Along the way... Discovering Leonard's albums

[LisaLCFan]

...The prize is discovering Leonard from another angle ... so by reading the list you are all winners!...

How nice!

[its4inthemorning]

I took a very belated look at Wybe's slide show from Hydra 2019:

https://www.icantforget.nl/hydra2019.html

Brings back sweet memories, and "Along the Way" is well-represented by Alan and Karin at 3:52.

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[its4inthemorning]

A timely, and well-written and sung, version of Hallelujah:

https://youtu.be/duOnmlJuNJQ

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[murphybridget837]

[Flashback #3: Late in the day in early fall we are on a hectic taxi ride to L'Olympia. a small venue with a considerable history. We meet others at a bar a block away, but details of this are forgotten since our minds were on what was to come. We take our seats, nice plush red seats, and the magic starts. During the second set the lights darken to veil rearrangements on stage, and then come on again to reveal the quartet of LC and Mitch with guitars, Javier with one of his exotic instruments, and Neil with an accordion, standing together, and starting The Partisan. The audience loves this song because of its connection with their history, and they really love it when LC sings the verse in French. Far too soon it is early morning and we find ourselves in another taxi returning to the rental apartment.]

Here is a link to The Partisan as it was played that night. (I see that my memory failed me, it was quintet rather than a quartet, Mitch remained in his seat, but Roscoe and Alex joined LC, Javier, and Neil.) Albert Noonan has a better video of The Partisan at L'Olympia, but that was the Sunday concert and we attended the Friday show. The first photo is the entrance to L'Olympia, and the second is the interior with the plush red seats (as intimate as this picture makes the venue seem, it is even more intimate in person) Our seats were fairly close to the ones in the foreground of the photo. The last photo shows a tunnel in Paris that goes under the Louvre, our taxis to and from L'Olympia took this route.

https://youtu.be/rYcARLwurq8

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I can almost hear the magic of Leonard Cohen's "The Partisan" echoing through the venue. The accordion's presence in the quintet must have added a unique charm to the performance.

[its4inthemorning]

murphy,

How serendipitous to discover your post. Although this thread died of natural causes ages ago, I wanted to post something on the forum today and, for lack of a better place, decided to do so here, and your post popped up!

I can still vividly picture and hear this performance of "The Partisan" in my brain without needing to refer to the video. September 28, 2012 was a very special day in our lives. The real blessing, of course, is that Leonard saw fit and was able to give us those final tours. The memories are just the icing on the cake.

What I came here to write is probably of no interest to most, but sometimes we write just for ourselves. I have never seen the need to keep my life devoid of silly or peculiar whims (maybe I should rethink that as I age lest I be whisked off to some home), and one such eccentricity for the last 10-15 years has been to remember to, at some point near year-end, to listen to "Famous Blue Raincoat" at or near four in the morning. I did the 2024 version several hours ago, and my take is just as compelling as it was the first time I had heard FBR--I was overwhelmed. The plaintive voice, enigmatic lyrics, acoustic guitar, perfect level of backup vocals, and unorthodox but addictive structure all combine to make it a musical masterpiece. As someone else's song goes, "they just don't write em like that any more." Thank you L Cohen.

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[Bill's Bar]

I remember that night. It sent shivers down my spine. Thank you for posting the link.

[its4inthemorning]

Bill, your "signature" indicates that you were at L'Olympia in 2008, did you also return in 2012? In any case, it is always nice to rekindle someone's warm memories!

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[Bill's Bar]

Yes, I was there for both concerts.

[AlanM]

Hi Curt,
I can't confirm or deny that I have listened to FBR at 4:00 am - the memory is not the best these days.
As with you, it remains one of my favourite LC songs, probably #1, even though Leonard is on record as saying he didn't think he had finished it.
I have previously commented on this forum that the best way to listen to Leonard is live in concert. The second best way is in the dark through headphones.
Through the good graces of the members of this forum, I have many versions of many songs, and often will listen to those versions of one song in chronological order, as I did with So Long, Marianne, after her death.
I have repeated this exercise many times with the idea of picking my favourite version of that particular song.
I must confess to total failure on that task.
I have 20 versions of FBR and I love them all.
Favourite vocals, however are:
Yes, and thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good, so I never tried.
One of the many stunning couplets that "our man" wrote.

Here's to many more listenings of many, many amazing songs,
Alan

[LisaLCFan]

Famous Blue Raincoat is one of my favourite songs, too, and like Alan, I love many different versions of it, although I much prefer the live versions that end with the original "Sincerely, L. Cohen" lyric, rather than "Sincerely, a friend".

I once listened to that song at four in the morning, in December, although it was not the end of December, but a bit earlier (December 11th), and only a few hours after having seen Leonard Cohen perform live at Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas in 2010. I was inspired, at the time, to write a short letter to Leonard Cohen, which began, "It's four in the morning, in early December, I'm writing you now...", and I ended it with, "Sincerely, L. [last name]". I did mail the letter to Leonard through his reps, but I have no idea if he received it or read it. It was fun to write it, though, at four in the morning, in early December, still on a euphoric high from the amazing concert that I had just experienced (two of them, in fact -- I was also there for the Dec. 10 concert). Great memories!

[its4inthemorning]

Lisa & Alan,

FBR is my favorite Leonard song, so I very much enjoyed reading your responses! When I first heard the new "Sincerely...a friend" ending I disliked it immensely because the quirkiness of using his own name in the lyrics was something that first attracted me to the song. But one cannot argue with the author.

Lisa, the 12/10/10 Las Vegas show was our very first Cohen concert, maybe we met at the pre-concert get-together, or afterwards at the Seahorse! I actually got a set list for that concert. I was up at the stage after the concert ended, and some members of the crew were handing them out. I grabbed one--but so did another fan--we both had a hand on it; she already had one set list and wanted this one for a friend (back to "a friend" again). I complained "no fair" saying I promised my wife I would get her one (this was a lie, it was for me), and she relented. I saw her afterwards at the Seahorse and thanked her, I forget her real name, but I believe she used the forum name "tinkerbell." Since we had never been to a Cohen concert, I foolishly assumed that it would be idiotic to get tickets to both the 12/10 and 12/11 shows, and I sadly recall hanging out at the venue on 12/11 during intermission time (we were staying at Caesar's) wishing I hadn't been so foolish (or so cheap). As you probably know, Lisa, there is this great video on youtube of Leonard's epic monologue when he introduced "Anthem" on 12/10/10:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeQn25FxCaw

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[LisaLCFan]

Hey, 4, I do recall your mentioning on the forum that you'd been to that December 2010 concert in Las Vegas, but I do not recall having met you, although there were so many forum members there, it may well have happened! I do remember most of the people whom I ended up hanging out with quite a bit, some of whom I saw several times during the three days I was in LV -- that's often how it goes in such large groups, smaller ones will form and stick together a bit (at least, that's my experience).

And that was your first concert! Ahh, the first one is always so special -- my first was in 2009, in Edmonton -- and it changed my life! I had never experienced anything like that before, I didn't even know that a concert could be like that -- it was truly phenomenal! Those two 2010 LV concerts were my 3rd and 4th: I also saw Leonard in Las Vegas in 2009. I am sorry that you were unable to go to the Dec. 11 concert, but how were you to know beforehand how incredible it would be? Hindsight can be rather annoying in such cases! Nice that you got a set-list, though -- excellent memento of an unforgettable night!

Thanks for posting that video -- I have seen it, and I remember it well! It was hilarious what Leonard said about LV, that it was nice to gather "even in such a curious place like this, so strange a place, so unmagical, and with such great effort to achieve the unmagical"! I could certainly relate: Las Vegas is such an artificial abomination, there is so much ridiculous excess, it was almost embarrassing for me to be there, it just goes against who I am! However, during Leonard's concerts, it was so easy to forget about that curious, strange, and unmagical place with its grating noises and crowds and flashing lights, because what happened on that stage and in that venue was absolutely magical, as you know!

Cheers!

[Bill's Bar]

Hi Lisa,
I think a good few of us knocked back a good few drinks that night. Those were the days my friend.

[its4inthemorning]

Bill, as long as we are reminiscing, did you by any chance follow up the September 28, 2012 L'Olympia concert with the Barcelona concert five days later (I see you saw the 2009 Barcelona show)? That was quite a show as well, and Javier--being close to his hometown--was adored by the audience. Barcelona was such a great city to visit.

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[Bill's Bar]

Hi 4...not hi 5...
Unfortunately no, I didn't follow on to Barcelona. Sounds like it was a great night though.