| Author |
Topic: Take It Away, Leon! |
Steve Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, GA
|
|
|
 |
Scott Thomas
|
Posted 29 Oct 2011 10:21 pm |
|
| That's interesting . . . I have another slightly different (swingier) version of this tune on a western swing comp. I hadn't heard this one before. It's a great tune, and I love Leon's bar slams and the way he mimics a horn section on the steel. Glad you posted this. |
|
|
|
CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
|
Posted 30 Oct 2011 12:32 am
|
|
NeatArooney Steve  |
|
|
|
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
|
Posted 30 Oct 2011 6:20 am
|
|
Steve, at one time Leon was the king and inspired all the great players. Today, unfortunately, he gets overlooked, but he was a pioneer and was a great player and bandleader.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
|
|
|
Jay Fagerlie
From:
Lotus, California, USA
|
Posted 30 Oct 2011 7:12 am
|
|
from 1958:
 |
|
|
|
Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
|
Posted 30 Oct 2011 5:45 pm
|
|
| I have heard this before and IMHO it is some of the best Jazz and effects that Leon ever played. I can hear some Speedy West in here, but, then it becomes which came first the Chicken or the Egg ? After Leon left Bob Wills he developed, IMHO, a much better Band than Bob Wills. |
|
|
|
Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
|
Posted 30 Oct 2011 6:59 pm Have YOU ever heard?
|
|
Back in the late 1950's or thereabouts, Leon released a four minute record of "Panhandle Waltz".
It was quite a hit on the regional pop stations here in the great Northwest Territory. This was most unusual for any steel guitar player.
Any of YOU ever hear it? |
|
|
|
Mike Anderson
From:
British Columbia, Canada
|
Posted 31 Oct 2011 9:21 am
|
|
Jay, is your scan from the same disk the video song was pulled from? If so can you please identify it? i sure can't find any references to a "Dot discography" album on the Net anywhere...maybe off catalog now?
Thanks - Mike. |
|
|
|
Stephen Baker
From:
Lancashire, UK
|
Posted 1 Nov 2011 1:59 pm
|
|
| The scan in Jay’s post, the picture and the recording on youtube all come from the CD “ Take off & more” by Leon McAuliffe & his Cimarron Boys on Bear Family Records ( BCD 16854 AH ) featuring the Dot recordings ‘57 - ‘58. A great album though I personally prefer “ Tulsa straight ahead” from Bear Family’s “ Gonna shake this shack tonight “ series( BCD 16987 AH ) featuring Leon’s Columbia recordings from ‘49 - ‘55. The ‘49 original Columbia issued version of Panhandle Rag isn’t on it but there’s a great alternate take from the same session though . Steve |
|
|
|
Stephen Baker
From:
Lancashire, UK
|
Posted 1 Nov 2011 2:14 pm
|
|
| I just realised, it was “Panhandle WALTZ” Ray mentioned. There is a version on the “ Take off” album from ‘57 but it only runs at 2:54. “Honky Tonk” from ’58 runs at 4:35, that must have been classed as an epic in ’58. |
|
|
|
Mike Anderson
From:
British Columbia, Canada
|
Posted 1 Nov 2011 2:25 pm
|
|
| Thanks Stephen, looking into these right away! |
|
|
|
Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
|
Posted 1 Nov 2011 5:14 pm
|
|
For many years I had thought that Leon was "old hat" compared to Joaquin Murphey and Speedy West but I have been listening to the "Tulsa Straight Ahead" and "Take It Away Leon" CDs extensively the past few months and have been blown away by everything he had been doing back then. The "Take It Away Leon" CD was recorded in the late 50's with his band the Cimarron Boys- except for the title tune which was recorded around 1950. Much of that album was recorded in October 1957 according to posted scan, and included a lot of fiddle tunes played as instrumentals. "Tulsa Straight Ahead" on Bear Family has a lot of his singles from 1949-1951, many of them novelty tunes- not that there is anything wrong with novelty tunes.  I consider both CDs to be indispensable.
The YouTube you posted is a different take than the one on both of those CDs- I like all of them! Thanks for the upload
Steve
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
|
|
|
Jim Mathis
From:
Overland Park, Kansas, USA
|
Posted 1 Nov 2011 5:39 pm
|
|
Leon had a TV show on a Tulsa station in the '50s when I was growing up. I watched him and the Cimmaron boys every Saturday afternoon. That is one of my fondest memories from my childhood. I think Hank Thompson came on after him.
_________________
Jim@MathisPhoto.net |
|
|
|
Stephen Baker
From:
Lancashire, UK
|
Posted 2 Nov 2011 1:48 pm
|
|
| The version on the youtube post is the March 27 1958 recording released on Dot and is on the Bear Family CD “Take off and more” as I said above. I think the album Steve is referring to is the Jasmine CD “Take it away the Leon way” ( JASMCD 3514 ) which, as Steve says features late ’50’s cuts and the ( better IMHO ) earlier version of “ Take it away Leon “. Steve |
|
|
|
Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
|
|
|
|
Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
|
Posted 3 Nov 2011 6:45 am
|
|
I'm a big fan of Leon's work with Bob Wills in the 1930s. Songs like Too Busy show a side of him that isn't always present in his later work. His playing is underrated in my opinion.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
|
|
|
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
|
Posted 3 Nov 2011 7:01 am
|
|
| Definitely underrated. With help from Eldon Shamblin, Leon basically set the paradigm for tunings in Western swing ( E13th & A6th) that countles players followed. I hear a lot of big band influence in his work. He was one of the first steel guitarists to front a band and was generally a pioneer in many aspects of music. If Speedy, Murph, etc took the music further it's because they had Leon;'s shoulders to stand on. |
|
|
|
Stephen Baker
From:
Lancashire, UK
|
Posted 3 Nov 2011 11:57 am
|
|
| Steve, Leon recorded “ Take it away Leon” at least three times in ‘49 & ‘50. Once on July 31 1949 then July 26 1950 (the version on Tulsa straight ahead) and then on July 30 1950 ( The version released on disc at the time). I’m guessing the final released version is the cut Jasmine used but I’m not certain as I don’t have that CD. Steve |
|
|
|
Chris Brooks
From:
Providence, Rhode Island
|
Posted 3 Nov 2011 1:04 pm
|
|
"NeatArooney," CrowBear?
I should have known you were a Slim Gaillard fan . . .
Salut,
Chris |
|
|
|
CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
|
Posted 3 Nov 2011 4:23 pm
|
|
Chris, i ain't gonna let you mess w: mah patootey  |
|
|
|
