Leon Russell - Leon Live (1973)

“Leon Live” is, without a doubt, the ultimate Leon Russell experience. Not only that, it is one of the all-time great expressions of American popular music. While it does not have the more detailed, polished sound of his outstanding studio recordings (the sound quality here does admittedly leave something to be desired), it captures Leon's manic energy as no other album can. The spirit of blues, gospel, and rock & roll are alive and kicking like a mule on crack in this incredible performance, which rivals Joe Cocker's “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” in its scope and power. It's all at once riotous, joyful, frenzied, sophisticated, heartfelt, and even spiritual. Many of the songs are played much faster than the originally recorded tempo, which could get tedious if it wasn't done so well by the band as a whole. To begin with, Leon's vocals have never been more gritty and raw, and his periodic blues ramblings about "my baby" and other topics turn this into more of a religious experience than a rock concert. He uses his signature wild screaming to kick the band into even higher gear when necessary (ie: on every song). His piano playing is unrivaled by anyone in the business. Nobody can boogie like the Master of Space and Time, and I believe he is the greatest rock pianist of them all. Just take a listen to the "Of Thee I Sing/Yes I Am Medley" for proof. As for the rest of the band, it is a first-rate ensemble if there ever was one, borrowing heavily from Leon's handpicked Mad Dogs and Englishmen band. Don Preston's lead guitar work is truly stunning, and I find it a crying shame that virtually no one knows his name these days. Carl Radle and Chuck Blackwell form a rock-solid rhythm section amidst the seeming chaos, and the gospel choir echoes every syllable of intensity thrown at them by the lead singer (be it Leon, Don Preston, Phylliss Lindsey, or Patrick Henderson).
Highlights of the album are hard to put a finger on since the whole thing is so great. In fact, the only song I could do without would be Phylliss Lindsey's vocal feature "Some Day." Her voice is just too screechy. Otherwise, the album is built around several show-stopping medleys, including Leon's famous rendition of "Jumpin' Jack Flash/Youngblood," "The Mighty Quinn," and the aforementioned "Of Thee I Sing/Yes I Am." "Stranger In A Strange Land" and "Out In The Woods" are also superb. However, none of these lengthier pieces quite equal the 3 minutes and 54 seconds of sheer hysteria that is "Delta Lady," which appears close to the end for obvious reasons. I listen to many different styles of music, including a lot of hard rock and some heavy metal, but every minute of “Leon Live” rocks harder than any of that stuff. His passion, spirit, energy, and southern charm make this one of the most definitive collections of big band rock ever made.


Side A
          Mighty Quinn Medley  - 11:44
A1.a   I'll Take You There  (Al Bell) 
A1.b   Idol With The Golden Head  (Leiber-Stoller) 
A1.c   I Serve A Living Savior  (Betty Watson) 
A1.d   Mighty Quinn  (Bob Dylan) 
A2.     Shoot Out On The Plantation  (Leon Russell)  - 4:52 
A3.     Dixie Lullaby  (Chris Stainton, Leon Russell)  - 3:10 

Side B
B1.    Queen Of The Roller Derby   (Leon Russell)  - 1:53 
B2.    Roll Away The Stone   (Greg Dempsey, Leon Russell)  - 3:56 
B3.    It's Been A Long Time Baby   (J.L. Hooker, Paub)  - 3:24 
B4.    Great Day   (Traditional)  - 3:04 
B5.    Alcatraz   (Leon Russell)  - 4:23 

Side C
C1.    Crystal Closet Queen  (Leon Russell)  - 6:33 
C2.    Prince Of Peace   (Greg Dempsey, Leon Russell)  - 4:27 
C3.    Sweet Emily   (Leon Russell)  - 3:09 
C4.    Stranger In A Strange Land  (Leon Russell)  - 5:01 

Side D
D1.    Out In The Woods   Leon Russell  9:13 
D2.    Some Day   Traditional 3:21 
D3.    Sweeping Through The City   Shirley Caeser  2:32 

Side E
         Jumping Jack Flash / Youngblood Medley  - 16:15
E.a    Jumping Jack Flash  (Mick Jagger/Keith Richard) 
E.b    Youngblood  (D.Pomus, J.Leiber-M.Stoller)

Side F
F1.    Of Thee I Sing / Yes I Am Medley   (Leon Russell)  - 10:25 
F2.    Delta Lady   (Leon Russell)  - 3:57 
F3.    It's All Over Now Baby Blue   (Bob Dylan)  - 6:44 

Credits
Piano, Lead Vocals – Leon Russell
Vocals – Phylliss Lindsey
Backing Vocals – Black Grass
Bass – Carl Radle
Congas – Ambrose Campbell
Drums – Chuck Blackwell
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Joey Cooper
Guitar, Vocals – Don Preston
Organ – John Gallie
Piano, Vocals – Patrick Henderson
Producer – Denny Cordell, Leon Russell
Arranged By – Rev. Patrick Henderson

Notes
Genre:  Folk Rock
Length:  1:48:03
Recorded live at Long Beach Arena, August 28, 1972
© 1973 Shelter Recording Company Inc.