“Asylum
Choir II” is the second and final album of the studio aggregation consisting
entirely of Leon Russell and Marc Benno.
Initially
kept in the can until Leon Russell started hitting his stride in the early
'70s, “Asylum Choir II” is an artifact from 1967-1969. This was a fertile time
for music. All the popular themes of the times show up here: protests of the
Vietnam war in Down on the Base and Ballad for a Soldier; notes on the
political scene and corporate profit-making in the face of the war in Sweet
Home Chicago, Tryin' to Stay Alive, Lady in Waiting, and Straight Brother; and,
of course, love in Hello Little Friend (which would later prove a hit for Joe
Cocker when Leon was running that show).
The tracks sound fairly dated in part
because many songs were so topical. Although
Leon Russell is credited as contributing bass, guitar, piano, keyboards,
vocals, and being the producer while Marc Benno is credited as a performer and
producer, the music does not suffer from the "Winwood" syndrome,
which occurs when one musician tries to do everything and the resulting product
sounds flat and uninspired. Quite the opposite, the music, for the most part,
is jaunty and full-bodied. For
example, on Straight Brother, the sound is a rich pastiche of fiddle, wah-wah,
percussion, bass, and some great vocals from, I would guess, Rita Coolidge (set
up in the Intro to Rita). Which also begs the question: who else is making some
uncredited guest appearances? I find it hard to believe the late Carl Radle
only served as a photographer and never plugged in his bass here. Could one of
the drummer Jims (Gordon or Kneltner) be sitting in, too? No doubt, there are
quite a few uncredited performers lurking on this recording, perhaps uncredited
because of contract issues. Russell,
who was just gaining his musical footing about the time this album was
orginially recorded, wrote some great lyrics and sings with great verve. His
vocals, veering from ragged to howling, still can conjure chills on Straight
Brother. And his keyboard playing is articulate and quirky, a harbinger of what
was yet to come.
The CD
re-release contains all but three of the tracks from their first LP as bonus
cuts.
The bonus
tracks are curiosities at best, likely the product of some acid-tinged sessions
that extended way past any sane hour of the night. Still, Henri the Clown is
catchy litte ditty that can get stuck in your head.
Track listing
01. "Sweet Home Chicago" (Leon Russell, Marc Benno) - 3:20
02. "Down on the Base" (Leon Russell, Marc Benno) - 2:18
03. "Hello Little Friend" (Russell) - 2:52
04. "Salty Candy" (Leon Russell, Marc Benno) - 2:26
05. "Tryin' to Stay Alive" (Leon Russell, Marc Benno) - 2:50
06. "Intro to Rita" (Leon Russell, Marc Benno) - 2:07
07. "Straight Brother" (Leon Russell, Marc Benno) - 3:08
08. "Learn How to Boogie" (Leon Russell, Marc Benno) - 2:40
09. "Ballad for a Soldier" (Russell) - 4:25
10. "When You Wish upon a Fag" (Russell) - 4:10
11. "Lady in Waiting" (Russell) - 3:37
The CD re-issue contains the following bonus tracks:
12. "Welcome to Hollywood" - 2:35
13. "Death of the Flowers" (Russell, Benno, Greg Dempsey) - 2:08
14. "Icicle Star Tree" - 2:55
15. Medley: "N.Y. Op" "Land of Dog" "Henri the Clown" - 6:07
16. "Soul Food" (Russell, Benno, Bill Boatman, Jimmy Markham) - 2:05
Notes
Recorded at Skyhill Studios, Hollywood
Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Symphonic Rock
Length: 49:42
Producer: Leon Russell & Marc Benno
Label: Shelter Records
© 1971
No comments:
Post a Comment