Jennifer Warnes:Famous Blue Raincoat Reissue

[Davido]

I have received the following info. regarding the re-issue of Jennifer Warnes' cd.
It seems the planned dvd 'making of' has not materialised:
"July 2007
We are excited to announce that The 20th Anniversary Edition of FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT will be released for sale August 7, 2007 and will be available at our on-line store. Originally released in 1987 to critical acclaim for its rare and unique audiophile quality production, this reissue album contains the songs of Leonard Cohen plus Song of Bernadette by Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes from the original album, and four previously unreleased gems from Jennifer's personal archives. A new 24 page booklet is included with rare photos that chronicle the artistic friendships that provided the influences for this recording. This remastered anniversary edition reminds us again of the depth of artists' friendships that have spanned more than 35 years. Thanks to all those of you who wrote in and waited so patiently.

There is also a limited quantity of the rare "THE HUNTER" and the original FBR that many of you have been waiting for."

Visit the store http://www.jenniferwarnes.com/pages/store.html
Pre-orders will be accepted starting July 9, 2007.

[lizzytysh]

I have the other one, but the additions to this make buying it worthwhile. Thanks for posting the information, Davido.


~ Lizzy

[kokenpere]

CD Universe and Amazon are also offering FBR 20th Anniversary Edition by Jennifer Warnes with an August 7th release date. It seems firm but if Shout Factory can delay the release once . . .

The samples on Amazon are very good. Includes bonus samples also.

kokenpere

[blonde madonna]

A Playback review of the re-issue.

http://blog.masslive.com/playback/2007/ ... rs_in.html

Jennifer Warnes, "Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary Edition" (Shout! Factory!)
4 stars.

Leonard Cohen is an acquired taste to say the least, revered by many a passionate fan, yet written off by others who just never quite got all the fuss about the songwriter.

Jennifer Warnes is another story, a songstress of style and grace, whose 1987 album, originally titled "Famous Blue Raincoat: The Songs of Leonard Cohen," helped make Cohen's poetry a lot more palatable to the masses.

"Jenny Sings Lenny," as some called it, has now been reissued, with four previously unreleased bonus tracks, including a 1992 version of "Joan of Arc," recorded live in Belgium.

The package, which also features a 24-page booklet, has held up remarkably well. There's some brilliant musicianship on it, including the guitar combination of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robben Ford on the album opening "First We Take Manhattan," and Warnes' multi-octave voice sparkles on songs such as "Bird on a Wire," the string-backed ballad "Song of Bernadette," and the duet with Cohen on the studio version of "Joan of Arc."

[lizzytysh]

The content/tone of his review would suggest that Kevin O'Hare is one of that general public he references .


~ Lizzy

[blonde madonna]

I agree Lizzy. Here is a better review.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/ne ... news-music

'Famous Blue Raincoat' in new garb
Four bonus tracks have been added to Jennifer Warnes' collection of Leonard Cohen songs.
By Robert Hilburn
August 7, 2007

For anyone growing up in the late-'60s, the female voice most identified with Leonard Cohen songs probably is Judy Collins, whose Elektra recordings of such eloquent works as "Suzanne" and "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" helped establish Cohen as one of our most gifted songwriters.

For many discerning listeners whose musical tastes were formed in the late-'80s, however, the first female voice that comes to mind regarding Cohen might well be Jennifer Warnes, whose "Famous Blue Raincoat" album radiated with adventurous and sophisticated elements.

Featuring an exquisite corps of musicians, including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robben Ford, Fred Tackett and Van Dyke Parks on various tracks, "Raincoat" reached only No. 72 on the charts in 1987, but it was widely hailed by critics and remains prized by many Cohen enthusiasts.

Warnes' album has just been reissued by Shout! Factory Records in a 20th anniversary edition that includes four bonus tracks. A highlight is "Song of Bernadette," a Warnes-Cohen composition that also has been recorded by, among others, Judy Collins.

The back story: Warnes, a Seattle native who grew up in Orange County, had a country and pop hit in "Right Time of the Night" in 1977 and followed that up in the '80s with a series of movie-related hits, including a duet with Joe Cocker on "Up Where We Belong" and another with Bill Medley on "(I've Had) The Time of My Life."

While her lovely, pure voice was evident in those records, Warnes was widely seen as simply a capable mainstream pop figure until "Raincoat," on which she connected with far greater intimacy and artistic depth. It's a difference in perception that Cohen noted at the time.

"One of the nice things about [this success] is that Jennifer is acknowledged as a musician on a high level," Cohen told The Times in 1987. "I think people have thought of her as a canary up to this point."

The music: Warnes revisits some songs Collins recorded for Elektra on "Raincoat," but she mainly reaches elsewhere in the Cohen songbook.

There is such a gripping, even epic feel to the album's first four tracks -- "First We Take Manhattan," "Bird on the Wire," "Famous Blue Raincoat" and "Joan of Arc" -- that you may find yourself pausing after each to fully absorb it before moving on. Things get a bit lighter on the country-ish "Ain't No Cure for Love," but quickly turn more introspective and personal again on "Coming Back to You" and "Song of Bernadette."

The arrangements throughout are exceptionally confident and effective, including one song ("A Singer Must Die") on which Warnes is backed by just other singers.

The bonus material includes a previously unreleased live version of "Joan of Arc" from 1992. A superbly tasteful CD.

[kokenpere]

If Kevin O'Hare is interested, "Jenny Sings Lenny" was suggested by Jennifer Warnes. A rough sketch of two hands holding a torch was drawn by Leonard. In 1987, Cypress released the album with the "famous blue raincoat" on the cover. Both the 'Jenny' title and Leonard's cover art were not used. I believe Ira Nadel said that Leonard preferred "his" cover to the one that was used.

kokenpere

[tomsakic]

Just to add that 20th Anniversary Edition of DIRTY DANCING (ost) is also released this month (at least in Europe) with great publicity. Jennifer's leading song is of course in the focus.

[lizzytysh]

Yes, I agree, Madonna. Much better review. I really like it that these two are dovetailed on the cd:

"Coming Back to You" and "Song of Bernadette."

~ Lizzy

[LittleBigVoice]

Good Grief, I have the vinyl album of Jennifer Warnes "Famous Blue Raincoat" in my dust covered archives and I remember really enjoying that album.

Please tell me that it was NOT twenty years ago when it was released!

That news has made me feel much older than Sir Cliff Richard, whereas in reality I am exactly one year younger than the Peter Pan of Pop!

[jarkko]

This is from OC Register at http://www.ocregister.com/column/warnes ... s-raincoat

Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Orange Pop: Jennifer Warnes' masterpiece gets its due
A 20th anniversary reissue of 'Famous Blue Raincoat,' her album of songs by Leonard Cohen, is treasure.
By ROBERT KINSLER
Special to the Register

There was a fateful series of events that led Jennifer Warnes to record her 1987 masterwork "Famous Blue Raincoat." The collection of songs by singer-poet Leonard Cohen was rightfully included in many critics' top 10 lists at the end of that year, but had long been out of print until it was reissued in an exceptional 20th anniversary edition by Shout! Factory on Aug. 7.

Warnes, a two-time Grammy winner who grew up in Anaheim and Fullerton, recently talked by phone from her home in Los Angeles about the long-awaited re-release of the tour de force, which has been beautifully remastered from the original analog tapes and also includes four previously unreleased tracks.

"This record, on one hand it's the recording of a friendship that has lasted until now (more than 35 years)," explained Warnes, 60, who began working with Cohen as a backup singer in the early 1970s.

"On the other hand, it's an interpreter's art … what does this say about the interpretive arts that a woman can get inside a man."

When asked about the challenge of selecting which Cohen songs to tackle, Warnes explained "some of the lyrics fit a woman better," while also noting that some of the songs just proved to be a better fit with her style of singing.

In addition to completely reworking Cohen-penned songs such as "First We Take Manhattan," "Bird on a Wire" and the exquisite title track, the album features the confessional ballad "Song of Bernadette" with lyrics co-written by Cohen and Warnes. Clocking in at eight minutes, "Joan of Arc" is a wonderful and introspective work on which Cohen's emotive baritone and Warnes' soprano are featured in a pairing that is pure magic.

The critical acclaim that greeted the release of "Famous Blue Raincoat" two decades ago also paved the way for a new appreciation of Cohen, whose 1988 album "I'm Your Man" revisited several of the selections on Warnes' tribute that was released a year before.

Audiophiles will quickly note the sound of the album is luxurious without being over-produced.

"One of the mistakes of (some recordings) is they leave in a lot of stuff that the listener has to work really hard to hear. And I got tired of having to work hard to hear things," she explained.

"Maybe the horns were covering up the vocals; especially in the '70s and '80s. The recording techniques were you just threw a bunch of stuff on there and hoped people liked it. And Roscoe (Roscoe Beck and Warnes co-produced the album) and I shared the same desire that we would personally do all the work of listening so our listeners could sit down in an easy chair and luxuriate."

In addition to members of the touring band that Cohen was using during that time, "Famous Blue Raincoat" also features guest appearances by legendary guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, whose distinctive style of blues guitar is heard on a scorching "First We Take Manhattan."

"Stevie was a friend of Roscoe," explained Warnes, recalling that Beck befriended Vaughan when the guitarist moved to Austin.

"So Roscoe wanted Stevie on it and when Stevie was playing at the Grammys; after the Grammy Awards were over he came over to the studio and did that without ever having heard the song before. He did it live."

With the re-release of "Famous Blue Raincoat," it's clear that there may be a welcome spotlight aimed at Warnes. Despite the commercial success of her 1982 duet with Joe Cocker on "Up Where We Belong" for the film "An Officer and a Gentleman" in 1982, as well as "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" recorded with Bill Medley for "Dirty Dancing" in 1987, wonderful albums such as 1992's "The Hunter" and 2001's "The Well" have been overlooked.

She continues to be a sought-after vocalist and is featured on a number of recent releases, including on Chris Hillman's latest disc "The Other Side," a duet with Jorge Calderon of "Keep Me In Your Heart" for a Warren Zevon tribute and guest vocals on Jackson Browne's "Going Home" album. Her most recent recording is a solo performance of "Blue Mountains of Mexico," a track that will appear on "The Gift: Tribute to Ian Tyson" this year.

Of "Famous Blue Raincoat," Warnes offers up the perfect single-sentence review: "We were in one of those vortex moments where everything was falling into place."

For more information on "Famous Blue Raincoat," visit http://www.shoutfactory.com. For more details about all of Warnes' recordings, visit http://www.JenniferWarnes.com.

[tomsakic]

I will say only two things: Jeniffer's 2001 album THE WELL (released same week as Leonard's Ten New Songs!) is the masterpiece (and her best, surely), and also: I still miss her voice behind Leonard's.

[blonde madonna]

Right there with you Tom . I love her singing 'Invitation to the Blues', can't hear it enough at the moment.

[DBCohen]

I usually prefer the original and don’t like most LC covers very much, but JW is the exception. You can feel how close they are, and she’s a great interpreter of his songs. So naturally I had to have the new release, which I’m now enjoying very much. The sound is great, as can be expected, but the main attraction are the four additional tracks which were not on the original album. These are apparently not new recordings, although I would have liked to know when were they made and why weren’t they released before (I could find no indication on the CD or in JW’s site). The new tracks are:

“Night Comes On” – The lyrics have been changed so that she starts with her father rather than the mother in the original song, and there are other changes along the way. JW partially speaks, partially sings it without effort. The arrangement is very delicate, with a leading acoustic guitar in the foreground, which evokes memories of the 60’s.

“Ballad Of The Runaway Horse” – Here, obviously, the lyrics have also been changed from “mare” to “horse”, and changes have been made all along the song. JW sings it quite softly to a Country arrangement that grows gradually louder and turns into a dance in the final two-three minutes of the track, after she sang all the lyrics (total time 8:19). Quite impressive.

“If It be Your Will” – A fine, moving interpretation, sung very beautifully.

“Joan Of Arc (Live in concert)” – it is basically the same arrangement as in the original track on the record, but here sung live at a 1992 concert, and without LC’s participation. JW sings very powerfully, and gives it all in the last part (total time 7:51).

There is also en elaborate jacket with several photos, and a booklet with many additional photos and nice staff, including a photocopy of JW’s elementary school composition on St. Bernadette, for which she got B+, and LC’ later comment on it which is great fun, as always. So on the whole, this is a moving, exciting project, and definitely worth having even if you already have the original disc.

[tomsakic]

http://www.jenniferwarnes.com/fbr20-gallery/index.html

Beautiful pictures. I like the one with Henry Lewy (I remember how w couldn't find any photo of him last year when he died). Also, dozens of pics of Leonard's band from 1979 tour (also, Sharon Robinson in the middle of the choir in A Singer Must Die sessions). I also like Jennifer's and Leonard's 2001 picture (at lest we know they're still keeping in touch).