{"product_id":"various-artists-songs-of-leon-russell-various-cd","title":"Various Artists - Songs Of Leon Russell \/ Various (CD)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails: \u003c\/strong\u003eFor fans of Ace Records' popular Songwriters series, 2021 looks like being a particularly good year. We kicked off in January with a compilation of songs from the pen of Kris Kristofferson, and keep the ball rolling this month with a volume spotlighting the work of Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Leon Russell. The name Leon Russell should evoke welcome memories for anyone old enough to remember that time in the late 60s-early 70s when rock and soul seemed to be sprouting wings and flying in all directions, with no boundaries to contain the flow of mad, wide-eyed creativity. With his flowing grey mane, stovepipe hat and stellar piano playing, Russell cut an imposing presence leading Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs \u0026amp; Englishmen circus as it's charismatic ringmaster and musical director, before stepping out on a solo career that went supernova as it rampaged through the first half of the 70s, directed from atop his Shelter empire. The collection comprises almost entirely songs from the period 1966 to 1979 and is packaged with a booklet featuring a 6,500-word essay by Kris Needs. The earliest selections - 'Before You Go' by Bobby Vee and 'The Loser (With A Broken Heart)' by Gary Lewis \u0026amp; the Playboys, both from Leon's time as producer Snuff Garrett's right-hand man, 'Raspberry Rug' by Bobby Whitlock and the Beatles-flavoured 'Land Of Oz' by Le Cirque - were all released before his name became well known to the public, although he was already established as one of the leading session musicians on the Los Angeles recording scene. His first major success came in 1969 with Joe Cocker's recording of 'Delta Lady', included here along with definitive versions of 'A Song For You', 'Groupie (Superstar)' and 'This Masquerade' by Donny Hathaway, Delaney \u0026amp; Bonnie and George Benson respectively. The one exception to the '69-'76 timeframe is 'If It Wasn't For Bad' from \"The Union\", the 2010 album Leon recorded in collaboration with Elton John, to whom he was an idol, mentor and inspiration. As Kris Needs writes in the booklet, \"Elton deserves much credit for reminding the modern world what a major talent had once stalked among us. Hopefully, this collection will help to keep Leon Russell's flame burning, maybe even send a few rifling through the man's colossal catalogue, like the first nuggets at the entrance to a goldmine.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTracklist: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf It Wasn't For Bad - Elton John \/ Leon Russell\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Delta Lady - Joe Cocker\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Groupie (Superstar) – Delaney ; Bonnie ; Friends Featuring Eric Clapton\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e A Song For You - Donny Hathaway\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Me And Baby Jane - José Feliciano\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Time For Love - Randy Crawford\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Land Of Oz - Le Cirque\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Before You Go - Bobby Vee\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Raspberry Rug - Bobby Whitlock\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e You Look Like The Devil - Willie Nelson\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Back To The Islands - Janis Siegel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Rainbow In Your Eyes - Al Jarreau\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e My Cricket - Rumer\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Make Love To The Music - Maria Muldaur\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Something Good Is Gonna Happen To You – Wornell Jones\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e I’d Rather Be Blind - Freddie King\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Alcatraz - Nazareth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e The Loser (With A Broken Heart) – Gary Lewis ; The Playboys\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Lonesome And A Long Way From Home – Earl Scruggs ; The Earl Scruggs Revue\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Love’s Supposed To Be That Way - California\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e This Masquerade - George Benson\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e","brand":"Alliance Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50522368999698,"sku":"029667101424","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/various-artists-songs-of-leon-russell-various-cd","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}