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I prefer Cohen's original.
There are two common Cale versions, one live on "Fragments of a rainy season" released in 1992 the other a studio version. Cale recently put the live version on his myspace page so maybe he prefers that one of the two.
Cale was asked to contribute to a Jeff Buckley tribute album but turned the offer down...still sore that Buckley gets the credit for Cale's arrangement of Hallelujah.

Cale also recorded "Queen Victoria" re-titling it "The queen and me" giving co-credits to Cohen-Cale. It appeared on a sampler ep titled "More Fans" in France in the early 1990's with 3 other cover version by various artists.
Cale also covered "So Long Marianne" with suzanne vega.

Cale and Cohen are 'friends' as well as peers...anyone up for an album of duets?!

LC songs should be sung by the man himself. There are very few cover versions I like.

Severely dislike most cover version of Halleluja, as none of them 'get it' IMHO.

It's a song about fucking and anyone who doesn't have that in mind ain't gonna nail the tune.

Hi all
I like the original version obviously, but also like the version sung by a Norwegain singer called Kurt Nilsen. Followed by the KD Lang version.

I only like it when LC sings it personally, only he really knows how to emphasise the right words as it comes from his own emotion. Other versions like Rufus try to hard and the vocal is too OTT, whereas LC puts just the right amount of emotion in that is needed to bring to life his great lyrics.

Wot no mention of his Bobness!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-8Arvz8rHM

Ta Ken

It's good, I'll give you that, but the best in my opinion is
Leonard's concert version!

Frisco

with all due respect if that wasnt the Holy Bob it would be a terrible version IMHO. If a 6 year old hears that he or she would start laughing hysterically. Or worse start crying. The Emperor has no clothes.
Its not that Bob cannot do great covers though, his albums of traditional music World Gone Wrong is very good and Good as I Been to You is outstanding.

p.s. but say this he recognized the greatness of the song long before it became famous. He was one of the first to cover it if not the very first. Just wish he wasn't stoned when he did it....

liverpoolken wrote:Wot no mention of his Bobness!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-8Arvz8rHM

Ta Ken

Sorry Ken, I love Dylan and his work but think this version is not a good one. I still think Lens version is the best yet.