Leon Russell - Asylum Choir Ii • CDs • Vinyl Records • LPs • Music Albums

Asylum choir tape, in his personal stash, recorded in April, 1969. So it's repackaged and released. What you'd expect is an old bomb with a new cover, but I happen to think it's one of the more interesting things Leon Russell's done. And, while Benno gets equal billing, it is Leon's album. The only things that are apparently Marc's are shared credit for writing on most of the songs, and some occasional backing vocals. No credit is given for who plays what, so I don't even know if Benno did any of that.

If there's a theme to the album it's a raging naivete. This is a bitter Leon Russell lashing out at a straight world that, seemingly, is only now exposing its viciousness to him.

First song, right off the bat is "Home Sweet Chicago," and it was written close on the heels of the Democratic convention, and is about that now famous debacle. "But it's such an unconventional friendly city," he writes. The music is basic Russell, pounding piano and all, but the lyrics are something else: "Hey man, here's what to do/You got to see Chicago Zoo/They got the flying northern redneck/And the goosestep point of view."

This is immediately followed by a somewhat vague, but definitely anti-military song, "Down on the Base." It's got that rocking, jiving barrelhouse sound that contrasts mighty ironically with lines about mutilation and barbs like, "My life's a small price to pay/To teach those commies American Way." Not everything is this heavy, though, and it goes on to what was undoubtedly the first recording of "Hello, Little Friend," which is pretty much a duet with Marc Benno providing strong harmonies. Altogether, though, it's not as good as many of the subsequent recordings.

Last on side one is a song that sounds a little strange now that Leon is on top of the heap, because it's called "Tryin' to Stay 'Live." I guess we're all doing that, but it's kind of funny to hear Leon Russell sing: "Well, I'm tryin' to stay 'live/And keep my sideburns too/Ask all the people/It's getting hard to do." Things have changed some since April of '69, it seems.

Side two is less startling, and there's only one really heavy song, "Ballad for a Soldier." It's a better anti-war song than "Down on the Base," but it takes a bit more listening. This was before L