the Dear Heather

kleinschmidt · Post by **kleinschmidt** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 7:11 pm

I've got it now, the dear Heather record and it is wonderfull

. One of my friends received it as a promotion cd from columbia, and since he is my friend I borrowed it. Dear Heather is really, really good. It isn't Cohen's best work ever, but it sure is a lot better than Ten new songs. This time Cohen(sometimes) uses actual instruments and Sharon-(what have you done)-Robinson doesn't play that big a part.

Thank you for that.
There are some really good songs on Dear Heather, though most of the tracks aren't really songs, more like spoken-words recordings.
On "No more a-roving", "there for you" and "on that day" Leonard sings alone, on "nightingale", "the faith", "dear Heather" and "the letters" he is accompanied by women, and on "undertow" leonards only whispers in the back, that's a shame because "Undertow" has a wonderfull tune and it would be a lot better if leonard sang it.
The rest is Leonard reciting poems, not songs in the actual sense, though on "Because of" and "Villanelle" Leonard eventually starts singing.
All this talking on a music record could turn out as a bad idea, but with Leonard it works out to perfection. "Dear Heather" is still a really good record despite the lack of singing. There is still a lot of Leonards voice here, and it's deeper and more beatiful than ever I have to say.
The fact that there are only a few real songs with rhymes, chorus etc written by Leonard himself (The letters, undertow, on that day, the faith, nightingale) got me thinking if "Dear Heather" (and may I burn for this) were made in a hurry? Maybe beacause of him turning 70?
But again, Who cares, Dear Heather is wonderfull.

Kleinschmidt

Henning · Post by **Henning** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 12:14 pm

Dear Kleinschmidt

thanks for the review - it is exactly how I remember it from NY - but I am one of those who have to wait and stand in the Queue on October 26 for to get this treasure. But to be honest I love to wait in my life and learn patience. I am a hunter for dates to look forward to. If I had no dates in my life, my life would surely be outdated. Besides the dates I plant and raise dreams due to come true one day, minute, second. Besides the dates and dreams I admin my current sorrows.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 4:16 pm

It just occurred to me that, perhaps, this album's title of "Dear Heather" alludes to its being more 'spoken' than 'sung' ~ as in reading [speaking] a letter out loud, as one might do; whereas, one wouldn't be so inclined to sing a letter out loud.

Henning ~ What a charming little piece you've written here on dates, times, and dreams.

~ Lizzy

Kush · Post by **Kush** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 4:43 pm

I am a hunter for dates to look forward to.

This is quite Cohenesque. If I didn't know you wrote it I'd have thought it came out of one of LC's poems.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 4:46 pm

Yes, I agree, Kush.....I particularly liked the "hunter" part.

Henning · Post by **Henning** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 6:57 pm

That's nice, Kush and Lizzy !

You made me pick the guitar and create a new song (Leonard's poem - again):

http://www.tea-and-oranges.de/mp3/anorchard.mp3

There is nothing precise or accurate or clean on it - I guess it's like me.

Sorry, Kleinschmidt, that this went into a different direction, but you shouldn't have mentioned that you got a promo CD !

Kush · Post by **Kush** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 8:08 pm

Very nice. Is this a poem from Energy of slaves and should we be looking forward to Vol. II soon?
You should write your own songs too from your own life experience or from what you observe in others....your previous post is ripe for the plucking (of a song).

Henning · Post by **Henning** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 9:01 pm

1.) It's from the spicebox and goes:

An orchard of shore trees
precise because of autumn
etches its branches
in the grey silk river

The edge of the sky
fills up with blue and soft sand

A barge bearing lights
like the leaning faces
of motionless immortal sailors
trails behind a cat o'nine tails
made of dark chain
punishing a silken water

We never see the river
run blood red
The yellow sun is lost forever
Its loyal sky is crumbling
like a slow avalanche
into its thickening edge
of soft and blue sand

Darkness makes
a home for the world
The serpents rise swanlike from the water
hurl their narrow tongues
at the iron hulks
of the dreaming tethered ships

If there are humans left like me
along this natural shore
they do not dare cry out
my coat is the colour
of the ruined sky
my fingers of the soft blue sand

2.) I can't write own lyrics - no talent and no experiences

3.) There is more than enough material now but Vol 2 not before 2007

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Mon Oct 04, 2004 1:58 am

" . . . no talent and no experiences."

Excuuuuuse me!?!

tomsakic · Post by **tomsakic** » Mon Oct 04, 2004 10:25 am

With all regards to Henning and his great album

, I want say that I don't understand this feelings against Sharon Robinson which I heard everywhere. Speaking about DH, the only three song actually sung ARE Sharon Robinson songs (Go No More A-Roving, The Letters, There For You), and they shows that Sharon-Leonard's songs were going in even better direction after TNS. As for Anjani-Leonard songs, well, I agree that I feel some hurry here on the album (maybe it should take one year more to get more songs, really), but compare Sharon's work to Anjani's song Nightingale, which is really, well, not so good

. Only thing that saves her in my eyes is that I adore Anjani's singing on 1985 tour and I'm Your Man album, and Waiting for the Miracle, and especially Undertow, which is her best singing ever, and I agree, it's bad shame that Leonard doesn't almost appear on that track.
As for Sharon, I really thinks she's the only person who can write "Leonard Cohen songs", as someone wrote for TNS. And also, is it coincidence that on DH Leonard sings only on her three tracks? It seems to me she's the only one capable to get him singing.

tomsakic · Post by **tomsakic** » Mon Oct 04, 2004 10:33 am

So, I really hope Sharon will take her solo way, as Jennifer Warnes did.
As for Dear Heather, it's really great album (although not so good as Ten New Songs

/I already announced that to people calling me with question "Is it good as TNS?"/). It just gfeels good to hear Leonard's voice, you know. I really like all songs, expect Nightingale and On That Day, which, after all and in complete album, aren't so bad. (Well, the worst LC songs is better than someones else' best song). There are some great silent classics, like Villanelle for Our Time, or To A Teacher. And some craziness (the title song

).

Midnight · Post by **Midnight** » Mon Oct 04, 2004 2:52 pm

Fear and Trembling. That describes my emotions as I read these DH "preview reviews".

By the way, Tom...what the heck is a "silent classic"? Does Leonard just breathe on these songs?

tomsakic · Post by **tomsakic** » Mon Oct 04, 2004 3:44 pm

"Silent", I mean that I am not sure will people appreciate them, as they will some other songs for which you know on first hearing they will be popular. You know, as when you are listening Recent Songs, and then after many great songs comes such jewel as Our Lady Of Solitude, or I Can't Forget on I'm Your Man.
As for previews, I was in fear after I read Pico Iyer's essay. After I heard the album, I thought, "What the ehck, WHAT Pico Iyer actually wrote about???"

So never trust anything before you hear it, every LC fan will like DH.
Now i found some reviews and posts on some Croatian forums. Many say this is LC's comeback after TNS affair, his best work in decades etc... As I said, those who didn't like TNS so much will be delighted, and those who adore TNS will be delighted also:)
tom

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Mon Oct 04, 2004 4:29 pm

Hi Tom ~

Just to be sure ~ you know it was Kleinschmidt, and not Henning, who expressed some negativity toward Sharon's participation, right? I'm not sure whether you expressed your regards to Henning, and then just went on in the same sentence with your question re: Sharon, or whether the two were linked. Just making sure

.

~ Lizzytysh

username · Post by **username** » Tue Oct 05, 2004 1:40 am

Tom,

I have no idea how you think "nightingale" is a crappy song. What makes it all the more hilarious to me is that fact that you state that "go no more a-roving " is a good song. "go no more a-roving" might be the worst song I have ever heard from Cohen. It really sounds embarassing to me.

"Nightingale" is a beautiful song, one of the best on the album.
"go no more a-roving" is really bad.

And in my opinion, this album is better than 10 new songs. This album has one song I hate, 10 new songs had about three.

And I also like Anjani's work better, however, "undertow" really is fantastic.

Just some opinons