It's been 30 years since Jeff Buckley released his only studio album and he hasn't lost any of his brilliance since then. In the broadest sense, it is alternative rock with long, quiet passages in which Buckley's voice spans several octaves and often ends in falsetto. What makes this record exceptional is the intensity with which he performs his songs, most of which are about loss. As he didn't have enough of his own songs for a complete album, the record also includes cover versions such as Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. His version is based on John Cale's interpretation, but the way he performs it with a reduced rhythm and his extraordinary voice gives us an idea of what other masterpieces we could have expected had he not died far too early.
With "You Want It Darker," the title track of his 14th and last album of the same name, Leonard Cohen had released an impressive number in autumn 2016 shortly before his death at 82. The dark talking blues, in which the deep voice of Cohen, drawn from life, comes eerily close to the listener, negotiated to soft pulsating bass and sacred backing choirs an approaching end of life - "I'm ready, my Lord" is the climax of the chorus.
The track is thus made for Iggy Pop, whose voice also works excellently for narrative singing in the deeper registers.Pop puts on "You Want It Darker" a little more gloomy and tanned, the soundbed sounds a bit more jazzy, but the endless depth of the spiritual number he receives completely. Iggy's version is found on another tribute album for Leonard Cohen released a few days ago. The rest of this tribute album I didn't listen completely but any tribute album is a reason to go back to the originals - especially by Mr. Cohen.
When I turn on the news at the moment, the current news about the pandemic has moved into the background. Much more comes to the fore what is currently going on in Russia and Eastern Europe. We are moving backwards and my fear is that order will be restored before the Second World War. I really can't explain what Russian's aim is but I fear that will will go back to the cold war days. Maybe I worry too much but in these days it seems like the western world is going to ruin itself in person and the future will be not the same as we used to have.
I am not a huge fan of tribute albums because many of them are well-intentioned but seldom better that the originals. One of those which are worth to be listened was the 1991 compilation I Am Your Fan where various artists covered the songs of Leonard Cohen. He was a Canadian singer-songwriter and he was famous in the late 60's/early 70's. In his musical work, existential questions about love, friendship, sense of life, human suffering, death and spirituality are addressed. Most of the songs were meagerly instrumented with acoustic guitars and lead by his somber voice. On this tribute a lot of artists showed their tributes in the way they used to write their songs. And this showed how great this songs were because they work even in the style the artists wrote songs in their very own style.
Yesterday when I came home from work I switched on my TV. Zapping through the various programs I finished by a documentary about the history of communism in Europe. From the start in the early years of the last century international communism raised throughout Europe but failed at least. A lot of them leaders were killed by right wing nationalists and lead us to the civil war in Spain. For sure I am nowadays not the one who would take the gun in my hand but it makes me sad that in these days we failed the chance to change to world into a better one. Not that I am a person living in the past but there were a few ideas decades ago for a better and peaceful world for us all
This are some songs that mean a lot to me belonging during the decades of rebellion.
A few days ago the ticket for Mark Lanegan's concert in Stuttgart arrived. My area is sadly a desert for good live music and can't be compared to Cologne or Hamburg. All the great (new) bands mostly don't stop here. As far as I know one of the reasons is that the government requests a lot of taxes for concerts. Anyway I am glad that Mark Lanegan will appear in four weeks because his latest record Gargoyle is one of his best. I know him since his early days with Screaming Trees and later with Queens Of The Stone Age and liked his way of singing. His baritone is unbelievable and expressive. I think only Lee Hazlewood and Leonard Cohen are more punchy. The more I listen to Gargoyle the more I think that this is one of the best records this year - so far.
When this band crossed my way for the first time I thought by myself what a weird name for a band and was curios what kind of music they make. My first thought was that it will be another heavy and noisy band but I was surprised that is wasn't that way. Son Of A Velvet Rat is a long going project by Austrian musician Georg Altziebler and it leads to Americana. He shares his live living in California and Austria and the whole record has a big touch of music made in the desert. Blessed with a voice that is something between Cash, late Dylan and Cohen makes these songs worth listen to.
What a week. First Trump got elected and now the news arrived that Leoard Cohen died last night. I don't have to tell about his influence during the last decades. Remember him and his somber voice as something unique. Echorich found the right words and songs.
What a week. First Trump got elected and now the news arrived that Leoard Cohen died last night. I don't have to tell about his influence during the last decades. Remember him and his somber voice as something unique. Echorich found the right words and songs.
What a week. First Trump got elected and now the news arrived that Leoard Cohen died last night. I don't have to tell about his influence during the last decades. Remember him and his somber voice as something unique. Echorich found the right words and songs.
There were song I know for ages and they appear to my ears from time to time and I feel save and glad listening to it. Some songs are for eternity and this one is one of them. Leonard Cohen wrote it more than 30 years ago and it is a song I love in many versions by now. All in all a simple song with a short message but I think that this message a lot of musicians inspired to make their very own and unique version about. For me almost version has it's own own genuine. This might be one of these songs that could me take to my grave (hopefully a very long time from here).
Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you dont really care for music, do you?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor falls, the major lifts
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Maybe I've been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
love is not a victory march
Its a cold and its a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
You say I took the Name in vain
I dont even know the Name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesnt matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
I did my best, but it wasnt much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didnt come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah...
And this version is by the master himself eight years ago in Montreaux:
Warhaus is the new solo project of Belgian musician Maarten Devoldere. He released his first record called We Fucked A Flame Into Being (a rather strange name for the first record but someone that you will remember) a few days ago. It is somewhere between Nick Cave and a fiery Leonard Cohen he preaches decadence and coolness in a sonorous dark voice. With it's groovy bassline and the duett with Silvie Kreusch it is some kind music noir - played in the later hours of the day.
It's a song released almost 40 years ago by Leonard Cohen. I really like it in the original version. Many years later John Cale made a cover of this song released on a tribute CD to Mr. Cohen. I have ever had a close affinity to him from his early days playing with Velvet Underground. And he made some great record the years after splitting the band. I think this song is like a rock in the days long gone by.
How in the last chapter intimated I fell in love with a girl far away from my hometown. During the week we kept contact with telephone (the technical possibilities from today were not available to us) and writing letters. On most of the weekends we tried to see each other. Sometimes she took the train, sometimes I drove to Cologne by car. We have spent our first common vacation in the Dominican Republic. We have flown on the 30th of April with the Dutch airline KLM after Puerta Plata. I am able to do myself to the date, therefore, I remember so well, because in the air all passengers had to get up and we had to drink a lot to sweeten Dutch liqueur to the ten-year-old throne jubilee of the queen Beatrix. I have never been to the Greater Antilles or the Caribbean Sea before and therefore, I was quite excited to get to know country and people. After all it was fantastic to get to this country before it got popular to travel there with all this all-inclusive tourism. We met there very less European folks but a lot of from the United States. But people tell me that this island is still beautiful yet and covered with a lot of beautiful beaches. What made us both sad, was when we crossed the border to Haiti for a short visit seeing what Papa Doc and Baby Doc did to this country.
Back in Germany we had resolved to move together. Because Kerstin is a qualified nurse, she also had no problems to get a job in South Germany a job in the ambulant care.
Not much records that was released this year, that were remarkable for me. I don't know the reasons therefore:
Happy Mondays - Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches: Hedonism pure with psychedelic grooves and borrowed hooks
Neil Young - Ragged Glory: Together with Crazy Horse again - awesome
A Tribe Called Quest - People Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm: Fantastic grooves
Blue Aeroplanes - Swagger: That's how collage rock should sound like
Urban Dance Squad - Mental Floss For The Globe: Cross-Over and Funk-Metal from the Netherlands
Just a few songs that was worth to remember in 1990:
Dances With Wolves: Great entertainment and the return of Western movies
Pretty Woman: No chance to miss this classical love movie
The Godfather III: The final of a great trilogy
Edward Scissorhands: Beautiful fairy tale with wonderful pictures and a great Johnny Depp
Misery: Kathy Bates at her best
Wild At Heart: David Lynch tells the story of Lula and Sailor of unfinished dreams
Blue Steel: One of the best cop movies ever
If I look back at this year, remains to me following in recollection:
Rowan Atkinson appears as Mr. Bean on Television // Mass demonstrations in Lithuania for independence // Thousand storm the Stasi headquarter in East Berlin in an attempt to view their government records // Apartheid in South Africa: F.W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the ANC and promises to release Nelson Mandela // Final agreement for a two-step plan to reunite Gerrmany // Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first ever President of the Soviet Union // Imelda Marcos goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement and racketeering // Massive anti-poll demonstration on Trafalgar Square turns into a riot // Food poisoning kills 450 guest at an engagement party in Uttar Pradesh // WHO removes homosexuality from the list of diseases // Bush/Gorbachev signs a treaty to end the production of chemical weapons and begin destroying their respective stocks // Germany wins the FIFA World Cup by defeating Argentine 1:0 with a penalty // Tamil Tigers kill 168 Muslims in Colombo, Sri Lanka and the start of a bloody civil war // Iraq invades Kuwait eventually leading to Gulf War I
At this time I listened a lot to bands from New York which are in narrow connection with the so-called No-Wave or Mutant disco scene to see like James Chance, Defunkt and Material. Over this connection I recognized that Don and David Was released a couple of records over the last years. The song I knew were always good stuff. Was (not Was) were famous for their collaboration with musicians from other genres. On this record they collaborated with Iggy Pop, Leonard Cohen and The Roches. They also tried to get Jade Jagger to the microphone to sing Papa was a Rolling Stone. But sadly it was only a great idea. This record is filled with a lot of great ideas and probably one of the best results combining jazz, disco, rock and cover versions to very own and special sound you could dance too.
From time to time I'm in sentimental mood and I listen to some old singers/songwriters singing their chansons in French. In former times I was fascinatet by singers like Jacques Brel and Charles Aznamvour which made fantastic songs that they mostly arranged by themselfs. Jacques Brel is on that I often listened because of his smooth voice and the his catchy tunes. I am far away to understand the meaning of the chansons so I could focus just the singer and the song. Nowadays it's easy to get a translation of this songs and my respect to the artist grows more and more when I listen to songs I used to play and understandig the meaning of this songs.
Jacques Brel was a Belgian singer/songwriter who had a great influence in modern chansons. Although he recorded his songs in French, he became a major influence in English-speaking songwirters like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Marc Almond and Alex Harvey. Translations of his songs were performed by Ray Charles, Nina Simone and Frank Sinatra. This song is recorded live during a show in Paris in the early 1960s. I never heard warmer words of the land he loves.
Enjoy and have good days
Withits cathedralsas asinglemountain, With blackspiersequal toclimbingpoles. Stoneon whichdependthedevilclouds With the sequence ofdaysas the onlymovement Becauseas the onlycountrywith arainyeveninggreeting With itsnortheasterly winds.Hear himas hedesiresit The flat landthat'smine.
During the last days I was reading Hans Blickensdörfer's book again called 'The Beret'. It's an autobiographic about the last days of world war II when he got lost from the German troops and tried to have a hidden life in France, wearing a beret like the regular France men used to do. What made his hidden life successful was the fact, that he was able to talk in French without German dialect. After the war he came back to Stuttgart area again as a sports reporter. Especially football and Tour de France. I grew up with his reports of games or events he had seen life. I loved how he could use his worst and being not only a reporter he was also a totally fan of football and cycling.
This song is originally a song about the French Resistance in World War II often know as the Chant des Partisans, which became the unofficial anthem of the French Resistance. This song was covered by a lot of singers/bands. I've chosen this one because it is a collaboration between the legendary Leonard Cohen who covered it more than 40 years ago and the French band Noir Desir who became popular in the the 1990s with an record which featured their negative position to fascism, capitalism and globalism. This song is also a collaboration between Leonard Cohen and Noir Desir.
