LEON'S CREATION This Is The Beginning V Rare Orig Private US Psych LP Studio 10

	£		30
	$		40

Leon's Creation

This Is The Beginning

Very Rare original US LP released  on Studio 10 Records in 1970. 1st Us Press. Still Sealed

Some other music blogs have  already helped give wider exposure to this superlative late 1960s San Francisco  soul-funk album. Previous reviewers have correctly noted the similarities  between Leon's Creation and fellow multi-racial, mixed-gender Bay Area outfit  Sly and the Family Stone, but I think that anything the two groups had in common  was more likely due to parallel development instead of outright mimicry. There  doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there about this band, despite their  releasing two other LPs as well as leader Leon Patillo's subsequent stint as  Santana's vocalist in the mid 1970s and present gig as a contemporary Christian  musician.


The participating musicians on what is apparently Leon's Creation's first record  include Patillo on keyboards, Neal (last name unknown) on guitar, Billy Gerst on  trumpet, Dennis (last name unknown) on saxophone, Carol Stallings on violin,  Jimmy Calhoun on bass, and Joe (last name unknown) on drums. The group's  resemblance to the aforementioned Sly and the Family Stone becomes immediately  apparent at the beginning of the first track, although Stallings's violin work  adds a distinctive element to the ensemble's sound throughout and the lyrics of  all eight songs generally avoid the forceful sloganeering that often  characterizes Sylvester Stewart's best-known compositions. Given Patillo's  religious beliefs, I now can't help but wonder if some of these tunes might have  a deeper spiritual meaning. And what's with the crucifix standing in for the  letter "t" in the word "Creation" on the album cover? Well, even if any of these  performances are Christian-themed, the message is never delivered in a  heavy-handed fashion.


I won't hesitate to describe This Is the Beginning as a small masterpiece, even  if the sound of Leon's Creation comes off as somewhat derivative at times. Every  song is a winner, and I truly mean that. Jimmy Calhoun's nimble bass playing is  the best of many highlights on the title track, while Carol Stallings's  undeniably soulful vocals perfectly complement the laid-back grooves featured in  "Until You Were Gone." The six-and-a-half-minute "Mirage" furnishes ample  opportunities for everyone to show off their chops, with the mysterious  guitarist Neal arguably providing the most exquisite contributions. The  swaggering "Back Roads" and the equally vivacious "Confusion" might be this LP's  most Sly-like performances but are so flawlessly executed that they deserve  praise in their own right. "If I Had the Power" could possibly be a religious  song but still has arrangements that are easy to get down to if you prefer  dancing over spiritual reflection. The drummer lays down unerring rhythms all  through This Is the Beginning, but it's on "Love" and "Sightless" (OK, this one  has some pretty Sly-like moves as well) that his percussive talents shine most  brightly.
 

TRACKS ARE :-

Side One

1 This Is The Beginning 5:00
2 Until You Were Gone 4:14
3 Mirage 6:42
4 Back Roads 4:27

Side Two

1 Confusion 3:08
2 If I Had The Power 4:01
3 Love 3:23
4 Sightless 5:22

• Released on Studio 10 Records in  1970

• Catalogue Number DBX 103

• Record is in Mint (sealed)  condition

• Sleeve is in Near Mint (sealed)  condition

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