Leon Russell and the Shelter People

Leon Russell and the Shelter People is the second solo album by the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Leon Russell, released in 1971. It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 200 in the United States. The album has gold certification for sales of over 500,000 albums in the US and Canada.

Leon Russell and the Shelter People
Studio album by
Leon Russell
ReleasedMay 3, 1971
RecordedAugust 23–26, September, December 23, 1970, and January 1971 at Island Studios, London; A&M Studios, Hollywood; Skyhill/Shelter Studios, Hollywood; and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Sheffield, Alabama[1]
GenrePop, rock
LabelShelter
ProducerLeon Russell, Denny Cordell
Leon Russell chronology
Leon Russell
(1970)		 Leon Russell and the Shelter People
(1971)		 Asylum Choir II
(1971)
Singles from Leon Russell and the Shelter People
  1. "The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen"
    Released: 1971
  2. "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"
    Released: 1971
  3. "Stranger in a Strange Land"
    Released: 1971

"The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen" is a song written by Leon Russell from the soundtrack of the 1971 film Mad Dogs & Englishmen.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideB[3]

In a review for Allmusic, the critic Mike DeGagne called "The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen" the highlight of the album and wrote, "On the whole, Leon Russell and the Shelter People is an entertaining and more importantly, revealing exposition of Russell's music when he was in his prime. ... Carney is an introspective piece which holds up a little better from a songwriting standpoint, but this album does a better job at bearing his proficiency as a well-rounded musician."[2]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Leon Russell except where indicated

  1. "Stranger in a Strange Land" (Russell, Don Preston) – 4:01
  2. "Of Thee I Sing" (Russell, Don Preston) – 4:22
  3. "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" (Bob Dylan) – 5:08
  4. "Crystal Closet Queen" – 2:59
  5. "Home Sweet Oklahoma" – 3:26
  6. "Alcatraz" – 3:51
  7. "The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen" – 3:51
  8. "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry" (Dylan) – 4:00
  9. "She Smiles Like a River" – 2:58
  10. "Sweet Emily" – 3:20
  11. "Beware of Darkness" (George Harrison) – 4:40

The CD re-issue contains the following bonus tracks:

  1. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" (Dylan) – 3:38
  2. "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" (Dylan) – 3:19
  3. "She Belongs to Me" (Dylan) – 3:26

Charts
Chart (1971) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 5
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) 29
United States (Billboard 200) 17

Personnel

Production

Covers
  • "Alcatraz" – was covered by Jesse "Ed" Davis on his 1972 album Ululu
  • "Alcatraz" – was covered by Nazareth on their 1973 album Razamanaz

References
  1. "Leon Russell – Leon Russell And The Shelter People". Discogs. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  2. DeGagne, Mike. Leon Russell and the Shelter People at AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 262. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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