Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
CD Description
180 grams audiophile vinyl / Including insert with lyrics
About the Artist
When Cohen became known as a musician in his late 30's people were surprised that his music seemed to come out fully formed. Many were familiar with his work as an author and poet, but did not know that he had been a musician for most of his life. For Cohen, making music was another way to bring his poetry to the people. The dark thrall of his songs portray an artist that is ever able to trace the hidden contours of love, lust, sex, religion, politics and history. 'New Skin For The Old Ceremony', his 4th studio album from 1974, is a distinct move towards richer arrangements and greater musicality, yet through simple song structures the attention is still drawn to the poetry of the lyrics. This first vinyl re-issue since its original release includes 'Who By Fire', a duet with Janis Ian, and a song about Cohen's relationship with Janis Joplin, 'Chelsea Hotel #2'.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
To my mind this is Cohen's best album, achieving an impressive coherence of vision and texture whilst offering more variety of musical tone and timbre than any of his other (not inconsiderable) works. The arrangements are beautifully fitting, the instrumentation is subtle but much richer than on the preceding acoustic guitar oriented albums, and Cohen is in terrific voice, raw with unsuppressed rage and regret on 'Is This What You Wanted' and 'Leaving Greensleeves'. Casual or cloth-eared listeners hold that the Cohen worldview is depressing, but 'New Skin' is ripe with Len's characteristic dark wit and irreverent wordplay, affirming language and melody as (albeit flimsy) bulwarks against life's inevitable humiliations. The songs revel in the bitter comedy of sex and love and the recurrent theme is relationships as war, with the self-styled 'Field Commander Cohen' invariably among the vanquished. But insead of the standard self-pity of the sensitive singer-songwriter, Cohen offers us ironically humorous dissections of his own compromised motives and dirty psychic undercurrents, as well as those of his usually victorious partners. Love is always tinged with hate, adoration with contempt and desire with disgust, so that in the end even the winners in the battle of the sexes are victims of their own worst impulses. As he declares in 'There Is A War', there can be no armistice; the only option is to return to the front and prepare for the next defeat.
24 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
New Skin For The Old Ceremony represents the artist's open break with the early folk simplicity of his classic albums Songs Of Leonard Cohen, Songs From A Room and Songs of Love and Hate (on which a harder sound already surfaced on tracks like Diamonds In The Mine). It harnesses a wider array of instruments including trombones, viola, banjo, percussion, mandolin, woodwinds and trumpet. Emily Bindiger, Erin Dickins & co-producer John Lissauer contribute backing vocals.
This fuller instrumentation with a stronger emphasis on bass and drums, together with a less restrained vocal style, make the sound more varied by taking it closer to the rock tradition. Someone used to the flowing melody lines of the early songs will find e.g. Is This What You Wanted harsh and even dissonant. It is clear that this direction culminated in the Phil Spector-produced Death of a Ladies' Man (1978), a nightmare for the artist but beloved by many.
The previous year's live album, Live Songs, display an even greater intensity and raw power on tracks like Please Don't Pass Me By. The themes are the same but the humor is more overt as in Chelsea Hotel, the moving portrait of Janis Joplin. Although the tunes are less striking on gentle numbers like I Tried to Leave You & There is a War, the insight and poetic quality of the lyrics are always arresting.
His distinct spirituality is much in evidence on tracks like the rocking track Lover Lover Lover, the solemn Take This Longing and the somber Who by Fire, a song inspired by a solemn prayer relating to the concept of the Book of Life with special significance to the High Holy Days Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In a slight tweak, Leonard has modified the chilling finality of the words, shifting the emphasis to the search for the Eternal Divine.
Track number four would become the title of the live album Field Commander Cohen recorded on the 1979 tour and released in 2000. So although not all the songs live up to the legendary compositions on his earlier 1960s work and some sound rough by comparison, New Skin For The Old Ceremony confirms Cohen's unusual gift for arresting metaphor, intriguing symbolism & imagery layered with allusion.
This fuller instrumentation with a stronger emphasis on bass and drums, together with a less restrained vocal style, make the sound more varied by taking it closer to the rock tradition. Someone used to the flowing melody lines of the early songs will find e.g. Is This What You Wanted harsh and even dissonant. It is clear that this direction culminated in the Phil Spector-produced Death of a Ladies' Man (1978), a nightmare for the artist but beloved by many.
The previous year's live album, Live Songs, display an even greater intensity and raw power on tracks like Please Don't Pass Me By. The themes are the same but the humor is more overt as in Chelsea Hotel, the moving portrait of Janis Joplin. Although the tunes are less striking on gentle numbers like I Tried to Leave You & There is a War, the insight and poetic quality of the lyrics are always arresting.
His distinct spirituality is much in evidence on tracks like the rocking track Lover Lover Lover, the solemn Take This Longing and the somber Who by Fire, a song inspired by a solemn prayer relating to the concept of the Book of Life with special significance to the High Holy Days Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In a slight tweak, Leonard has modified the chilling finality of the words, shifting the emphasis to the search for the Eternal Divine.
Track number four would become the title of the live album Field Commander Cohen recorded on the 1979 tour and released in 2000. So although not all the songs live up to the legendary compositions on his earlier 1960s work and some sound rough by comparison, New Skin For The Old Ceremony confirms Cohen's unusual gift for arresting metaphor, intriguing symbolism & imagery layered with allusion.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
New Skin For The Old Ceremony: Leonard Cohen - Field Commander Cohen asks `is this what you wanted?'
29 Sep 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This fourth studio album from the master of the singer/songwriter genre, Leonard Cohen, is a bit of a departure form his previous three releases, and one that, for me, works well. Previously famed for a Spartan approach to music, here he uses a wider variety of backing instruments to provide a rich musical palette from which to make his arrangements. However, even though the arrangements are lusher and more intricate, the basics of Cohen's style remain unchanged. The heart of each track is Cohen's intimate, almost poetic, lyrics. Telling intensely personal stories, with tales of love, loss, regret and a degree of political activism, each verse feels lovingly crafted with each word placed carefully for maximum effect. Cohen's style is intelligent, literate and with the occasional flash of humour, making for some memorable lines.
In tone and style it is quite different to Cohen's early output, but this is no bad thing. Life is about change and evolving, and Cohen's style has definitely evolved through the years, with each new album another step along his road of discovery. It is a journey without a destination, and we should be thankful for being allowed to follow. Some people dislike the change, but personally I think his albums are all the better for it - we'd have all got bored long ago if every album he ever made sounded just like the last one. For me this was a step along the road that worked well, and a classic album resulted.
In tone and style it is quite different to Cohen's early output, but this is no bad thing. Life is about change and evolving, and Cohen's style has definitely evolved through the years, with each new album another step along his road of discovery. It is a journey without a destination, and we should be thankful for being allowed to follow. Some people dislike the change, but personally I think his albums are all the better for it - we'd have all got bored long ago if every album he ever made sounded just like the last one. For me this was a step along the road that worked well, and a classic album resulted.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
What it's all about....
I've read the chapter on Leonard Cohen in Edward Whitelock's book Apocalypse Jukebox: The End of the World in American Popular Music, and now have a much better understanding of... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Gerrida
New Skin....Old Ceremony
I ought to preface this review by stating that I am a committed Leonard Cohen fan, not a casual listener, so I'm judging this album in comparison to Leonard's finest works. Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2009 by Wakefield, 2011
Not his best but some moments of beauty
NSTOC is Cohen's fourth studio album released in 1974 by which time the poetry of his debut LP had largely given way to the embittered musings of an artist unhappy with his life... Read more
Published on 24 Jun 2009 by Greg Farefield-Rose
Leonard Cohen - New Skin for the Old Ceremony
One of my favourites - a CD for fans or newcomers to Cohen's work. Some great lyrics and as always talented back up singers and musicians
Published on 21 May 2009 by Y. Watson
THE WORK OF A TRUE GENIUS
Yet another album that I can play over and over again without it getting boring. I know all of the songs by heart and yet I can listen to it any time. Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2008 by Sick-o
Not impressed
As the caption says, Not impressed. Would not recommend this if you like the "Normal" Cohen style. Will keep trying in the hope that it grows on me.
Published on 22 April 2008 by Mr. Robert Roberts
Why Don't You Try?
I feel compelled to leap to the defence of New Skin. Though I can say absolutely without doubt that it is not his greatest album, it contains at least three of Cohen's greatest... Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2007 by pikeyboy
I'm a great fan of LC - but I can't completely love this CD
I have all of Leonard Cohen's CD's as they are really cheap now and my LP collection of LC from the 70's onwards isn't a patch on the sound quality of these re-released CD's (and... Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2006 by Keith Joseph
Woman-soul-robbing...
Passionate music for passionate listeners-ever since I've listened to it I got a crush on Cohen's music. Read more
Published on 26 Nov 1999
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
