RIP Leon Russell

OK, I'm not a HUGE fan, I like a good bit of his stuff, and my Dad was a gigantic fan.......he passed away yesterday (I think it was)....when my Dad passed I got MOST of his records, but as I was searching for Leon Russell stuff (and I KNOW there was a bunch in there) I get the feeling perhaps my stepmother may have wound up with these......whatever......I have here a "Retrospective", which has most of his better known bluesy-rockers, I've always thought "Stranger In a Strange Land" (once done in a find cover by Juan De La Cruz, of all bands) and "Delta Lady" (his homage to Rita Coolidge) were great soulful rockers, his vocals also carry stuff like "Queen of the Roller Derby", "Out in the Woods", and "The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen"

All in all, we have lost a great vocalist (yes, I revisited this today, and, yes, it's a smidge better than I remember it being), if you are a huge fan of his and have a huge stash of his stuff, now is the time to submit it, for many, this comp will suffice.......it's really programmed and selected quite well, very very few dull moments here.

My Dad saw him live once and always said it was one of the best shows he ever saw......understand my Dad was like that, he probably had fifty or so "best" concerts he ever saw, but Leon Russell's name DID come up every time he discussed it. This album, while I wish I had more of his non-comp material, is quite a good one to listen to, so enjoy, and let us mourn the loss of another 1970's rocking icon........let us appreciate his body of work, there is some good stuff here.

RETROSPECTIVE-01 A Song For You/02 A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall/03 The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen/04 Delta lady/05 Roll Away the Stone/06 Tight Rope/07 Out in the Woods/08 Shootout on the Plantation/09 Stranger In a Strange Land/10 Hummingbird/11 Lady Blue/12 This Masquerade/13 Back to the Island/14 Magic Mirror/15 Crystal Closet Queen/16 Bluebird/17 Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms/18 Queen of the Roller Derby