Search - Leon Redbone :: Live - October 26, 1992: The Olympia Theater, Paris France

Songs from the hit parades of yesteryear are timeless crowd-

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 10/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Playing Time - 70:59 -- Recorded live at the Olympia Theater in Paris, France on 10/26/92, Leon Redbone "Live" is a splendid treat for fans of the eccentric performer who presents music from the traditions of early jazz, blues, ragtime and folk. Appearing on the music scene in Toronto about 1970, Redbone built himself a strong cult following, and his stage persona is one of odd appearance but swinging music presented without much expression. Antics like the Woody Woodpecker theme make their way into "Ain't Misbehavin." While some of the words are a little hard to make out in a piece like "She's My Gal," Redbone shows he's got a knack for scat. He's also a phenomenal whistler ("The Whistling Colonel"), and that gets the appreciative crowd clapping along.



The album is well-packed with 71 minutes of music featuring twenty-one songs. He dishes up some memorable interpretations of "Polly Wolly Doodle," "Diddy Wah Diddy," "Sugar," "Up the Lazy River," and "Relax." Sadly missing are some of his best and campiess oldies like "Lulu's Back in Town," "Lazybones," as well as some favorites like "Champagne Charlie" that was featured on his 2-CD 1985 live album on the Greene-Stone label. Redbone has also been known to cover country (like "Lovesick Blues" or "Your Cheatin' Heart") and even Dylan ("Living the Blues"). Dylan, along with well-known musicians like Bonnie Raitt and Maria Muldaur, have been huge supporters of Redbone over the years. Of special note on this live project are the Hungarian "Csardas" and Irving Berlin's "Marie." In the former, though, liner notes are unclear as to who the guest female vocalist is.



Guitarist and vocalist Leon Redbone deserves to be remembered as much more than a novelty act. Although his distinctive visual image has been described as "part Groucho Marx, part Vaudeville entertainer," Redbone is an excellent musician from the true vine. This particular concert also includes Scott Black (cornet), David Boeddinghaus (piano), and Frank Vignola (guitar). The stellar quartet is tight, and their arrangements don't show any subtle missteps. A fun-filled "Shake That Thing" gets the band (and crowd) shouting out the response. The audience takes to old standards like "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone," as well as quick paced romps through novelty numbers like "Waitin' on You" and "Big Time Woman." Leon already sings with a deep, gruff voice so my only complaint with this album is its fidelity and our inability to understand all the lyrics. There's no doubt that Redbone is an American treasure, and a generous live album is second best to seeing him live. He's no joke, and his repertoire of songs from the hit parades of yesteryear are timeless crowd-pleasers. (Joe Ross, Roseburg, OR.)

"

One-of-a-kind performer caught live!

Lombard | 90210 | 11/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Certain performers are wonderful in-studio, yet even more incredible in-person. Leon Redbone is one of these folks. His live performances have a quirky charm which is thoroughly enjoyable, and difficult to describe for anyone who hasn't experienced it firsthand. Although the audio can be a bit murky, as is the case with most live-concert recordings, the music is wonderful, engaging, and absolutely delightful. For those of us in parts of the country that Leon hasn't visited in a while (Texas!), it's the next best thing to being there. He performs both familiar and unusual material, including some songs I'd not heard before. The cut with his favorite Hungarian coloratura soprano brought back a fond memory of Leon's last Dallas shows over ten years ago. I loved this recording; it's among my favorites."

Leon REALLY Live!

Mr. Ken | Rochester, NY | 05/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've followed Leon for many years but never have heard him live. This CD is great for all the reasons the other reviewer mentioned. The only fault is a less than perfect engineering of the recording. The fidelity is great, the ambience is crisp, but the placement and volume on the various players seems to "wander" a bit, but then maybe the players did. But the "faults" are minor and infrequent. If you want a studio recording ambience then you should stick with those.



Overall, I still give it a 5 star! It has the vitality of a live recording and it really shows in many of the cuts. It is a pleasant alternative to "sterile" studio recordings.



If you're a Leon fan, as I am, I can't see how you would have a problem with this."