Canada's Bob Dylan . When I was in high school in the 70s , this man's music was on tapes in the English study hall , and we studied his poetry in class . It might be said that our school was rather progressive however , we also studied The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings .
One of my favourite opening tracks from Leonard Cohen. His move to synthesizers really began with his album 'Various Positions', well worth hearing "Dance Me to the End of Love" and "Hallelujah" from that record, both became staples of his live shows.
Saw him perform this in Barcelona in 2012. During the song, a fan tossed a toy monkey onto the stage. When he got to the line, "the monkey and the plywood violin," he held the monkey up and made it wave its paw to the delight of the crowd. This performance is on youtube somewhere.
Literally, the song always struck me as the story of a Soviet sleeper agent. Having been undercover in America for two decades, a part of him has come to love the country and his neighbours, and an equal part has come to loathe them, until one day he gets his activation. Of course with Cohen, there's always many layers. If you're interested in continuing with the album at all, the title track, and his adaptation of Federico GarcÍa Lorca's poem "Take This Waltz", are both great.
Jennifer Warnes did a album of Cohen covers called "Famous Blue Raincoat". You may wish to give it a listen.... opps. I guess I should wait until the end of the video to comment. Just as Jennifer Warnes did a great cover of "First We Take Manhatten", so does Burning Spear with his cover of Grateful Dead's "Estimated Prophet" if you wish to listen to some reggae.
As a fan of Cohen from the 70s his book of poetry seemed to be it was in every cool persons space so it was easy to pick up and read. His voice both cerebral and audio was so seductive. I’ve always heard his music as transcribed poetry . Absolutely love this album, picked it up when it came out and I’ve been listening to it ever since ☮️
Smashed that "like" so hard! Hearing it through your new eyes is so enlightening. I know in my head that it's super eighties synth all the time, but I always just hear "Leonard Cohen song" in my mind. This dissection with you is so fun!
The Jennifer Warnes version of this song has a young Stevie Ray Vaughn on guitar. Not a criminal my understanding was that he was a revolutionary perhaps about to or contemplating a revolutionary act against his perceived enemies.
I like Leonard’s acoustic albums, but I love the turn he took with this album and its successor, The Future: his lyrics took on a biting, cynical wit, whilst he is still capable of romanticism and tenderness. His lyrics really blossomed. I think the ‘80s production acts as an effective counterpoint to his growling vocals, adding an extra layer of irony.
His delivery feels nonchalant yet menacing. Love it. I heard Jennifer Warnes’ cover before this. I admit I like the production on her record more. ‘The Future’ is also a fantastic ‘modern’ Cohen album. A definite must-listen. RIP.
This should sound more dated than it does. Somehow, despite the none-more-80s production sheen, it feels grounded and solid, mainly thanks to Cohen's subterranean growl. I might have said this before, but anyway, Jennifer Warnes's version of this song is superb, and indeed was instrumental in luring Cohen back into a recording studio.
Please listen and react to "Tower of song" by Leonard Cohen, but the live version (live in London). There you will find his love&hate connection to synthesizers - as well as a glimpse of his humour.
Great song. It's a shame that so many good musicians have been leaving us in recent years. Vangelis, Battiato, Leonard Cohen, Bowie, George Michael, etc
Hi JP ! Hope you'll review the whole album : I bought it for "First we take Manhattan" (God only knows where I had heard it...), and ended up loving the whole thing, still giving it a listen regularly. This track, "Jazz Police" and "I can't forget" being my favorites :) .
First version I heard was by REM, and the rule is the first version you hear is usually your favourite. It was a b-side back in the days when they were rarities and you couldn’t instantly find every song and had to hunt them out.
Hi Justin. Dave here. This is a Stranger Song than most I've heard by Cohen - the synth sound and the female singers. Suits me. While I've liked his early albums, and his thought-provoking lyrics, I've never really got on with his voice. P.S. my song ref The Stranger Song, by Cohen, has been covered by Arjen Lucassen on his Guilt Machine album, and features vocals by the excellent Jasper Steverlinck (from the Belgian rock band Arid)
After you get a chance to listen to the Title Track, I suggest you try to find the live cover by Nick Cave. It was made for a documentary, Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man. You can find it on UA-cam easily. Cave brings such an air of menace to that song. Cohen, like Dylan, has been covered by many. There are several cover tribute albums out there. R.E.M. even covered First We Take Manhattan on one. My favorite cover is Bird on a Wire by Fairport Convention for the BBC. It's not on any streaming service but it is available on UA-cam.
Not as great as Jennifer Warnes cover, but close enuff for this cat to like a lot. Cohen & I are fellow Canucks, that's were any comradeship ends. lol ~ I love your commentary Justin. I hear things I've never heard before, & your delivery is getting better all the time. 👌
Once i heard Jennifer Warnes' cover on her Famous Blue Raincoat album tribute to Cohen, i never really went back to the original, which sounds really cheezy to me now. You have to check out Warnes' version of Joan of Arc with Leonard duetting. Glorious.
if you do Hallelujah, which you should, you really should do the live in London version - ua-cam.com/video/YrLk4vdY28Q/v-deo.htmlsi=EhJd0_4kr6c666DV saying that there are hundreds of brilliant Cohen songs. -still waiting for your reaction to Lennon's POB album 😸
I feel like Cohen went with this synth heavy arrangement here mostly to set it apart from the Warnes version. This was the only song from the album that wasn't new after all (other than Take This Waltz, originally a single released two years before). And it was 87 when this was recorded, so synth pop was still pretty big. It does date it somewhat, but still a great song (though the Warnes version is better). The rest of the album isn't quite as out there in terms of arrangement luckily.
It is his song and he does a good version of it but like others have commented I still prefer the Jennifer Warnes cover with Stevie Ray Vaughan giving a great performance on a guitar he had to borrow because his own never arrived at the studio in time for the recording.
There also was a cover version sung by a female artist. Jennifer Warnes, if I'm not mistaken. It also was the version I'd heard first. I've also always liked it better, mainly because of her different phrasing in the choruses 🙂
As always with Leonard Cohen, it's not so much the music, it's the lyrics (of course) and the general ambience of the track. Cohen's voice will always be an acquired taste that many will never acquire, and I can't love the female backing voices here though they might just be intended for irony and clashing contrast. Overall, however, the song is very memorable and ripe for cover.
Interesting! Not a sound I would have associated with Leonard Cohen. The delivery reminds me slightly of Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio. Only the general atmosphere/delivery, though.
I love this song, but it feels dated for me. That 80s production sounds lame. But the songwriting is amazing. That's why I prefer other versions from this song, as others have mentioned here in the comments. I'd suggest REM cover. It's from the early 90s era and I think it was released as a b-side. It's fantastic and deseved to be included in one of their albums.
This whole album is fire, but it's a Leonard Cohen album, so it's a given
Great song, great album, great Cohen!
I saw Warren Zevon cover this live. You never knew what Warren would play next! ❤
It sounds right up Zevon's alley. I can imagine him thinking "yes, this is the song I wish I wrote".
Canada's Bob Dylan . When I was in high school in the 70s , this man's music was on tapes in the English study hall , and we studied his poetry in class . It might be said that our school was rather progressive however , we also studied The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings .
I like this channel and your reactions so much and Cohen... he is a part of the soundtrack of my life and this song is great
One of my favourite opening tracks from Leonard Cohen.
His move to synthesizers really began with his album 'Various Positions', well worth hearing "Dance Me to the End of Love" and "Hallelujah" from that record, both became staples of his live shows.
Saw him perform this in Barcelona in 2012. During the song, a fan tossed a toy monkey onto the stage. When he got to the line, "the monkey and the plywood violin," he held the monkey up and made it wave its paw to the delight of the crowd. This performance is on youtube somewhere.
Literally, the song always struck me as the story of a Soviet sleeper agent. Having been undercover in America for two decades, a part of him has come to love the country and his neighbours, and an equal part has come to loathe them, until one day he gets his activation. Of course with Cohen, there's always many layers.
If you're interested in continuing with the album at all, the title track, and his adaptation of Federico GarcÍa Lorca's poem "Take This Waltz", are both great.
I didn't realize that was an adaptation. It is a great song/piece.
If you want a spy story listen to Cohen's song "Field Commander Cohen".
Thanks for more Leonard.
Jennifer Warnes did a album of Cohen covers called "Famous Blue Raincoat". You may wish to give it a listen.... opps. I guess I should wait until the end of the video to comment.
Just as Jennifer Warnes did a great cover of "First We Take Manhatten", so does Burning Spear with his cover of Grateful Dead's "Estimated Prophet" if you wish to listen to some reggae.
I really like Famous Blue Raincoat. A much better album than its chart performance might suggest.
As a fan of Cohen from the 70s his book of poetry seemed to be it was in every cool persons space so it was easy to pick up and read. His voice both cerebral and audio was so seductive. I’ve always heard his music as transcribed poetry . Absolutely love this album, picked it up when it came out and I’ve been listening to it ever since ☮️
Smashed that "like" so hard! Hearing it through your new eyes is so enlightening. I know in my head that it's super eighties synth all the time, but I always just hear "Leonard Cohen song" in my mind. This dissection with you is so fun!
The Jennifer Warnes version of this song has a young Stevie Ray Vaughn on guitar. Not a criminal my understanding was that he was a revolutionary perhaps about to or contemplating a revolutionary act against his perceived enemies.
Hmm interesting take, I thought it was about rival spies during the cold war
I think this is the first album like this. He went from writing songs on guitar to a Casio keyboard.
I like Leonard’s acoustic albums, but I love the turn he took with this album and its successor, The Future: his lyrics took on a biting, cynical wit, whilst he is still capable of romanticism and tenderness. His lyrics really blossomed. I think the ‘80s production acts as an effective counterpoint to his growling vocals, adding an extra layer of irony.
His delivery feels nonchalant yet menacing. Love it. I heard Jennifer Warnes’ cover before this. I admit I like the production on her record more. ‘The Future’ is also a fantastic ‘modern’ Cohen album. A definite must-listen. RIP.
This should sound more dated than it does. Somehow, despite the none-more-80s production sheen, it feels grounded and solid, mainly thanks to Cohen's subterranean growl. I might have said this before, but anyway, Jennifer Warnes's version of this song is superb, and indeed was instrumental in luring Cohen back into a recording studio.
Fantastic Song performed Live.
Songs Of Love And Hate
Please listen and react to "Tower of song" by Leonard Cohen, but the live version (live in London). There you will find his love&hate connection to synthesizers - as well as a glimpse of his humour.
Great song. It's a shame that so many good musicians have been leaving us in recent years. Vangelis, Battiato, Leonard Cohen, Bowie, George Michael, etc
And most of them in 2016.
@@viceroyzh Keith Emerson. So many went that fateful year... A shame
Hi JP ! Hope you'll review the whole album : I bought it for "First we take Manhattan" (God only knows where I had heard it...), and ended up loving the whole thing, still giving it a listen regularly. This track, "Jazz Police" and "I can't forget" being my favorites :) .
First version I heard was by REM, and the rule is the first version you hear is usually your favourite. It was a b-side back in the days when they were rarities and you couldn’t instantly find every song and had to hunt them out.
same here :) I love that R.E.M. cover, it's even darker than the original
The song Hallelujah from the previous album is also a huge song by him
Good reivew! 😝
Hi Justin. Dave here. This is a Stranger Song than most I've heard by Cohen - the synth sound and the female singers. Suits me. While I've liked his early albums, and his thought-provoking lyrics, I've never really got on with his voice.
P.S. my song ref The Stranger Song, by Cohen, has been covered by Arjen Lucassen on his Guilt Machine album, and features vocals by the excellent Jasper Steverlinck (from the Belgian rock band Arid)
After you get a chance to listen to the Title Track, I suggest you try to find the live cover by Nick Cave. It was made for a documentary, Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man. You can find it on UA-cam easily. Cave brings such an air of menace to that song.
Cohen, like Dylan, has been covered by many. There are several cover tribute albums out there. R.E.M. even covered First We Take Manhattan on one.
My favorite cover is Bird on a Wire by Fairport Convention for the BBC. It's not on any streaming service but it is available on UA-cam.
Not as great as Jennifer Warnes cover, but close enuff for this cat to like a lot. Cohen & I are fellow Canucks, that's were any comradeship ends. lol ~ I love your commentary Justin. I hear things I've never heard before, & your delivery is getting better all the time. 👌
I love this song so much.
However my favorite Cohen song might be "A Thousand Kisses Deep".
Once i heard Jennifer Warnes' cover on her Famous Blue Raincoat album tribute to Cohen, i never really went back to the original, which sounds really cheezy to me now. You have to check out Warnes' version of Joan of Arc with Leonard duetting. Glorious.
if you do Hallelujah, which you should, you really should do the live in London version - ua-cam.com/video/YrLk4vdY28Q/v-deo.htmlsi=EhJd0_4kr6c666DV saying that there are hundreds of brilliant Cohen songs. -still waiting for your reaction to Lennon's POB album 😸
Try the Jennifer Warns version too.
SRV
Check out Magazine-Secondhand daylight album
I feel like Cohen went with this synth heavy arrangement here mostly to set it apart from the Warnes version. This was the only song from the album that wasn't new after all (other than Take This Waltz, originally a single released two years before). And it was 87 when this was recorded, so synth pop was still pretty big. It does date it somewhat, but still a great song (though the Warnes version is better).
The rest of the album isn't quite as out there in terms of arrangement luckily.
It is his song and he does a good version of it but like others have commented I still prefer the Jennifer Warnes cover with Stevie Ray Vaughan giving a great performance on a guitar he had to borrow because his own never arrived at the studio in time for the recording.
Cohen doing synth pop? It shouldn’t work. But it works.
There also was a cover version sung by a female artist. Jennifer Warnes, if I'm not mistaken. It also was the version I'd heard first. I've also always liked it better, mainly because of her different phrasing in the choruses 🙂
Yes, and if I remember right featured SRV and Robben Ford
As always with Leonard Cohen, it's not so much the music, it's the lyrics (of course) and the general ambience of the track. Cohen's voice will always be an acquired taste that many will never acquire, and I can't love the female backing voices here though they might just be intended for irony and clashing contrast. Overall, however, the song is very memorable and ripe for cover.
Check out the Jennifer Warnes version, which has some good Stevie Ray Vaughan on it.
Interesting! Not a sound I would have associated with Leonard Cohen.
The delivery reminds me slightly of Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio. Only the general atmosphere/delivery, though.
Top tier mid career Cohen
He is actually bitter about the music industry in this song.
I love this song, but it feels dated for me. That 80s production sounds lame. But the songwriting is amazing. That's why I prefer other versions from this song, as others have mentioned here in the comments. I'd suggest REM cover. It's from the early 90s era and I think it was released as a b-side. It's fantastic and deseved to be included in one of their albums.
Disco crap.
The Jenifer Warnes version has soul and verve man!
Found it ok nothing special.
Well this was embarrassing.....