My problems with the design

Leonard Cohen's previous album (January 2012)
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DBCohen
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My problems with the design

Post by DBCohen »

At the risk of being scalped, stoned, boiled in oil, tarred and feathered and driven out of town, I feel I must make the following statement.

I received my copy of Old Ideas on January 31 (earlier than expected, how nice), and listened to it four times already, but will need to listen several more times before I can offer any coherent opinion. However, there is one point on which I can already pronounce my unequivocal opinion, and that is the cover: I think it is awful. I’ve hardly ever seen a less flattering photo of LC; he looks like one of the Blues Brothers on a bad day. Was it done on purpose, tongue in cheek, to reflect such lines as “Leonard… a lazy bastard /Living in a suite”? That would be a fine joke, but even so, I could gladly do without it. To my eyes the colors are garish, and the whole composition unappealing.

Nor is there much good to say about the attached booklet. It is nice to see some samples of LC’s handwriting and drawings again, although we are already familiar with them from Book of Longing etc. The trouble here is over-crowdedness on every page. The lyrics are lost somehow (the font is too small, and there are also some discrepancies between the text and the singing on the album, for example in “Going Home” and “Amen”). There are several beautiful drawings here, but they are also lost in the general mayhem (the design of the booklet is not by LC but by Michael Petit). Compare it with the restrained and tasteful style of design in the booklet for Dear Heather and you’ll see what I mean.

Another problem is the way the credits are accumulated on the last two pages, rather than following each song (again, unlike Dear Heather). It is very difficult to find out who is playing or singing on each track; I combined my own list for each song, but I still can’t figure out who is playing some of the instruments on some of them.

I strongly hope that when LC releases his next album - sooner rather than later may it be (and hopefully including “Born In Chains” which is greatly missed here) - he will adopt a more sensible design, in line with his earlier albums.

That said, what matters is the album itself, so I’m going to listen to it again now, and then again…
John Etherington
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Re: My problems with the design

Post by John Etherington »

Hi DB Cohen,

I can see where you're coming from, but I think you're being slightly over-critical. My initial reaction to the cover was "oh no!", but then I rapidly grew to like it. It is a striking image, and the red, black and green are quite well-balanced (as I've mentioned before, the cover has several similarites to the back cover of Eric Andersen's "Cologne Concert" album). I think you're right when you say the image of Leonard was probably meant to reflect the opening line of the album. There he is, relaxing in the sunshine, acting naturally and reading a book...I think he can be allowed to do that at 77! There could be a case for using the woman and mask image for the cover, but because of the nudity it probably wouldn't have got such wide display or publicity.

I agree that the booklet is rather busy, but only the "Muse" image is obstructed by the lyrics (it would have been nice to see the whole of this). One good thing about the lyrics is that they're in white writing on black frames. This makes them far more readable than covers where the lyrics are printed across multi-coloured images. I agree that the listing of musicians could be clearer, as it took me several minutes to work out that the Webb Sisters are only featured on one track (correct me if I'm wrong).

If you haven't particularly taken to the album on the first few listens, I'd advise you not to play it repeatedly in an attempt to like it. I'd suggest leaving it, and playing it again when the mood takes. If I've learned one thing from Leonard, it's that things don't have to be done at some frenetic pace, even if the publicity machine would try to persuade you otherwise. I wasn't sure about the album on the first two plays (I felt the same when I first heard "Various Positions"), but when I played it for the third time yesterday, it suddenly gelled, and I realised that it really is a great album.

All good things, John E
Last edited by John Etherington on Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
DBCohen
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Re: My problems with the design

Post by DBCohen »

Hi John,

Thanks for your comment. Regarding the design, there is of course the matter of personal taste; I’m sure different people will react to it differently.

Regarding the album itself, I did not mean to hint that I didn’t like it, not at all. It did not overwhelm me as some earlier albums did on first listening, but I enjoy it more with every listening (the same happened to me with Dear Heather; in fact, it took me years to come to terms with The Future, but that was an exception). I hope to be able to write my impression of each song later this week.
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Joe Way
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Re: My problems with the design

Post by Joe Way »

Hi Doron & John,
Thanks for the comments about the design some of which I agree with and some which I don't. I will say that I ordered the Vinyl edition with the numbered lithographic print and the whole package is very striking. What is done on multiple pages in the cd booklet, is transferred to an open-sleave like jacket (similar to the old jacket liners from albums) so it is printed across only four pages and looks more coherent than the cd booklet.

I don't yet have a lot to say about the music itself other than that I have found that "Come Healing" really speaks to me in regard to circumstances that I've experienced of late. I almost woke my wife, Anne up to listen to it last night, but since I value my health, I thought better of it and will wait until this evening.

All the best to you both,

Joe
"Say a prayer for the cowboy..."
John Etherington
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Re: My problems with the design

Post by John Etherington »

DB - Strange you mention "The Future" because the first few times I heard it, I had an overall sense of disappointment, but it then became one of my most-played Leonard albums. I think you're doing the right thing in listening to the "Old Ideas" a few times before commenting on it. I was thinking along those lines, myself, as It devalues a work such as this to make hasty judgements on it.

Joe - I think "Come Healing" is a beautiful song. I particularly like the lines "O troubled dust concealing an undivided love/The Heart beneath is teaching to the broken Heart above".

All good things, John E
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tomsakic
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Re: My problems with the design

Post by tomsakic »

I am listening so hard that it hurts.
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TipperaryAnn
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Re: My problems with the design

Post by TipperaryAnn »

DBCohen wrote:
Another problem is the way the credits are accumulated on the last two pages, rather than following each song (again, unlike Dear Heather). It is very difficult to find out who is playing or singing on each track; I combined my own list for each song, but I still can’t figure out who is playing some of the instruments on some of them.
That's the only problem I have with this CD design - I would love to know who plays the trumpet in "Amen", for instance - or is it computer generated? And the harmonica in "Lullaby" ? The cover photo is grand, a perfect illustration of "A lazy bastard living in a suit", and I like the vibrant colours - we have often complained about how gloomy and colourless the record sleeves were in the past, not this one!
Forget your perfect offering -
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holydove
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Re: My problems with the design

Post by holydove »

TipperaryAnn wrote:
DBCohen wrote:
Another problem is the way the credits are accumulated on the last two pages, rather than following each song (again, unlike Dear Heather). It is very difficult to find out who is playing or singing on each track; I combined my own list for each song, but I still can’t figure out who is playing some of the instruments on some of them.
That's the only problem I have with this CD design - I would love to know who plays the trumpet in "Amen", for instance - or is it computer generated? And the harmonica in "Banjo" ?
I read or heard an interview where Leonard said the he & Patrick play most of the instruments on the album, & that they used Pro Tools & something called "rough analog" (??) I don't know what rough analog is, but I presume the use of Pro Tools (& the fact that Leonard & Patrick are playing so many instruments themselves), & many of the sounds we hear are not credited as specific instruments, suggests that many of the "instruments" are computer/synth generated. Among other instrumental sounds, I would have sworn that there was a harmonica in Lullaby, & a banjo & trumpet-like horn in Amen, but I guess not! The booklet only says "Patrick Leonard performed the music" & Leonard Cohen "played the basic tracks", for several songs. - so I take this to imply that they were creating the various sounds with synths/computer, because it seems that all the real instruments were credited as such, along with the musicians who were playing them. As for Banjo, the booklet says that Dino Soldo played "all the instruments", except the cornet, which was played by Neil Larsen.

Leonard & Patrick are clearly very talented & skilled with the electronics, as, apparently, the music journalists who wrote the reviews, couldn't tell that those weren't real instruments, either, as there have been several comments, in the reviews, praising the return of real instruments, as opposed to the synth sounds of some previous albums. There are, of course, several real instruments on this album, but it seems there is also much use of computer/synth generated sounds. I guess the journalists didn't receive complimentary copies of the CD/booklet, & they just wrote about their impressions, based on what they heard. I think this is all quite brilliant & hilarious, & the sounds Leonard & Patrick (as well as the other musicians & vocalists) created are totally hypnotic & beautiful. I am more mesmerized & awed every time I listen to Old Ideas.
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TipperaryAnn
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Re: My problems with the design

Post by TipperaryAnn »

holydove wrote:... apparently, the music journalists who wrote the reviews, couldn't tell that those weren't real instruments, either, as there have been several comments, in the reviews, praising the return of real instruments, as opposed to the synth sounds of some previous albums. There are, of course, several real instruments on this album, but it seems there is also much use of computer/synth generated sounds. I guess the journalists didn't receive complimentary copies of the CD/booklet, & they just wrote about their impressions, based on what they heard. I think this is all quite brilliant & hilarious, & the sounds Leonard & Patrick (as well as the other musicians & vocalists) created are totally hypnotic & beautiful.
Very interesting, holydove - yes, I too have read so many reviews applauding the use of "real" instruments here, whereas if the credits are accurate "Darkness" is the most "genuine" track ! I suppose technology has progressed so much that Pro tools and Rough analog ( whatever exactly they are! :? ) sound more like the real thing now. I'm beginning to wonder if the elusive Bela Santelli credited with playing the violin on Show me the Place is actually playing a computer - as already discussed it doesn't sound like a "real" violin, (whereas that in Amen does ) but it still has a gorgeous sound. Since the sounds produced are, as you say, "hypnotic and beautiful" it doesn't really bother me how they were produced.

Now if there were a concert where just Leonard and a computer appeared on stage that would be a different matter... :lol:
Forget your perfect offering -
There is a crack in everything...
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