venta

On Fridays this year, we ask...

What's in the Box?

The Box in question is the glovebox of my car, home to my extremely motley tape collection. By the time I owned a car with a tape player tapes were on the way out and most of my music was in CD format. However, charity shops were practically giving tapes away, which meant that I bought rapaciously and eclectically. A half-remembered 80s band who once released a single I'd liked a little ? A band I'd vaguely heard of ? An unknown group with good cover art ? Bring them on.

Of course, the net result is that I've ended up with a tape collection which any music-lover would be slightly ashamed of. There was a relatively narrow window (late 70s to later 80s) when tapes were big news, and my horde represents that. However, in amongst the terrible pop I've found some gems and I reckon its time to come clean about my guilty musical secrets.

In The Box this week we have:

Cohen Live - Leonard Cohen

Last week, killing some time in Woodley, I wandered into the Oxfam music shop and asked if they kept tapes. They don't. However, as I was leaving the Oxfam lady suddenly demanded "Leonard Cohen?". I said yes, all right then, and she went and ferreted in a back room and produced a copy of Cohen Live for 99p. As it is, I already have that album on CD and know it to be a Good Thing. It's something I'd happily have in my car, so I paid up and left with it since she'd been nice enough to hunt it out for me.

For years I had Leonard Cohen filed under "weary balladeer", whose main job was to be a byword for miserable lyrics and to be listened to by suicidal teenagers. Then someone played me the album I'm Your Man. While I wouldn't call it cheery, as such, it's not the kind of whiny nonsense I expected. Instead, it's much darker and more menacing; it's since become one of my favourite albums.

I'm not sure why I originally bought Cohen Live. I'm usually anti live albums, as they tend to be poorly recorded. This isn't, though. It's a selection of songs from different concerts, meaning that it can afford to have actual production values, unlike albums which were just someone pressing 'go' on the recording at the start of a gig.

If you're not familiar with Leonard Cohen, I'd recommend I'm Your Man as a start. If you are already a fan, though, give this live album a try; I'd really recommend it for a slightly new take on several old favourites.

Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man (Live @ O'Keefe Center, Toronto, 17/06/93) [link expired]

[Poll #1146508]