Customer Reviews

The Union

5 star:		(164)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

As he mentions in the liner notes - and on the 6-minute bonus DVD that accompanies the deluxe edition - "The Union" is Elton John's acknowledgement of Leon Russell's profound influence on his skill set as a pianist and vocal interpreter.

And what an acknowledgement it is. Elton collaborates warmly and enthusiastically with Russell (producer T-Bone Burnett accommodates this well), sharing equal disc space. This is a definite joint effort - one that set outs to recapture both the decades lost between these two irreplaceable musicians and that early 70s sound listeners associate with both of them. Happily, it succeeds.

"Gone to Shiloh," a southern-fried ballad fraught with pain and longing (many of the songs here are - this is a mostly downbeat record), would sound at home, for instance, on Russell's classic-self-titled record and Elton's indestructible "Tumbleweed Connection." Neil Young contributes a verse.

The same goes for "Jimmie Rodgers' Dream," the chugging "Monkey Suit" and "Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes," an elegant, classy tribute to Russell from Elton. To the attentive ear their melodies may suggest preceding work from Elton from the past decade or so - inevitable in a long, prolific career - but the results are so strong that it is a non-issue.

Elton has not sounded this animated since 2001's "Songs from the West Coast." His lively vocals on "Hey Ahab" and assistance on Russell's gospel-fused "Hearts Have Turned to Stone" are evidence enough. The latter is razor-sharp and absolutely harrowing in its commentary on the frigidity of contemporary life.

Russell is indeed in his absolute element. His "If It Wasn't For Bad" is the lead single and opening track, and its haunting, hurts-so-good ruminations on unhappy love are instantly catchy. His lyrics here have such cut and undercurrent that they reveal their profundity and ache with increased plays, which are beckoned with each spin of the album.

His collaboration with Elton's lyricist Bernie Taupin "I Should Have Sent Roses" is another fine example. A duet with Elton, it is one of the sharpest, most biting tracks in the latter-day catalogues of either musician.

"When Love Is Dying" and "Never Too Old (to Hold Somebody)" are even stronger. Plaintive and emotion-filled without descending to saccharine sweetness, they benefit from the singers' oaken voices and well-practiced studio skills. Between these men is nearly a century's worth of practice and refinement of skill, and the results reflect it. These songs sound effortless and matter-of-fact, as though the sentiments they express are at once confirmed truths.

Elton John and Leon Russell should have sat down to record 20 years ago - that much is certain - but they make up for lost time very well. "The Union" is a collaboration that lives up to the promise and hype it entails.

The deluxe edition contains two additional tracks: "My Kind of Hell" and the gorgeous "Mandalay Again."

When I pre-ordered this selection, I needed to decide between the CD only or the CD/DVD set. After giving it some thought, factoring-in that Cameron Crowe directed the DVD, and that I hoped it would add to the overall experience, I opted for the set. What a buzz-kill. The DVD is all of 6 minutes (okay...maybe it's 10 minutes) long. That's it! You hit the >>>PLAY button and see/listen to Elton speak about how he loves Leon and Leon was one of his earliest influences and that he's pissed-off that "people" seem to have forgotten Leon, and that while travelling on an African Safari (with David) he contacts Leon and T-Bone and runs the idea past everyone and they're all on- board and they go to the studio, and hug and we see them play together for about 53 seconds and the DVD ends. What the....?

The CD is awesome. Great collection of original songs...most written by Elton and Bernie Taupin with selections/contributions and collaborations with and from Leon and T Bone. The CD booklet is also excellent. Great to read, great photos and great tributes. You can tell the entire project was a labour of love...all the way around. I just wish the DVD was an hour longer...and, with a project of this depth and feeling, it should have been.

P.S. The "Live from The Beacon Theatre" concert was excellent. I did hope that, at minimum, Joe Cocker would have joined-in for a rousing Delta Lady....but, no such luck : (

Leon's back and it's great to hear some new material. I've been excitedly waiting for the release of this cd for a couple of months and it did not disappoint.

I hear a lot of the old Leon (Delta Lady, Queen of the Roller Derby, Stranger in a Strange Land) and my most favorite Elton album ever (Tumbleweed Connection) in this Union. It brings back great memories. Someone said they should have cut this disc 20 years ago and I agree although, perhaps, it's the collective experience that takes it back to those simpler times and tones and gives this disc everything we are loving about it: simple techniques, great lyrics, and 2 amazing voices.

I have never heard of Leon Russell before listening to this album. I am a big fan of his talent now. This is a perfectly titled disc. This music is a perfect union between Leon and Elton.

"Never Too Old" is my favorite song. This song fills me with hope. It has the positive message that a person is never too old to love someone. Elton's piano playing is so moving on this track.

"If It Wasn't For Bad" is a song with great musical arrangements. This is a song about making excuses. It is a very engaging song and a highlight on this album.

"When Love Is Dying" is a song with a very sad tone to it. Leon Russell has the kind of voice that convinces me that he has known heart break and pain in his life. This is a beautiful song.
"A Dream Come True" is such a fun song. Leon sounds like he's having so much fun singing this song with Elton. This song fills me with energy. I like that song a lot.

"Gone To Shiloh" is a very patriotic and solemn song about going to war. "Hey Ahab" has a great beat. This tune is a motivational song about staying true to a goal. Elton has the ability to elevate any song with his voice regardless of the subject matter. "Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes" is an example of how he does this. Shoes are merely a symbol of wealth, but Elton makes it sound so moving.
"The Best Part of The Day" is a good song about friendship. This song makes me feel like getting together with my old friends.
"I Should Have Sent Roses" is a song about things that a person regrets not doing in life. T Bone Brunette lends his talents playing superb electric guitar riffs on this song. He also produces this album.

"Hearts Turned To Stone" is a song about looking for love. I love the horns playing on this track. "Monkey Suit" is a song with a lot of soul. This song makes me feel like cutting loose and having fun.

"The Hands of Angels" is a song with a good spiritual quality. This song has very moving lyrics. I really enjoy the music on "The Union".

Let's get one thing straight. The Union is not a "comeback" album, a "swan song," a last gasp, or a crass commercial exercise. It's not a misguided effort at authenticity, or only 50% good (based on who you're a fan of), or too ballad-heavy, or not piano-driven enough. It is what it is, and what it is, is a joyous collaboration between two giants of popular music, one who faded from the limelight but never lost his inspiration, and one who's been in the limelight almost continuously for 40 years and, likewise, has not lost his inspiration.

How can you not love the premise behind The Union? What a great reason to make an album - to return a musical idol to public attention and appreciation, as well as financial solvency. And true to form, Elton didn't try to dictate how the songwriting or the recording should turn out. He didn't try to make Leon into something he isn't. But dictating a creative outcome also would have been against Elton's natural inclination to defer to the talent of others, to afford colleagues free rein to do what they do best. Were Elton so inclined to be a meddler, though, it would have been a curious exercise given the influence Leon has had on Elton's melodic and pianistic styles. (Reflecting on the halcyon days of 1970-72, one realizes how much of Leon's down-home, funky vocal phrasings Elton adapted to his own creative sensibilities. Elton's singing on "Can I Put You On?," "The Cage," and even "Honky Cat" are tips of the hat to Leon's inspiration.)

This project, then, works so well one is tempted to think that Leon might have written Elton's songs and Elton Leon's songs, although the first track, "If it wasn't for Bad," would have been one of the quirkier efforts Elton has ever pulled off. (Yet he's been known to be quirky. Think "Madman" or "Better Off Dead" or, yes, "Bennie and the Jets.") The point is that our two heroes, who have been dubbed the "Master and the Rocket Man," are among the most obvious of duos that have never happened until now. Looking back on some of Elton's other collaborators, one is almost painfully reminded of what could have been, and been a lot sooner, if Elton hadn't gotten sidetracked by certain other people. Eric Clapton? Too much wailing guitar. Billy Joel? Too New-York-schtick. George Michael? Too stuck on marijuana.

The thing is, even if Leon is known for southern rock, only the uninitiated (or perhaps willfully ignorant) assume that this sort of music is alien to Elton. Even if Leon leans toward country, we know that Elton has featured, more often than not, at least one country track on every album he's released since the beginning. Even if Leon incorporates jazz riffs in his playing, anyone with at least one working ear drum knows that jazz forms are second nature to Elton. Even if Leon shows an affinity for secular gospel, Elton does, too, from "Border Song" to "Where's the Shoorah?" to the latest live piano intro to "Take Me to the Pilot," and beyond. Soul? Sure. Sad balladry? Certainly. Love songs? Ditto.

Today, in The Union, when Elton and Leon sing on each other's songs (or just supply backing vocals on the other's tunes), their voices complement each other. Leon sounds like a rough-edged, down-on-his-luck Willie Nelson. He can express the essence of a melody convincingly despite his lack of a conventional singing voice. Conversely, the power, richness, and tonal flexibility of Elton's vocals have progressed so dramatically since Reg rendered a boyish, tinny sound to "Come Back Baby" that it's hard to see how he can ever interpret a rocker or a ballad any better than he does now. Thus, Leon takes the vulnerable, weathered, uncertain side of a song, while Elton comforts or provides backbone, as the case may be.

The different voices of the Master and the Rocket Man blend to afford any given song an alternate perspective. But these two must have their significant differences, mustn't they? Well, yes. Elton almost never writes his own words. Leon does. And Leon's thick, lustrous, flowing hair demonstrates more follicular fortune than Elton has ever enjoyed. In fact, each musician's dramatically different capacity for hair production could be said to symbolically illustrate the difference in their personas. Leon, generally media shy, seems hidden behind a mask; Elton is out there for everybody to see, all the time, bright as the noontime sun.

So what about those fabulous new songs? Here we go:

If It Wasn't for Bad: Leon's witty, weird, magnetic draw to the adventure that The Union is. Quizzical piano chords splash their way through the song. Simple yet clever, Leon's lines are an entertaining collection of opposites, as he bitingly reflects on how he's been snookered into entering into what he thought would be a promising relationship: "If it wasn't for you I'd be happy/If it wasn't for lies you'd be true/I know that you could be just like you should/If it wasn't for bad you'd be good."

Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes: One of Elton's typically melodic country waltzes featuring cinematic lyrics from Bernie: "You came like an invasion, all bells and whistles blowin'/Reaping the rewards of the fable you'd been sowing/...Oh you came to town in headlines/And eight hundred dollar shoes."

Hey Ahab: Among the most addictive, visceral, in-your-face rockers of Elton's career, with its basis in explosive boogie-woogie. Leon provides a sort of buzzy vocal undercurrent that gives the song an almost sinister edge. Elton is at his most vocally funky here, strategically inserting grunt-hums wherever the lyric's syllables cut short.

Gone to Shiloh: A U.S. Civil War tale which, through its military march tempo, gentle percussion evoking distant cannon fire, foreboding melody, and perfect use of Neil Young's eerie, high-pitched voice to share in the verses, is one of the most haunting of recordings ever found on an Elton John album.

Jimmie Rodgers' Dream: Breezy homage to the Father of Country Music, a native of Meridian, Mississippi, who alternated between showbiz and railroad work (sometimes as a brakeman) before his untimely, Depression-era death. One may hear hints of past EJ tunes and/or Taupin lyrics: "Wicked Dreams," "Country Comfort," "Look Ma No Hands," and "Postcards from Richard Nixon" all come to mind.

There's No Tomorrow: This funeral dirge may be only a semi-original effort, given that it's built around The Mighty Hannibal's "Hymn No. 5," but it offers the most dramatic combination on the album of all available studio voices. Elton, Leon, and a backing, gospel-style chorus belt out grim lines with such force that you might have hope for the future after a couple of listens, despite what the singers contend.

Monkey Suit: Another boogie woogie-based rocker with a dash of Chuck Berry thrown in, it's a notch less gripping than "Hey Ahab" - but it would be hard to match "Ahab"'s vein-popping aggressiveness. Watch out, though, as this track may cause you to bellow "monkey suit!" incessantly, while driving in traffic, even if people are looking your way.

The Best Part of the Day: Is this really a reflection about best friends, or about lovers who fit each other like a pair of old gloves? I vote for the latter. "Grab the bottle and slide my way," Bernie writes. "Roll back the covers and raise the shades." Elton and Leon's performance captures the dreamy, relaxed satisfaction of the song's two soul mates who watch the morning unfold as they marvel at their blissful circumstances. An ideal sing-along song, it's the most folk-oriented of the album's tracks.

A Dream Come True: The tune that grew out of a jam between Elton and Leon at the start of recording; perhaps the song presenting the greatest "toe-tapping" potential. This fast-paced Fats Domino-inspired string of staccato piano phrases makes you hope the track will go on for a while, and it does, until there's nothing left but a couple of rolled piano chords and a stray tuba breath.

When Love is Dying: Some might accuse Elton here of re-working "The One," which has been unfairly denigrated as an exercise in overblown pop balladry, but one need not insult "The One" nor "When Love is Dying" to praise one or the other. Instead, their significance can be recognized with an open mind and welcoming heart. "The One" is a celebration of new love - so why shouldn't it sound like a celebration? - with a soaring melody harkening back to "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," which Elton has said was influenced by The Beach Boys. Coincidentally or not, Brian Wilson guests on "When Love is Dying," providing back-up singing and vocal arrangements. By his very involvement, he anoints the track with his approbation, as well he should. Thematically, it's the flip side of "The One," once the new lovers have spent their passion and, before they know it, can't get it back. What is more, Elton's soaring melody oozes a desperation that makes the song an heir to some of the love laments of late 50s, early 60s doo-wop ensembles. Wow.

I Should Have Sent Roses: Speaking of dying love, here is Leon's take on the phenomenon, as he assigns a moody, almost gut-wrenching, jazz-inflected melody to some of Taupin's saddest lyrics. As with "When Love is Dying," Elton and Leon trade tragic reflections, and their harmonizing on the chorus ("I never sent roses/I never did enough/I didn't know how to love you/Though I loved you so much") is spine-tingling. You feel rotten after listening, but in a good way.

Hearts Have Turned to Stone: Written and sung by Leon with Elton only providing a few choice backing vocal phrases, this is an infectious, snappy, blues number that is made more so by Leon's arrangement for the back-up singers, who echo or punctuate bits of the lyric lines as he sings: "I'm out here in the darkness (yes!)/I hear the howling wind (wind!)/Sometimes I sit and wonder (yes!)/Will I ever see love again (`gain!)."

Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody): Though written by John and Taupin, the sentiments apply equally to not only the songwriting pair of 43 years, but Leon, too. All have "been there and done that" and seen things they wish they hadn't, bearing scars to show for all of it. But they are still entitled to pursue new goals and enjoy happy companionship in their later years. It is not just a young person's world anymore. The Master and the Rocket Man vocalize most intimately here, Leon's singing sounding appropriately weary, Elton's reaching a new level of loveliness, as the backing chorus eventually chimes in for an anthemic build-up.

In the Hands of Angels: Just knowing the reason for Leon composing this song (music and lyrics) is enough to coax tears from the eyes. "Angels" tells the story of Leon's resignation to Twilight Years of obscurity and ill fortune when, lo and behold, Elton reenters his life, and proposes getting together for an album. Referring to Elton's U.S. manager, Johnny Barbis, and the Rocket Man himself, Leon sings: "Johnny and the Governor/Came and brought me to my senses/They made me feel just like a king/Made me lose all my bad defenses/And they knew all the places I needed to go/All of the people I needed to know/ They knew who I needed/And who needed me." It's a secular gospel number, despite the reference to "angels," and is the only track on the album on which Elton neither sings nor plays. But his absence is only fitting, as "Angels" is Leon's gift to him. What a way to close the album.

Fans of Elton and Leon can thank T-Bone Burnett for bringing out the best in both men and surrounding them with such capable, spirited musicians and singers.

When i was told that Elton and Leon were doing a record i knew i would own it. I was not disappointed. just fantastic.

When you review The Union, you have to remember to put Bernie Taupin-- Elton's long time lyricist / professional collaborator in the mix (hence the 3 artists instead of 2 in the review title)-- especially since Bernie wrote songs with both Elton and Leon on this CD.

If you listen to this work in full-- you will find tons of smart, meaningful and artistic touches. Wonderful moments worth enjoying over and over. Do NOT let the short Amazon samples make your buying decision for you. This CD is much more than that.

"If It Wasn't for Bad", "Hey Ahab", "Monkey Suit", "My Kind of Hell" hold their on with some of the BEST ROCKERS Elton and/or Leon have ever been associated with. Bernie Taupin's lyrics show a sharp rejuvenation as well.

"When Love is Dying" and "Never To Old (To Hold Somebody)" are two of the best "relationship" songs Elton & Bernie have ever written. "In the Hands of Angels" is a tough, poignant song about Leon's own trials, tribulations and close calls with death.

This is an album for every Elton and Leon fan ever made... And hopefully a whole slew of younger people who have never really paid attention to either of these masters.

Producer T Bone Burnett has captured magic here and we are all the better for it.

Please note the "Deluxe" Edition has 2 extra songs and a DVD directed by Cameron Crowe. The 2 songs are also top notch.

Although it's too often downbeat in tone, "The Union" is the best rock album of the year, and a most compelling example of superb songwriting from Elton John, Leon Russell, Bernie Taupin, T Bone Burnett and their collaborators. Without question, it is a most memorable, and a quite compelling, collection of songs covering such diverse styles as blues and gospel to country and folk. It's a long overdue collaboration between a fan and his mentor, between Elton John and Leon Russell, whose last collaboration was their United States tour back in the early 1970s. It's also a long overdue artistic resurrection of Leon Russell, whose singing and piano playing greatly influenced the young Elton John, and who is probably best remembered for crafting memorable songs like "Masquerade". While the subsequent years may not have been kind to Russell, his artistic stature is reaffirmed on this album, especially when he sings, with ample conviction, lead vocals on many of the tracks, most notably "Hearts Have Turned To Stone" (a solo composition on the deluxe CD version only), the album's first song "If It Wasn't For Bad" (another solo composition) and "I Should Have Sent Roses" (The very first song written for the album, co-written with Elton John's friend and long-time collaborator, lyricist Bernie Taupin.).

The Elton John/Bernie Taupin compositions which comprise most of "The Union" rank among their best, and will remind listeners of Elton's classic early 1970s work. "Gone To Shiloh", with mesmerizing vocals from Neil Young, could have been a song on "Tumbleweed Connection", but both the lyrics and melody show far more sophistication than many of the songs on that early Elton John classic. "Hey Ahab" and "Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes" are sung with ample conviction by Elton - who sings them with an expressive vocal range not seen since "Songs From The West Coast" - and are songs destined to be regarded as instant Elton John/Bernie Taupin classics. There's also excellent harmonizing between Elton and Leon, with them trading verses in songs such as "I Should Have Sent Roses". There's also the captivating duets on pianos performed simultaneously by Elton and Leon on many of the songs, in which both demonstrate why they have been acknowledged as among the premier pop and rock pianists of our time.

Producer T Bone Burnett has produced a classic acoustic album that's quite reminiscent of the late Gus Dudgeon's production of Elton's early to mid 1970s work, with notable comparisons to "Tumbleweed Connection", "Madman Across The Water", "Honky Chateau" and "Captain Fantastic". He's assembled a first-rate group of session musicians, including guitarist Marc Ribot and drummers Jim Keltner and Jay Bellerose. Along with Neil Young, Brian Wilson appears on the album too, accompanying Elton and Leon on the Elton John/Bernie Taupin song "When Love Is Dying".

"The Union" not only represents a long overdue artistic collaboration between Elton John and Leon Russell. It is definitely Elton's best 21st Century album, continuing in the wake of a string of superb albums which began with "Songs From The West Coast", continued with "Peachtree Road", and had ended prematurely with "The Captain and The Kid". But none of these had the superb acoustic production values which are especially noteworthy of Elton's earliest albums. "The Union" has successfully evoked that time, and offers listeners tantalizing glimpses as to what else may be in store from Elton John, Leon Russell and Bernie Taupin.

(EDITORIAL NOTE 12/10/10: "The Union" has placed high on Rolling Stone's Best Albums of 2010, ranking Number Three. An honor that is richly deserved, and one which recognizes how important this album ranks in the discographies of both Elton John and Leon Russell.)

I have been leery of Elton John for a while - just nothing of substance there for a really long time. And, Leon seemed to have become a living ghost. But, oh my, the bitch is back (and so is Leon). I loved both of these guys in the 70's and Asylum Choir II, which pairs Leon Russel and Marc Benno is one of my all-time favorites.

And the serious, important Elton (11-17-70, Madman, Honky Chateau and many others) is clearly one of the all-time greats. So why wouldn't I like The Union? I worried that their age dimmed their talent both as writers and performers. It seemed inevitable. Then I listened to The Union. It is the best work from either, or both, in a very long time.

The piano playing by both is fantastic, the vocals remind me of both men in their prime, and the song-writing is first-rate. Gone to Shiloh brings tears to the eyes and there are many other tracks that are beautiful both musically and lyrically. There are the honky-tonk, delta style romps we'd expect and some old-fashioned rock and roll (Monkey Suit).

A special bonus for me was hearing Gone to Shiloh for the first time and thinking how beautiful it was, was then hearing a stanza sung by my greatest musical hero, Neil Young. His vocal is haunting to say the least.

The production is great (well, it was prodcued by T-Bone Burnett) and the songs sound spectacular. The decisons made about instrumentation and arrangements are all sterling. The thought never crosses the listener's mind that any of this happened by accident or was ever deemed "good enough."

A joy to experience, uniting two of my boyhood heroes, who might just have regained that status.

I have never written a review before but I have to write about this album. I have been buying albums for..... lets just say awhile. I saw Leon the first time in the movie Mad DOgs and ENglishmen with Joe Cocker, loved him even more in Bangladesh. I saw him at the Garden in the seventies (was it the garden?) and all I remember was trying to climb onto the stage and some dude stopping me. I saw him again in the eighties at Westbury where I sat at Leons feet mezmorized. Wish I could see him more. Saw Elton a few times too, and he is great.. but Leon has my heart.

This cd is absolutely beautiful. The blend of their two voices is magnificent, the essence of each comes through so clearly. I have listened to it prolly 6 times since yesterday. When I heard Neil Young singing along on Shiloh, it just blew me away. I don't even know which song I like best.. there are so many good ones. "The Best Part of My Day" is so beautiful. And "Monkey Suit" reminds me of seeing Leon (and Elton actually too) back in the day.

When you do get the cd take the time to read the liner, especially if you are a Leon fan. I never understood why everyone didn't love him the way I did. Its time people know who Leon is.

Thank you so much Elton for making this happen! Love you both.
Kathy