BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
I haven't always appreciated Leonard Cohen.
As a teenager, the only people who seemed to have any of his records in their collections were the scruffy older brothers of mates - the type of folk who wore second-hand army jackets, had greasy, lank hair and smelled of what I later learned was patchouli oil.
In other words - hippie bastards a.k.a., the scum of the earth that punks and new wave kids had been sent to destroy.
It turned out to be an album of cover versions that made me a convert. Released in 1991, I'm Your Fan featured 18 different artists with their take on Cohen's songs.
The fact that these artists included the likes of REM, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Pixies, Ian McCulloch, James, Lloyd Cole and Robert Forster was what made the record an essential purchase.
And the fact that the record quickly became a favourite led to me going back and buying CDs by the man himself, starting with what was then his most recent release, I'm Your Man which had appeared in 1988.
A year or so after I bought the covers record, Leonard Cohen released a new LP called The Future, and as part of the promotional tour, he appeared on BBC television on Later with Jools Holland where he performed two of the new songs. This was the first time I had actually seen him perform (remember, this was all in the days before youtube and performances from all eras being just a few clicks of a mouse away) and I soon realised that the man was a modern genius.
And tonight, at long last, I'm getting to see the great man perform live on stage when he comes to Glasgow as part of an extensive European tour. He's 74 years of age now, and given that, I'd be more than happy if he performs for 30-40 minutes tonight, but by all accounts, its a show that lasts well over 2 hours and takes in songs from almost all of the 12 original LPs he's released in a 40-year career.
Its a long time since I've anticipated a gig this much. I'm expecting fireworks.
And here's some of the tunes that set me on this road:-
mp3 : Lloyd Cole - Chelsea Hotel
mp3 : James - So Long Marianne
mp3 : Fatima Mansions - A Singer Must Die
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Tower of Song
Happy Listening.
9 comments:
I don't connect with everything but Songs of... Songs From a Room and Songs of Love & Hate are essential for everyone.
I also get carried away with the reputation - he isn't anything like as miserable as his reputation would have you believe, but I still drift into believing the hype until I listen properly again.
I have to say that, despite reading his name associated as an influence with various bands I love, I too had never listened to him except for a couple fo tracks on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. Can't say why, just never did.
That is until I saw him at Glastonbury earlier this year. Simply one of the greatest musical experiences of my life. I guarantee you will enjoy it. I would be seeing him in Birmingham if the tickets weren't so expensive. Look forward to the review.
I never developed a taste for his particular performing styling, but he's a brilliant songwriter, and I enjoy these covers.
I think that deep voice and the sombre tone to a lot of his work leads people to incorrectly think of Cohen as doom and gloom. But I've always thought of him as deeply funny. I always thought his sense of humour shines through his music. In fact I find a lot of his work hugely uplifting.
That's just me though.
;)
Great songwriter and I love his voice too.
Sometimes the production can spoil things -I'm your Man LP is a case in point!
LC is a superb live performer. I'm sure you won't be disappointed JC.
He's had a pretty hard time in recent years though - didn't he lose all his money a while back?
The covers are interesting too. Cheers.
Great CD of Cohen covers with this month's edition of Mojo.
I found your blog while searching the net to see if anyone else had been at this concert - what did you think of it? It was my first Leonard Cohen concert and I was certainly not disappointed! I've put a couple of photos and a drawing from the concert on my blog.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds = amazing.
If you like them, listen to the rest of the Anti- artists on their sampler. It's great.
You can download it OR stream it: http://www.antilabelblog.com/
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