Jun 9

Leon’s Creation - 1970 - This Is the Beginning

Posted by nikos1109

Leon’s Creation hail from San Fransisco, they released this album on the small Studio 10 label. I think some people have a misconception that this is a funk record, I would classify it more as psychedelic soul ala Sly and the Family Stone. This is a fantastic record that has simply slipped through the cracks. Why this hasn’t been reissued yet is beyond me. Definitely one worth seeking out in my opinion.

This is a @320 vinyl rip of the original Studio 10 label including covers.

Tracks
A1 This Is the Beginning 5:00
A2 Until You Were Gone 4:14
A3 Mirage 6:42
A4 Back Roads 4:27
B1 Confusion 3:08
B2 If I Had the Power 4:01
B3 Love 3:23
B4 Sightless 5:22

“Is it me, or has all the text on this record sleeve clearly been done with a felt tip pen? It isn’t even written straight! Some letters are darker than others where they’ve been ‘gone over’ too many times! The ham-fisted attempt at making the ‘T’ of ‘Creation’ into a crucifix! Man this is a great record sleeve. Jesus Freak concept, junior-school graphic design, and a brutally unflattering band photo. “Hey, yeah, you, Afro dude, you and the honky at the front with the crap goatee and awful sun glasses, why doncha try and look like you’re taking a dump or something, yeah, really strain, ok, great, yeah, looks good, lets get this shot and get the hell outta here so I can go to Rymans and pick up some more Crimson Red felt tip pens…” Perfect.

…and the music doesn’t disappoint…

A stomping set of Sly & The Family Stone-styled psyche-soul jams packed with brass, acid-rock guitar and coupla breaks, ‘In The Beginning’ got a private pressing in 1969 and never saw a proper release. This San Francisco outfit (Leon Patillo: keyboards, Jimmy Calhoun: bass, Barry Frost: percussion, Billy Gerst: trumpet, Lenny Goldsmith: keyboards, Gerry Peterson: reeds, Carol Stalling: violin, Orlando Stallings: guitar) deserved better, ‘cos on this evidence they really had something, easily the match of Tower Of Power, Buddy Miles or Ides Of March etc etc operating in a similar field at the time. I read a rumour someplace that Sly Stone actually shelved all their stuff when he bought out the label - Studio 10 - they were working with, and if that’s true and he did so ‘cos he sensed Leon’s Creation were competition, then his instincts were right. This is a really great LP, highly recommend for fans of This Sort Of Thing.

I dunno how many of these were pressed but it can’t have been many, and they certainly don’t appear on everyday so if you like the sound of Leon’s Creation, go here, and BUY NOW for at least $75″ (Notes from http://www.electricroulette.com/)

Wiki: Leon Patillo - Jimmy Calhoun - Barry Frost - Billy Gerst - Lenny Goldsmith - Gerry Peterson - Carol Stalling - Orlando Stallings

Listen here the killer track”Mirage“

Download link

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Date June 9th, 2008

61 Responses to “Leon’s Creation - 1970 - This Is the Beginning”

  1. reOO Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

    Amazing stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. Lafayette Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 5:41 pm

    Finally…been waiting for this one for what seems like an eternity :¬)

    /Laf

  3. nikos1109 Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    Laf, what a wonderful album e? try the killer track “Mirage”. So many great tunes. The band founder Leon Patillo joined Santana in 1973 when the band split.

  4. Soul is the Music Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    Thank you for sharing such a rarity with us.

  5. k02 Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 6:53 pm

    Have been anticipating this for so long, anyways thanks nikos, time to give this a lesson.

  6. cafecafecafe Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 7:15 pm

    Thanks. i did’nt know this.

  7. Groovy Emmanuel Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 7:44 pm

    Was a hot August 69 night, location Bethel NY. Circus was in town! A magician named Sylvester in a ruby red suit was making his tricks while shaking his butt. A clown named George Clint was fooling around. An electric gypsy named Jimi H was surfing in space. A very young kid named Prince was pulling Sylvester’s red suit. The audience was going nuts. .Spyros Agnew the vice president was halucinating, i swear… And then I woke up. Cold sweat… Phew… Back to real reality now.

  8. MotherEArth Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 8:44 pm

    The killer “Mirage” is a cross between 5th Dimension and Jefferson Airplane. A dreamy compination! Harmony soul vocals and Grace Slick!
    Fucking amazing!

  9. invisiblenigma Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 9:21 pm

    Thanks For this Rare Gem Nikos!!

  10. Markus Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 1:31 am

    excellent grooves. big sly fan so this is right up my alley.

  11. Henney Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 1:43 am

    thanks..

  12. FatN Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 6:45 am

    An experience to explore my musical limits. Superb record nikos.

  13. Eliah Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 6:56 am

    A must have for every music lover. Those who like late 60’s rock, will go crazy! what a find!!!!Thankkkkkkkkkk you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  14. fritzthecat Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 7:27 am

    very nice. thank you very much

  15. YOU&me Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 9:18 am

    Classic. Thanks for another great post.

  16. N. Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 2:07 pm

    Coooool. This LP is a MASTERPIECE ! And the rumor is not a rumor, this is TRUE : just after having discovered the band, Sly (Stone) found the way to prevent the band from any kind of success, corrupting them with a substantial amount of $$$$$… ((say, ‘piss off, your career is over’)) F###!

    PS beginning of track B1 is missing –> trouble with the archive or damaged copy ?

  17. Vincent the Soul Chef Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 4:10 pm

    Glad you’re enjoying the mixes my friend. You ain’t doin’ too bad yourself with these phenomenal shares. As always, thanks for all your hard work and dedication.

    Peace and blessings.

  18. solomon Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 7:56 pm

    thanks a million!

  19. CAN Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 8:09 pm

    Amazing album! Blow my mind! Bravo!

  20. Fin Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 9:23 pm

    killer track, killer album, killer blog. keep it up.

  21. nikos1109 Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 9:34 pm

    N. so sad that rumors are true! i might push the button a sec later in B1 song my friend. it happens!

  22. Eddie Santiago Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 10:25 pm

    Thanks for an interesting post. You can see that Sly and the Family Stone definitely influenced other bands. I write about this and more in my book, Sly: the Live of Sylvester Stewart and Sly Stone. Check it out at Amazon.com or other online booksellers.

  23. catacaldos Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 5:24 am

    Thanks for the post.Always surprising.

  24. i&me Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 7:21 am

    Thank you for indroducing me to another rare and wonderful album.

  25. Kizza Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 11:56 am

    Fantastic stuff! Can’t thank you guys enough for your tremendous posts!

  26. SotirisP Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 12:23 pm

    I knew that group and most of the songs of this album.. many years ago. Thanx nikos.

  27. kate Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 5:34 pm

    thanks for this rare record,nick!

  28. mb Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 5:37 pm

    Ohh!!! Damn, I was looking for it for ages!!

  29. Donovan Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 7:57 pm

    Can’t wait to listen it! look so promising.

  30. Doctor Okeh Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 8:34 pm

    thx for this one Nikos , can’t wait to listen , new to me , as many others, I think Ive been here once b4 , but I see now , Imma have to play catch up! thx again !

  31. soulbrotha Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 3:29 am

    Nikos, you were right my friend. Killer stuff! Thanks!

  32. nikos1109 Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 8:05 am

    Doctor Okeh, i am sure there’s a lot of classic albums you should check here. We(bloggers) exchange our knowledge. I still discovering albums, believe me a lot of them i should know them. Time is what we do not have these days, brother. So i hope you enjoy some as much as i enjoy your cool mixes.

  33. nikos1109 Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 8:15 am

    SB, i would like to hear you singing!!!!!!! So sorry i am married!!! ha! ha! anyway this album is a dynamite. I was on ebay and show the cover, did a quick reserch and desided to grab it. i was lucky cause this goes very high as a collectors item. Maybe is not for all mainstream classic soul lovers but those who are more deep into music will adore it. (it deserves more comments e? but i am not complaining so far. it’s not bad. There’s so many blogger with excellent work and sites with no comments at all)

  34. Owl Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 11:22 am

    looks great man.. cheers! :)

  35. Rich Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 1:24 pm

    What up nikos finally had a chance to grab this album never heard off it but then again most of the stuff u post i never heard of and its damn good music so thanx.

  36. nikos1109 Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 7:00 pm

    hi Rich, you do not know them cause you are so young!!!! It is classic stuff and a few rare ones. Have you seen i ask you an invite for your blog? congrs for your work too. You’re doing fine!

  37. Sam Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 9:16 pm

    Amazing! thanx.

  38. jazzy Says:
    June 13th, 2008 at 2:27 pm

    Many thanks for sharing this and continually amazing us with these lost gems! keep it up.

  39. kate Says:
    June 14th, 2008 at 1:32 pm

    It’s magic. Thanx u for your excellent record collection you share with us.

  40. manny Says:
    June 14th, 2008 at 5:15 pm

    thanks for sharing cant wait to give it a listen

  41. beats2go Says:
    June 14th, 2008 at 7:43 pm

    thx alot great album

  42. Lookin4crates Says:
    June 15th, 2008 at 2:15 pm

    great stuff like always!
    1

  43. Anonymous Says:
    June 16th, 2008 at 10:02 am

    thanks for album!!!!

  44. mr.digit Says:
    June 16th, 2008 at 5:49 pm

    much thanx! though track A2 seems to be currupted…

  45. Egan Says:
    June 19th, 2008 at 7:34 pm

    This was excellent. Great recommendation.

  46. MaDuke Says:
    June 22nd, 2008 at 3:16 am

    You have the best lps!!!! But why do you use rapidshare? Its the pits.

  47. winton tostello Says:
    June 23rd, 2008 at 11:22 pm

    wow!that’s a find!to be honest, i learned about this band , while i was searching this fabulous youtube channel - a real treasure trove.
    well, what to say?this is definitely a sly rip - off, but in the most positive sense.The record has this lo-fi, underground feeling, but on the same time a determination and focus.More technically, the drummer plays more freely, than Erico, but they can’t achieve this grade scale of vocals like the Family-there ain’t no Larry Graham…
    A big thanks and deeply appreciated.
    Και στα ελληνικά , Νίκο μου, πραγματικά ευχαριστώ πολύ για την ανοιδιοτέλεια, την όρεξη και το γούστο σου!
    Συνέχισε έτσι!Αρκεί να διαβάσει κανείς τα πόστ…

  48. Marc-Eddy Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 7:04 am

    Incredible album!!!

    This is the first time I’ve felt the urge to write a comment in appreciation of your great blog, probably because I’m such a huge Sly fan :)

  49. Jan Says:
    July 27th, 2008 at 9:23 am

    The drummer/percussionist that delivered those amazing drum solos on Leon’s Creation’s first album on the Studio 10 label “This is the Beginning” is Joe Provost (my brother). He is on the album cover standing in the back between Leon and Carol. Barry Frost appeared on the second album released several years later on Atlantic Records. Joe is from San Francisco and went on to play with Frankie Beverly and Maze.

  50. jimi Says:
    August 20th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

    The post by Jan is correct. Joe Provost was the drummer on the entire album and the only drummer in the band named “Leon’s Creation.” There was a second iteration of the band named simply “Creation” on Atlantic with a slightly different line up of San Francisco musicians named above. I am the bass player on both albums and there is talk of re-releasing then on CD so feel free to let us know if there is interest @ jimjulaine@yahoo.com.

    JImi

  51. Bushrod Says:
    October 11th, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    A funky revelation. Thanks!!!

  52. Doctorjunk Says:
    November 25th, 2008 at 8:20 pm

    Thanks, amazing music never heard before

  53. Jaguar Says:
    December 9th, 2008 at 6:47 pm

    Never heard this.

    Looking forward to it.

    Many thanks.

  54. db Says:
    January 26th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

    check out
    calisoulbrother records     for rare soul, jazz, funk, brazil & latin records!
    this record is for sale there

  55. Olivia Baldain Says:
    October 28th, 2009 at 6:32 am

    Does anyone remember mojo hannah? Wasn’t that by Leon before Leon’s Creation?

  56. Matt Parker Says:
    October 29th, 2009 at 3:01 pm

    Thanks for an awesome album.
    There’s a great version of Mirage on Santana’s album Borbolletta, for anyone who’s unfamiliar with this record.

  57. Sean Says:
    January 11th, 2010 at 3:11 am

    Thanks so much for this. heard mirage while i was digging around on youtube last night, a great track thats brought me to here!

    Big up to all you bloggers out there, this past years been a musical journey :-)

  58. Carl Howard Says:
    January 30th, 2010 at 10:17 pm

    I am awed by this. Currently I am downloading your higher bit rate rip to swap out another blog which just posted the LP at 192.

  59. Dan Says:
    February 21st, 2010 at 12:38 pm

    Thanks, it’s great album.

  60. mckinleyjackson Says:
    May 24th, 2010 at 10:41 pm

    one of the best group i ever heard live. Shout out to Carol and her brother Neil. Much Musical Love<<>>

  61. Greg Says:
    June 8th, 2010 at 4:49 pm

    Some of the members of this group went on to play in many other funk/fusion bands of that time - it is heavy - thanks for providing it!

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