Leonard Cohen: I'm Your man OST - Your Opinion on the Covers

[tomsakic]

I heard first night. (Partial recording - no MMOH!) It's fascinating! Nick Cave opens with great Avalanche and does Dress Rehearsal Rag, and he's best for such "suicide songs". Lou Reed is funny because it's too Velvet Underground, but it's awesome. Great guitars, and totally new sound for Cohen songs. Laurie Anderson got Leonard's idea of Dear Heather, and develops the concept further - great, and great Secret Life. Her violin is awesome. Experimental violin solo in the middle of The Guests is I guess hers and it's just great. Also experimental violin during 1000 Kisses Deep brought that song to its best performance ever - I was mesmerized when rudimentary violin rocks into the full-band-with-guitars arrangement. Gavin Friday is just great and gets Who By Fire good, in little perfomative style, what suits the song and context of Willner-Laurie Anderson stage production. Everybody Knows - great, and he's MUCH better than Rufus. Waiting for the Miracle and Teddy - what to say? Jarvis is out of doubt always. Best Came So Far For Beauty so far, and MUST be released as box set from all nights.

I still have to listen to 3-CDRs set from 2nd taper, the complete show. This 2-CD set from UK (26 songs of 34) is great.

I skipped over Perla, Julie and stuff from soundtrack. It all seems little out of place now. With Laurie, Reed, and others, this show has become interesting experience with touch of Laurie Anderson-like experimental music approach, where Reed and Friday and others excellently came in.

[lizzytysh]

Can't get to it . Not Barracuda, but a message with something about the content not matching the security information .

Funny comment about Teddy and waiting for a miracle .

Thanks for posting these, even if I can't get them, FYS. It would've been great to see ! Work break .


~ Lizzy

[Joe Way]

Tom,

I enjoyed your comments. I agree that there are some really interesting variations with these arrangements. Obviously, they are not going to please everyone and, in particular, someone who really likes a version that Leonard has done himself will most likely find most of this, "too different" for their taste and after all, that's what it comes down to is taste.

I found the reggae treatment of "Waiting For The Miracle" absolutely outstanding. I would have loved to hear this version with Bob Marley singing it! But I have been particularly attuned to this since I first heard, "Take Me Home, Country Road" done reggae style-not to mention our old church choir director who could infuse some old hymns with a reggae beat. And some people think changing Leonard's music is sacrilegious!

Joe

[ForYourSmile]

Hi Lizzy ,

I do not understand that happens. Just they are Internet directions (URL) that point at a mp3 files (a file that contains sound). Normally they can be opened directly by click or, by the right button, save it in some directory of your hard disc and later you can analyse for virus and listen it.
~

I am interested in any cover and I am grateful for them, I think those always are tributes to Leonard. But, I prefer the covers that do not try to be so spectacular and polemic. I prefer the honest versions that respect the sense of the song. Of course I go on thinking that those of Pearl and Julie are wonderful.

I am not a purist, also I acclaim the iconoclasts.

Lou Reed from the eighties can recite with the metallic sound of his guitar for hours and fill discs. Leonard Cohen sang his own reggae versions 30 years ago, when the reggae was fashion. There is no news.

[Joe Way]

Dear FYS,

I envy you so much to have this traveling band coming through with new covers. My wife and I loved the time that we spent in Spain and to think that we could have both together is very tempting, but, alas, it won't happen.

As far as the covers go, I agree, that there needs to be some grounding and a place where the artist is "coming from." Plus, there needs to be some continuous thread that winds its way through these songs. It wouldn't be appropriate to have brand new material introduced by another.

All this, notwithstanding, the cover versions introduce us to the process that the artist goes through to create the vision.

If anyone has read, Bob Dylan's latest Rolllng Stone interview, one would realize that the interview version is so pre-prejudiced, that it would be impossible to show how any "one" version could be primary.

He mentions how listening to versions of his own songs by people such as Jerry Garcia caused him to re-create a work.

Joe

[Kush]

Hi Joe,
I like listening to covers that are different from the original. Else I might as well listen to the original. People talk about "cover versions showing respect to Leonard" which I think is complete nonsense - it just makes them redundant. Indeed I think LCs own covers (e.g. Always) is hardly respectful of Irving Berlin's. Au contraire it is quite an experimental version and different from the original which makes it interesting for me.
I always remember a Bob Dylan quote where he states "every version of my song is a blueprint for the next". Well my two cents.
Merry Xmas, Happy Holidays etc etc to all.

[ForYourSmile]

Yes, I agree with you. The covers develop the work of an author. This way Picasso did it with Velázquez or the Renaissance ones with the Classic ones, etc, etc. The art, the creation has always continuity.

We know that Cohen enjoys these covers, and, thankfully, they are great and very differents. Let's see the list that The LC Files offers and that I try to continue, modestly.

Also we can see these tribute concerts, where important musicians demonstrate their admiration for Leonard and, if someone yet does not know, the depth of his work.

But not all the covers get the atmosphere with that I believe that they were created or that they guide to places that I consider wrong. It is my opinion, of course.

At the same time I have discovered in new adaptations ideas that I did not understand.

In Tribute, a DVD about "Tower of Songs" the disc of covers of 1995. Cohen talks about "Light As The Breeze" adapted by Billy Joel, he says that Joel was, finally, got to finish his song that was without ending. Is not it wonderful?

(Excuse me, I try to express in a language that almost I am an illiterate about ideas with a cultural level. This is not a Formula 1 forum. If it is difficult to you read me, for me it's more difficult write. But, I need to do this crime.)

[lizzytysh]

Dear FYS ~

Just a note on your own comments on your writing. You've made amazing improvement in the time you've been writing here. You're saying much more than you attempted in the beginning and have become very easy to understand... occasionally a few glitches in understanding your intention, but overall, not a problem at all. Keep going, you're doing fine !! No need at all to apologize.

Merry Christmas to you and to everyone else, as well .


~ Lizzy

[LuNo]

I was in Dublin 2nd show and I believe it is a thrill to have so many talented performers singing LC's songs.

Most of the show is not included in the OST. If could vote for my favourite song it would be Lou Reed's rendition of "One of us cannot be wrong" - rather than imitating Leonard Cohen he managed to make it sound as if the song was his.

Voting for U2 with LC shouldn't be allowed... c'mon, the man makes all the difference!

It was funny to see Antony (that I think doesn't quite fit the persona behind the songs) much more cheered than anyone else. Ain't the world strange?

Anyway, I hope the documentary arrives fast to this side of the Channel. I can't wait to hear LC's interviews.

Cheers,