Customer Reviews

Retrospective

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Leon Russell's Retrospective cd is the finest single cd overview of his career available. His influence as a writer, studio musician and producer is legendary. All the goods are here to enjoy. The cd starts off with "A Song For You" and once your hooked you get to hear such gems as "Lady Blue", "tightrope", "delta Lady", "Roll Away The Stone" and a great take on Dylan's 'A Hard Rains Gonna Fall". If you could only own one Leon Russell cd this is the one for you. One final note! What's taking the "Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame" so long to recognize that Leon and Joe Cocker have been shamefully overlooked and should be inducted.

Leon's work from 1970-1975 was some of the best piano work and songwriting of the period, Period. Just one listen to "A Song for You", "Lady Blue", "This Masqurade" (big hit for George Benson) or "Magic Mirror" will confirm that. And I didn't know he wrote "Roll Away the Stone"! I'd always loved Mott the Hoople doing that! And "Hummingbird", probably best known as a BB King track. And it's a shame none of it ever gets played on the radio anymore.

For my money, CARNEY is his masterpiece, but this collection allows me to admire the rest of Leon's catalog. Leon's takes on "The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen" rivals anything Randy Newman was doing at the time, without the controversey. "Out in the Woods" is a great swampy sounding fun track. "Back to the Island" is a fun track with the MG's (Steve Cropper, 'Duck' Dun and the late Al Jackson) laying down a soulful groove. "Closet Crystal Queen" is a cousin of "Roll Away.." and "Queen of the Roller Derby," a nice little rocker the Stones should have done to spice up one of their mid 70s albums.

Personally, I could have done without "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall", "Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms", the LIVE take of "Queen of the Roller Derby" and Leon's take of "Delta Lady" which is just lame compared to Joe Cocker's version. But it's a good CD to introduce yourself to Leon or a nice portable version of Leon to carry in the car.

The good news: This is a reissue of the (better) out of print CD "Best of Leon" with some great songs that weren't on the aforementioned CD(Shootout on the Plantation and The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen) thrown in for good measure.

The bad news: So they could put in A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall, they got rid of Streaker's Ball which means that the overlooked "Stop All That Jazz" album isn't represented. They also jettisoned the studio version of Queen of the Roller Derby and put in the (much shorter) version from the "Leon Live" album. Also, the versions of Roll Away the Stone and Hummingbird are the studio versions while the ones off the "Best of Leon" CD were alternate takes or unfinished tracks.

But these quibbles are slight (as are most quibbles about greatest hits packages) and you can't really go wrong with any of the picks. Leon Russell is criminally overlooked and one could do worse than to jump into his catalogue feet first.

This CD is a "Best of" better than Leon's previous selections of favorites. Featured are my favorites, his incredibly fine ballads, now multi-genre classics: "A Song for You", "Lady Blue", "This Masquerade". From the great "Carney" album also come more ballads, "Magic Mirror", "Tightrope", "Out in Woods". "Back to the Island" is achingly yearning, and hypnotically atmospheric. But there's lots of hard-rocking stuff, too. The recordings are the originals, and sound quality is excellent.

Leon Russell was at the epicenter of the rock world when he came on the scene in the 60s, playing keyboards with many other rock greats, not least of whom was Joe Cocker -- Leon headed up the Mad Dogs and Englishmen Tour band. Though Cocker was better known, Leon had the ultimate 'chops.' When you listen to his own music, you can see that he is a composer and player of greater depth and sophistication than most of his peers. And he can boogie like no one else.

I had the good fortune to stumble upon a small concert by the new Leon Russell band last year at The Cutting Room in New York. What a thrill to be so close up to this old idol after so long! It was impossible to sit still! Surrounded by his huge mane of now-white hair, the ole "Master of Space and Time" is infirm, he walks with difficulty. But his fingers are totally alive, and he seems to be doing well. Two of his daughters are in the band, which is tight as can be -- raising hopes for more recordings beyond this retrospective.

This is a fine introduction to the music of this rock legend. It's as fresh now as it was then!

Leon Russell has practically disappeared from the music scene and it's a shame. He wrote some terrific songs but usually his songs were bigger hits for other artists, such as "This Masquarade" which was a hit for the Carpenters and for George Benson. "A Song for You" was another huge Carpenters hit.
On this album I particularly liked "Out in the Woods" and "Stranger in a Strange Land."

"Leon Russell is an American genius, a long-haired swamp-man, a man of passion who infuses his lyrics with an untouchable poignancy. He is the king of melody and of instrumental perfection." how true, and how I wish I had said it-but it was said by interviewer, Jack Nichols.

Leon Russell was born in the early 40's in Oklahoma. He gravitated to music as a young man, and started his climb up the ladder with many musicians who are famous today. He married in his late thirties to Mary McCready who happened to be black. He would introduce her to his sometimes shocked audience, which would entertain Leon, no end.

Leon made his mark in music with the song "TightRope". He went on to pen "Delta Blue", and then "Masquerade" which won a Grammy for George Benson. "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" was made popular by Joe Cocker. But, it is Leon Russell with his distinctive, sometimes gravelly, but always rhythmic voice that draws us in to his music. There is no other singer with his sound. "Retrospective" has his best and most well known songs on this disc. It was remastered, masterfully, I might say, in 2005:-)

"Song for You"-We're alone now, and I'm singing this song to you." Hearing that waterfall of opening notes, we recognize Leon at his best. Shades of Elton John, no, Leon makes it his song.

"A Hard Rain's going to Fall" - "Tell me where have you been my blue-eyed son, my darling young one?" It is a hard life and he's gonna tell the story.

"The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen"- "Leroy Fender's pride and joy", the story of a love. The song that made Joe Cocker famous, almost....

"Delta Lady"-"Woman all over the country let me hear your soft and fertile delta" song of love for his woman.

"Roll Away the Stone"- "Strange world I am livin' in, I am still in love with you" listen to the piano on this one.

"Tight Rope"- "Up on the tight wire, one side ice and one side fire" Leon's first popular song, love's two sides. And, one of Leon's most popular songs, always requested.

"Out In the Woods"- "Don't know where I've been, walkin' round in circles, lost and all alone-out in the woods" He is lost without his woman, rhythmic, ghostly sounding

"Shoot Out on the Plantation"- Junior and the drummer are fighting about a woman in the neighborhood" Why do we have to fight it out? Fun in the south? Piano and guitar riffs.

"Stranger in a Strange Land"-"How many days has it been since I was born, how many days since I die?" the asylum choir sings it out loud and clear.

"Hummingbird"-" Sometimes I get impatient, but she calmed me without words, that if all my life had ended, and then found it had just begun" How important this woman has been to his life, guitar riffs filled with rhythm.

"Lady Blue"- " You've shown me a different sign, you just wait and see, cause I've been in love before, wanna get it straight right now, babe" one of his best songs everyone seems to know.

"This Masquerade" - " Are we really happy with this lonely game we play, looking for words to say, searching but not finding, understanding anyway" a Grammy for Leon with this song. A fave of mine.

"Back To the Island"- "The day is gone and I sit alone and think of you girl, what can I do without you in my life?" he had to go back to his roots, what will he do without his woman?

"Magic Mirror"- "Standing by the highway, suitcase by my side, no place I want to go, thought I would catch a ride"- what do we see when we look inside ourselves, into the magic mirror? One of my favorite Leon songs.

"Crystal Closet Queen"- "Left my home down in Arkansas", homage to Little Richard? "Tuiti Fruiti for sure.

I had the fortunate opportunity to see Leon Russell in concert on a hot, humid night with the heat index at 98. Two hours of non-stop music, no talking, one song after another, each one better than the one before - we were dancing in the aisles, and Leon Russell was hotter than the heat index! My best friend introduced me to Leon Russell; thanks, sweetie.

"Everywhere in Leon Russell's songs there's gladness or a sadness that somehow, I often think, matches my own capacities for both. Isn't it our identity, after all that makes us love a musician most? Isn't it that we seem to see our own souls amply reflected?--our own thirsts for living?--our own pasts rising out of long-ago years, softly resurrecting an unmatched sense of beauty that our memory allows us miraculously to maintain? "Jack Nichols.

Highly, highly recommended. prisrob 08-09-06

This is an excellent collection of some of Leon's greatest work. Every track is great. If you came of age in the early 70's, then you need this CD for your collection. I can't live without it.

Retrospective is a must have for those who possess a deep love for great piano song showmanship. Leon Russell is truly a one of a kind artist who can cause the listener to appreciate various genres of music.

It is quite arguable that Mr. Russell was perhaps one of the first true crossover artists who could blend in jazz, country, rock, folk, pop and, to some extent, the slightest traces of bluegrass. The only other solo artist who comes to mind besides Elvis who dared to amalgamate so many different styles and ranges and make it all sound great is Bob Dylan.

Retrospective is an ideal collection for those who want to subdivide Russell's music into its separate phases: vaudeville, blues, jazz, etc.
A rare treasure and great artist is Leon Russell. Listening to it brings back fond memories of watching the early Saturday Night Live musical guest appearance with his wife, Mary McCreary, and what a great show that was!

Included in the package are A Song for You, This Masquerade, the classic Tightrope, and the too infrequently played Top 40 hit, Lady Blue.

Leon Russell's "Retrospective" album brought back fantastic memories of late 60's and early 70's. Leon is a master musician and still has a lot to share with his faithful fans who have flocked to recent concerts. Rock on, Leon!

Very well done intro to Leon Russel's library of work. A collection of all of his better known work. If you find that you like this, try any of his other cd's and you will not be unhappy.