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Okay, official version of Almost Like The Blues:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VYXECtjOos

You can buy and download the track from amazon.co.uk for a pound - pre-order of album only seems to be mp3 at present.

Amazon.co.uk was one of those sites which took an early start. I am sure they will show all options (CD, LP, downloads) after the official announcement at 8 am EST today (Tuesday).

The german amazon-site (amazon.de) offers Almost like the blues as MP3 download at once for EUR 1,29 (and the whole album with release date 19. September).
Wow, the song is so so beautiful.

Musically, the song is great, however, generally do not like this song
Cohen repeated and I do not believe him now. What is true is that his heart is frozen.
This song has no empathy for the world.
It's just cool observation .This is just ingenious rhyming description of what we can all see.
Maybe other songs will touch me.

MarieM wrote:Okay, official version of Almost Like The Blues:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VYXECtjOos

Thank you for that, Marie. The other links I tried didn't work for me, but this one sure did.

Great song!! Love it. Even more excited now about hearing the whole album!

I saw some people starving
There was murder, there was rape
Their villages were burning
They were trying to escape

.......just have to see the tv news
almost like the blues

Relates to my everyday experience looking on at the horrific events going on in the world in 2014.
Watching with tears in the eyes , but then putting in some distance to stop being overwhelmed - not a frozen heart.

Musically very simple - and a vocal style between singing and recitation.

i hope there are no more single song 'spoilers' to tempt us - want to experience the whole album , and know it will take a few listenings before i wholly appreciate it.

cohenadmirer wrote: i hope there are no more single song 'spoilers' to tempt us - want to experience the whole album , and know it will take a few listenings before i wholly appreciate it.

It is for that reason I am avoiding even listening to this song. It isn't easy, but I learned patience very well since becoming a member of this Forum

For those of you are familiar with Dylan, "Almost like the Blues" is reminiscent of "What Was It You Wanted." Especially the breaks after each verse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irKxESOvo-E

yopietro wrote:For those of you are familiar with Dylan, "Almost like the Blues" is reminiscent of "What Was It You Wanted." Especially the breaks after each verse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irKxESOvo-E

Doesn't come close to What was it you wanted. The production on that track is superb. (Daniel Lanois). This 'teaser' from Leonard is shocking. The poetry and prose is all there (as you would expect from the maestro of such things), but the music and production are woeful. I know such heresy on here will be frowned upon - but it's a bad track. Doesn't tempt me to buy the album at all. Unlike the Old Ideas teasers, where I just couldn't wait.
Robert

Zimmy66 wrote:

yopietro wrote:For those of you are familiar with Dylan, "Almost like the Blues" is reminiscent of "What Was It You Wanted." Especially the breaks after each verse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irKxESOvo-E

Doesn't come close to What was it you wanted. The production on that track is superb. (Daniel Lanois). This 'teaser' from Leonard is shocking. The poetry and prose is all there (as you would expect from the maestro of such things), but the music and production are woeful. I know such heresy on here will be frowned upon - but it's a bad track. Doesn't tempt me to buy the album at all. Unlike the Old Ideas teasers, where I just couldn't wait.
Robert

I agree with you 100%. Instead of sounding like an actual song it just sounds like a poem being read and background music being added later. The vocals sound detached from the music.

Zimmy66 wrote: I know such heresy on here will be frowned upon - but it's a bad track. Doesn't tempt me to buy the album at all. Unlike the Old Ideas teasers, where I just couldn't wait.
Robert

Hope we will be allowed to keep our critical faculties and express what comes out .
on first listening found the 'music' and production got in the way of the rest of the song - if that makes sense .
Would have liked the kind of supreme musicality we are used to from his stage performances, or if the music is so secondary just a straight recitation- but maybe the problem here is trying to judge a whole album on one track!

Zimmy66 wrote:

yopietro wrote:For those of you are familiar with Dylan, "Almost like the Blues" is reminiscent of "What Was It You Wanted." Especially the breaks after each verse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irKxESOvo-E

Doesn't come close to What was it you wanted. The production on that track is superb. (Daniel Lanois). This 'teaser' from Leonard is shocking. The poetry and prose is all there (as you would expect from the maestro of such things), but the music and production are woeful. I know such heresy on here will be frowned upon - but it's a bad track. Doesn't tempt me to buy the album at all. Unlike the Old Ideas teasers, where I just couldn't wait.
Robert

I wasn't talking about the production of the songs, which is completely different. I was referring to the structure, and especially with the chord progression of the breaks after the vocals. Anyhow, my intention was not even to compare the two songs. I like them both. "Almost like the Blues" I've listened to a few times now and I'm really digging it.

It looks like Cohen, lost his hearing and voice.
I do not like this song.

amarantia wrote:It looks like Cohen, lost his hearing and voice.
I do not like this song.

"There’s torture and there’s killing
and there’s all my bad reviews"...