Rare Songs

Rare Songs was the term used for www.twoshakesofalambstail.com [~greg] to describe a collection of live songs and improvisations. In 2005 I copied the mp3 and transcripts than they provided, for the case that one day I could lose the access. Now the original transcriptions are accessible in Wayback Machine or through this page.

Currently Heck Of A Guy - The Other Leonard Cohen Site offers, for free too, another good collection of Other - Another Songs of LC.

But, What is one Rare Song? Rare Live Song LC? or Other Song? What criteria of qualification defined any song? I guess they are songs unpublished, early versions, improvisations, with significant changes, etc. Sometimes are not songs, such presentations or poems. Leonard Cohen evolves his work a lot, we found significant changes of lyrics (but the versions of Hallelujah are well known and they are not Rare) and music changes (The Butcher 1976, with minor changes in the lyrics, is an essential Rare). At the end it is a personal choice. For my collection I have kept almost all that I have found and I've also added some more.

This stuff is an extension of the work of Leonard Cohen, not commercialised, collected by his fans, especially interested in his work and evolution. Note that often the sound quality is very bad.

We can not do business with this, the distribution must be free, while the author does not publish it or manifest his opposition. Keep in mind that Leonard may not be satisfied with some things, he stated his disagreement with published the outtakes as bonus in 2007.

In this page you can find links to some transcripts, many of twoshakesofalambstail. Due to my difficulty to understand English, the transcriptions are very important to me, especially in unusual songs. There is some translations into Catalan for my use.

One Rare Song especially interesting is StoreRoom, outtake from Songs of Leonard Cohen published as bonus in 2007 (not for free distribution) and performed by Leonard in the 1976 tour. It's one collection of interchangeable verses speaking about the same concept.

Blessed Is the Memory

or (The Memory of) Everybodys Child
1967 bonus SoLC 2007 outtake SoLC (t)
1976 (s) Frankfurt, Apr. 25 (o);  May. Germany

Store Room

1967 outtake bonus SoLC 2007 (t)
1976 Paris June 6 (b), Montreux June 25  (s) (o)

The Stranger Song

1967 Live Once More With Julie Felix BBC PRIME (y)

Hey, That's no Way To Say Goodbye

1967 Live Once More With Julie Felix BBC PRIME, Julie Felix, Leonard Cohen (y)

Like a Bird

1968 Apr. production David Crosby; early Bird on the Wire bonus SfR 2007 (t)

Nothing to One

1968 Apr. production David Crosby; early You know Who I Am bonus SfR 2007 (t)

There Is No Reason Why You Should Remember Me

1968 unreleased BBC Sept. 7 (s) (o)

Celebration

Poem - (When You Kneel Below Me)
1970 Frankfurt, May 6 (s)

Sing Another Song Boys

1970 Frankfurt, May 6 (s)

The Partisan

1970 Frankfurt, May 6 (s)

Regina

1970 TV Paris May 13 (s) (b)

Les Propriétaires de la Révolution

Speech in French intro Bird on the Wire
1970 Aix-En-Provence, Aug. 2 (b)

For No Reason At All

Improvisation - 1970 Aix-En-Provence, Aug. 2 (b)

Diamonds in the Mine

1970 Wight, Aug. 31 - with the first verse They Gave Me Some Money (t)

Dress Rehearsal Rag

1971 early version bonus SoLH 2007 (t)

As Time Goes By

by Herman Hupfield 1931
1972 Dublin, Mar. 18 (s) (o) (b)

Chelsea Hotel

by Leonard Cohen and Ron Cornelius.
Early Chelsea Hotel #2 -> NSfOC 1974
1972 Manchester, Mar. 20 (s)
(Frankfurt Apr. 6 (b); Tel Aviv, Apr. 19 (o) (b)

Kevin Barry

Traditional Irish
1972 Dublin Mar. 18 (b); Frankfurt Apr. 6 (s) (o) (b) speech

Banks Of Marble

by Pete Seeger
1972 Frankfurt Apr. 6 with speech (s) (b)

I'm The Man Who Wrote Suzanne

Improvisation - 1972 Manchester, Mar. 20 (s)

I Don't Know Why I'm Scared Tonight

Improvisation - 1972 Frankfurt Apr. 6 (b)

I Passed The High Buildings

Improvisation - 1972 Frankfurt Apr. 6 (b)

I'm Trying To Break Free Myself

Improvisation - 1972 Frankfurt Apr. 6 (s) (b)

The Broken Lip

Improvisation - 1972 Frankfurt, Apr. 6 (s) (b)

We Shall Not Be Moved

Traditional 1931
1972 Amsterdam Apr. 15 (s), Tel Aviv Apr. 19 (o) (b)

Bird On The Wire

Live French introduction, differences with 1972 Paris, Apr. 18 (s) (1973 Live Songs)

Song To The Machines / I Love Spending The Night With Two Girls

Improvisation - 1972 Tel Aviv, Apr. 19 (o) (b)

Improvisation, speech with Audience

Improvisation - 1972 probably ¿? (s)

Seems So Long Ago, Nancy

1972 Live ¿? (s)

Lover, lover, lover

1973 Lyrics of fighting with ‘brothers’ in Yom Kippur War

Je veux vivre tout seul

Bird on the Wire part in French adaption Serge Lama 1971
1974 L'Humanité Sept. 7; 1975 Pennsylvania, Nov. 23 (b); 1976 Paris A2 TV, May 27 (o)
1985 Paris, June 4; Reims, June 9

Beloved Comrade

by Lewis Allan and Fred Katz 1945
1974 L'Humanité Sept. 7 (b)

Dona Nobis Pacem

Unknown compositor
1974 Munich, Sept. 28 (s)

Mr. Cohen Must Be Going

Short improvisation by Graeme Allwright
1974 Olympia Paris, Oct. 20 (o)

Un Az Der Rebbe Singt

Traditional Hebrew 
1970 (s) Frankfurt, May 6 (b); 1974;
1975 Philadelphia Feb. 05 (b); 1976 (o) Nürnberg, June 6; 1979

Un Az Der Rebbe Elimelech

Traditional Hebrew
1975 Philadelphia Feb. 05 (b)

Beauty Salon

1975 Songs for Rebecca unreleased early Don't Go Home With Your Hard On-> DoaLM 1977
1975 tour (s) (s) Pennsylvania Nov. 23 (o) (b)

Came So Far for Beauty

1975 Songs for Rebecca unreleased -> RS 1979
1975 tour Pennsylvania, Nov. 23 (b)

Guerrero

by Leonard Cohen - John Lissauer
1975 Songs for Rebecca unreleased early Iodine -> DoaLM 1977
1975 Pennsylvania, Nov. 23 (s) (o) (b)

I Guess It's Time

1975 Songs for Rebecca unreleased early The Smokey Life -> RS 1979
1975 tour Pennsylvania, Nov. 23 (b)

The Traitor Song

1975 Songs for Rebecca unreleased early The Traitor -> RS 1979
1975 tour Pennsylvania, Nov. 23 (b)

Misty Blue

1975 Pennsylvania, Nov. 23 (s) (b)
1979 outtake RS
Written by Bob Montgomery (1976 Dorothy Moore version country blues)

Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye

1976 Gen. PBS TV concert, duet Judy Collins and Leonard Cohen (y)

Suzanne

1976 Gen. PBS TV concert, duet Judy Collins and Leonard Cohen (y)

Do I Have To Dance All Night

1976 tour Dublin, May 11 (b); Paris, June 6 (b) (s)
[1976 live Paris + The Butcher -> single Europe]
1980 Amsterdam, Oct. 30 (o) (b)

The Butcher

1975 Toronto, Jan. 31 (o); 1976 Dublin, May 11 (b) (s)

Die Gedanken Sind Frei

by Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben 1815 (trad. German  sXIX)
1976 tour Germany (s) (o); Vienna, June 14 ; Nuremberg, June 18

You Are My Sunshine

by J. Davis, C. Mitchell 1940
1976 (s) tour May June

Iodine

1979 Frankfurt, Nov. 1st (s) (b)

Red River Valley

Traditional American S.XIX
1979 Canada, Mainz,  Nov. 8; Birmingham, Dec. 8 soundcheck (b);
1985  Hannover, Mar. 13 (s) (o) (b), souncheck

I Tried To You

1979 Boon, Dec. 3 (s); 1985 Vienna, Jul. 6 (o)

There Is A War

1979 Bonn, Dec. 3 (s)

Thirsty For The Kiss  

early Heart With No Companion -> VP 1985
1979 London Dic. 6 (s) (o)

Billy Sunday

The Blues By The Jews
1979 (o) Birmingham, Dec. 8 (b); Brighton Dec. 15 (s) (b) and soundcheck (b); Melbourne 1980 Mar. 8 (b)

I Ride An Old Paint

Am. western song, arranged and adapted by: Fred Hellerman
1979 Birmingham, Dec. 8 (o) (b) soundcheck

Drinking Rum and Coca Cola

Lord Invader and Lionel Belasco (final take of I Ride An Old Paint)
1979 Birmingham, Dec. 8 soundcheck (b)

Streets Of Laredo

or Cowboy's Lament, from the English folk song The Unfortunate Rake
1979 Birmingham, Dec. 8 (o) (b)

Silent Night

by Joseph Mohr - 1816
1979 Birmingham, Dec. 8 (rehearsal) (b); Brighton Dec. 15,  (duet with Jennifer Warnes) (s) (o) (b)

Solidarity forever YouTube
The Union Makes Us Strong

by Ralph Chaplin in 1915
1979 Birmingham, Dec. 8 (o) (b) soundcheck

Another Saturday Night

by Sam Cooke
1980 Melbourne, Mar. 8 (s) (o) (b)

The Music Crept By Us / Dance Dance Dance

(Poem) / Improvisation - 1980 Amsterdam, Oct. 30 (b)

To Love Somebody

by B. & R. Gibb 1967 (Bee Gees)
1979 tour Europe; 1980 Eppelheim, Nov. 5 (o); Frankfurt,  Nov. 7 (s)

Tennessee Waltz

by R.Stewart, P. King, additional verse: Cohen - by Ann Murray/Patti Page ¿?
1976 tour
1985 (s) London, Feb. 25 (b); Hannover, Mar. 13 (b); Warsaw, Mar. 22 (b); Philadelphia, May 1; Wien, Jul. 6 (b); Vienna, Jul. 6 (b); Montreux, Jul. 9 (t)- bonus track on Dear Heather (2004)

Ballad of the Absent Mare

1985 Jul. 6 Vienna sound check (forgetting lyrics) (o)

Cant Help Falling In Love With You

by G. Weiss, H. Peretti. L. Creatore 1962 film "Blue Hawaii"
1988 Oslo May 7 (s) (o)

Whither Thou Goest

From The Book Of Ruth
1988 (s) Nürnberg, May 10 ; Royal Albert Hall, May 30 (b); Reykjavik, June 24; Bergen, June 28; Vancouver Oct. 26; Montréal, Nov. 13
1996 Berlin, May. 25
2007 Warsaw Anjani and Leonard Cohen (o) (b)
2008 Copenhagen, Jul. 5 (b)
2008 London, Jul. 17 (Live In London); 2009 Texas, Apr. 3; Phoenix, Apr. 5; Oakland, Apr. 13

Tower Of Song

1989 Feb. 13, Sunday Night Live with David Sanborn (s)

Who By Fire

1989 Feb. 13, Sunday Night Live with Sonny Rollins and Was Not Was (s)

(Chiquita) Banana Song

1991 Much Music TV Toronto, Oct. 25, with Irving Layton   (o)

A Thousand Kisses Deep 1996

1996 Mount Baldy, Armelle Brusq’s documentary, Spring 96 (o)

Book Of Longing

2006 June 24, Interview KCRW California (o) (y)

Puppets

2006 June 24, Interview KCRW California (o) (y)

Never Got To Love You

Duet Anjani Leonard
2007 Warsaw, Mar. 31, Live radio Trzeci Polskiego Radia (o) (b) (y); Joes Pub NY, Apr. 24 (y)

Lullaby

2009 Texas, Apr. 3 (b) (y); Oakland, Apr. 13 (b) (y);
2012 Old Ideas

The Darkness

2009 Venice, Aug. 3 soundcheck (b y); Nashville, Nov. 5 (y), St. Louis Fox, Nov. 7 (y); Las Vegas, Nov. 12 (o) (y); 2010 Sligo, Ireland, Jul. 31 (y)
2012 Old Ideas

Feels So Good

New Song or The Other Blues Song
2009 Rosemont Theatre, Chicago, Oct. 29 (y); Kansas City, Nov. 9; Durham, England, Mov. 3 (o) ; Las Vegas, Nov. 12 (y)
2010 Salzburg Arena, Jul. 27 (y); Sligo, Ireland, Ago. 1 (y)

Born in Chains

post Taken Out of Egypt 1988
2010 Salzburg Arena, Jul. 27 (y); Sligo, Ireland, Jul. 31 (y)
2014 Popular Problems

My Oh My

2010 Ghent, soundcheck partial, Aug. 22 (y)
2014 Popular Problems

Save the Last Dance For Me

by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 1960
Closing the concerts 2012 Old Ideas Tour (b)

Le Manic

by Georges Dor "La Complainte de La Manic" 1966
Quebec City, Colisée Pepsi- Dec 2, 2012, Official release 2015: Can't Forget (t)

Never Gave Nobody Trouble

Soundcheck, Odense, King’s Garden, Aug. 17, 2013, Official release 2015: Can't Forget (t)

I've got a little secret

2013 O2 Arena Dublin, Sep. 12 (y); Amsterdam, Sept. 20 (y)
Soundcheck, Auckland, Vector Arena - Dec. 21, 2013, Official release 2015: Can't Forget (t)

Choices

by Curtis, Yates and Lyons 1997, covered by George Jones 1999
Soundcheck, Christchurch, CBS Arena - Dec. 14, 2013 - 3:33, s, Official release 2015: Can't Forget (t)

Stages

Show, Sydney, Opera House - Dec 2, 2013 and Soundcheck, Hamburg, O2 World - July 14, 2013
Official release 2015: Can't Forget (t)

Happens To The Heart

Poem, published in leonardcohenforum.com Aug 25, 2016, Leonard Cohen June 24, 2016

Sources:
(s) StoreRoom: www.twoshakesofalambstail.com/storeroom
(b) Bootlegs: bootlegs collection
(o) The Other - Another - Leonard Cohen Album Heck Of A Guy
(y) YouTube
(t) Tracks, Bonus tracks 2007 or official discography ©

Acknowledgment:

~greg

Leonard Cohen - Rare Live Songs www.twoshakesofalambstail.com/storeroom - Index Leonard Cohen - Rare Live Songs www.twoshakesofalambstail.com/storeroom - Transcripts
Heck Of A Guy The Other Leonard Cohen Site 1heckofaguy.com - The Other Leonard Cohen Album Vol 1,2 and Another.
Diamonds in the Lines : Leonard Cohen in his own live words
Leonard Cohen's Concert Tours - LC Files
www.leonardcohenlive.com - Jean-François Bédard, Artur Jarosinski, Goldin ,Tom Sakic, © 2001-2004 Leonard Cohen community.
www.leonardcohenlive.com - 60sdemos
www.leonardcohenlive.com - acetate66
Youtube - speakingcohen albertnoonan, ArleneD Dick, a1000kissesdeep, MaartenLC, musicloveraustria2, IrishMar ...

 

Unpublished songs, quoted somewhere and not available.

The Jewels in Your Shoulder

1967 outtake SoLC

Your Father Has Fallen

1967

Come on, Marianne

1967 early So Long, Marianne -> SoLC 1967

A Case of You

1967 (to Joni Mitchell)

Nine Years Old

1967 early Story of Isaac -> SfaR 1969

Just Two People (or Anyone Can See)

1967 outtake SoLC
1967 April live in Buffalo University
1969 outtake SfaR

In the Middle of the Night

1967 outtake SoLC

The Sun Is My Song

1967 outtake SoLC

Beach of Idios

1967 outtake SoLC

Nobody Calls You But Me

1967 outtake SoLC

Love Is the Item

1967 outtake SoLC

Nancy, Where Have You Been Sleeping

1967 outtake SoLC

Splinters

1967 outtake SoLC

Lady Midnight

1968 Apr. production David Crosby 

Baby I've Seen You

1969 outtake SfaR

Your private name

1969 outtake SfaR

Breakdown

1969 outtake SfaR

Paper-Thin Hotel

1975 Songs for Rebecca -> DoaLM 1977

Nylon and Silk

1985 outtake VP

Anthem

1985 outtake VP -> TheF 1992

If You Could See What's Coming Next

1989 early The Future -> TheF 1992

Waiting for the Miracle

1988 outtake ImYM -> TheF 1992

The Street

2001 Written with Anjani

Puppets

2011 Written with Sharon Robinson

The Captain

2011 Written with Sharon Robinson

Treaty

 

 

Live songs before studio recording.

You Know Who I Am

1968 BBC London, Aug. 11; Aug. 31

Bird On the Wire

1968 BBC London, Aug. 11; Aug. 31

Story of Isaac

1968 BBC Aug. 31

Dress Rehearsal Rag

1968 BBC London, Aug. 11; Sept. 7

Joan Of Arc

1969 Frankfurt, May 6; 1970 Royal Albert Hall, May 10; Aix-En-Provence, Aug. 2

Diamonds In The Mine

1969 Frankfurt, May 6; 1970 Royal Albert Hall, May 10; Aix-En-Provence, Aug. 2; Wight, Aug. 31

Famous Blue Raincoat

1969 Frankfurt, May 6; 1970 Royal Albert Hall, May 10; Wight, Aug. 31

Sing Another Song, Boys

1969 Frankfurt, May 6; 1970 Royal Albert Hall, May 10; Wight, Aug. 31

Please Don't Pass Me By

1969 Frankfurt, Ma. 6; 1970 Royal Albert Hall, May 10 - Live Songs

Avalanche

1970 Royal Albert Hall, May 10

 (OS) "Other Songs", Songs written by Leonard Cohen but not recorded by himl More information in Leonard Cohen Files

Priest

Recorded by Judy Collins (Wildflowers 1967)
Richie Havens (Richard P Havens, 1983, 1969)
Enrique Morente (Omega, in Spanish, 1996)

God is Alive, Magic is Afoot

Buffy Sainte-Marie, an adaptation of a piece of Beautiful Losers.
Recorded by Buffy Saint-Marie (Illuminations 1970 and Up Where We Belong 1996)

Bells

Writeen 1967 early Take This Longing (for Nico, LC New Skin For The Old Ceremony 1974)
Recorded by Buffy Saint-Marie (She Used to Be a Ballerina 1971)

Song of Bernadette

Written by Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes in October 1979 or tour 1972 (AMp237)
Recorded by Jennifer Warnes (Famous Blue Raincoat 1986)

Fire

Lyrics by Leonard Cohen, music by Lewis Furey
(Soundtrack of Night Magic, France 1985)

Way Down Deep

Written by Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes
Recorded by Jennifer Warnes (Hunter, 1992)

It Just Feels

Written by Leonard Cohen and David A Stewart
Recorded by Sylvie Marechal (Voie Lactee, France 1992)

Lucky

Written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson, 1980s
Recorded by Sharon Robinson (Caffeine, 2015)
Sharon Robinson - Lucky, Bush Hall, London: April 6, 2015, Video by Christine Bowles

Summertime

Written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson
Recorded by Diana Ross (Red hot rhythm and blues, USA 1987)
Roberta Flack (Set the night to music, USA 1991)
Sharon Robinson (Everybody Knows, USA 2008)