Year 1963

Dean Martin LP “Dean “Tex” Martin – Country Style”

414 Martin, Dean Dean “Tex” Martin - Country Style Reprise R9-6061 (US) 1.1963 I’m so lonesome I could cry (piano) – Face in a crowd (piano) – Things (background piano) – Room full of roses (no piano) – I walk the line (no piano) – My heart cries for you (piano!!) – Any time (piano) – Shutters and boards (piano) – Blue, blue day (piano?) – Singing the blues (piano) – Hey, Good Lookin’ (no piano) – Ain’t gonna try anymore (piano!!!) – Lots of Leon all over! James Burton on guitar. Rec. date: Face in a crowd - Ain’t gonna try anymore - Shutters & Boards - Singing The Blues - Face In The Crowd - Dec. 20, 1962 The label states that the year of release was 1961!!?? - Arr. & cond. Don Costa – prod. Jimmy Bowen?

Bobby “Blue” Bland – LP

645 Bland, Bobby Call On Me/That’s The Way Love Is Duke 360 (US) 2.1963 Leon background piano on both?

Dean Martin LP “Dean “Tex” Martin – Rides Again”

543 Martin, Dean Dean “Tex” Martin - Rides Again Reprise R-6085 (US) 4.1963 I’m gonna change everything (no piano) – Candy kisses (piano!!) – Rockin’ alone (in an old rocking chair) (piano) – Just a little lovin’ (background piano) – I can’t help it (if I’m still in love with you) (piano) – My sugar’s gone (piano!!) – Corrine, Corrina (piano!) – Take good care of her (piano) – The middle of the night is my cryin’ time (piano!!) – From lover to loser (piano!) – Bouquet of roses (piano) – Second hand Rose (piano!!) – Lots of Leon all over! Arr. & cond. Marty Paich – prod. Jimmy Bowen- Liner notes by Merle Travis Rec. date: My sugar’s gone-Corrine Corrina - Apr. 22, 1963- Bouquet of roses - Apr. 23, 1963 - The players: 4 cellos – 6 violas – 1 bass viola – 12 violins – 2 guitars – drums – piano – harp – 8 backup singers = 36 persons!

Bobby Darin LP “18 Yellow Roses”

Mini-LP

Australian Mini-LP

813 Darin, Bobby Bobby Darin presents Artistic/Capitol 6 trx mini-LP 33 1/3 MONO 1963 769 Darin, Bobby Bobby Darin presents Majestic PRS 1549 (AUS) 6 trx mini-LP 33 1/3 MONO 1963 18 Yellow Roses (piano) – Not for me (piano) – The things in this house (no piano) – You’re the reason I’m living (piano) – Treat my Baby good (piano) – Wait by the water, Lillian (piano intro) – Leon all over the 5 tracks

637 Darin, Bobby 18 Yellow Roses/Not For Me Capitol 4970 (US) mono 1963

495 Darin, Bobby 18 Yellow Roses/Not For Me Capitol 4970 (SWE) pic. mono 1963

329 Darin, Bobby 18 Yellow Roses (& 11 others Hits) Capitol ST 1942 (CAN) Prod. Nick Venet 4.1963 18 Yellow Roses (Leon! piano intro-2) – On Broadway (Leon! piano-1) – Ruby Baby (no piano-4) – Reverend Mr. Black (no piano-3) – The End of the World (no piano-1) – Not For Me (Leon! piano-2) – Walk Right In (Leon! piano-3) – From a Jack to a King (Leon! piano-4) – I Will Follow Her (no piano-1) – Our Day Will Come (Leon! organ+piano-1) – Can’t Get Used to Losing You (no piano-4) – Rhythm of the Rain (no piano-4) – Leon all over! Arrangers: 1 - Bert Keyes – 2 - Jack Nitzsche – 3 - Walter Raim – 4 - Bobby Scott –

694 Darin, Bobby Down So Long/Treat My Baby Good Capitol 5019 (US) 1963 LR piano on both (all over “Down so long”!) Les Brown and his Band of Renown - single

791 Brown, Les La Bomba/Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah Columbia 4-42961 (CAN) 1963 Les Brown and his Band of Renown - Leon is supposed to play piano on a-side which in fact is “La Bamba” in high tempo with a great sax solo. No piano audible. The b-side has heavy guitar and lots of sax, but again no audible piano. Both tracks are from the album: “The Young Beat” Arr. by Shorty Rogers – Prod. Ed Kleban.

Aki Aleong and The Nobles - LP

Testpress with plain white labels

1005 Aleong, Aki and The Nobles Come Surf With Me Vee Jay VJLP 1060 (US) 1963 Miserlou (no piano) – Earthquake (no piano) – Body surf (no piano) – Apache (harpsichord or electric piano?) – Surf beat (no piano) – Panic (no piano) – Mary Ann (Come surf with me)* (no piano) – Pipeline (no piano) – Torture (no piano) – Gun and surf (no piano) – Hiawatha (piano!) – Surf rider (no piano) – Aki Aleong, producer, vocals* – The Nobles: Ralph Geddes, guitar – Paul Geddes – Marty Smith – Rick Gardner, drums – Ron Smith - (guitar, bass, sax) Not much piano or anything that connects Leon with this session. On “Apache” is an instrument that sounds like a harpsichord or electric piano, and on “Hiawatha” is three or so runs on the ivories that certainly could be Leon - apart from that – just another surf-instrumental. The surf guitar is not bad though! Aleong was and is a well known actor in movies and TV-series.

Aki Aleong single not on the LP – DJ Advance copy

1138 Aleong, Aki Giving up on love/Love is funny Vee Jay 527 (US) 1963 On “Love is funny” is a Leon-like piano in buried in the mix, but it is there! No piano on the other track. Jimmy Borges – single

1118 Borges, Jimmy The Earth Stood Still/Just as Impossible Dymo Records 4264 (US) 1963 Typically early Leon piano on track 2. No piano or inaudible on track 1. Borges is from Hawaii and has been performing the last 50 years on records, movies and TV shows (fx. Hawaii 5-O)

Jack Nitzsche “The Lonely Surfer” – LP and singles

Promotional white label copy

742 Nitzsche, Jack The Lonely Surfer Reprise R 6101 (US) 1963 The lonely surfer (no piano) – Puerto Vallarta (piano) – Stranger on the shore (piano) – Theme from “Women of the world” (no piano) – Old town (no piano) – Ebb tide (no piano) – The from “Mondo Cane” (More) (no piano) – The magnificent seven (no piano) – Baja (no piano) – Theme for a broken heart (piano) – Beyond the surf (no piano) – Da doo ron ron (no piano) – You can’t really tell if it is Leon playing, because there is so very little piano, and what there is, is buried deep down in the mix. The violins rules! Another “modern” classical solo album from Nitzsche Musicians: Ray Pohlman - Bill Pitman – Tommy Tedesco, guitar – Don Randi – Leon Russell, piano – Jimmy Bond, acoustic bass – David Gates, electric bass – Hal Blaine, drums – Frankie Capp, percussion – Bill Hinshaw - Gale Robinson, French horn – Roy Caton - Virgil Evans, trumpets – Harry Betts - Roy Main, trombones – The Johnny Vidor Strings – Jack Nitzsche, arranger – Jimmy Bowen, producer

Darlene Love Singles

Philles 111 – A-side (2:30) on label, but it plays 2:43))

775 Love, Darlene (Today I met) The boy I’m gonna marry/Playing for keeps Philles 111 (US) blue/black 7.1963 Leon piano on 1? Prod. Phil Spector – arr. Jack Nitzsche – 2: Prod. & arr. Phil Spector

Reissue (2:43) mono

777 Love, Darlene (Today I met) The boy I’m gonna marry/Strange kind of love Philles Collectable 3210 (US) Reissue 3.1963 Prod. Phil Spector – arr. Jack Nitzsche - Leon, piano?

The original black and blue release with promo stamps

and the red and yellow re-release

783 Love, Darlene Wait till my Bobby Gets home/Take it from me Philles 114 (US) Blue/black promo stamps 7.1963 782 Love, Darlene Wait till my Bobby Gets home/Take it from me Philles 114 (US) Red/yellow Lots of Leon-like piano on 1 - 1: Prod. Phil Spector – arr. Jack “Specs” Nitzsche – 2: Prod. & arr. Phil Spector

Reissue

776 Love, Darlene Wait till my Bobby Gets home/Stumble and Fall Philles Collectable COL 3211 (US) (7.1963/1964) Lots of Leon-like piano on 1 - Leon piano on 2 – Prod. Phil Spector - Arr. Jack Nitzsche

The instrumental “Nino & Sonny” clocks in a (1:40) – despite the label says (2:00)

781 Love, Darlene A fine fine boy/Nino & Sonny Philles 117 (US) Red/yellow 10.1963 Side 1 is a real rocker with Leon pumping away! Side 2 is a fine rocking instrumental with Leon as the main man! Prod. Phil Spector – arr. Jack Nitzsche

Love, Darlene (Harry and Milt Meet Hal B)/Christmas Philles 119 (US) Red and yellow 12.1963

629 Blaine, Hal &The Young Cougars Challenger II/Gear Stripper RCA Victor 47-8282 (US) 1962/63 Hal Blaine “The Drummer Man” with the usual bunch of friends. Nice instrumentals but Leon is inaudible. “Challenger II” written by Lee Hazelwood (it could also have been named “Telstar II” but without the organ!) and “Gear Stripper” written by Davis Gates. Personnel (from the Album): Hal Blaine, drums - Frank Capp, Glenn Campbell, Billy Strange, Tommy Tedesco, Bill Pitman, Carol Kaye, Howard Roberts, guitar Ray Pohlman, James Bond, bass - Russell Bridges - piano and organ - Darlene Peete, Gracia Nietzshe, Fanita James, vocals - Steve Kreisman (Douglas), sax, Ronald Smith, Marshall Cram, Richard Leith, trombone – Recorded: December 15, 1962, October 15, 21, 25, April 4 1963, L.A.

Dorsey Burnette - single

Promotional copy

1064 Burnette, Dorsey Invisible Chains/Pebbles Reprise 20177 (US) 1963 All the “right names” is there to indicate a Leon performance, but he must be buried in the mix if he is there at all! Another “maybe”. Arr. and cond. Jack Nitzsche – prod. Jimmy Bowen and “Pebbles” written by David Gates.

Al Casey – Alwin W. Casey, born Long Beach, California 26. October 1936 - died Phoenix, Arizona 17. September 2006. LP “Surfin’ Hootenanny”

The original album plays barely 25 min. The reissue on Sundazed plays 31 min. due to 3 alt. takes.

1113 Casey, Al Surfin’ Blues part 1/Guitars Guitars Guitars Stacey 964 (US) 1963

593 Casey, Al Surfin’ Hootenanny Sundazed LP 5026 (US) reissue – (1963) 1996 Surfin’ Hootenanny (*) – El Aguila (The Eagle) (organ) – Thunder Beach (organ!) – Baja (organ!) – Surfin’ Blues Part 1 (organ!) – Lonely Surfer (organ!) – Guitars, Guitars, Guitars (*) – The Hearse (organ!) – Ramrod (organ!) – Caravan (no organ) – Surfin’ Blues – Part 2 (organ!!) – Surfs You Right (organ!) – The Hearse (organ!) alt. take – El Aguila (The Eagle) (organ) alt. take – Surfs You Right (organ!) alt take – Background vocals on (*) overdubbed in LA by The Blossoms – Organ on the same – Leon overdubbed? - (*) Recorded in Audio Recorders, Phoenix, AZ - May 18, 1963 – Al Casey, guitar – Vivian “Corky” Casey, bass – Richard Wilson, guitar – Donald “Donnie” L. Owens, guitar – Robert “Bob” Taylor, drums The rest recorded in RCA Studios, LA - July 8-15, 1963 – Al Casey, guitar, Vivian “Corky” Casey, bass – Don Preston, guitar – Marshall Leib, guitar – Leon Russell, organ – Hal Blaine, drums – Background vocals on (*) - The Blossoms (as The K-C-ettes): Includes Darlene Love - Prod. Lee Hazelwood Leon plays organ all over the album (except on *). Often just providing a background “drone” and then comes a small solo. Al Casey plays a fine organ himself. You can hear it on the single Stacy 925 “Cookin’/Hotfoot”. He plays pretty different from Leon, much more aggressive. Leon did not play on the chart single Stacy 962 “Surfin’ Hootenanny/Easy Pickin’” – the b-side were left off the album, and it was probably recorded in Phoenix with Al Casey playing the organ. Al Casey Combo was the usual name he used on his recordings, but for the Surfin’ Hootenanny and singles, Casey dropped “Combo” as it was studio musicians playing. Stacy Records was situated in Chicago and this turned out to be the first and the last album they released.

The Hit – single with no Leon participation – he only added to the rest of the album