Bulldog

Thanks buddy Ten New Songs, as you'll see below, does have one of Cohen's best songs on it, but it's not really that great as an album. Hopefully I'll get the next album done with soon enough.

Yeah, I've come across that before. Definitely among his best works that, though to be honest I'm no huge fan of Ten New Songs (as we'll find out in about 5 years' time the rate I'm getting these updates in).

It's a song with a really life, as that article points out. You might have seen this before, but this version dates (I think) from his days as a recluse after the Future's release. It's like a dead cheesy, funky euro version, but an interesting clip anyway;

ProggyMan

Nah, not the song, the poem. He performs it live.

ole betsy

Hey Bulldog
Great discussion. Leonard Cohen is so wonderful. I saw him a few years back during the Montreal Jazz festival and the set was so intimate and perfect that it brought most of the room to tears when he was done!

Bulldog

Thanks I've never had the pleasure of seeing him live myself. I do have a bootleg of a performance of his in Gothenburg back in 93 - excellent stuff and well worth hunting down.

I'm feeling lazy, so I'll probably get New Skin For the Old Ceremony reviewed in a day or so's time.

Gavin B.

I'm looking forward to your review of New Skin for the Old Ceremony. It's been my favorite L. Cohen album for a while and the only one that stands up to his remarkable debut album.

I'm told that the reason Cohen is doing this final marathon tour is his former manager. Kelley Lynch, misappropriated over US $5 million from Cohen's retirement fund leaving only $150,000.

I just got this press release on Monday :

He also just released Live In London which is a double CD of his first performance in London on his current 2008-2009 tour. For Cohen fans, his financial woes are almost a blessing because he was probably planning to return to the Buddhist monestary on Mount Baldy retire and live in seclusion in his elder years. I'm not worried about L.Cohen's financial status because he'll probably make twice the amount of money that Kelley Lynch stole from him by the time by the time he wraps his world tour in November.

Bulldog

It'd make sense that he's been touring non-stop for a good few years now. I know he's had a history of being screwed over by his management, didn't think it was quite that drastic though.

That Isle Of Wight show's the one Sing Another Song Boys from Songs Of Love and Hate was taken from wasn't it? I'll keep an eye out for that one if that's the case. I've seen the live at London album in a few places as well, but that was all before I completed the discography - back when getting the studio albums took priority. It's one of many albums that's been on the radar for a while with me.

I'll confess that I'm not really a huge fan of New Skin For the Old Ceremony myself, probably because of the album it follows up. When it comes to his pre-80s work beyond his first trio of albums, I'm much more a fan of Recent Songs and Death Of a Ladies' Man. I'll give it another listen or two before I start writing about it though.

The Fascinating Turnip

Ah, Leonard Cohen. A Great sir indeed.
As of now, Songs Of Love And Hate is my favourite album of his. Avalanche just starts of the album in a fantastic way, a song full of self deprecation and resentment. Last Year's Man is also quite the tune.
I find Dress Rehearsal Rag to be brilliant. It's absolutely miserable, decadent even. A contemplation of suicide, and a constant failure to do so. The small moment of humour: "Cover up your face with soap. There, now you're Santa Claus" shows us how ridiculous the author of the song believe's the situation he's in is.
Diamonds in The Mine lightens up the mood created by the last song, and it's quite enjoyable imo. Love Calls You By Your name is also a decent track.
Ah...Famous Blue Raincoat so tenderly sad, and authentic. It's odd how much a "Sincerely L. Cohen" can add at the end of a song. Not that it's what makes the song, the great lyrics and the sheer sound of the acoustic guitar and the "echoed" voice is great.
Sing Another Song, Boys. I cannot stress enough how much i love this song's ending. I haven't looked deeply into the lyrics, i confess. But it seems like a song about moving on, and it just builds up to that fantastic, orgasmic even, apotheosis. His "lalala's" are packed with so much emotion, rawness, while the heartfelt voice of the women who sing with him caress our years, whilst adding to the emotion and impact of the song. Just brilliant. Simple, but brilliant.
Joan Of Arc really feels like the ashes that come from that fire i've mentioned before, whilst not failing at being another quite listenable track.

I believe i didn't see much mention to Sing Another Song, Boys, and i might have sort of reviewed the album just to discuss this (I apologise). But do you not find that ending FANTASTIC?

Bulldog

So this is where my thread went

Sing Another Song Boys is a good song and, you're right, the ending is quite something. Lined up with most of the rest of the album though, it stands out a litte, and it just doesn't quite grip me as well as other parts of the album do.

I'd say I'll be getting the next review done soon enough, but there are a bunch of review threads I haven't contributed to in a while that I probably should do as well. We'll see how long it takes I guess...

The Fascinating Turnip

Well, i didn't mean to imply that was the best part of the whole album; Dress Rehearsal Rag, Famous Blue Raincoat and Avalanche are brilliant too. That moment just grabbed my attention.

yaniv297

Leonard is one of my favorite artists, and Songs of Love and Hate is an easy 10/10 for me. His debut deserves more too, if only for The Stranger Song, Master Song and One of Us Cannot Be Wrong/