The Union (Elton John and Leon Russell album)
2010 studio album by Elton John and Leon Russell
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The Union is a collaboration studio album by singer-songwriters Elton John and Leon Russell, released on 19 October 2010 in the US and on 25 October in the UK. This is John's second collaboration album, after 1993's Duets. This is the first studio release by John since 1979's Victim of Love without any of his regular Elton John Band members. It is also his highest charting studio album on the Billboard 200 since 1976's Blue Moves, debuting at No. 3, as well as Russell's highest charting studio album since 1972's Carney. The Union was No. 3 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.[1]
Released19 October 2010
Recorded20 November 2009 – March 2010
Studios
- The Village Recorder (Los Angeles, California)
- Quad Studios (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Silent Sound Studios (Atlanta, Georgia)
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| Released | 19 October 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 20 November 2009 – March 2010 | |||
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| Producer | T Bone Burnett | |||
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The album features appearances by Booker T. Jones (on Hammond B-3), Neil Young (vocals), Robert Randolph (pedal steel), and Brian Wilson (vocal harmonies). This album was dedicated to Guy Babylon, John's keyboard player who died a year before its release.[2] "If It Wasn't for Bad" was nominated for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and "Hey Ahab" became a staple in John's concert tours.
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 76/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [4] |
| Clash | [5] |
| Consequence of Sound | [6] |
| Contactmusic.com | [7] |
| Daily Mirror | [8] |
| Financial Times | [9] |
| The Guardian | [10] |
| The Independent | [11] |
| Los Angeles Times | [12] |
| Rolling Stone | [13] |
| Uncut | |
The Union received mostly positive reviews with critics praising it as some of the pair's best work to date. It reached No. 3 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.[14]
Accolades
Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "If It Wasn't for Bad" | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals[15] | Nominated |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "If It Wasn't for Bad" | Leon Russell | 3:43 |
| 2. | "Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes" | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Hey Ahab" | John, Taupin | 5:39 |
| 4. | "Gone to Shiloh" (featuring Neil Young) | John, Taupin | 4:50 |
| 5. | "Hearts Have Turned to Stone" (moved to twelfth track on some CD copies) | Russell | 3:47 |
| 6. | "Jimmie Rodgers' Dream" | John, Taupin, T Bone Burnett | 3:42 |
| 7. | "There's No Tomorrow" | John, Russell, Burnett, James Timothy Shaw | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Monkey Suit" | John, Taupin | 4:46 |
| 9. | "The Best Part of the Day" | John, Taupin | 4:45 |
| 10. | "A Dream Come True" | John, Russell | 5:07 |
| 11. | "I Should Have Sent Roses" | Russell, Taupin | 5:21 |
| 12. | "When Love Is Dying" | John, Taupin | 4:51 |
| 13. | "My Kind of Hell" (bonus track on iTunes digital deluxe LP, deluxe CD and vinyl only) | John, Taupin | 3:16 |
| 14. | "Mandalay Again" (bonus track on deluxe CD and vinyl only) | John, Taupin | 4:54 |
| 15. | "Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)" | John, Taupin | 4:58 |
| 16. | "In the Hands of Angels" | Russell | 4:43 |
Personnel
Musicians and vocalists
- Elton John – vocals (1–15), acoustic piano (2–4, 6–15)
- Leon Russell – vocals, acoustic piano
- Keefus Ciancia – keyboards (1–15)
- Booker T. Jones – Hammond B3 organ (1, 5, 9, 11)
- Marty Grebb – keyboards (7, 16)
- Marc Ribot – guitars (1–4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13–15), acoustic guitar (8)
- T Bone Burnett – electric guitar (3, 6, 12)
- Doyle Bramhall II – guitars (5, 11)
- Jason Wormer – dulcimer (4), handclaps (10)
- Russ Pahl – pedal steel guitar (6)
- Robert Randolph – pedal steel guitar (7)
- Dennis Crouch – acoustic bass (1–4, 6–10, 12–15)
- Davey Faragher – bass (5)
- Don Was – bass (5, 11)
- Drew Lambert – electric bass (16)
- Jay Bellerose – drums (1–15), percussion (1–9, 12–15)
- Jim Keltner – drums (1–9, 11–15), percussion (1–9, 12–15)
- Mike Piersante – tambourine (3, 8), handclaps (10)
- Debra Dobkin – beaded gourd (6)
- Kyle Ford – handclaps (10)
- Tom Peterson – saxophones (5, 8, 11, 13)
- Joe Sublett – saxophones (5, 8, 11, 13)
- Jim Thompson – saxophones (5, 8, 11, 13)
- George Bohanon – trombone (1, 4, 11), baritone horn (1, 4, 11)
- Ira Nepus – trombone (1, 4, 11)
- Maurice Spears – trombone (1, 4, 11)
- Darrell Leonard – trumpet (1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 13), bass trumpet (1, 11, 13)
- William Roper – tuba (1, 4, 11)
- Judith Hill – backing vocals (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16)
- Alfie Silas-Durio – backing vocals (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12–16)
- Rose Stone – backing vocals (1, 3, 8, 10, 12, 16), tambourine (10)
- Tata Vega – backing vocals (1–3, 5–10, 12–16)
- Jean Witherspoon – backing vocals (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 16)
- Bill Cantos – backing vocals (2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12–16)
- Lou Pardini – backing vocals (2, 6, 9, 12, 15)
- Jason Scheff – backing vocals (2, 6, 9, 12, 15)
- Tanya Balam – backing vocals (3, 8, 16)
- Kellye Huff – backing vocals (3, 8, 16)
- Perry Morgan – backing vocals (3, 8, 16)
- Tiffany Smith – backing vocals (3, 8, 16)
- Neil Young – vocals (4)
- Brian Wilson – backing vocals (12)
Music arrangements
- Darrell Leonard – horn arrangements and conductor (1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 13)
- Bill Maxwell – BGV conductor (1–3, 5–10, 12–16), BGV arrangements (2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 13–15), additional BGV arrangements (12)
- Leon Russell – BGV arrangements (1, 5, 7, 10, 16)
- Brian Wilson – BGV arrangements (12)
Production
- Johnny Barbis – executive producer, management for Leon Russell
- Elton John – executive producer, liner notes
- T Bone Burnett – producer
- Adrian Collee – production coordinator
- Jon Howard – production coordinator
- Ivy Skoff – production coordinator
- Julie Eidsvoog – music transcription
- John Eidsvoog – music transcription
- Peacock – design
- Annie Leibovitz – cover art photography, booklet back cover photography, photography (p. 12 & 13)
- Joseph Guay – additional photography (gatefold, inside left)
- Frank W. Ockenfels 3 – photography of T Bone Burnett (p. 23)
- Steve Todoroff – photography of Leon Russell (gatefold, inside right)
- Rocket Music Entertainment Group – management for Elton John
- Leroy Jenkins – management for T Bone Burnett
- Jessica C. Mitchell – personal assistant to T Bone Burnett
Technical credits
- Gavin Lurssen – mastering at Lurssen Mastering (Hollywood, California)
- Mike Piersante – recording, mixing
- Jason Wormer – recording, editing
- Ben McAmis – additional engineer
- Kyle Ford – additional engineer
- Mark Lambert – additional engineer
- Kory Aaron – assistant engineer
- Brett Lind – assistant engineer
- Chris Owens – assistant engineer
- Vanessa Parr – assistant engineer
- Paul Ackling – guitar technician
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] | 28 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] | 28 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] | 66 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[19] | 91 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[20] | 7 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[21] | 15 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] | 60 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[23] | 51 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] | 23 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI)[25] | 62 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[26] | 52 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[27] | 28 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[28] | 24 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[29] | 5 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[30] | 12 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[31] | 30 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[32] | 24 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] | 27 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[34] | 12 |
| US Billboard 200[35] | 3 |
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[36] | Gold | 40,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[37] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States | — | 329,000[38] |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||