φωνητικά, ο μεγάλος R&B Booker T. Jones, ο Marc Ribotστις κιθάρες καθώς και δεκαμελής gospel χορωδία.

Αποτέλεσμα;Ένας δίσκος όπου τίποτε δε διακόπτει τη ροή και την απόλαυση. Τον ακούς απνευστί από το πρώτο ως το τελευταίο trackκαι κόντρα στο αγαπημένο σου τραγούδι, “There Is No Tomorrow”, σκέφτεσαι ότι: χάρις σε μια ορκισμένη pop persona κι ένα σεβάσμιο κύριο με λευκά γένια και μαλλιά, το Αύριο είναι Σήμερα.

Elton John& Leon Russell – The Union

MUSICAL LEGENDS COLLABORATE ON ‘THE UNION’

Produced by Award-Winning T Bone Burnett

(NEW YORK, NY)– Decca Records is pleased to announce the release of the highly anticipated collaboration between two musical legends, Elton John and Leon Russell with The Union available October 26^th on Mercury Records. This album marks the first time these iconic artists have worked together since 1970.

Produced by Oscar and multiple-Grammy winning producer T Bone Burnett, who took home numerous awards in 2009 for his production work on Raising Sand with Robert Plant and Alison Krause, The Union features songs written by John and his lifelong lyricist Bernie Taupin, as well as in combination with the extraordinary talents of Russell and Burnett.

Recorded live in the studio with John and Russell on dueling pianos, the album features a variety of musical genres from R&B, soul, gospel, country, pop and rock. Icons Neil Young and Brian Wilson provide guest vocals on the 16-track record along with legendary R&B organist Booker T. Jones, steel guitarist Robert Randolph and a 10-piece gospel choir.

Russell first met John in 1970 when he attended John’s first ever U.S. show at the famous Troubadour in Los Angeles. The meeting heralded the beginning of a long friendship and a mutual appreciation between the two artists. “In the late ’60s and early ‘70s, the one piano player and vocalist who influenced me more than anybody else was Leon Russell,” John said. “He was my idol.” The pair went on to tour together shortly thereafter at New York’s Fillmore East and to this day have held such high admiration for each other’s work.

After years of being out of touch, John listened to Russell’s music while on safari in Africa last summer and was inspired to reconnect with his idol. “Elton called to ask if I would do a duet album with him,’” Russell said. “I’m very happy that he chose me to do this.”

The monumental career of international singer/songwriter and performer Elton John has spanned more than three decades. He is the one of the top-selling solo artists of all time with 35 gold and 25 platinum albums and more than 250 million records sold worldwide. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has awarded John multiple Grammys, including the Grammy Legend Award.

Russell has performed his gospel-infused southern boogie piano rock, blues and country music for over 50 years. This legendary and Grammy award winning musician and songwriter has topped music charts, led the famous Joe Cocker’s ‘Mad Dogs & Englishmen’ tour, performed with George Harrison and Friends at the Concert for Bangladesh and in 2006 was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Bare Bones International Film Festival.

The Union is a unique collaboration of two of the most talented artists in the music business. Combining forces and fusing diverse talents, John and Russell along with Burnett have produced an extraordinary album.

An introduction to Leon Russell (by Ben Wilcox )

Leon Russell is almost unique in the great history of popular music. His music has the ability to dip it’s toe in the waters of many genres, his voice the ability to touch on every emotion known to man and his songs transcend decades like few others.

Often called The Master of Space and Time his work is quite simply timeless, avoiding fads and fashions whilst still managing to capture the zeitgeist effortlessly. An honest blend of gospel, rock, blues and country all held together with an otherworldly attitude

His gift has been harnessed by many producers (most notably Phil Spector on his ‘wall of sound’ recordings) and it would be difficult to think of a more omnipotent multi-instrumentalist / session musician of the last 40 years.

He was born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2^nd, 1941 in Lawton, Oklahoma to highly musical and academic family and was already playing the piano at the tender age of three. Like Elton John he was something of a child prodigy receiving classical music piano lessons but eventually stopped at thirteen because his teacher didn’t approve of his emergent love of rebellious rock ‘n’ roll and good ol’ foot stomping, church going gospel - a passion that has been a constant companion for Leon to this day. He started his own band at fourteen, often lying about his age to secure gigs in Tulsa clubs and shebeens whilst still maintaining his daytime studies and he excelled at both. A change had to come when after passing his entrance exams to Tulsa University his band were also offered a support slot for the man of the moment, Jerry Lee Lewis. Guess what Leon picked? In 1958 he packed his bags and headed and travelled with Lee Lewis and his army of musicians learning much about music and life from such legends as Glen Campbell and Dorsey Burnett eventually moving to join them on the Los Angeles session musicians scene. His life changing break came not long after an encounter with the legendary Phil Sector and Leon became one of the building blocks in the ‘Wall of Sound’ playing on virtually track Spector ever recorded. Over the next few years he would record with iconic acts such The Byrd’s (that’s his piano on Mr Tambourine Man), Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Herb Alpert, The Righteous Brothers, Ike and Tina Turner and Paul Revere to name but a few.

A short period as an executive for Viva publishing followed but being behind a desk didn’t suit Leon and he eventually made his debut single, ‘Everybody’s Talking ‘Bout the Young’ in 1965. His decision to forge his own musical path meant that he cut down on his session work and concentrated on building his own studio, the legendary Skyhill.

Around this period Leon formed a duo with guitarist Marc Benno as ‘The Asylum Choir’ and whilst not commercially successful they garnered much praise from fellow musicians such as Joe Cocker. Cocker recorded his second, eponymously titled album at Skyhill as well as A&M and Leon went on the legendary ’Mad Dogs and Englishmen’ American tour with him with a revolving army of around 50 hard living, hard playing musicians. After the strain of working and playing hard, and the fractious relationships that life on the road can create, the tour ended acrimoniously but did take Leon’s profile up a notch in the music world.

In 1970 Leon and Dennis Cordell (once Joe Cocker’s manager) started Shelter records initially as an outlet for Leon’s solo work but was an immediate success thanks to their second release::‘Leon Russell and The Shelter People’ which reached #17 in US charts. A dazzling array of ‘rock royalty’ (George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Stevie Winwood, Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman) came to Skyhill to record drawn as much by the chance to record with Leon as the ‘party-house’ reputation the studio was getting. The album has become a classic in the annals of rock ‘n’roll and features such amazing tracks as ‘Delta Lady’, ‘Ballad of Mad Dog’s and Englishmen’ and ‘Song For You’ which have all gone to be standards. It also featured a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’ cementing a mutual admiration that still exists to this day. Leon took the album on tour and created an unrivalled live shows that were described as being ‘a fusion of a rock concert and a black religious church experience’ even taking part of the show to Madison Square Garden for George Harrison‘s Concert For Bangladesh in 1971.

Leon’s star was definitely in the acendant and when, in 1972, he released the amazing ‘Carney’ album everybody knew his name. Featuring the autobiographical ‘Tigh Rope’, the lyrically unsurpassed ‘Magic Mirror’ and what was to become his most well known song, ‘This Masquerade’ ‘ Carney’ spent thirty five weeks on the Billboard chart eventually peaking at #2.

Leon’s appetite for both playing live and recording didn’t let up with every day filled either with gigs or studio sessions. These two passions happily collided when he released ‘Leon Live’ in late 1972; a massive three disc pack aimed at capturing what was at the time the best rock ‘n’ roll stage show around.

Many more albums (and tours followed), including the notable ‘Will o’ The Wisp’ (his last studio album with Shelter) and even a brief foray as his country and western alter ego, Hank Wilson.

Now a free agent Leon formed Paradise records with Warner Brothers releasing six albums with them including ‘Best of Leon Russell’ in 1976 which earned him his sixth gold disc.

He teamed up with Willie Nelson to appear at his inaugural ‘4^th of July Picnic’ and the pair recorded an award wining album together in 1979 entitled ‘One for the Road’ and earned Leon his 7^th gold disc.

Leon Russell remains as inspirational and influential as ever and in October 2010 he will release one of his most ambitious records to date; a collaboration with Elton John. Entitled ‘The Union’ it fulfils a long held dream of both artists to get behind the mic and piano together and will surely see Mr Leon Russell reach a whole new group of fans ready to be stunned by the 14 tracks they have recorded.

Currently recording for his own label Leon Russell Records he has released fourteen albums under his own name and three with Hank Wilson and whilst he is not as commercially successful today as he was in 1970’s he is still recording at his new studio and gigging and will soon be playing with Elton John at The Beacon Theatre in New York and The Electric Proms in London.

Ben Wilcox , August 2010

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