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It feels like the magic can never stop! Just Great. The whole thing. Magical.

Georges Dor's La Manic on that opus is a dream came true!

I am left with no words.

Speechless.

Amazed.

And very happy!!

fentiger wrote:
>Any new album from Leonard is always very welcome, especially with new songs....Very excited.....Can't stop smiling!

Tchocolatl wrote:
>It feels like the magic can never stop! Just Great. The whole thing. Magical. Georges Dor's La Manic on that opus is a dream came true! I am left with no words. Speechless. Amazed. And very happy!!
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i couldn't have said it better myself. feels good to be in the company of such exceptionally lovely people

The magic of Leonard Cohen is alive and well. We all celebrate him on many different levels. So happy he is still workin' for our little smile....

Happy that La Manic will be on this album.

I had never heard of the song...or of George Dors, for that matter, until I heard it played at Kingston. Leonard took great delight in explaining the background of the song and what it was about beforehand (to help us non-Canadians/non-frenchspeaking folks I guess), and he and the band certainly seemed to enjoy themselves playing it. I hope a similar introduction is part of the version on the new album.

4

Perhaps one song is still missing: the webb sisters' wonderful interpretation of Coming back to you

jerry wrote:
>I never can get as excited about a live release . . . I won't be counting the days until it's released

a rather sad message to read, jerry - if you don't mind my saying so. your gloomy outlook, witnessed also in other posts concerning this forthcoming album, causes me much sorrow. this is because i am aware that a need to devalue the optimism and pride someone may feel in sharing their creativity - in this case leonard's new CD - does unfortunately have its drawbacks. as oscar wilde said: "criticism is the only reliable form of autobiography" - meaning a critic normally tells something far more important about their own life or behavioral characteristics than the people he or she criticises. pessimists are not happy folk, say psychologists - they are generally a frustrated people who have repeatedly suffered failure. therefore please accept my warmest wishes for a speedy recovery so that you may return to a more cheerful and positive attitude.

kindest regards -geoffrey

Geoffrey wrote:jerry wrote:
>I never can get as excited about a live release . . . I won't be counting the days until it's released

a rather sad message to read, jerry - if you don't mind my saying so. your gloomy outlook, witnessed also in other posts concerning this forthcoming album, causes me much sorrow. this is because i am aware that a need to devalue the optimism and pride someone may feel in sharing their creativity - in this case leonard's new CD - does unfortunately have its drawbacks. as oscar wilde said: "criticism is the only reliable form of autobiography" - meaning a critic normally tells something far more important about their own life or behavioral characteristics than the people he or she criticises. pessimists are not happy folk, say psychologists - they are generally a frustrated people who have repeatedly suffered failure. therefore please accept my warmest wishes for a speedy recovery so that you may return to a more cheerful and positive attitude.

kindest regards -geoffrey

What I said holds true for every artist I listen to. Live albums by anyone just doesn't get me as excited as a studio album of new songs does. I'm looking forward to the new album's release but unlike a new studio album I'm not checking the calender to see how many days are left until release day. How is that gloomy?

jerry wrote:
>What I said holds true for every artist I listen to. Live albums by anyone just doesn't get me as excited as a studio album of new songs does. I'm looking forward to the new album's release but unlike a new studio album I'm not checking the calender to see how many days are left until release day. How is that gloomy?
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well, forgive me for making an error. my assumption was based upon what you had written, but i realise now i may have misinterpreted your words. you seemed to be drawing a line between 'checking the calender' and 'not checking the calender', between 'excitement' and 'non-excitement'. that is what we in the trade term as 'splitting', dividing things into black or white. to be "excited" in this instance refers to a state of joy - the opposite of course being gloom. i do know that bad experiences from early childhood can often manifest as resentment later in life, with symptoms of hostility and a disregard for social etiquette. yet, if i were you i wouldn't worry too much about it, because whatever is at the root of a person's don't-like-this/don't-like-that behaviour it can usually be rectified by a competent analyst.
-geoffrey

About the selection of songs for this live album:
Most of the later tour soundchecks were recorded but this was not the case in the earlier tour years. The goal for this record was to make available songs that were not on other releases plus some that were only done in rehearsals/soundchecks. There are still a few that are not released but not too many at this point. Sometimes Leonard and the band would be having fun with a new number and play it for quite a long time. According to Ed Sanders, "you just never knew what was going to happen!"

Being a person who loves documentaries about bands in the studio or backstage-behind-the-scenes tour footage, I love the idea of an album of soundchecks. But, in my opinion, it would be far better as a BluRay; to me, watching it is as important as hearing it - things like false starts, stopping the band to make a change to the arrangment, jamming out the solos, no peformance lighting, technicians running around, the band not dressed in their stage clothes [Leonard still in a suit I suspect], the feeling of being there. Likely this would appear too unprofessionl to release for sale, though I bet there's a market for it.

Such a BluRay would be a great success among hard core fans (while not so interesting for the public at large).

Leonard used to come to the stage first alone, before the band members walked in, one by one, and he started the sound check with some solo songs with his guitar only.

Unfortunately such a release cannot be created; the sound checks were not filmed. The technical crew made camera, screen, sound, volume etc. tests but no footage was saved (as far as I know). The forthcoming live album has been produced using audio recordings from the sound board.

Jarkko, do you know anything about the disappearing of the videos from Camp Cohen? There were several short, but very interesting sketches from the backstage. They seem to be private now (http://leonardcohen.tumblr.com/archive/filter-by/video - May-July 2012).

I don't think they've disappeared totally...

Thanks Jarkko!
Love the 3 dots … as always I remember.
Leslie

jarkko wrote:About the selection of songs for this live album:

Coincidentally, yesterday I was just thinking about the selection of soundcheck songs decided upon for this live album, some of which were played in varying forms at other venues and some of the few unofficial remaining soundchecks:
1. Banks Of Marble (Pula aug 2013)
2. The Stranger Song (Ghent aug 2010)
3. Un As Der Rebbe Singt (Oslo aug 2013)
4. New Song – aka If I Ever Loved You (Zurich aug 2013) – NOT Did I Ever Love You

Add a few songs that were performed not many times in concerts on the Grand Tour:
5. The Guests (Los Angeles nov 2012)
6. A Singer Must Die (Sydney nov 2010)
7. Banjo (Halden aug 2012)
8. Crazy To Love You (Ghent aug 2012)

Now include those songs played in concerts on the Grand Tour that were not on other releases:
9. Feels So Good (Salzburg oct 2010)
10. Lullaby (original versions at Grande Prairie & Dublin 2009)
11. Final Blessings (concerts 2008-13)

.....and then we could have Can't Forget disc 2

Btw – Steve, I do like the idea of the soundcheck songs being visually presented. One vivid example springs to mind of both Leonard’s and Alex’s animated physical performance during no 3. But in another way, I feel a bit like it’s their own private time and they should be able to “let their hair down” without the eyes of the public on them. Then again, maybe they don’t really mind at all. Anyway, as Jarkko says the soundcheck songs were recorded from the soundboard so that’s how it is. I’m always appreciative of any “extra” songs no matter how they are presented.