My own private Essential LC

[DBCohen]

I’ve been following the posting on “the top 10 songs” thread with much interest. There were several “best 10” choices that included songs I didn’t expect would be mentioned in such a context. It shows that there is much room for personal choice in what is, after all, a rather limited oeuvre (about 120 songs all told, not all of them original, and including a few written for others and not performed by LC himself; in over 40 years, that’s an average of about 3 songs per year; actually, I guess I should also add about 10 more from Blue Alert, although like many other songs on the later albums, they were written in collaboration with another person, and are often not as good as the fully original ones). But I must apologize that I can’t play the game of “best 10”; I’ll have to choose at least 60 songs, and I’m asking for your indulgence while I’ll explain my reason at some length. Also, I was rather disappointed by the choice of songs on The Essential Leonard Cohen double album (abbreviated in the following as ELC), and I thought I’d like to make my own choice for such an “Essential”, which will never get made, naturally, but it’s fun to plan what it would be like. I must say in advance that there is no LC song that I really dislike; all his work is special for me, but there are songs that are essential, others that I like less, and a few I consider not as good as the rest of his work.

Some younger participants in the above-mentioned thread included in their lists mostly songs from recent albums, to which they were presumably exposed first, going for the earlier albums later, if at all. The choice of songs on the ELC album was also heavily in favor of the more recent albums. But for someone my age, the earlier albums have a special meaning. Having listened to the first three albums hundreds of times when they were still quite new (and I was quite young), I feel I must include on my list all of the songs from these albums, because each song leads to the next in my mind, and I regard each album as an integral piece of musical and lyrical work (although, naturally, I like some of the songs a little better than the others). I acknowledge the different point of view of the younger fans, who view the albums synchronically rather than diachronically, but for me there is no escape from the historical perspective; listening to LC’s albums one after another as they came along is an important part of the story of my life. So let me go briefly through the albums, one by one, and make my selection.

The first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, has 10 songs; ELC has 5 of them, but I would include all 10.

The second, Songs from a Room, also has 10 songs; ELC has only two of them, which is a bad jock (how can there be an “Essential” LC collection without “Story Of Isaac” or “Seems So Long Ago, Nancy”?). Again, I would include all 10.

Songs of Love and Hate has 8 songs; ELC has only one of them! (no “Joan Of Arc”, no “Dress Rehearsal Rag”? Give me a break. You’ll all agree that this is ridiculous). I’ll have all 8.

Then comes Live Songs with 10 tracks, 5 of which were not on the earlier albums (the other five are from the second album; here I should add that perhaps in some cases I should select a live performance rather than the original album version. “Tonight Will Be Fine”, for example, is very nice on this album. Also, in many cases the lyrics change on live performances, so you may need to choose more than one version. But I did not do a systematic work on all the versions, so I’ll leave this for later consideration). ELC has none of those. I would probably include at least one of the original tracks (I would have included “Queen Victoria” also, but since it is more a recitation of a poem than a song, I’ll leave it out, with regret).

The first 4 albums can be regarded as one group, especially from the musical point of view, but also thematically. The next albums are all slightly different, or very much so. To me the first four still represent the core of LC’s oeuvre.

When New Skin for the Old Ceremony came out, it was quite a surprise. The songs were shorter, and each had a distinctive musical arrangement, unlike the more uniform feeling of the earlier albums (this is not exactly accurate, just a general feeling). It took a little getting used to, but eventually I came to regard it almost on a par with the earlier ones. Out of its 11 songs, ELC has only 3; I would probably include at least 7 (and leave out the rest with regret, but I must start making choices).

The next album (not counting The Best of Leonard Cohen which came in between) was a real shock. Death of a Ladies’ Man was unlike anything he had done before, and was difficult to listen to. This was mainly due to the hijacking of the project by Phil Spector, who made it more of his own album than LC’s, whose voice you can hardly hear behind all those walls of sound. It remains a kind of freak in his oeuvre (he said on the recent film that only Punk people still like it, but I’m sure that there are many regular fans who think highly of it), but it grows on you with repeated listening, even if only partially. ELC has none of the 8 songs on this album; I would include at least one.

When the next album, Recent Songs, appeared, it felt like LC was returning to his normal self again, although there was also a new feeling to it, especially in the arrangements. The use of several new musical instruments was quite intriguing. However, it was somewhat uneven in quality, I believe. ELC includes only one out of the 10 songs on this album; I would probably include 4 or 5.

Sometimes after this album, a further change has occurred in LC’s music. As he himself said on interviews, rather then being created on the guitar, his songs were now composed on a synthesizer. Several critics commented that this was a change for the worse, and I tend to agree. Many of the later songs don’t have the unique, distinctive feeling that the earlier ones had. You have to admire an artist who can change his old habits, and the listener shouldn’t be more conservative than the artist, but still, something was lost, especially the folk-rock spirit that is so natural to the earlier albums, and what was gained was often not equal to it. (By the way, in that sense he was just a part of a universal tendency. I don’t know of any really great popular music coming out in the past 25 years or more; it all begun in the 50’s, skyrocketed in the 60’s, survived for a while in the 70’s, and died out completely in the 80’s. It’s been downhill all the way since then, with very few exceptions. Also, I think younger people are so used to the synthesized sound that it sounds natural for them, while for me it still sounds artificial. Call me a dinosaur, but that’s what my ears tell me).

However, the change was gradual at first. Various Positions was a great album, with many wonderful songs. ELC has 4 of its 9 songs (one is taken from a live performance, actually). I would pick 5 or 6.

The next album, I’m Your Man, although already deep in the “synthesizer mode”, was also great, and to me his last great album to date. It is almost as perfect as his earlier albums in a way (although not musically, perhaps, but the lyrics are wonderful, and each song has a distinct character), and 6 out of its 8 songs were included in ELC; I would probably pick 7 (leaving out “Jazz Police”, with some regret).

Now comes The Future, which unlike many other fans, I disliked from the first hearing, and it took me years to come to terms with it. I still don’t think it’s a good album. I don’t like its sound, and I don’t think the songs are as good as the earlier ones. I think “The Future” and “Democracy” are pretentious, “Closing Time” is annoying, and “Anthem” is much less of the great song that it is made to be, and also somewhat pretentious compared with his more direct, natural work. ELC has 5 of the 9 tracks on this album, and for the first time I would have less, maybe only one that I really like.

Next came 3 live or “best of” records (Cohen Live; More Best Of Leonard Cohen with two songs released for the first time; and Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979). These were followed by Ten New Songs, which on the whole was a nice surprise. The sound is not that great, but it is better than The Future, with some really good songs, mainly on the lyrics side. ELC has 4 songs; I would pick 4 or 5, although a few different ones.

Finally we have Dear Heather, which came out after the ELC. This album should be regarded differently than the earlier ones. It is probably not an album for general consumption, but could be enjoyed mostly by regular fans. Taken together with the booklet accompanying it, it feels like a miniature overview of his career (and a preview to Book of Longing). However it is not great musically or even lyrically, and much of it is not original work. I will pick maybe one song out of its 13 tracks, for old times’ sake.

So, there are 61 songs on my Essential list. I could easily have picked 70 or more, but I picked those that to me are really essential. Unlike ELC, they are picked from all the albums (12, including the first live one), with preference to the earlier great ones rather than the late and not-so-great ones. I picked only original songs, with the exception of “The Partisan”. Here they are, all brought together in historical order:

Suzanne; Master Song; Winter Lady; The Stranger Song; Sisters of Mercy; So Long, Marianne; Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye; Stories Of The Street; Teachers; One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong;
Bird On The Wire; Story Of Isaac; A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes; The Partisan; Seems So Long Ago, Nancy; The Old Revolution; The Butcher; You Know Who I am; Lady Midnight; Tonight Will Be Fine;
Avalanche; Last Year’s Man; Dress Rehearsal Rag; Diamonds In The Mine; Love Calls You By Your Name; Famous Blue Raincoat; Sing Another Song, Boys; Joan Of Arc;
Please Don’t Pass Me By (A Disgrace);
Chelsea Hotel #2; Lover Lover Lover; Field Commander Cohen; Why Don’t You Try; There Is A War; A Singer Must Die; Who By Fire;
Memories;
The Guests; The Window; Came So Far For Beauty; The Gypsy’s Wife;
Dance Me To The End Of Love; Coming Back To You; The Law; Night Comes On; Hallelujah; If It Be Your Will;
First We Take Manhattan; Ain’t No Cure For Love; Everybody Knows; I’m Your Man; Take This Waltz; I Can’t Forget; Tower Of Song;
Waiting For The Miracle;
In My Secret Life; A Thousand Kisses Deep; Here It Is; By The River Dark; Boogie Street;
Because Of.

I know many people will strongly disagree with some of my assertions, with my choices, and especially with my omissions. I enjoyed writing this, though, reliving my life with Leonard Cohen. I must also apologize for occupying such a big space on the Forum, something I did my best to avoid so far. Now I’ll wait silently to be hanged by the crowd.

Sincerely,

D. B. Cohen

[BoHo]

Have no words adequately to hand to express why I love what you've written; but, I do. Here's looking at you, Doron, an Ace in my books, all 27 of 'em.

Standing Ovation!

(DBCohen rules this "nation.")

Love, Bo
--
TOM SAKIC & JUDITH FITZGERALD @ LTAC:
http://www.attlc-ltac.org/Langs.htm
THE ITEM THAT HE SENT HER:
http://www.judithfitzgerald.ca/leonardcohen.html
ADAGIOS III — ELECTRA'S BENISON, BOUND!
http://www.oberonpress.ca/titles.pl?v=new
JUDITH FITZGERALD'S EVER-EVOLVING WRITESITE:
http://www.judithfitzgerald.ca/
LEONARD COHEN'S OPEN BOOK OF LONGING:
http://tinyurl.com/yno7z7
POET PARLIAMENTAEIRIAL JUDITH FITZGERALD:
http://tinyurl.com/38ssjq
THE AMERICAN BOOK REVIEW:
http://tinyurl.com/2h6op6
SUNITI NAMJOSHI'S BRIGHTSITE:
http://tinyurl.com/37jjvy
J.F. ON AL PURDY & ELI MANDEL @ CBC:
http://tinyurl.com/2vdrdq

[lizzytysh]

Hi Doron ~

Now, this is the kind of list I can relate to... not just names of songs, but a context within which to consider them. I initially thought I was going to have to ask which songs you were referring to, but was glad that I didn't need to go there. I'm glad you took the time to answer this 'favourites' question in length. It really is absurd to try to bring it down to 10.

I endorse this one hundred percent, wholly representative of my perspective [and also the reason that remastering doesn't matter to me]:

But for someone my age, the earlier albums have a special meaning. Having listened to the first three albums hundreds of times when they were still quite new (and I was quite young), I feel I must include on my list all of the songs from these albums, because each song leads to the next in my mind, and I regard each album as an integral piece of musical and lyrical work . . . but for me there is no escape from the historical perspective; listening to LC’s albums one after another as they came along is an important part of the story of my life.

I acknowledge the different point of view of the younger fans, who view the albums synchronically rather than diachronically,

I'm glad for the different [or same] point of view of the younger fans, as they are the ones upon whom we rely for continued appreciation and promotion of Leonard's work.

I couldn't agree more on the inclusion of the whole of Leonard's first three albums, with more from "Live Songs."

Last night, I took my dvd of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame awards over to my friend, Harimandir's, to share it with her. It just doesn't matter what I see or what I hear, I fall in love with Leonard, all over again, every time. A comment from her that I liked was, "His songs are filled with longing," which I responded to her is true and so significantly different from "depressing or sad."

(I would have included “Queen Victoria” also, but since it is more a recitation of a poem than a song, I’ll leave it out, with regret).

on "I'll leave it out, with regret," which I noticed wasn't the only time you used this, and I know exactly what you mean.

I would love, dearly love, dearly dearly love, to hear even one song on Leonard's new album, played acoustically on the guitar. I know we have asked, even begged, for this before... yet, hope springs eternal. I will always prefer acoustic, but that's just me... and, if not acoustic, the lushness that Leonard is able to bring from a synthesizer to extend the significance of his incomparable lyrics.

"Field Commander Cohen" ~ an ahhhhhh album. Of course, I can only respectfully disagree on your diminished feelings toward "Anthem," but then we are two, distinctly different people, so hey... . Its message is so stellar as to make it an eon-upon-eon classic.

No ropes, scaffolding, or nooses around, Doron... everyone's entitled to their own taste and opinions, and you've defended yours with high regard and respect. Who could ask for more from a person's serious list? No apologies necessary. Here or anywhere else, excellent use of space .


~ Lizzy

[DBCohen]

Thank you very much, BoHo and Lizzy. I expected that the experience and preferences of many veterans will be somewhat similar to mine, while the opposition will come mainly from the younger generation. Not that I object to it: opposition has an essential function in any situation. I just hope that they’ll spare our neck, and will not feel that hanging us old fogies is part of their revolutionary duty.

Love,

DBC

[lizzytysh]

We'll see, eh? So far, no one's taken the plunge in our direction.

It's nice seeing the word "Love" above your name, DBC.


Love [ "I'll match ya and raise ya 10" came to mind as I wrote that... don't ask me, just thought I'd share that ~ anyway, love back to ya],
Lizzy

[Manna]

I don't know if I'm in the "younger generation," since I was born in the 70s, but I pretty much agree with your assessment of how his sound has changed over the albums/years. I don't have DOALM, maybe I should get it some day, if only to prove my die-hard feelings for Leonard. I prefer the folky guitar sound, as well as the living room sound of his first album. But his writing han't suffered, so he's redeamed.

[lizzytysh]

More "younger" than not, Manna... even so, glad to see your appreciation parallels ours [aren't we always glad to see that ?].

But his writing han't suffered, so he's redeamed.

Now, there's an understatement ... and I can only add that it never will.

[So far, so good, Doron... no lynch mobs even heard in the distance.]


~ Lizzy

[Manna]

Aw, Jeez, a mispellled understatement two. oh well.

It took me a while to get used to the sound of Blue Alert, but it's since become one of my faves, one I'll listen to exclusively for a whole day. I've fallen in love with Anjani. I know that Leonard isn't expressly on this album, but he is expressly in it. Too bad it didn't seem to make your cut. Tempting as it sounds, I'm not going to track you down armed with sickle and noose.

[lizzytysh]

I fell in love with Blue Alert, immediately... and, for me, because it is so essentially Leonard, it belongs on an Essential Leonard. As Leonard said, Anjani's singing of "Love Leaves No Traces" was exactly the way he had always imagined it. The division between and the merging of those two on this album is seamless.

Yes... over and over and over this album can play and it suits me just fine, too, to spend the whole day with it.

Ha. I wasn't even sure that the typos/misspellings weren't intentional, for emphasis. We all use different techniques for that.

Well, Doron... we're still standing on safe ground... even with differences in opinion .


~ Lizzy

[Laura]

First time I heard Cohen it was the "Best of". I found it almost hypnotical. So simple, so magical. I couldn't explain it, but wanted to listen to it again and again.
So next I started my hunt for more Cohen. And I happened to run into the "More Best of" (it had just appeared at that time). I came back home with it all excited, listened to it... and wanted to throw the CD out the window after the first listening! Here was this old rasping man singing something that wasn't in the least magical-and reminded me somehow of a kind of contemporary music I had been trying to avoid, too!
In time (enough of it) I grew to apreciate the complexity of Cohen's newer songs, too. I also like Blue Alert, even though in a different sort of way. But the fascination and overwhelming atraction always remained just with the older songs.
For the record, I'm from the 80-s generation, so still young enough, I think, and I've come with hugs and not with the hanging rope for you, Doron (and to complete the contradictory story-I could never get my parents to like Cohen! even though they are the "proper" age)

Laura

[lizzytysh]

I came back home with it all excited, listened to it... and wanted to throw the CD out the window after the first listening! Here was this old rasping man singing something that wasn't in the least magical-and reminded me somehow of a kind of contemporary music I had been trying to avoid, too!

I'm laughing at this only because it fits so perfectly with the previous discussions of "dross" ~ in this instance, the entire cd being considered such, including the idea of pitching the whole cd. Certainly, I think, time has changed your perceptions; at least somewhat, Laura .

. . . and I've come with hugs and not with the hanging rope for you, Doron

So much better the C-ircle made of arms than the O-ne made of rope, eh, Doron ? It appears that Laura would also vote for having all three-four of Leonard's first albums, too. It looks like you can come out from behind that wall, now... . It's looking pretty safe out here.


~ Lizzy

[DBCohen]

Thank you very much, Manna, Laura and Lizzy. I’m glad for your support, but I’m still bracing myself against the tsunami that is building up down there and must come my way sooner or later. But, as I said, I welcome the discussion of opposite views.

[lizzytysh]

Well, if you insist on carrying a raft tucked under your arm, I guess you can... however, what if... what if... that tsunami ends up a gentle stream of different preferences. Maybe it is more a matter of demographics, but maybe not. We'll see what happens.

I'm also still interested in the children's idea and how early in their life people even heard Leonard for the first time. Guess I'll go start a thread and see if anyone answers . I'll give ya a holler if I see any gangs roaming about .


~ Lizzy

[tomsakic]

Kids:

I related the story about how my friend put his newborn son to sleep with early Cohen LPs playing quietly on the hi-fi.


But another story. Cohen's Hallelujah is now famous because of Shrek.
But it doesn't make *him* famous.
Namely, when my friend (another), crazy Cohen afficionado, saw her nephew singing Rufus Wainwright's Hallelujah, she put the original.

"What's with his voice?" said the nephew.

The genuine kid's reaction.


More later [in few days? - Have many (writing) debts, incl. mail to Petrarca's muse:-].

The tsunami is coming

[lizzytysh]

The tsunami is coming

Can you just hand out life rafts ahead of time? Or, is anyone freed up enough to make a store run ?

I related the story about how my friend put his newborn son to sleep with early Cohen LPs playing quietly on the hi-fi.

I love this idea and had forgotten about it... how about playing "Hallelujah" to the child through the mother's womb? I like that idea, too.

From what I've experienced, 'your' kid's reaction is shared by many adults , so it's not so age-specific .



~ Lizzy