On October 20, Sony Legacy released Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight. The CD/DVD package captures the Canadian singer/songwriter in a legendary performance from nearly 40 years ago. Here is the Amazon.com product description:
“Nearly 40 summers ago on August 31, 1970, 35-year-old Leonard Cohen was awakened at 2 a.m. from a nap in his trailer and brought onstage to perform with his band at the third annual Isle Of Wight music festival. The audience of 600,000 was in a fiery and frenzied mood, after turning the festival into a political arena, trampling the fences, setting fire to structures and equipment – and stoked by the most incendiary performance of Jimi Hendrix’s career.
As Cohen followed Hendrix’s set, onlookers and (fellow festival headliners) Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Judy Collins and others stood sidestage in awe as the Canadian folksinger-songwriter-poet-novelist quietly tamed the crowd. Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Murray Lerner (From Mao To Mozart, Festival, Message To Love), perfectly captured Cohen’s performance. Likewise, Columbia Records staff A&R producer Teo Macero did a brilliant job of supervising the live audio recording.
This CD/DVD package contains the new, beautiful film documentary by Lerner featuring interviews with fellow festival performers, as well as Cohen’s full performance on CD. All tracks are previously unreleased (sans bits of “Suzanne” which were featured in the documentary Message to Love, also by Lerner). Included are live versions of classic songs from the first two Leonard Cohen LPs: “So Long, Marianne,” “The Stranger Song,” “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye,” “Suzanne,” “Bird On The Wire,” “You Know Who I Am,” and “The Partisan” as well as spoken word and poetry.”
We would like to offer a copy of this set to one lucky Popdose reader (I wish I was eligible!) The winner will be the first reader to send an e-mail to ken with the correct answer to the following question:
Which well-known singer released the 1987 Leonard Cohen tribute album Famous Blue Raincoat?
Waiting to get into the men’s room at Mississippi Studios in Portland, Oregon, I noticed a tall (relative to me, anyway), attractive young lady with a guitar standing quietly by. She was soft-spoken, seemed kind of shy, and turned out she was also visiting from California. Based in Arcata at that time, Lila Nelson was playing an early set before Rachel Taylor Brown that Spring night in 2008, and was about to completely rip apart my initial impression of her.
Lila Nelson described herself to me as shy, even after I had already determined that she was anything but. One thing was for certain though – she was “on” the entire time during my visit to her home in April of ‘09, a year after I first encountered her in Portland. (more…)
Watchmen (2009, Warner Bros.)
purchase from Amazon: DVD| Blu-ray
Others may have summarized Watchmen more eloquently, but my friend and colleague David Medsker struck right at the essence of the year’s first would-be blockbuster with three simple words: “Floppy blue cock!”
This is not to say there’s anything wrong with cock in the movies — floppy, blue, or otherwise — but the genitalia proudly displayed by Doctor Manhattan, Watchmen’s emotionless, radiation-powered superbeing, are the perfect visual distillation of the film, for three reasons: One, it’s hard not to get distracted looking at it; two, it frequently looks silly; and three — given Manhattan’s propensity for supersizing himself — it’s painfully, unbearably long.
Seriously. Seriously, you guys. If you plunk down the $21.50 it’ll cost you at Amazon to get Zack Snyder’s painstaking recreation of the classic graphic novel on Blu-ray, you will get plenty of bang for your buck, starting with the 186-minute director’s cut, and including sooo much more — a stack of featurettes tracing the book’s impact as well as its journey to the screen, a “maximum movie mode” that will allow you to watch the movie while Snyder raps at you, and the ability to link up the disc’s BD-Live features with Facebook so you can share your Watchmen experience with your friends. The package even includes a digital copy! The merits of the movie aside, this is exactly the kind of stuff that will make or break Blu-ray as a format; instead of pumping cheapo transfers of catalog titles onto store shelves, if the studios put more effort into stuffing their titles with added content with this much interactive coolness, I have to believe that even reissues of dreck like Indecent Proposal would enjoy healthy sales. (more…)
Christmas, for me, traditionally comes on the 28th. Of every month. That’s when I flip open my laptop, check the calendar, and get the rush that comes from remembering that eMusic has automatically refreshed my 100-download “Connoisseur” subscription. Awaiting me on the site is the comfort of knowing there’s plenty of stuff I want – starting with the 134 albums that (as of this writing) constitute my “Save for Later” list – and the excitement of knowing there must be oodles of stuff I don’t even know I want. And because the downloads come so much cheaper from eMusic than they do from Amazon or iTunes … and because I never look closely enough at my credit-card bill to notice that the site has been making my bank account 25 bucks lighter every month … I can grab that Sarabeth Tucek album I’d never heard of until just now, listen to it once or twice before filing it away on my external drive, and still imagine that I’ve gotten something for (practically) nothing.
That convergence of low cost and a sense of discovery – i.e., the willingness to take a chance on something new and unknown because the financial risk is relatively low – traditionally has been a big part of the lure for eMusic’s subscriber base. But that equation has changed over the last couple of weeks, as the site has significantly raised its subscription rates as part of the deal it recently struck with Sony Music Entertainment. The agreement is the first that eMusic has been able to reach with a major-label conglomerate, and on July 1 it resulted in a massive infusion of well-known music to the site’s catalog – just in time for subscribers to join the dogpile on Michael Jackson recordings, which quickly shot toward the top of the site’s download charts.
Those downloads, however, now come at 40 to 48 cents a (king of) pop, depending on the subscription, rather than the 25 to 35 cents they did just a month ago. (In order to soften the blow a bit, eMusic has instituted a new “album pricing” system that enables users to download some – but only some – full albums at rates cheaper than the site’s former track-by-track policy would have allowed.) This shift inspires a certain ambivalence; it’s nice, for example, to think that indie labels and their artists will receive higher royalties now, because what has traditionally been a “steal” for eMusic subscribers has also been something of a steal from those acts. (more…)
As Leonard Cohen’s marathon world tour completed its final North American leg last week, Sharon Robinson –Cohen’s frequent songwriting partner, occasional producer and currently his full-time backing vocalist – says she’s looking forward to her upcoming vacation, and to its end. “I’m gonna cram as much of nothing as I can into the next three weeks,” she told me as she prepared to leave her Boston hotel room for an afternoon of pre-concert sightseeing. “It’s not that long a break before we leave for Europe, but nobody cares. We all know we’re part of something special here, and everyone’s enjoying themselves.”
The sultry-voiced Robinson has been pulling double duty for much of the last year, appearing nightly on the 74-year-old Cohen’s tour while promoting her first solo album. Titled Everybody Knows, after the now-classic song she co-wrote with Cohen nearly two decades ago, the gorgeous album of jazzy soul blends new originals like the first single, “Invisible Tattoo,” with titles familiar to the legendary singer’s fans. (The title track is one of Cohen’s most familiar songs of the last two decades, but Robinson’s version features a compelling new arrangement and a revamped melody.) She self-released the CD last year, and recently picked up a distribution deal for the UK and Europe with Freeworld Records; the album has sold nicely at Cohen’s concerts, spurred no doubt by her nightly spotlight turn on the percolating “Boogie Street.”
That tune debuted on Cohen’s 2001 album Ten New Songs, which Robinson produced. She had first worked with the Canadian legend on his memorable Field Commander Cohen tour in 1979, and her career has woven in and out of his ever since. (Among her other projects: co-writing the Patti LaBelle hit “New Attitude” and earning a Grammy along with other contributors to the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.) Additionally, a song she co-wrote with Cohen, “Summertime,” was a highlight of Diana Ross’ Red Hot Rhythm & Blues album; Robinson finally recorded it herself for Everybody Knows.
In an ongoing series, Dw. Dunphy takes an occasional look back at Christian contemporary music (CCM) of the past and makes the case for a new audience to rediscover the best of it as great, lost pop music.
Next year marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Adam Again’s Gene Eugene. Born Gene Andrusco, he found fame at an early age as a child actor, most memorably as the young Darren Stevens on the TV series Bewitched. Later in life he was able to combine full-blooded funk, rock chops, a love of classic R&B from the likes of Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye, and the lyrics of Leonard Cohen and make it all stick in his version of CCM, probably the most unique and underrated in all of that subgenre’s history.
The band’s second album, Ten Songs by Adam Again (1988), was a bullhorn to staid and button-down listeners that this probably wasn’t their dad’s idea of Christian rock. If the cover of Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” wasn’t an indicator, the groove of “Tree House” and the sheer mournful weight of the closing “The Tenth Song” certainly was. Homeboys (1990) went even farther in describing through song some of the city’s dark side as the title cut detailed memories of a relatively happy childhood, even in the worst of landscapes. Gaye’s “Inner City Blues” gets a respectful but certainly not pedestrian run-through. The funk of “The Fine Line” tends to deceive. Listen to the lyrics about a man trapped inside his drug addiction and you get a vastly different impression than the fat party groove might impart.
Leonard Cohen has been referencing his own mortality in his lyrics for decades now, and on his current world tour the first such hint arrives about a half hour into the show. Near the end of his 1988 classic “Everybody Knows,” he sings, “Everybody knows it’s coming apart / Take one last look at this sacred heart / Before it blows…” One couldn’t help but sense that Cohen’s mortality – he’s 74, after all – was part of what packed the house on two consecutive nights this weekend at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre. It was, perhaps, our last opportunity to watch pop music’s most poetic singer/songwriter do his thing, and we treated the occasion with all the reverence it demanded.
Why, then, was this septuagenarian skipping – literally, skipping – on and off the stage every chance he got? And how on earth does he manage to pull off a show far longer (three hours plus) than we can reasonably expect Bruce Springsteen to go during his L.A. shows later this week?
Cohen’s clearly enjoying his extended return to the public eye, and he’s eager to wring every moment (and every ounce of irony) from his ability to attract such large audiences at his advanced age. Reminding us on Saturday night that it’s been 15 years since his last major tour, he noted, “I was 60 then – just a crazy kid with a dream.”
His humor, like his set list, is well-rehearsed — he’s been using that line for nearly a year now, and the order of songs performed at his L.A. concerts was nearly identical to the track listing on the recently released Live in London CD, which documents a show from last July. Nevertheless, Cohen’s marathon tour — launched in the wake of last year’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and set to continue at least through the end of September — has cemented his place in the pantheon of pop lyricists while reviving his reputation as a live performer. Best of all, it’s a showcase for all the elements of his legendary persona: the genius, the joker, the guru, the rake, the oracle, and (yes) the red-hot lover.
If nothing else, his performances serve as a reminder that we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the viability of even the most preposterous May/December romance – the kind Robert Redford and Woody Allen’s recent films beg us to believe in. When it’s Leonard Cohen we’re talking about, at least, it’s entirely feasible for a 75-year-old to be the sexiest, most intriguing man in the room.
Granted, it helps that he’s singing sublimely romantic ballads like “Suzanne,” hyper-literary epics like the ubiquitous “Hallelujah,” and deliciously wry come-ons like “I’m Your Man.” But the keys to Cohen’s allure as a performer are his humble, graceful interplay with his musicians and backing singers, and his willingness to match the passion of his lyrics with an intensity that dropped him to his knees on several occasions. (more…)
The definition of “cool” is a very amorphous thing. Basically, it depends on who’s doing the defining. One thing that a lot of people agree on these days is that Leonard Cohen is cool, and there is nothing in this new live CD set to suggest otherwise. Live in London (Columbia) comes to us from a July 17, 2008 concert that took place at that city’s O2 arena. The then 73-year-old Cohen clearly beguiled his British audience, and that effect is not lost in the transition to the recorded medium.
Blessed with a sartorially and musically resplendent band, and armed with a bushel of great songs from his 40-plus year career, Cohen could have hardly gone wrong, and he doesn’t. The first thing that strikes you is, of course, that voice. Deep as the depths of night, tender when it’s called for, edgy when required by the material, it is the perfect vehicle for these grand songs which have nobly stood the test of time. As Cohen writes in “Tower of Song,” “I was born like this / I had no choice / I was born with the gift of a golden voice …”
To call Cohen’s band tasteful would be something of an understatement. As I listened to their sympathetic accompaniment, I was reminded in some ways of Steely Dan in the sense of the way that the deceptively smooth music masked the darkness of the lyrics. These musicians clearly understand that their role is not to stand out individually, but to make Cohen stand out by playing collectively. That said, Cohen recognizes their contribution by name-checking them at various points in the set. One musician who really does shine is Javier Mas. He plays a variety of stringed instruments, and each of his solos is brilliantly considered. Keyboard player Neil Larsen and guitarist Bob Metzger also have some nice moments.
Though the performance is filled with classics from various eras of Cohen’s career, there can be little doubt that the real standout is his reading of his often-covered gem “Hallelujah,” which features a brilliant arrangement, and a passionate performance from Cohen. Other standouts are the insane proclamations of “First We Take Manhattan,” and “Suzanne,” originally written as a poem about the wife of a friend, and perhaps the first song to bring Cohen to public attention as a songwriter, in my case through a beautiful cover version by Judy Collins.
Cohen is in good spirits throughout, charming, and self-deprecating. He delights the audience when he recounts that the last time he stood on a London stage, in 1994, he was “just a 60-year-old kid with a crazy dream.” There is a reason why Leonard Cohen is one of the most respected musicians in the world among his peers, and it’s on full display here. Acolytes like U2 and REM sing his praises, and with good reason. He is a poet in every sense of the word, weaving together indelible images into a beautiful, and sometimes troubling tapestry. If you haven’t become a believer yet, this is a great place to jump in.
When you look up “cool” in the dictionary, there’s a picture of Leonard Cohen there.
If there’s a not-so-subtle subtext to this mix, it would be singers who have raspy voices. And if there was a disclaimer, it would be this: “Some of these songs aren’t new at all.” But I can’t fit all of that into the subject heading, so, well, there.
In a way, it must be tough to be an old codger in rock music since the genre is generally marketed to the young. At what point do you call it a career? It’s hard to say. Maybe you take the attitude of Keith Richards who, when asked if he was too old for rock ‘n’ roll, said something like: “Hey, if B.B. King can get out there night after night and play, I’m gonna do the same thing.” God bless you, Keith. And so it goes with this week’s lineup. Yeah, these cats are old, but they still make music — or, in the case of Leonard Cohen and Marianne Faithfull, perform music — that has depth, maturity, and substance.
This is clearly not the Marianne Faithfull that sang “As Tears Go By,” but what she does with this Dolly Parton song is quite amazing.  I said at the outset that there’s a world-weariness to singers like Faithfull, and she sings this tune with the right amount of regret and loss that makes a sad song even sadder. (more…)
It’s no secret that tribute albums and charity compilations can be hit-or-miss affairs at best. In the case of the latter, all you can really do is be happy that you’re supporting a good cause, and hope that the music is more hit than miss. Two important charity albums have recently appeared, and when I say important, I don’t just mean for the causes they’re helping, but also for the virtual who’s who of contemporary indie artists that has contributed tracks to them. If you could somehow assemble all of the buzz that these artists have collected, you could light the universe. In other words, to the naked eye, it’s a music blogger’s dream.
The Red Hot Organization has been using pop culture to fight the good fight against AIDS since 1989. They have released 14 albums together with related television shows and media events, and have raised $7 million to date. Their most recent project is called Dark Was the Night (4AD Records). It’s an enormous 30-song effort that has been curated by brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National. In addition to a track from the National, contributors include Bon Iver, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Feist, and a host of others.
Let me say right up front that apparently Bon Iver can do no wrong. From Justin Vernon’s nearly perfect debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, to his recently released Blood Bank EP, and now, this album’s best track “Brackett, WI,” there have been few, if any, missteps. Vernon is also involved here in an intriguing collaboration with Aaron Dessner called “Big Red Machine.”
Sufjan Stevens’ contribution, “You Are the Blood,” reminds me that it’s been too long since we’ve had new music from him. Antony and Bryce Dessner duet on a beautiful version of the traditional “I Was Young When I Left Home.” Yes, Feist is here, combining with Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie on “Train Song,” and with Grizzly Bear on “Service Bell.” (more…)
On October 20, Sony Legacy released Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight. The CD/DVD package captures the Canadian singer/songwriter in a legendary performance from nearly 40 years ago. Here is the Amazon.com product description:
![61OQtfp2ndL._SCLZZZZZZZ_[1]](http://popdose.com/wp-content/uploads/61OQtfp2ndL._SCLZZZZZZZ_1.jpg "61OQtfp2ndL._SCLZZZZZZZ_[1]")
Christmas, for me, traditionally comes on the 28th. Of every month. That’s when I flip open my laptop, check the calendar, and get the rush that comes from remembering that 
That convergence of low cost and a sense of discovery – i.e., the willingness to take a chance on something new and unknown because the financial risk is relatively low – traditionally has been a big part of the lure for eMusic’s subscriber base. But that equation has changed over the last couple of weeks, as the site has significantly raised its subscription rates as part of the deal it recently struck with Sony Music Entertainment. The agreement is the first that eMusic has been able to reach with a major-label conglomerate, and on July 1 it resulted in a massive infusion of well-known music to the site’s catalog – just in time for subscribers to join the dogpile on 
As Leonard Cohen’s marathon world tour completed its final North American leg last week, Sharon Robinson –Cohen’s frequent songwriting partner, occasional producer and currently his full-time backing vocalist – says she’s looking forward to her upcoming vacation, and to its end. “I’m gonna cram as much of nothing as I can into the next three weeks,” she told me as she prepared to leave her Boston hotel room for an afternoon of pre-concert sightseeing. “It’s not that long a break before we leave for Europe, but nobody cares. We all know we’re part of something special here, and everyone’s enjoying themselves.”
In an ongoing series, Dw. Dunphy takes an occasional look back at Christian contemporary music (CCM) of the past and makes the case for a new audience to rediscover the best of it as great, lost pop music.
The band’s second album, Ten Songs by Adam Again (1988), was a bullhorn to staid and button-down listeners that this probably wasn’t their dad’s idea of Christian rock. If the cover of Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” wasn’t an indicator, the groove of 
Leonard Cohen has been referencing his own mortality in his lyrics for decades now, and on his current world tour the first such hint arrives about a half hour into the show. Near the end of his 1988 classic “Everybody Knows,” he sings, “Everybody knows it’s coming apart / Take one last look at this sacred heart / Before it blows…” One couldn’t help but sense that Cohen’s mortality – he’s 74, after all – was part of what packed the house on two consecutive nights this weekend at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre. It was, perhaps, our last opportunity to watch pop music’s most poetic singer/songwriter do his thing, and we treated the occasion with all the reverence it demanded.
His humor, like his set list, is well-rehearsed — he’s been using that line for nearly a year now, and the order of songs performed at his L.A. concerts was nearly identical to the track listing on the recently released 
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