It´s that time of year, the Year-end lists are rolling in.
This post includes 2 UK based magazines: UNCUT & MOJO. My favourite magazine among them is UNCUT Magazine. So I´ll start there.. and also throw some videos in between.
Continue reading “Best Albums 2016 – Lists from Uncut & MOJO”
Like a bird on the wire,
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
So let´s hear it, what´s your favourite Leonard Cohen Songs ?
Please tell us your top 5/10/15/20 Leonard Cohen songs list. Use the comment function in this post, or head over to Facebook @ alldylan.com @ facebook and comment in my post.
Tension had been rising at the festival for days. The promoters had expected a hundred and fifty thousand people but half a million more turned up, many with no intention of paying. Even after the promoters were forced to declare it a free festival, ill will remained. During a set by Kris Kristofferson, bottles were thrown and he was booed offstage. “They were booing everybody,” says Kristofferson. “Except Leonard Cohen.”
~Sylvie Simmons
First off some facts from wikipedia:
The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival was held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at East Afton Farm an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and widely acknowledged as the largest musical event of its time, greater than the attendance of Woodstock. Although estimates vary, the Guinness Book of Records estimated 600,000, possibly 700,000 people attended. It was organised and promoted by local brothers, Ronnie, Ray and Bill Foulk. Ron Smith was site manager and Rikki Farr acted as compere.
The preceding Isle of Wight Festivals, also promoted by the Foulks, had already gained a good reputation in 1968 and 1969 by featuring acts such as Jefferson Airplane, T. Rex, The Move, The Pretty Things, Joe Cocker, The Moody Blues (performed at the 1969 festival), The Who, and Bob Dylan in his first performance since his 1966 motorcycle accident.
The 1970 version, following Woodstock in the previous year, set out to move one step forward and enlisted Jimi Hendrix. With Hendrix confirmed, artists such as Chicago, The Doors, Lighthouse, The Moody Blues, The Who, Miles Davis, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Jethro Tull, Sly & the Family Stone, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Free willingly took up the chance to play there. The event had a magnificent but impractical site, since the prevailing wind blew the sound sideways across the venue, and the sound system had to be augmented by Pink Floyd’s PA. There was a strong, but inconsistent line up, and the logistical nightmare of transporting some 600,000 people onto an island with a population of fewer than 100,000.
Political and logistical difficulties resulted in the organisers eventually realising that the festival would not make a profit and declaring it to be “a free festival”, although the majority of the audience had paid for tickets in advance, and the event was filmed contemporaneously. The commercial failings of the festival ensured it was the last event of its kind on the Isle of Wight for thirty-two years.
Continue reading “Leonard Cohen: 1970 Isle of Wight Festival (full concert video)”
A sad day. We have lost a brilliant poet & musician.
What better way than indulging in his great music ?
Here are some fine “best songs” lists from different magazines & websites.
By Andy Greene
November 26, 2014
Continue reading “Leonard Cohen: Best Songs Lists (Rollingstone, Stereogum, Paste, Uncut, etc..)”
Like a Bird on a Wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
~Leonard Cohen, Bird On A Wire“The older I get, the surer I am that I’m not running the show.”
― Leonard Cohen“I don’t remember
lighting this cigarette
and I don’t remember
if I’m here alone
or waiting for someone.”
~Leonard Cohen, Book of Longing
From Facebook (Official Leonard Cohen):
It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away.
We have lost one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries.A memorial will take place in Los Angeles at a later date. The family requests privacy during their time of grief.
From Wikipedia:
| Birth name | Leonard Norman Cohen |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 September 1934 , 10 November 2016 (age 82) |
| Genres | Folk, folk rock, rock, pop rock,spoken word, synthpop |
| Occupations | Musician, singer-songwriter,poet, novelist |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano,keyboards, synthesizer |
| Years active | 1956-present |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Associated acts | Sharon Robinson, Jennifer Warnes |
Leonard Norman Cohen (born 21 September 1934)
His work often explored religion, isolation, sexuality, and interpersonal relationships. Cohen has been inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest civilian honour.
Continue reading “November 7: Leonard Cohen is dead – Rest in peace great poet!”
And Songs of Love and Hate captured Cohen in one of his finest hours as a songwriter, and the best selections (especially “Famous Blue Raincoat,” “Joan of Arc,” and “Love Calls You by Your Name”) rank with the most satisfying work of his career. If Songs of Love and Hate isn’t Cohen’s best album, it comes close enough to be essential to anyone interested in his work.
~Mark Deming (allmusic.com)
–
| Released | March 19, 1971 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | September 22–26, 1970 at Columbia Studio A, Nashville (Second mix) August 31, 1970 at Isle of Wight, Trident Studios, London (First mix) |
| Genre | Folk, folk rock |
| Length | 44:21 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Producer | Bob Johnston |
Songs of Love and Hate is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. Produced by Bob Johnston, the album was released on March 19, 1971, through Columbia Records.
Continue reading “March 19: Leonard Cohen released “Songs of Love and Hate” in 1971″