Sing Another Song, Boys

the earl of kent · Post by **the earl of kent** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:56 pm

I understand that on Songs Of Love & Hate, the penultimate song, Sing Another Song, Boys, was replaced at the last minute by the Live version that we have today. So who can tell me how I can hear Cohen's original studio version???!

Post by **jarkko** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:15 pm

how I can hear Cohen's original studio version

I don't think there is a studio version - even if such existed long time ago it has got lost by now.

Shane · Post by **Shane** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 4:01 pm

I love the live version, but live songs on studio albums do make me kinda nervous. Same goes for ending Dear Heather with an ancient live T. Waltz.

Sing Another Song is one of my favorite Cohen songs, and I'd love it if a studio version of it was used on my favorite album.

the earl of kent · Post by **the earl of kent** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 3:09 am

Well, from what I know, a live version replaced the original studio version at the last minute before the album was pressed. And I want to hear it!!

tomsakic · Post by **tomsakic** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:33 pm

That's true, but Jarkko is trying to say that was in 1971!

To clarify further, the thing is that many of Leonard's outtakes weren't preserved in Sony's archives, or they are so damaged they can't be used at all. I presume that this outtake (as some others, like Priests or Misty Blue, and Do I Have To Dance All Night?) are, or were in the archives, but Jarkko is right that we can't count on that. We were informed that both Leonard's unreleased albums (1975's Songs For Rebecca, and 1980s' recording of psalms) are ruined and lost forever. I guess that we can consider 1980s and 1990s outakes as safe, because I think LC recorded them personally on his equipment, so probably there are demos and early cuts of songs from I'm Your Man and The Future albums.

But we learned also from Leanne Ungar's interview that leonard peronally destroyed finished track of Closing Time, and then recorded totally new, with different melody. So maybe Leonard was cleaning the desk all the time...

the earl of kent · Post by **the earl of kent** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 1:59 pm

Ah yes, Priests was another song that I thought I might one day get to hear. Though saying all this, there is something nice knowing that there isn't tons of studio outtakes and unreleased bits and demo tracks floating around, the antithesis of Dylan.

I have the Rare Songs bootlegs Vol. 1 and 2, but they are all live recordings...and more then often suffering from an atrocious sound.

tomsakic · Post by **tomsakic** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:26 pm

They are mostly recorded from audience. You're right in this, LC is totally opposite to Dylan, when it comes to outtakes and demos. He's very clean in that - he's maybe only artist who didn't left any B-side on any of his album or singles, he didn't make radio or single edits (but Sony did shortened The Future and Closing Time for radio, ommiting some verses). When he recorded his albums, he decided which eight or ten songs will make it to the record, and then he polished them so much that he even over-reacted and destroyed many good songs for which all other singers would kill for. But he did not leave any dirty trace: no outtakes, no B-sides, no demo tracks... Sony hardly recorded his shows, so there's even reasonable problem with live CD for period before 1980, and in archives, there's hardly any material for DVD release (because LC didn't like to have his shows televised - it ruined his and audiences' concentration...).

In any case, I hope that Sony's buirocracy stored some tracks without thinking of it, so mabye we will hear Priests and other rare tracks one day, on box set they wanted in 2001, but it seems that LC is more interested in new projects, what's very reasonable