RIP, Master of Space and Time
November 13, 2016 12:58 PM Subscribe
Leon Russell collaborator with Joe Cocker and Elton John and a fine performer in his own right has passed on at 74
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posted by jim in austin at 1:17 PM on November 13, 2016
posted by jim in austin at 1:17 PM on November 13, 2016
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posted by double bubble at 1:24 PM on November 13, 2016
posted by double bubble at 1:24 PM on November 13, 2016
I remember when "Tight Rope" came out. I think it was the first song I ever heard him sing. His voice and the melody were both twisty and enticing. I didn't know what the lyrics meant, which didn't keep certain lines and images from sticking in my head for years. The flip was a little ditty called "This Masquerade," which, I understand, George Benson had some success with. So, the man could write a song or two.
This annus horribilis continues to swing its merciless scythe.
aav.
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posted by the sobsister at 1:27 PM on November 13, 2016 [6 favorites]
This annus horribilis continues to swing its merciless scythe.
aav.
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posted by the sobsister at 1:27 PM on November 13, 2016 [6 favorites]
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posted by get off of my cloud at 1:37 PM on November 13, 2016
posted by get off of my cloud at 1:37 PM on November 13, 2016
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posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 1:40 PM on November 13, 2016
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 1:40 PM on November 13, 2016
I was fortunate enough to see him live a couple of times. Great musician. I heard the news earlier today and thought about making this post, but couldn't bring myself to look up the links. I would say that I'm glad 2016 is almost over, but I fear 2017 will be worse.
posted by TedW at 1:52 PM on November 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by TedW at 1:52 PM on November 13, 2016 [3 favorites]
I saw him open for Bob Dylan at Jones Beach a few years back. He was, indeed, wonderful.
posted by jonmc at 1:55 PM on November 13, 2016
posted by jonmc at 1:55 PM on November 13, 2016
THIS FUCKING YEAR
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:02 PM on November 13, 2016 [11 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:02 PM on November 13, 2016 [11 favorites]
To my mind, his greatest achievement was co-writing "Just My Style" for Gary Lewis and the Playboys -- maybe the most successfully realized Beach Boys pastiche ever. He also played on Lewis's "This Diamond Ring" and a zillion other 60s hits. Then he didn't do much, until the Carpenters recorded "Masquerade" -- another great song.
posted by Modest House at 2:03 PM on November 13, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by Modest House at 2:03 PM on November 13, 2016 [5 favorites]
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posted by Radiophonic Oddity at 2:38 PM on November 13, 2016
posted by Radiophonic Oddity at 2:38 PM on November 13, 2016
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posted by Obscure Reference at 2:39 PM on November 13, 2016
posted by Obscure Reference at 2:39 PM on November 13, 2016
"Roll Away the Stone" is the best rock song about Jesus ever written.
"Stranger in a Strange Land" is the best rock song about a science fiction novel about Jesus ever written.
I am deeply glad I got to see Leon perform earlier this year. Thanks for the music, brother.
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posted by /\/\/\/ at 2:42 PM on November 13, 2016 [10 favorites]
"Stranger in a Strange Land" is the best rock song about a science fiction novel about Jesus ever written.
I am deeply glad I got to see Leon perform earlier this year. Thanks for the music, brother.
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posted by /\/\/\/ at 2:42 PM on November 13, 2016 [10 favorites]
Badfinger - Day After Day
Flying Burrito Bros - Wild Horses
Stranger in a Strange Land
... just to make three quick selections.
posted by philip-random at 3:37 PM on November 13, 2016
Flying Burrito Bros - Wild Horses
Stranger in a Strange Land
... just to make three quick selections.
posted by philip-random at 3:37 PM on November 13, 2016
OMG not Leon! Good grief, this year has gutted us.
RIP.
posted by Lynsey at 4:08 PM on November 13, 2016
RIP.
posted by Lynsey at 4:08 PM on November 13, 2016
God fucking damn it, this year.
If you haven't seen Les Blank's A Poem Is A Naked Person, you're missing out. It captures Russel's incredible stage presence and charisma.
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posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:19 PM on November 13, 2016 [6 favorites]
If you haven't seen Les Blank's A Poem Is A Naked Person, you're missing out. It captures Russel's incredible stage presence and charisma.
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posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:19 PM on November 13, 2016 [6 favorites]
If you have an hour or so, this live session between Leon and JJ Cale is well worth your time.
posted by downtohisturtles at 4:26 PM on November 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by downtohisturtles at 4:26 PM on November 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
Uuuhhhhhhrrrrrgggg. What a fuckin week.
RIP Leon, you were a natural.
posted by Liquidwolf at 4:55 PM on November 13, 2016
RIP Leon, you were a natural.
posted by Liquidwolf at 4:55 PM on November 13, 2016
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You should see the TAMI Show anyway, but one of its joys is an occasional glimpse of clean-shaven young Leon with the Wrecking Crew.
Fuckin' 2016. Goddamn.
posted by in278s at 5:19 PM on November 13, 2016
You should see the TAMI Show anyway, but one of its joys is an occasional glimpse of clean-shaven young Leon with the Wrecking Crew.
Fuckin' 2016. Goddamn.
posted by in278s at 5:19 PM on November 13, 2016
♪
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:27 PM on November 13, 2016
posted by Smart Dalek at 6:27 PM on November 13, 2016
"Couple of numbers from Leon . . . "(Leon's "Jumping Jack Flash / Youngblood" medley at the Concert For Bangladesh.)
Leon was a member of the Shindogs, house band for the eary Rock TV show, Shindig!. Other Shindogs: Glen Campbell, Delaney Bramlett, Chuck Blackwell, Billy Preston, Larry Knechtel, Glen D. Hardin, James Burton . . .Texas Cannonball (1970) (full album), one of several Freddie King albums on Russell's Shelter label that helped introduce him to rock audiences. Wouldn't have happened without Leon Russell. feat. Leon Russell's band and Duck Dunn and Al Jackson of the MGs.
Delta Lady (1970)
Stranger In A Strange Land (1971)
Roll Away The Stone (1971)
Beware of Darkness (1971 c. George Harrison)
Beware of Darkness (George at the Concert for Bangladesh. Note the ovation when Leon joins in)
This Masquerade (1972)
With A Little Help From My Friends (Mad Dogs & Englishmen, 1970) A fully fully baked Leon and Joe Cocker.
Rock Hall Induction (2011 presented by Elton John)
And finally:
A Song For You (1970)
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posted by Herodios at 6:33 PM on November 13, 2016 [21 favorites]
Leon was a member of the Shindogs, house band for the eary Rock TV show, Shindig!. Other Shindogs: Glen Campbell, Delaney Bramlett, Chuck Blackwell, Billy Preston, Larry Knechtel, Glen D. Hardin, James Burton . . .
- Roll Over Beethoven Leon in 1964 at the piano grande in tails with a pompador and clean shaven.
- Jambalaya Shindig! 1965
- KCET Homewood Session" (1970) Recorded live in a TV studio. Do Not Miss This!
- Indianola Mississippi Seeds (1970), one of two albums (Completely Well is the other) that heped introduce B. B. King to rock audiences. Wouldn't have happened without Leon Russell.
- Ask Me No Questions (Leon, piano)
- Kings Special (Leon, piano)
- Hummingbird (Leon, piano and composer)
And finally:
A Song For You (1970)
I've been so many places in my life and timeGodspeed, Leon.
I've sung a lot of songs, I've made some bad rhymes
I've acted out my love on stages
With 10, 000 people watching
But we're alone now and I'm singing this song to you
. . .
I love you in a place where there's no space and time
I love you for my life, you are a friend of mine
And when my life is over
Remember when we were together
We were alone and I was singing this song for you
We were alone and I was singing this song for you
We were alone and I was singing my song
Singing this song for you . . .
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posted by Herodios at 6:33 PM on November 13, 2016 [21 favorites]
I loved this guy. I played this bootleg of his for hours at a a time. A different time and place.
RIP Leon.
posted by unliteral at 6:38 PM on November 13, 2016
RIP Leon.
posted by unliteral at 6:38 PM on November 13, 2016
oh my I forgot Cry Me A River!
One two three four . . .
posted by Herodios at 6:44 PM on November 13, 2016
One two three four . . .
posted by Herodios at 6:44 PM on November 13, 2016
Been listening to Carney a lot lately. He was a visionary.
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posted by Devils Rancher at 6:51 PM on November 13, 2016
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posted by Devils Rancher at 6:51 PM on November 13, 2016
Play on Brother Leon
posted by a humble nudibranch at 7:15 PM on November 13, 2016
posted by a humble nudibranch at 7:15 PM on November 13, 2016
2016 is one vicious bitch of a year for passings. Please make it stop.
The man played with presence, sweet emotion and soul. That band in Heaven, tickets for those shows gotta be harder to come by than "Hamilton" orchestra seats.
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posted by dbiedny at 8:07 PM on November 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
The man played with presence, sweet emotion and soul. That band in Heaven, tickets for those shows gotta be harder to come by than "Hamilton" orchestra seats.
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posted by dbiedny at 8:07 PM on November 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
I like to play "Superstar" in my solo piano gigs. I try to keep Luther Vandross, Leon Russell (one of the songwriters!) and Karen Carpenter all in mind as I play it. (Sonic Youth, not so much.) Anyway, that song is a masterpiece, and LR wrote many more classics. R.I.P.
posted by kozad at 9:34 PM on November 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by kozad at 9:34 PM on November 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by El Brendano at 6:03 AM on November 14, 2016
posted by El Brendano at 6:03 AM on November 14, 2016
Ugh. If I may - You might remember Tightrope or A hard rains a gonna fall.
Dammit I love Tightrope. It's genius for sure and emblematic of songwriting I'll never understand.
posted by vapidave at 8:46 AM on November 14, 2016
Dammit I love Tightrope. It's genius for sure and emblematic of songwriting I'll never understand.
posted by vapidave at 8:46 AM on November 14, 2016
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posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 9:05 AM on November 14, 2016
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 9:05 AM on November 14, 2016
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posted by Katjusa Roquette at 9:31 AM on November 14, 2016
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 9:31 AM on November 14, 2016
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posted by trip and a half at 9:51 AM on November 14, 2016
posted by trip and a half at 9:51 AM on November 14, 2016
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posted by LeftMyHeartInSanFrancisco at 7:06 PM on November 14, 2016
posted by LeftMyHeartInSanFrancisco at 7:06 PM on November 14, 2016
Appropriate, perhaps obligatory:
"Out In The Woods"
Well, I'm goin' down, goin down a hard road
Just don't know, don't know where I've been
But I think I've been a-walkin', I'm a-walkin' 'round in circles
Can't even find a friend
Woah, my love, my love, she is not waiting
Think I might've been gone, I've been gone too long
Look at the people, people make me crazy
I can hardly sing my song
Hustlers stand around me, I'm lost and all alone
Can't tell the bad from the good
I'm out in the woods, said I'm lost in the woods
Big city gamblers, gamblers take my money
Yes, it gets to be useless, yes, it's useless to me
And I think I'm lost, when I'm lost inside this jungle
Can't see the forest for the trees
Well, pretty little woman come and get me
Try me, try me one more time
Yes and your sweet, your sweet understanding
Can't fix this broken heart of mine, yeah
The vultures fly around me, come and take me home
Can't tell the bad from the good
I'm out in the woods, said I'm lost in the woods
Doda koo panga, ma doda koo kala
Doda koo panga, oo kala shatini
[The last two lines are supposedly Zulu. I have the Carney sheet music book (1973 Skyhill Publishing), and after this song there's a note:
I asked a friend from Africa how to say "I'm lost in the jungle" in Zulu. He said Zulu folks don't get lost in the jungle and there really wasn't any way to say that. But as close as I can make it, the translation is "I'm a man gone crazy and I'm wandering around aimlessly in the bush." –L.R.]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:43 PM on November 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
"Out In The Woods"
Well, I'm goin' down, goin down a hard road
Just don't know, don't know where I've been
But I think I've been a-walkin', I'm a-walkin' 'round in circles
Can't even find a friend
Woah, my love, my love, she is not waiting
Think I might've been gone, I've been gone too long
Look at the people, people make me crazy
I can hardly sing my song
Hustlers stand around me, I'm lost and all alone
Can't tell the bad from the good
I'm out in the woods, said I'm lost in the woods
Big city gamblers, gamblers take my money
Yes, it gets to be useless, yes, it's useless to me
And I think I'm lost, when I'm lost inside this jungle
Can't see the forest for the trees
Well, pretty little woman come and get me
Try me, try me one more time
Yes and your sweet, your sweet understanding
Can't fix this broken heart of mine, yeah
The vultures fly around me, come and take me home
Can't tell the bad from the good
I'm out in the woods, said I'm lost in the woods
Doda koo panga, ma doda koo kala
Doda koo panga, oo kala shatini
[The last two lines are supposedly Zulu. I have the Carney sheet music book (1973 Skyhill Publishing), and after this song there's a note:
I asked a friend from Africa how to say "I'm lost in the jungle" in Zulu. He said Zulu folks don't get lost in the jungle and there really wasn't any way to say that. But as close as I can make it, the translation is "I'm a man gone crazy and I'm wandering around aimlessly in the bush." –L.R.]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:43 PM on November 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by On the Corner at 3:16 AM on November 15, 2016
posted by On the Corner at 3:16 AM on November 15, 2016
He was supposed to play a free show in Hoboken this summer, and I was so psyched, especially after seeing the Les Blank film Johnny Wallflower mentioned. The show got rained out, and never re-scheduled.
The movie is definitely worth seeing. Blank did it in the 70s but Russell blocked its release until this year. It's a great film, but you can understand if you were a rock star in the 1970s and you hired a director to make a documentary about you, A Poem Is a Naked Person is not the movie you'd expect to get.
posted by layceepee at 10:06 AM on November 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
The movie is definitely worth seeing. Blank did it in the 70s but Russell blocked its release until this year. It's a great film, but you can understand if you were a rock star in the 1970s and you hired a director to make a documentary about you, A Poem Is a Naked Person is not the movie you'd expect to get.
posted by layceepee at 10:06 AM on November 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
And finally:
A Song For You (1970)
I always loved Leon's version and everyone and his wife covered it but Donny Hathaway just kills it for me.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 10:11 PM on November 15, 2016
A Song For You (1970)
I always loved Leon's version and everyone and his wife covered it but Donny Hathaway just kills it for me.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 10:11 PM on November 15, 2016
Much love, PMcD: Karen Carpenter – "Superstar" (vocal and bass only)
more KC isolated vocal tracks, because need beautiful now
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:13 AM on November 16, 2016
more KC isolated vocal tracks, because need beautiful now
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:13 AM on November 16, 2016
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posted by Silverstone at 1:01 PM on November 13, 2016 [1 favorite]