richardf8 | Entries tagged with music

Precis: Footage of an homage concert to Leonard Cohen framed by commentary from Cohen and the performers.

The good: Cohen's commentary is very illuminating, and his wry, self deprecating humour lends an incredibly gentle touch to the film.

The bad: Self-conciously "artistic" cinematography, including such crimes as shooting in high-speed Super-8 and then enlarging in to 70mm for maximum graininess, and too many excessively tight close-ups of mouths on microphones, as well as double-image special effects seriously mar the films viewability. One or two performances were . . . . strange.

The unforgettable: Cohen performing "Tower of Song" with a band of people influenced by him, including Bono and Rufus Wainwright. Gratitude permeates the stage - gratitude from Cohen that his music will live on the hands of these younger performers, and gratitude from the youngsters for the opportunity to play with Cohen.

The unforgiveable: I went in thinking the film was produced by the Canadian Film Board. However, it was produced by Mel Gibson and released through Icon/Lionsgate. Damn, our money got into that bastard's pocket.

http://www.livejournal.com/community/ljdemocrats/1900681.html?style=mine#cutid1

By Arlo Guthrie
originally written by Steve Goodman
Katrina rewrite by Stephen Johnson

Living in the City of New Orleans
I'm gettin' by, but poor as poor can be
I voted for the man who'd keep me safest
By God, I knew he'd do alright by me.

All along the length of Bourbon Street friendly faces smile at me
Strolling down past cafes, pubs and bars
Passing I remember when, city full of old black men
Played saxaphones under the moon and stars.

Good mornin' America, how are you?
Don't you know me? I'm your native son!
I'm the place they call the City of New Orleans
I'll be doing fine soon as this storm is gone.

You know some say you lied to take us to war
Betting our lives, hoping no one's keeping score
Cut our funds and hoping for the best
But I hear the waves lapping at my door

You said no one could ever forsee this disaster
But that lie you tried to spread was soon revealed
Families with no cash or car, prayed to God to please stand guard
But the rising tide just would not recede

Good mornin' America, how are you?
Say don't you know me? I'm your native son!
I'm the jewel called the City of New Orleans.
I'll be under 20 feet when the day is done.

Swimming through the City of New Orleans
Wish I was in Memphis, Tennessee
Superdome, yeah we'll be there by morning'
And the federal government sure will rescue me

But all the men and women seem to drown in this bad dream
And the journalists still ain't told the truth
The president, he lies again
And asks us not to assign blame
This rain's sure made me lose my faith in you

Good night America, how are you?
Say don't you know me? I'm your native son!
I'm the lesson called the City of New Orleans.
I'll lose 50,000 lives before the nightmare's gone.

An Atari 2600 Video Game whose premise is to get the Journey Band Members to their "E5C4P3 Scarab.":
http://www.journey-tribute.com/journey/resources/atari2600/
Is there any more emblematic artifact of the eighties than a Journey Atari game?

My Rabbi

He is the sort of man of whom you can't decide:
"Would I rather study Talmud with him,
Or Guitar?"

I meant to post this earlier, but

athelind was a bit quicker than me, posting both this and "Anthem" to his journal.


Democracy
-Leonard Cohen

It's coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It's coming from the feel
that this ain't exactly real,
or it's real, but it ain't exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don't pretend to understand at all.
It's coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin'
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.

It's coming to America first,
the cradle of the best and of the worst.
It's here they got the range
and the machinery for change
and it's here they got the spiritual thirst.
It's here the family's broken
and it's here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open
in a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the women and the men.
O baby, we'll be making love again.
We'll be going down so deep
the river's going to weep,
and the mountain's going to shout Amen!
It's coming like the tidal flood
beneath the lunar sway,
imperial, mysterious,
in amorous array:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.

I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Democracy - Leonard Cohen

Well,

For the masochists, morbidly curious, and tone deaf, I am offering these couple of songs. At least until my ISP notices that I'm exceeding my quota. Of course, with there level of attention, that isn't likely. But I'll take them down in a week or so anyway.

Kawishiwi River Blues (1.3M) - Better production values than "Linus," the synth is a SoundBlaster Audigy. It's a talking blues about a day trip

morgan1 and I enjoy taking up in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. I like this piece better than most I've done, but I'm never happy with my voice.

Linus (1.7M) - A piece of OS filk to the tune of Leonard Cohen's Suzanne. Recorded back in 2001, before I had a decent synth.

Gas Prices are going up again, so another war with some middle eastern country can't be far away. I have been thinking about putting together a special "Maudlin, Slit-Your-Wrists, George W. Bush, anti- war" mix. Here are the songs I'm thinking of including so far:

Motorhead - 1916
Pink Floyd - When the Tigers Broke Free
The Pogues - (No More I'll Go) Waltzing Matilda (they do a better job with it than Eric Bogle)
Billy Bragg - My Youngest Son Came Home Today
Leonard Cohen - The Story of Isaac
Buffy Saint Marie - The Universal Soldier
Peter, Paul and Mary - Greenwood

Anyone have any other suggestions?

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Ranting and Raving

Entries tagged with music

Movie Review: I'm Your Man

City of New Orleans - a rework of the lyrics by Steve Johnson (<user site="livejournal.com" User="da

How 80's does it get?

A Brief Poem that occured to me on the way to work.

Democracy - Song for the day.

Ah, the things we do . . .

Special Mix

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