Customer Reviews

I'm Your Fan

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Right now I'm listening to the man himself, "I'm Your Man", and I guiltily caught myself thinking that I actually prefer the REM version of "First We Take Manhattan" on "I'm Your Fan" to the artist's own rendition. I think for those of my generation (I'm 27), the heavy background vocals and synthesizers of LC's later work (ironic though it may be) is hard to digest, although we can manage to get past it through sheer love of his work. He is certainly a poet first and a producer second - though his acoustic work has a raw power that's hard to match. Also I find that LC tends to over-emote his own songs (for my taste anyway) - I prefer a delivery that is a bit lighter-handed and dispassionate, which most of the tracks on this cover album have. They let the power of the song (pun slightly intended) speak for itself, and give us kids the gift of these songs which many of us might never be able to palate otherwise.

I do think there are some snoozers on here, but none of the tracks really make me cringe (though I generally fast-forward past "Suzanne" as I find the approach a bit heavy and dull. It's hard to bring anything new to that one, it's been done so well by others. I love the cover of "Take This Longing", also "A Singer Must Die", and although others disagree, I adore REM's track. I can't even talk about John Cale's "Hallelujah". As a side note, I strongly urge people who like his track here to buy his "Fragments of a Rainy Season". His songwriting is absolutely compelling to me, though don't try it if you like to be handed obvious meanings on a plate. He accompanies himself on acoustic piano or guitar, creating a gorgeous and chilling atmospheric space, perfect for a rainy afternoon. But I digress.

I bought this CD when it first came out in the 90's, as part of my R.E.M comprehensive collection. Since that time, this has stayed constantly near or in my CD player. Each interpretation of his songs highlights the beauty of the lyric he composed.

I would be hard pressed to find a favorite track. I am a die hard R.E.M fan, but I don't think theirs is the best (near the top, maybe). But I would have to agree with most about The Pixies rendition of "I Can't Forget".

This 1991 tribute album reveals the broad range of Cohen's talent as composer in its dazzling variety of voices and styles. Following the prayer Who By Fire by House of Love, Ian McCulloch soars through Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye, adding his own melancholy twist to the song's sublime sadness; The Pixies storm through I Can't Forget at their characteristic fast pace, whilst That Petrol Emotion poignantly render Stories Of The Street and James perform a meandering but moving So Long Marianne. Stephen Duffy of The Lilac Time gently caresses Bird On A Wire, followed by the Ugandan singer Geoffrey Oryema whose Suzanne, embellished by flute and a trio of guitars, fades out on a click-filled chorus.

Quite brutal is David McComb's exploration of the sleazy Don't Go Home With Your Hard-on which shakes, rattles and rolls along with the best of the psychotic beats, while Dead Famous People, produced by Serge Gainsbourg, make a surprising success of a bubblegum singalong rendition of True Love Leaves No Traces. The star of the show is John Cale as he paints a truly great soundscape with only voice and piano in Hallelujah, a classic which would have remained buried in Cohen's own rather monotone version. Others are not so great: REM's sloppy First We Take Manhattan and Nick Cave's pointless Tower Of Song, which is better interpreted by Robert Forster.

Fans of Leonard might also be interested in the other tribute albums like the I'm Your Man soundtrack, Jennifer Warnes' Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary Edition & Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy. The one titled Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen by a selection of mostly country singers is not quite as memorable as the aforementioned although it does contain a gem or two. Overall, I'm Your Fan is a varied and enjoyable listening experience that brilliantly showcases the melodic and lyrical depth of Leonard Cohen's work. The CD booklet contains black & white pics of the artists and the lyrics to all the songs.

1. That Petrol Emotion doing "Stories of the Street"
2. A raucous "Don't Go Home With Your Hard-on" by David McComb and Adam Peters
3. The now classic version of "Hallelujah" by John Cale.

Like many tribute albums, this has its down moments (REM sounds like a self-parody here) and its mediocre moments (Lloyd Cole does a "nothing to write home about" version of "Chelsea Hotel"). But most of these tracks give us different, often intriguing interpretations of some superb music. The fact that they can withstand these differing perspectives certainly speaks to the integrity and overall excellence of these songs.

Tribute albums are always a mixed bag but the standard of material makes this listenable right the way through. The massive highlight for me is the Pixies doing 'I can't forget' in a true Pixies style and making it sound for all the world like it's always been their song - and one of their best songs at that. Truely breathtaking. If you like the Pixies and haven't heard this song buy the c.d. - it's worth it (and the rest is pretty good too!)

John Cale's cover of 'Hallelujah' is a real unexpected gem while James mix up the lyrics on 'So Long Marianne' but come out on top and House of Love do a luxurious 'Who by Fire'. REM are disappointing with a really unadventurous plod through 'First we take Manhattan' - I anticipated a much more interesting interprettation from them.

If you like Leonard Cohen or some of the bands here it's definitely worth getting - even the lesser covers don't damage some wonderful songs.

There are two schools of thought when considering tribute albums. Make sure the artists don't do too much with the song so that it's unrecognizable and second don't do too little so that it sounds too similar. This one strikes a near perfect balance. I particularly like the inclusion of (now) fairly anonymous bands who Cohen has actually influenced: Pixies, Lilac Time, Fatima Mansions, That Petrol Emotion etc. My favorite song on the album: The Pixies' devastating rendering of "I can't forget" which has the punch of their own material yet keeping the lyric right up front (where it belongs in any Cohen song). Jeffrey Oryema's take on Suzanne has forever altered how I listened to Cohen's original. Lloyd Cole's version of "Chelsea Hotel" is the perfect blend of the two qualities of tribute albums that I mentioned earlier: not too much, not too little. This album is well worth a try for those who are fans of Cohen (like myself) and also for people who are looking for a alternative entry way to listening and understanding one of the finest songwriters of our time.

Forget about who wrote the songs, forget about trying to make comparisons, forget about whether or not the performances were worthy of a tribute. Simply take it as music. Leonard Cohen wrote great songs that here shows they were also great POP songs. So if you're into great music, especially pop songs, and can listen to music without biases or prejudices then you must pick up this disc. The first track "First We Take Manhattan" clearly exemplifies this. While a R.E.M. fan, this song is one of my favorites by them. Mike Mills as co-vocalist with lead singer Michael Stipes makes this an incredible track. Ian McCulloch has an incredible voice and this shows on "Hey That's No Way....". "I Can't Forget" sounds like any other great Pixies track. There are many other stand out tracks like That Petrol Emotion's "Stories of the Street," "Don't Go Home...," "Chelsea Hotel," "Hallelujah," and my favorite: Dead Famous People's "True Leaves No Traces," which transforms Cohen's beautiful lyrics into just a gorgeous pop song. Enjoy!

John Cale is a wonderful, overlooked artist who is better known for his work with the Velvet Underground and for his work as a producer for such bands as The Modern Lovers, The Stooges, and Patti Smith.

His version of "Hallelujah" is one of the most beautiful songs i have ever heard.

After spending the last few years wandering other musical landscapes, I rediscovered Leonard Cohen this year (years after being a mega LC geek in school) and especially wanted to seek this album out again.

Compared to Famous Blue Raincoat (much shorter but much, much more luminous), I'm Your Fan is middling. What's up with the two covers of Tower of Song? Why is the cover of Suzanne so freaking boring? But then there are the beautiful plusses -- A Singer Must Die, the funky cover of Don't Go Home With Your Hard-On (who wouldn't want to hear THAT at a wedding?) and the oft-mentioned version of Hallelujah. I really like the French version of Avalanche (I didn't get the original for many years after this and was very surprised as my hand translated version was very different).

Bottom line: if you want 1 LC tribute CD, get Jennifer Warnes's. If you want 2, get this one too.

I heard this album before I had heard any of Leonard Cohen's work. Such was the effect on me that I immediately sought out work of the man who had inspired this, and have been a fan of Cohen's ever since. Tribute albums can always be hit and miss affairs, but there are no misses on this. There is a strong feeling of deep respect for the man throughout the record. It is difficult to single out particular tracks, but Geoffrey Oryema's Marianne, The Pixies I can't forget and John Cale's Hallelujah are probably the cream of this bounteous crop. If you are into any of the bands on this, or looking for an easy route to enjoying Cohen's music, or even an ardent fan of the man, this is certainly worth having. A similar tribute album called "Tower of Song" also exists, but this is far superior.