naw some of the music's great - fuck it, all of the music's great; the arrangements on the first record are other worldly, the mellotron-rising strings, the jankity faraway fairground sounds, etc; there's a sensitivity and detail akin to the first nico record maybe. they're all such closely recorded, imtimate records, like it's a man's world or something. and there's such gallop to some of them - the partisan, fingerprints, the rowdy ones on love and hate.
anyway: thought this might've been bumped re: bird on a wire, the little seen thought-lost documentary that just got found and is showing again in a couple of weeks (dvd forthcoming etc). my mom saw it at the cinema in the seventies and - i forget whether this is from the docu or from something someone who saw him in concert said - still laughs at the memory of leonard's singers coming on stage to their 'ooooo's, and then leaving the stage until the next oooos.
― baby i know that you think i'm just a lion (schlump), Saturday, 31 July 2010 10:25 (fourteen years ago) link
oooh sweet didn't even know about that, thanks.
― by another name (amateurist), Saturday, 31 July 2010 11:01 (fourteen years ago) link
also, best comment on leonard's appeal came from the singer out of lamb, appearing in some documentary: "he's like isaac hayes, for poetry girls"
― baby i know that you think i'm just a lion (schlump), Saturday, 31 July 2010 11:05 (fourteen years ago) link
i fucking hate this notion. lyrics and music ARE NOT TWO SEPARATE THINGS. they are fundamentally intertwined.
that's a nice opinion, but it's not true; one can reproduce the lyrics of a song on paper, and there you go, the lyrics, all by their lonesome; one can do an instrumental version of a song, and what do you know, the music, a totally separate thing. you can argue that they're best together but your present argument is that there's no such thing as a hot dog or mustard, just a dog with mustard because the flavors intertwine
― gross rainbow of haerosmith (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Saturday, 31 July 2010 14:08 (fourteen years ago) link
of course you could always say "for me, the two are fundamentally intertwined, and it's hard for me to imagine how people don't think of it that way," and who could argue with you there?
― gross rainbow of haerosmith (underrated aerosmith albums I have loved), Saturday, 31 July 2010 14:10 (fourteen years ago) link
Of course most people don't care about lyrics. Consider the fact that the hot new thing is Best Coast, while Simon Joyner probably couldn't sell out an in-store. Even (relatively) popular artists who happen to be excellent lyricists - like Bill Callahan, Will Sheff, Sam Beam, etc - are celebrated more for their eccentricities, their 'style,' or the fact that this song or that song features a harpsichord or, God forbid, has good 'production' (which I'm still convinced most indie fans don't know from 'engineering' anyway).
Sorry for the rant. Leonard Cohen rules, duh.
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Saturday, 31 July 2010 16:24 (fourteen years ago) link
Melody is where they intertwine. But Cohen is such a formal poet (other than his actual poetry, which is often free verse) that the lyrics aren't dependent on the specific melody. Never Any Good has great lyrics, is a great "song" from the lyrics alone, but has a crazy arrangement that doesn't serve it well. "A Thousand Kisses Deep" has an identical meter to "Coming Back to You," and so the melodies could be switched on them as well. Once you get into free verse, harder to impose a melody on individual lyrics without changing the "song."
― gato busca pleitos (Eazy), Saturday, 31 July 2010 18:09 (fourteen years ago) link
Consider the fact that the hot new thing is Best Coast, while Simon Joyner probably couldn't sell out an in-store.
these aren't really an ideal comparison, though; simon joyner is not jumpin' electric guitar music excised of the woos and wailing. arguments that discount the lyrical value of 'simple' lyrics blow, ignoring the poetry and articulacy of chuck berry. i think equating 'don't care about lyrics' with 'eschew bill callahan's meditations on faith' is wrong - people get a lot of wisdom and communion out of shangri-las records. if it's that leonard cohen is a guy who writes esoteric meandering verses and doesn't throw a lot of bones to foot-tapping hip-swingers, maybe that's so.
― baby i know that you think i'm just a lion (schlump), Saturday, 31 July 2010 18:12 (fourteen years ago) link
You raise some very good points. I didn't say lyrics need to be meaningful or 'deep' to resonate - "She loves you, yeah yeah yeah' is as good a pop lyric as any, I reckon. My issue is that a lot of contemporary bands barely try, and worse, no one seems to mind. The new Black Keys album would be terrific if it were instrumental, but as it is I can barely enjoy it because it sounds like the lyrics were improvised on the spot. You'll say lyrics aren't the point of Black Keys's specific brand of juke garage blues, and fair enough, but, I mean, these make your average Fat Possum also-ran sound like Balzac.
I guess I just don't see why a band like Best Coast, with all their bone-throwing to foot-tapping hip swingers (who prefer their vocals obscured by cowardly reverb, anyway) can't ALSO feature lyrics as devastatingly great as Simon Joyner's.
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Saturday, 31 July 2010 21:17 (fourteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIR5ps8usuo
does anyone not want to grow up and be leonard cohen
― Local Christian Blues (schlump), Friday, 28 October 2011 13:46 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_223jKXKgQ
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Thursday, 26 January 2012 05:07 (twelve years ago) link
p.s. new album is predictably dope as hell.
Meantime:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0413-cohen-verdict-20120413,0,3990744.story
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 13 April 2012 17:35 (twelve years ago) link
oh no biggie, my manager threatens to kill me all the time! come on, leonard.
― tylerw, Friday, 13 April 2012 18:09 (twelve years ago) link
she looks like a GOP lawyer.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 13 April 2012 18:20 (twelve years ago) link
Also: this man is an asshole:
http://www.lowtimespodcast.com/the-insufferable-adam-cohen/
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 13 April 2012 18:26 (twelve years ago) link
Which man, the author or the subject?
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 14 April 2012 00:22 (twelve years ago) link
This is brilliant:
http://www.rte.ie/podcasts/2012/pc/pod-v-29031207m26stjmsquiz2-pid0-446376_audio.mp3
It's a clip from an LC competition ("Knowin' your Cohen") held on Ireland's RTE 1. The contestants are hopeless.
― Shadrach, Sunday, 15 April 2012 13:43 (twelve years ago) link
Hey how's that Isle of Wight reissue thingy with the DVD? Want it but it's 'spensive
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Sunday, 15 April 2012 15:02 (twelve years ago) link
The cd is good - you get the concert in full, with great sound.
The dvd - not so much... It's a standard Murray Lerner botch job. Most of the songs don't appear and those that do are edited down. Instead you get a few dull interview clips (Joan Baez...) and some footage of the festival
― Shadrach, Sunday, 15 April 2012 21:38 (twelve years ago) link
Thanks dude. That sounds about right.
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Sunday, 15 April 2012 23:55 (twelve years ago) link
seeing leonard tonight at home.
― Author ~ Coach ~ Goddess (s1ocki), Wednesday, 28 November 2012 18:49 (eleven years ago) link
You paid the Kickstarter to get him to play your living room?
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 28 November 2012 18:49 (eleven years ago) link
That was, what, $500? Deep pockets!
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 28 November 2012 18:50 (eleven years ago) link
"Hello, I'm Leonard. What do you have in the way of snacks?"
― tylerw, Wednesday, 28 November 2012 18:53 (eleven years ago) link
magnificent live performer
― LIKE If you are against racism (omar little), Wednesday, 28 November 2012 19:07 (eleven years ago) link
"Any tea? Oranges even? From China?"
― Big Sambola & The Tailspinners (C. Grisso/McCain), Wednesday, 28 November 2012 20:51 (eleven years ago) link
Really wanted to ee him in Cicago last week but wasn't around. 3.5 hiur show.
― 2 Chain Pizzas (to go) (Eazy), Wednesday, 28 November 2012 20:53 (eleven years ago) link
That's because he sings very slowly.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 28 November 2012 21:10 (eleven years ago) link
(sorry for the typos above)
― 2 Chain Pizzas (to go) (Eazy), Wednesday, 28 November 2012 22:37 (eleven years ago) link
3.5 hrs
― Author ~ Coach ~ Goddess (s1ocki), Thursday, 29 November 2012 05:21 (eleven years ago) link
how was itother than in length
― absurdly pro-D (schlump), Thursday, 29 November 2012 05:24 (eleven years ago) link
210 minutes
― Author ~ Coach ~ Goddess (s1ocki), Thursday, 29 November 2012 05:34 (eleven years ago) link
Does he still recite a couplet from the song he's about to sing before it starts?
― 2 Chain Pizzas (to go) (Eazy), Thursday, 29 November 2012 05:36 (eleven years ago) link
what insights did you gleanabout the soul of a poet
― absurdly pro-D (schlump), Thursday, 29 November 2012 06:03 (eleven years ago) link
― 2 Chain Pizzas (to go) (Eazy), Thursday, November 29, 2012 12:36 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
he did that a bunch, as well as some poetry. it was awesome.
― Author ~ Coach ~ Goddess (s1ocki), Thursday, 29 November 2012 15:19 (eleven years ago) link
i love the bootleg where he intros sisters of mercy w/ an improv -- "i love to spend the night with two girlssssss...it's better than one ... and it's better than none."
― tylerw, Thursday, 29 November 2012 15:37 (eleven years ago) link
has he acknowledegd that democracy is not coming to the USA?
― saltwater incursion (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 29 November 2012 15:45 (eleven years ago) link
in a brief powerpoint presentation
― Author ~ Coach ~ Goddess (s1ocki), Thursday, 29 November 2012 15:48 (eleven years ago) link
HEH. HEH HEH. THE MONKEY.
― difficult listening hour, Saturday, 26 April 2014 05:26 (ten years ago) link
he has a song where he talks about rosicrucianism and it was the only place or time or association i have with that word and then last weekend i was reading something and it mentioned rosicrucians ('money', maybe? now i cant remember where) and i was caught off-guard, i think i half-thought leonard cohen had made them up
― dude (Lamp), Saturday, 26 April 2014 07:16 (ten years ago) link
they can give you back your hope
― difficult listening hour, Saturday, 26 April 2014 07:47 (ten years ago) link
recent songs is a masterpiece, I am a little in love tbh, what an amazing album that I have overlooked for all these years
― marcos, Friday, 27 March 2015 01:07 (nine years ago) link
this is has been one of several nights recently when I have gotten a little drunk and put on some leonard cohen and marvel at the man
― marcos, Friday, 27 March 2015 01:09 (nine years ago) link
"The Window," "Ballad of the Absent Mare," and the rest. It's really the bridge between his early style and his mature style.
― with HD lyrics (Eazy), Friday, 27 March 2015 01:23 (nine years ago) link
In the sleevenotes of this album Cohen thanks his mother, "for reminding me of the kind of music she loved before she died"
― sexpost TMIing! (wins), Friday, 27 March 2015 01:30 (nine years ago) link
tonite is i'm your man and various positions, these are so amazing despite their imperfections, the title track on im your man and everybody knows and then dance me to th end of love are just so perfect
― marcos, Saturday, 28 March 2015 01:19 (nine years ago) link
oh shit and then coming back to you
― marcos, Saturday, 28 March 2015 01:28 (nine years ago) link
everything is all so good, wow leonard you've been there all along and I've finally noticed
― marcos, Saturday, 4 April 2015 23:41 (nine years ago) link
:-)
― Finn McCoolit (wins), Sunday, 5 April 2015 01:11 (nine years ago) link