Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

General discussion about Leonard Cohen's songs and albums
its4inthemorning
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by its4inthemorning »

You've all probably already watched "Marianne and Leonard Words of Love," but we just viewed it last night. I thought I would provide some comments. I would enjoy hearing your own.

The difficulty of making documentaries is that there is a surfeit of material, and one needs to pick and choose what to include and to what depth. A documentary about Leonard with no qualifiers would have to be an unwieldy and impossible task, his life took so many twists and turns that are all important, but long multi-chapter documentaries are risky propositions if the subjects appeal to only a limited audience. By confining the scope to Leonard's relationship with Marianne, Nick Broomfield whittled things down to what I feel was an ideal length.

After choosing what aspects of the relationship to cover, Broomfield had to locate appropriate film (or photographs) that would provide the visuals, and most importantly, he had to determine which individuals from Leonard's and Marianne's past would provide the most interesting stories. In my opinion, Broomfield's selection of story tellers was just about perfect. Jan Christian Molestad's largest role was in connection with Leonard's final letter to Marianne. Just as he said that for Marianne Leonard's letter "closed the ring," so did it start and end the movie so perfectly that one could join the end to the start and make the movie an endless loop. The record producers (John Lissauer and John Simon) had shorter roles, and even though I (and you guys) were already familiar with the stories they told, watching and hearing them tell those stories was quite enjoyable. More of a surprise was Aviva Layton, Irving's wife for some twenty years. The things that she related were things I hadn't heard before. But in my mind, the star story teller of the movie was Ron Cornelius. I loved hearing his anecdotes, and his presence in the movie is what tied the Leonard-Marianne relationship to Leonard's music. The film would have suffered without Cornelius.

As for Hydra itself, some closer views revealed that in fact there have been many changes since Leonard first went there in the 1960s. For example, there is some footage showing the harbor from the air, and it looked a bit different than I recall. I did get a kick out of seeing the guy that went there 60 (I believe it was 60) years ago and has lived there ever since while writing 30 books. (That's only one book every two years, so I guess the joys of being there can affect artistic creativity.)

Finally, I would be remiss if i did not mention how much I loved the footage near the end showing Marianne at a late concert, singing along to the song dedicated to her. I saw Albert Noonan listed in the "thanks to" credits, I wonder if that footage was his?

This is a movie I would watch again (and will do so before we send it back to Netflix); it is not often that I say that about a movie.

4
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
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B4real
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by B4real »

4, it’s still the same for me now as I posted in this link - I haven’t seen this film yet but I did see the “another" one :)
https://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewt ... ld#p373362

As a refresher, I thought I’d add this original link with a lot of discussion about the Words of Love film -
https://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewt ... Broomfield

EDIT:
its4inthemorning wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2021 6:39 pm Finally, I would be remiss if i did not mention how much I loved the footage near the end showing Marianne at a late concert, singing along to the song dedicated to her. I saw Albert Noonan listed in the "thanks to" credits, I wonder if that footage was his?
4, Having not seen this film I don’t know the answer to your question. But it made me remember that I did see a great video somewhere from Europe (maybe Oslo) where Marianne was in the audience and when Leonard was singing So Long Marianne she joined in the chorus. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be online now.
It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to B4real ~ me
Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy ~ me ...... The magic of art is the truth of its lies ~ me ...... Only left-handers are in their right mind!
its4inthemorning
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by its4inthemorning »

Hi Bev,

I am sure it is the same clip, I remember viewing it online as well a long time back. It makes you feel so good to watch it, someone should hunt it down and post it again. I am thinking the video may not be one of Albert's only because it seemed to be shot from slightly above somehow, and Albert and Mar usually managed to get seats closer to the action. There are so, so many videos out there, we should all try to make a point to let the others know when they view a particularly good one. I find perusing Leonard's online videos to be an exceptionally nice way to wast an hour every so often.

4
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
its4inthemorning
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by its4inthemorning »

Here is a video I've not seen before. I am betting that not even our archivist-in-chief Bev has seen it.

Interesting on many levels, what a way to spend a summer afternoon.

https://youtu.be/iaLBUr3VgJs

Please share your observations!

4
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
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B4real
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by B4real »

its4inthemorning wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:58 am Here is a video I've not seen before. I am betting that not even our archivist-in-chief Bev has seen it.
4
Ha! 4, You've definitely lost your bet :lol: You should have known I’ve had that video for many years now - albeit as four separate songs. It was way back in the days when YouTube videos were limited to 10 mins and I Tried To Leave You had to be split up into two videos. The link you posted shows the same four songs. They are in the last five songs from the concert - the last being Passing Through. As far as I know, the number of total songs is 17.
As well, there's talk about those four songs here on the forum - https://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=37033
Also here too plus other bootlegs - https://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=37094

This is already in my book -
(Kalvøya Festival (near Oslo), Norway 30th June 1985)
I Tried To Leave You
Good afternoon, my darlings, I hope that you’re satisfied...

I haven't got around to including the rest of the different lyrics from the concert but I will :)

BTW - When I first saw your link I was hoping to be able to view the whole concert because I really liked seeing the relaxed flavour and style of those original four songs.
It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to B4real ~ me
Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy ~ me ...... The magic of art is the truth of its lies ~ me ...... Only left-handers are in their right mind!
its4inthemorning
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by its4inthemorning »

Bev, how foolish of me to underestimate the vast expanse of your archives! So, how much do I owe you?

One of the biggest surprises for me was how young Mitch Watkins looked. Of course, he was 27 years older when we first saw him in 2012.

Too bad there is no video of the entire concert, would love to watch the entire event.

4
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
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LisaLCFan
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by LisaLCFan »

its4inthemorning wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:58 am Here is a video I've not seen before. I am betting that not even our archivist-in-chief Bev has seen it...
Please share your observations!

Not sure why anyone would bet such a thing in this corner of the internet -- Bev's not the only one around here who's long-since seen that video -- I saw it years ago. It's one of those treasures that's been floating around the Cohenverse for ages. Great that you stumbled upon it, though!

Observations? Odd to see Leonard smoking while performing. Love his head-gear -- and that smile! -- at 21:21. I've never seen that many blond(e)s in one place (i.e. the audience).
Gentle Reader
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by Gentle Reader »

Thanks Bev for posting the gem of a video on this, Leonard's birthday.....enjoyed it immensely, have seen photos of Leonard with his crown, but did not know the story! May Leonard live forever in our hearts! Linda
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B4real
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by B4real »

Gentle Reader, I should say that it was its4inthemorning who recently posted this video, not me :)
...and this morning I received an email written on the 21st from Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc that said:
On This Day, A Thought For Leonard Cohen -
Today would have been Leonard's 87th birthday.
A thought for our man who we miss dearly.
Lisa, the same thought struck me about LC smoking on stage and I've tried to think of another concert when he did that but so far no particular concert comes to mind.

4, You owe me nothing but to keep trying to find LC things you think I haven't seen - that way we both win ;-)
It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to B4real ~ me
Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy ~ me ...... The magic of art is the truth of its lies ~ me ...... Only left-handers are in their right mind!
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vlcoats
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by vlcoats »

Thank you for sharing 4! I haven't seen it before of course. ;-)

The only things I will add regarding observations is:

"Prince, you need a shave." ... and it looks like someone clawed his right cheek. Those blondes can be rough.

Vickie
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AlanM
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by AlanM »

its4inthemorning wrote: Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:25 am I find perusing Leonard's online videos to be an exceptionally nice way to waste an hour every so often.

4
Hi 4,
I would challenge you on that statement.
IMHO it is not a waste of any time to watch LC videos.

Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
its4inthemorning
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by its4inthemorning »

I had not realized that I posted the video on Leonard's birthday, that was just luck.

Bev, are any of those bootleg recordings still available, or were they only for awhile, and then shut down/banned for copyright reasons? I surmise Leonard's family is against releasing more of what they have in their files in honor of his penchant for not releasing any music that did not meet his rigid standards, but I wish they would balance that view with rewarding his devoted fans.

Lisa, yes it was hard to miss all the blond, fair bodies in the audience. That concert was back in the days before skin cancer awareness and sunscreen, it is interesting to imagine how the audience would be dressed today.

Vickie, good observation and a perfect lyric to quote. I try to work a Cohen song lyric into my conversations with Joann at least once a day, sometimes I get her to laugh, but usually she just rolls her eyes. I don't think a year goes by where, sometime after Christmas and before January 1st when we are up very late, I don't work "It's four in the morning the end of December" into the conversation.

And deferring to dour Alan, please rephrase "waste an hour every so often" to "mis-prioritize my use of time."

Question: Recently someone told me that he disliked the songs where Leonard introduces his band members and that these introductions "ruined" those songs. I, on the other hand, particularly like the band introduction songs, I guess because they illustrate the close relationships that Leonard seems to have had with his fellow musicians. What do you guys think?

4
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
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B4real
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by B4real »

its4inthemorning wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 1:58 pm Bev, are any of those bootleg recordings still available, or were they only for awhile, and then shut down/banned for copyright reasons?
I'm guessing you mean these here -
B4real wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:17 am Also here too plus other bootlegs - https://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=37094
As quoted in the above link there seems to be some still available - check out the 4 pages -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=leonard+co ... ef=sr_pg_1

I agree about the band intros.
It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to B4real ~ me
Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy ~ me ...... The magic of art is the truth of its lies ~ me ...... Only left-handers are in their right mind!
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vlcoats
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by vlcoats »

Wait.....regarding the intros...was that "guy" me?

Haha...
Vickie
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AlanM
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Re: Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

Post by AlanM »

its4inthemorning wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 1:58 pm
And deferring to dour Alan, please rephrase "waste an hour every so often" to "mis-prioritize my use of time."

4
I would still challenge you on your rephrased statement, but if that's the way you see the world, so be it.

BTW your auto-correct changed "dear" to "dour" - you must watch out for these things.

Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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