Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Leonard Cohen's previous album (January 2012)
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dick
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by dick »

From New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/opini ... .html?_r=1

Who’s King Of Pop Now?
By JESSE KORNBLUTH

There are things that do not happen in the real world. Noam Chomsky becoming president. Unflattering photos of Jennifer Aniston. Apple doubling the price of iPhones so its Chinese assemblers can work a 40-hour week.

Or Leonard Cohen, at 77, occupying the No. 1 position in music at Amazon.com for his just-released “Old Ideas.”

And yet Mr. Cohen not only vaulted to the top of Amazon music last week with his new collection of songs, he stayed there for a week, until Adele — who has already sold 7.5 million copies of her latest release in the United States alone — got a second wind and sent him reeling down to No. 4.
Nothing about Mr. Cohen’s late-life success readily computes. His range as a composer is limited; as he has noted, “People said I knew three chords when I knew five.” His vocal range is even more limited. A fan got it exactly right when he said, “No one can sing a Leonard Cohen song the way Cohen himself can’t.” The dirge-like songs and midnight voice that result are an easy target for reviewers. He’s “the poet laureate of pessimism.” “The grocer of despair.” “The godfather of gloom.” “The prince of bummers.” And, inevitably, “music to slit your wrists to.”
And this codger is, however briefly, the King of Pop?

Yes, and the joke’s on Pop. Our absurd political and media squabbles have created a vacuum of gravitas. That has turned Leonard Cohen into a trending topic, and for the simplest of reasons: he’s an authentic seeker. And Mr. Cohen’s not the only musician with a fan base that spans decades. Look at the Amazon music best-seller list: Adele is 23 years old , but just behind her are Paul McCartney (69), Eddie Van Halen (57), Mr. Cohen, an Amnesty International tribute to Bob Dylan (70) and Bruce Springsteen (62). Further down the list: 85-year-old Tony Bennett’s collection of duets. Honorable mention: Paul Simon, now 70, for his 2011 collection, his best in 25 years.

Until the last century, there was no expectation that artists would constantly change styles and messages. It was enough that they did something well. Over time, with work and grace, they saw more, went deeper, gave their audiences greater satisfaction. Now art is like fashion. Careers have stages. Novelty and astonishment are now synonymous with art.

The musicians who top the Amazon list are fully formed. In 1962, Mr. McCartney began writing his generation’s best pop songs; he still has the touch. Mr. Springsteen has been standing up for the forgotten since the mid-’70s. Mr. Dylan says he now has to work conscientiously to produce songs that used to drop into his hands, but he gets it done.

These are our elders, making mature music for an audience hungry for maturity. And one of the oldest of these elders leads the pack. The last, best laugh is Leonard Cohen’s.

Jesse Kornbluth is the editor of HeadButler.com.
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jeremek
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by jeremek »

Leonard Cohen is sitting on a bench in Warsaw :D :D :D

EMPiK WARSZAWA
(cardboard likeness)
LC FEB 2012 WARSZAWA (3).jpg
LC FEB 2012 WARSZAWA (5).jpg
LC FEB 2012 WARSZAWA (10).jpg
1985/2008/2010/2013/Always
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AlanM
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by AlanM »

Old Ideas has debuted at #2 in the Australian album charts, published this afternoon.

Aria Top 50 Albums Chart

13/02/2012
1 - NEW 1 BORN TO DIE Lana Del Rey
2 - NEW 2 OLD IDEAS Leonard Cohen
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
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MaryB
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by MaryB »

Wow Jeremek,

And some lucky person, will somewhere down the line, get to take him home!
1993 Detroit 2008 Kitchener June 2-Hamilton June 3 & 4-Vienna Sept 24 & 25-London RAH Nov 17 2009 NYC Feb 19-Grand Prairie Apr 3-Phoenix Apr 5-Columbia May 11-Red Rocks Jun 4-Barcelona Sept 21-Columbus Oct 27-Las Vegas Nov 12-San Jose Nov 13 2010 Sligo Jul 31 & Aug 1-LV Dec 10 & 11 2012 Paris Sept 30-London Dec 11-Boston Dec 16 2013 Louisville Mar 30-Amsterdam Sept 20
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B4real
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by B4real »

Telegraph from Australia:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entert ... 6270124557
Leonard Cohen and his 12th album Old Ideas, which entered at number two.

It is the 77-year-old music icon's best-performing record ever in Australia. His last top 10 album on the Australian charts was Songs of Love and Hate, which peaked in eighth spot in 1971.
That's over 40 years ago.......Leonard must be wondering what is going on! It's definitely world wide now!!

Jeremek - those are great photos :D
It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to B4real ~ me
Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy ~ me ...... The magic of art is the truth of its lies ~ me ...... Only left-handers are in their right mind!
notevenasuit
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by notevenasuit »

Yes,me too would like to know what he thinks about this success.
When I saw here in the forum the headline "let´s make...No.1" in last december, when the complete record wasn´t released yet, I thought: this is the wishful thinking of fans (to whom I belong). But so often in recent years after his CD -releases I had watched the Charts of some countries, at that time in music-magazines, but never found there .And now it happen´s...
Not for just 1 months, not for just 1 year but. ..
ALWAYS
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majmunka
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by majmunka »

There is a new and quite eloquent review from Hungary:
http://est.hu/cikk/95930
Google translate just doesn't give it justice so I decided to translate it.
My English is not good enough for such complicated sentences but i hope you can at least catch the tone.

"Wisdom is quiet. Wisdom is not ostentatious. Universe can be described even by the simplest words. Old Ideas is quiet. Old Ideas is not ostentatious. Old Ideas describes the Universe by the simplest tunes.
Leonard Cohen gave the world twelve albums. Twelve desciples, twelve gospels, talking in all the languages of the world, and those who have ears can hear and understand all their words. I don’t want to speak with too much pathos but the psalms of the 77 years old troubadour can really redeem the lost souls.

The Canadian singer-songwriter has already almost resigned once. That was many years ago, in 2001 when Ten New Songs was born after he spent a period of voluntary exile in a Buddhist monastery. Cohen was ready to say farewell but then changed his mind. Someone as old as pop music just can’t leave music for good. Cohen is as old as pop music, we can even call him timeless. And this brings us to the gist of his art and personality. This man depicted the things of life exactly the same way, with the same tools at the very beginning. No matter how the world has changed since then, how the years have flown by, Cohen and the dormant harmony within him is still capable to create harmony in his audience.

Sure he sometimes predicted apocalypse (The Future, 1992), he was a pessimist but never resigned, better say he was able to set his heart at rest. His last studio album came out in 2004. It seemed that Dear Heather, created with his loyal co-author Anjani Thomas and his sound manager, Leanne Ungar, would really be the last act. Although the richly instrumented, somewhat experimental album could have been a worthy end of his incomparable life-work, Cohen has decided to continue. Despite being over seventy-five, he went on a highly successful world tour. The Live in London is a snapshot of the tour which included a concert in Budapest as well. The success of the album and the tour managed to convince him: it’s worth to continue.

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Cohen, who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, is slowly approaching 80. His voice is deeper and hoarser than ever, while his songs are at least as good as ever. Cohen is whispering, humming, reciting, singing, opening up, revealing himself, he is full of irony and we are delighted and happy to repent. Humility, subtle humor, dark cynicism, mischief, sensibility and crystal clear concepts all in twelve songs in barely three-quarters hour. The lyrics have literary value, the performance is as touching as if performed on stage.

Old Ideas (originally planned to come out in the spring of 2011) was recorded with new-old fellow musicians like Patrick Leonard who used to work with the greatest pop stars or Anjani Thomas. The question that Cohen’s work is poetry or pop music was answered by The New Yorker magazin which published a lyric on its poetry page. Of course, it’s possible that this means nothing.

The songs talking of human relationships, the reasons of these bonds, birth, death and hope, are immensely bare and gentle. There is no nostalgy, no sadness but there’s an unvarnished fragility over the whole album. And what is most important: there is no hint of kitch. The music, coming from the border of blues, gospel and folk music, just serving the thoughts. The acoustic guitar, the piano, the accordion, the string section, the banjo, the horn and the contrasting female vocals, and of course all the settings of the mixer just serve to help the message.

Going Home adorned with solemn ethereal vocal and sorrowful strings, the somewhat Tom Waits-like Show Me The Place with its piano, organ and lamenting violin or the blues-y The darkness are all prayers of a man who can talk to his Creator as an equal partner, knowing that being pharisaic would result no more than slyness and fear."

Eva
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jeremek
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by jeremek »

MaryB wrote:Wow Jeremek,

And some lucky person, will somewhere down the line, get to take him home!

MaryB !!! YES,yes,yes...
Of course. Take him - this was my first thought! Far from it. Store manager refused to sell even a million dollars :lol: Sony Music requests return immediately after the promotion. Disaster for me :( Photos are taken by my sister. She was in the shop today in Warsaw with a mobile phone. These pictures are small, but it is souvenir. My sister fought like a lion with Leonard for me :D A great pity that did not work. And by the way, I wonder why Sony Music takes Leonard?
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p.s. I could not go to Warsaw and, unfortunately, only in the capital city Leonard sitting on bench...
1985/2008/2010/2013/Always
MaryB
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by MaryB »

Jeremek,

A million dollars? In my record store experience, none of the record companies have ever asked for a return on their promo products :shock: Is the store manager female? Perhaps she wants him for herself ;-) I suggest you become friends with the store manager - maybe at some point in time he/she would be willing to give him up for half the price , only half million dollars :lol: .

The other option - you could nonchalantly pick him up and make it look like he is walking out with you :lol: :lol: :?:

Best luck regards,
Mary
1993 Detroit 2008 Kitchener June 2-Hamilton June 3 & 4-Vienna Sept 24 & 25-London RAH Nov 17 2009 NYC Feb 19-Grand Prairie Apr 3-Phoenix Apr 5-Columbia May 11-Red Rocks Jun 4-Barcelona Sept 21-Columbus Oct 27-Las Vegas Nov 12-San Jose Nov 13 2010 Sligo Jul 31 & Aug 1-LV Dec 10 & 11 2012 Paris Sept 30-London Dec 11-Boston Dec 16 2013 Louisville Mar 30-Amsterdam Sept 20
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jeremek
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by jeremek »

Hi !
Great, thank you. I especially liked the second option !!! :lol:
(I'll tell you a secret that I wrote to Sony Music Poland, I wonder what they say?).

All the best, Mary !
:D
1985/2008/2010/2013/Always
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AlanM
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by AlanM »

5 Star review for "Old Ideas" in "The Advertiser", Adelaide's News International paper.

LEONARD COHEN
OLD IDEAS (COLUMBIA)
A beautiful serving of soul food that may turn out to be Cohen's last. The voice is even more gravelly and the words are dark, humorous and knowing. Cohen is a poet and an ordained Buddhist coming to the end of a rich life and he writes about what he knows to be true; romance, sex, longing, loss and death.
At 77, he eyes death with cool grace. "I'm going home without my burden / going home behind the curtain" in Going Home. The honed words are front and centre but the backing is musical and uncluttered.
- Penelope Debelle

Also JB HiFi, an Australian electronics and music store chain, in their advertising insert in the newspaper is promoting "Old Ideas" along with the DVDs of "Live in London" and "Live at the Isle of Wight". Also in the group is the double CD "The Essential Leonard Cohen".

Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
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B4real
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by B4real »

AlanM wrote:Also JB HiFi, an Australian electronics and music store chain, in their advertising insert in the newspaper is promoting "Old Ideas" along with the DVDs of "Live in London" and "Live at the Isle of Wight". Also in the group is the double CD "The Essential Leonard Cohen".
And they also have been advertising the album and other LC ones on YouTube for over a month now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAbEeoxs ... re=related

click on the adv on the RHS and (in Australia) you get this:
http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/music/po ... eas/658709
(when watching other OI videos you don't have to click - the adv is very obvious)

.....and I might add I bought my copy from their/my local in-store shop :)
It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to B4real ~ me
Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy ~ me ...... The magic of art is the truth of its lies ~ me ...... Only left-handers are in their right mind!
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AlanM
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by AlanM »

Sadly "Old Ideas" is dropping in the Australian charts - published today.
Album Feb19.jpg
Digital Feb19.jpg
DVD Feb19.jpg
Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
TJungle
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by TJungle »

Poetry in response to Old Ideas and linking to the new Album.

To Old Jikan smoking
having altered your view of Mt. Baldy
before returning to
the ease of your former L.A. I.D.
I have something to say...

http://teresejungle.com/post/18310930637/day-23
sbreen
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Re: Let's Help Make Old Ideas #1 Worldwide!!

Post by sbreen »

NZ
#1, #1, #3, #7
Four weeks in the top ten!!

Could that result be good enough to be part of the next world tour?
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