The Union (Elton John and Leon Russell album)

The Union
In a room, Elton John and Leon Russell (holding a staff) sit on piano benches while next to pianos. A window is seen behind a piano with lighting shining out into the room.
Studio album by
Released19 October 2010
Recorded20 November 2009 – March 2010 at The Village, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length63:12 (Standard album)
66:28 (iTunes deluxe LP)
71:22 (Deluxe CD and vinyl)
LabelDecca (US)
Mercury (UK)
ProducerT Bone Burnett
Elton John chronology
Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits
(2007)
The Union
(2010)
Gnomeo & Juliet Soundtrack
(2011)
Leon Russell chronology
A Mighty Flood
(2008)
The Union
(2010)
Life Journey
(2014)

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 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.

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. "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.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."If It Wasn't for Bad"Leon Russell3:43
2."Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes"Elton John, Bernie Taupin3:23
3."Hey Ahab"John, Taupin5:39
4."Gone to Shiloh" (Featuring Neil Young)John, Taupin4:50
5."Hearts Have Turned to Stone" (moved to twelfth track on some CD copies)Russell3:47
6."Jimmie Rodgers' Dream"John, Taupin, T Bone Burnett3:42
7."There's No Tomorrow"John, Russell, Burnett, James Timothy Shaw3:45
8."Monkey Suit"John, Taupin4:46
9."The Best Part of the Day"John, Taupin4:45
10."A Dream Come True"John, Russell5:07
11."I Should Have Sent Roses"Russell, Taupin5:21
12."When Love Is Dying"John, Taupin4:51
13."My Kind of Hell" (bonus track on iTunes digital deluxe LP, deluxe CD and vinyl only)John, Taupin3:16
14."Mandalay Again" (bonus track on deluxe CD and vinyl only)John, Taupin4:54
15."Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)"John, Taupin4:58
16."In the Hands of Angels"Russell4:43

Personnel

  • Elton John: vocals (1-15), piano (2-4, 6-15)
  • Leon Russell: piano, vocals; BGV arrangement (1, 5, 7, 10, 16)
  • Jim Keltner: drums & percussion (1-9, 11-15)
  • Jay Bellerose: drums & percussion (1-15)
  • Mike Piersante: tambourine (3, 8), percussion (11)
  • Debra Dobkin: beaded gourd (6)
  • Mike Ford: percussion (11)
  • Dennis Crouch: acoustic bass (1-4, 6–10, 12-15)
  • Don Was: bass guitar (5, 11)
  • Davey Faragher: bass guitar (5)
  • Drew Lambert: electric bass (16)
  • Marc Ribot: guitar (1-4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13-15), acoustic guitar (8)
  • T Bone Burnett: electric guitar (3, 6, 12)
  • Doyle Bramhall II: guitar (5, 11)
  • Robert Randolph: pedal steel (7)
  • Russ Pahl: pedal steel (6)
  • Booker T. Jones: Hammond B-3 organ (1, 5, 9, 11)
  • Keefus Ciancia: keyboards (1-15)
  • Marty Grebb: keyboards (7, 16)
  • Jason Wormer: dulcimer (4), percussion (11)
  • Darrell Leonard: trumpet (1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 13), bass trumpet (1, 11, 13), horn arrangements & conductor (1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 13)
  • Ira Nepus: trombone (1, 4, 11)
  • Maurice Spears: trombone (1, 4, 11)
  • George Bohanon: trombone (1, 4, 11), baritone (1, 4, 11)
  • William Roper: tuba (1, 4, 11)
  • Thomas Peterson: saxophone (5, 8, 11, 13)
  • Joseph Sublett: saxophone (5, 8, 11, 13)
  • Jim Thompson: saxophone (5, 8, 11, 13)
  • Bill Maxwell: BGV conductor (1-3, 5–10, 12-16), BGV arrangement (2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12-15)
  • Brian Wilson: backing vocals & BGV arrangement on "When Love Is Dying"
  • Neil Young: vocals on "Gone to Shiloh"
  • Rose Stone: backing vocals (1, 3, 8, 10, 12, 16), tambourine (10)
  • Tanya Balam: backing vocals (3, 8, 16)
  • Bill Cantos: backing vocals (2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12-16)
  • Judith Hill: backing vocals (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 16)
  • Kellyie Huff: backing vocals (3, 8, 16)
  • Perry Morgan: backing vocals (3, 8, 16)
  • Lou Pardini: backing vocals (2, 6, 9, 12, 15)
  • Jason Scheff: backing vocals (2, 6, 9, 12, 15)
  • Tiffany Smith: backing vocals (3, 8, 16
  • Alfie Silas-Durio: backing vocals (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12-16)
  • Tata Vega: backing vocals (1-3, 5–10, 12-16)
  • Jean Witherspoon: backing vocals (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 16)

Production

  • Produced by T-Bone Burnett
  • Executive Producers: Elton John and Johnny Barbis.
  • Production Coordination: Adrian Collee, Jon Howard and Ivy Skoff.
  • Recorded by Mike Piersante and Jason Wormer.
  • Assistant Engineers: Ben McAmis, Kyle Ford, Mark Lambert, Brett Lind, Chris Owens, Kory Aaron and Vanessa Parr.
  • Recorded at Quad Studios (Nashville) and The Village Recorder (Los Angeles).
  • Mixed by Mike Piersante at The Village Recorder.
  • Edited by Jason Wormer
  • Mastered by Gavin Lurssen at Lurssen Mastering (Los Angeles, CA).
  • Guitar Technician: Paul Ackling
  • Transcription by John Eidsvoog and Julie Eidsvoog.
  • Design: Peacock
  • Photography: Frank W. Ockenfels 3, Joseph Guay, Annie Leibovitz and Steve Todoroff.
  • Management (Elton John): Rocket Music Management.
  • Management (Leon Russell): Johnny Barbis.
  • Management (T-Bone Burnett): Larry Jenkins, assisted by Jessica C. Mitchell.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic
Clash
Consequence of Sound
Contactmusic.com
Daily Mirror
Financial Times
The Guardian
The Independent
Los Angeles Times
Rolling Stone
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.

Charts

Chart Peak
Australia 28
Austria 28
Belgium (Fl.) 66
Brazil 7
Canada 7
Croatia 46
Denmark 15
Europe 19
France 51
Germany 23
Greece 61
Ireland 52
Israel 5
Italy 28
Netherlands 60
New Zealand 24
Norway 5
Russia 15
Spain 30
Sweden 24
Switzerland 27
UK 12
US Billboard 200 3

Grammy Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011 "If It Wasn't for Bad" Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Nominated

Certifications

Sales certifications for The Union
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) Gold 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) Silver 60,000^
United States 329,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.


This page was last updated at 2022-09-11 14:10 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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