Glen Campbell & Leon Russell - In Session (CHCH-TV Studios, Hamilton, Canada, 11-18-1983)

Back in 2024, I posted an album featuring an hour-long musical collaboration between Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb in 1988. It was from a Canadian TV show called "In Session." I don't know much about this show. But I found another episode that I thought was worthy of posting. Again, it's an hour long, and features Glen Campbell, but this time he collaborated with Leon Russell. And I don't know how long the show ran, but it's from five years earlier, 1983.

If anyone knows of (and has) more worthy episodes from this show, let me know and I'll post those too. What I really like about the two episodes that I found is they are true musical collaborations, instead of just taking turns playing songs. Campbell pretty much played guitar on all the songs, and Russell pretty much played keyboards on every song, and they often sang together. They also did some songs that I would guess they rarely or never performed in the own concerts, but they performed them here because they were songs that both of them knew, usually from big influences like Elvis Presley.

By the way, note that I just updated the cover of the Campbell and Webb episode. When I was putting this album together, I looked at that one and realized I'd failed to include some basic information on the cover. Thus the update. Here's the link, if you want to get the fixed version:

https://albumsthatshouldexist.blogspot.com/2024/10/glen-campbell-jimmy-webb-in-session.html

The music here is unreleased. The sound quality is excellent.

This album is 45 minutes long. 

01 I Saw the Light (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
02 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
03 Gentle on My Mind (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
04 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
05 Heartbreak Hotel (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
06 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
07 They Still Dance to Waltzes in England (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
08 Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
09 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
10 Jambalaya [On the Bayou] (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
11 A Song for You (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
12 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
13 Southern Nights [Edit] (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
14 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
15 You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin' (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
16 I Don't Mind (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
17 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
18 Crying (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
19 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
20 You Don't Know Me (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
21 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
22 I Don't Care What Mama Don't Allow (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
23 Lady Blue (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
24 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
25 I Believe to My Soul (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
26 talk (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)
27 Rhinestone Cowboy (Glen Campbell & Leon Russell)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/J7kWCJ6A

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/en/ZjShhBn2RFjRyAM/file

The cover photo is a screenshot I took from a video of this exact concert. 

Leon Russell with the Gap Band - The Midnight Special, The Church Studio, Tulsa, OK, 8-2-1974

Here's another episode of the excellent "Midnight Special" TV show. This one stars Leon Russell, with the Gap Band.

This is an unusual episode in a few different ways. The vast majority of the episodes were filmed in the same location, in the Los Angeles area, and featured one host plus a handful of guests. But this one was entirely filmed in Russell's personal recording studio, called the Church Studio (because it was inside a former church), in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It also had just one other musical act, the Gap Band. Furthermore, the Gap Band didn't just play a couple of their own songs, as usual. Instead, Russell and the Gap Band played together on every song. But Russell sang most of the songs, while the Gap Band only sang lead on two, while they also dominated one instrumental. Furthermore, there was no audience whatsoever, no doubt due to the unusual location.

I believe the reason for all of these unusual aspects is because the Midnight Special production crew went to this part of the country in order to film an episode that took place at a special Willie Nelson's Fourth of July concert that year. Russell was one of the stars of that, so the show people probably figured they could record another episode with Russell while they were in the area. The concert episode aired the week right after this one, and was also hosted by Russell. I'll get to posting that one eventually. I only know the broadcast date for this episode. But I'll bet the actual recording date was close to the date of the concert.

The Gap Band got to be pretty famous, due to a series of hits in the late 1970s and through most of the 1980s. But at the time of this concert in 1974, they were complete unknowns. They were formed in Tulsa in 1967, with lead singer Charlie Wilson and his two brothers as the core. However, they didn't have success until 1974, when they were the backing band for Russell's studio album that year, "Stop All That Jazz." He signed them to his record label, Shelter Records, and let them record their debut album in his studio, the same exact studio where this performance took place. However, the resulting album, "Magicians Holiday," didn't get any traction at all. It didn't make the U.S. album chart, and none of the singles from it made any singles chart either. It would be three more years before they released another album, and that one would come out on another label. So it seems their association with Russell only lasted around 1974.

The music here is unreleased. The sound quality is excellent. 

01 talk (Leon Russell)
02 Delta Lady (Leon Russell with the Gap Band)
03 talk (Wolfman Jack)
04 Alcatraz - Going Back (Leon Russell with the Gap Band)
05 talk (Leon Russell)
06 Smashed (Leon Russell with the Gap Band)
07 talk (Leon Russell)
08 Streakers Ball (Leon Russell with the Gap Band)
09 talk (Leon Russell)
10 Magicians Holiday (Gap Band with Leon Russell)
11 Queen of the Roller Derby - Roll Away the Stone (Leon Russell with the Gap Band)
12 Tommy's Groove [Instrumental] (Gap Band with Leon Russell)
13 Ain't That Peculiar (Leon Russell & the Gap Band)
14 Tight Rope (Leon Russell with the Gap Band)
15 You Can Always Count on Me (Gap Band with Leon Russell)
16 talk (Wolfman Jack)
17 Delta Lady [Reprise] (Leon Russell with the Gap Band)

https://pixeldrain.com/u/zT3NjrXR

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/en/E6llSkNMUJhfmvK/file

This cover image is a screenshot I took of a YouTube video of this exact concert. I couldn't find an image with more members of the Gap Band, especially lead singer Charlie Wilson, since they were spread out all over the studio. But at least I got Russell (at the bottom with long light hair) with the bassist and some backing vocalists.

Leon Russell, Nick Lowe, & Paul Brady - Songwriters' Circle, Porchester Hall, London, Britain, 10-7-2011

Recently, a musical friend named Peter sent me several episodes of the "Songwriters' Circle" BBC TV show. That inspired me to organize some that I had already. So while I didn't get this one from Peter, his sharing is responsible for me finishing getting it ready to be posted. This episode features the singer-songwriters Leon Russell, Nick Lowe, and Paul Brady taking turns performing their songs.

I've already posted a bunch of music by Nick Lowe, with more to come, so I don't feel the need to say much about him. Suffice to say that he's great.

I've also already posted a joint Leon Russell and Elton John concert. But I didn't say that much about him then, so I'll say a bit more now. Actually, to make it easy on myself, I'll just quote the introductory paragraph to his Wikipedia entry:

"[Russell] was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and roll, country, gospel, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, southern rock, blues rock, folk, surf and the Tulsa sound. His recordings earned six gold records and he received two Grammy Awards from seven nominations. In 1973, Billboard named Russell the 'Top Concert Attraction in the World.' In 2011, he was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame." He died in 2016. 

Here's the link if you want to read the rest of the very informative Wikipedia entry about him:

Leon Russell - Wikipedia 

So that leaves Paul Brady, who is the least well known of the three. The Wikipedia intro isn't so good for him, so I'll try to write something myself. Brady is a singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland. His career began in the late 1960s and 1970s when he concentrated on playing traditional Irish music. But starting in the early 1980s, he switched to doing his own songs, in pop and rock styles. He didn't have big commercial success on his own, but many musical acts covered his songs, including Bonnie Raitt, Santana, Dave Edmunds, and Tina Turner. 

Here's an interesting quote that Bob Dylan included in his "Biograph" box set, released in 1985, that names Brady:

"[P]eople get too famous too fast these days and it destroys them. Some guys got it down - Leonard Cohen, Paul Brady, Lou Reed, secret heroes, John Prine, David Allen Coe, Tom Waits. I listen more to that kind of stuff than whatever is popular at the moment. They're not just witchdoctoring up the planet, they don't set up barriers."

Here's his Wikipedia page if you want to know more:

Paul Brady - Wikipedia 

In terms of the musical content of this album, I don't have much to say. It follows the same format of other episodes of this TV series. Russell stuck to playing piano, while Lowe and Brady played acoustic guitars. They mostly just sang their own songs, but there are some backing vocals where they helped each other out, especially on the last couple of songs. 

The music here is unreleased, and the sound quality is excellent. 

This album is 58 minutes long. 

01 A Song for You (Leon Russell)
02 I Live on a Battlefield (Nick Lowe)
03 Smile (Paul Brady)
04 Tightrope (Leon Russell)
05 talk (Nick Lowe)
06 Cruel to Be Kind (Nick Lowe)
07 talk (Paul Brady)
08 Nobody Knows (Paul Brady)
09 Hummingbird (Leon Russell)
10 talk (Nick Lowe)
11 The Beast in Me (Nick Lowe)
12 talk (Paul Brady)
13 Crazy Dreams (Paul Brady)
14 Delta Lady (Leon Russell)
15 talk (Nick Lowe)
16 I Read a Lot (Nick Lowe)
17 talk (Paul Brady)
18 Luck of the Draw (Paul Brady)
19 This Masquerade (Leon Russell)
20 talk (Nick Lowe)
21 [What's So Funny 'Bout] Peace, Love and Understanding (Nick Lowe)
22 talk (Paul Brady)
23 The World Is What You Make It (Paul Brady) 

https://pixeldrain.com/u/p4Rb21Ce

alternate: 

https://bestfile.io/en/xjPlM2YBOzIA7Sw/file

The cover image is a screenshot I took from a video of this exact concert. From right to left: Leon Russell, Nick Lowe, and Paul Brady.

Elton John & Leon Russell - BBC Sessions, Volume 16: Electric Proms, the Roundhouse, London, Britain, 10-28-2010

I've posted a ton of Elton John BBC albums, but I generally lost interest in the early 2000s, because most of his concerts consisted of his same old hits that he'd done plenty of times before. But this concert is different. John's music is heavily based on piano playing, and he was heavily influenced by the piano playing of Leon Russell, who had a peak of popularity in the early 1970s. In early 2010, John and Russell released an album together, "The Union." This concert heavily draws on that album, and features them in nearly equal measure, both in solo spots and together.

By the time of this concert, Russell was near the tail end of his music career. He looked like a wizard, with long white hair and a beard, and he walked with a cane. He would die a few years later, in 2016. But both he and John were creatively revitalized by working together. On "The Union" album, the vast majority of songs were written by some combination of John, Russell, and John's long-time lyricist Bernie Taupin, who wrote a bunch of songs with Russell. And despite Russell's health issues, he still had no problem singing and playing piano with vigor.

The sound quality is excellent, despite this being entirely unreleased. However, boy, did I have a problem with the recording. It turns out there were microgaps through the entire thing. Generally, there were less than half a second long, but that was just long enough to notice a brief silence. So I had to carefully listen to the whole thing for the gaps, and then fix them one by one. Most songs had at least one such gap, and some had four or five. I've marked some of the most problematic ones by putting "[Edit]" in the titles, but really, I edited the vast majority of the songs here. 

But there was another problem. Occasionally, the BBC DJ spoke, for station identification or to tell the listener at home what was happening on stage. Most of the time, that talking took place between songs, and I was able to edit it out. But for about three or four songs, it overlapped with the starts of songs. In one case, it even kept going over some of the singing. So I had to do more editing of that. Luckily, in the one case where it overlapped the singing, the song started with a chorus, so I was able to patch in the vocals from a later chorus. 

But... sigh, this one was a real pain in the ass to fix. On the plus side, everything should sound great now. I may have missed a microgap here and there, but I'm pretty sure I got the vast majority of them, if not all of them.

This album is two hour and 35 minutes long.

01 talk (Elton John)
02 Burn Down the Mission (Elton John)
03 talk (Elton John)
04 Levon (Elton John)
05 Tiny Dancer [Edit] (Elton John)
06 talk (Elton John)
07 Ballad of a Well-Known Gun (Elton John)
08 talk (Elton John)
09 I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues (Elton John with Plan B)
10 talk (Elton John)
11 Delta Lady [Edit] (Leon Russell)
12 A Song for You (Leon Russell)
13 This Masquerade (Leon Russell with Rumer)
14 talk (Elton John & Leon Russell)
15 If It Wasn't for Bad (Elton John & Leon Russell)
16 Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes (Elton John & Leon Russell)
17 Hey Ahab (Elton John & Leon Russell)
18 talk (Elton John & Leon Russell)
19 Gone to Shiloh (Elton John & Leon Russell)
20 Jimmy Rodgers' Dream (Elton John & Leon Russell)
21 talk (Elton John & Leon Russell)
22 There's No Tomorrow (Elton John & Leon Russell)
23 Monkey Suit (Elton John & Leon Russell)
24 The Best Part of the Day (Elton John & Leon Russell)
25 Dreams Come True (Elton John & Leon Russell)
26 talk (Elton John & Leon Russell)
27 I Should Have Sent Roses [Edit] (Elton John & Leon Russell)
28 When Love Is Dying (Elton John & Leon Russell)
29 talk (Elton John & Leon Russell)
30 Hearts Have Turned to Stone (Elton John & Leon Russell)
31 Never Too Old [To Hold Somebody] (Elton John & Leon Russell)
32 talk (Elton John & Leon Russell)
33 In the Hands of Angels (Elton John & Leon Russell)
34 Tight Rope (Leon Russell)
35 Prince of Peace - Out of the Woods (Leon Russell)
36 Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms - Stranger in a Strange Land [Edit] (Leon Russell)
37 Your Song [Edit] (Elton John)
38 Take Me to the Pilot [Edit] (Elton John)
39 Sad Songs [Say So Much] (Elton John)
40 The Bitch Is Back [Edit] (Elton John)
41 talk (Elton John & Leon Russell)
42 Hey Ahab (Elton John & Leon Russell)

https://www.imagenetz.de/mqbND

alternate:

https://pixeldrain.com/u/u3heHDnj

second alternate:

https://bestfile.io/en/zgRam5kIGoj91m8/file 

For the cover, I wanted to have a photo of John and Russell together in concert. But both of them played pianos that were far apart on stage, so there weren't any good photos like that. So instead I found two photos from this exact concert, and positioned them to both fit on the cover.