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 I guess they are songs unpublished, early versions, improvisations, with significant changes, etc.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 |
Store Room |
1967 outtake bonus SoLC 2007 (t) |
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) |
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 |
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 |
Chelsea Hotel |
by Leonard Cohen and Ron Cornelius. |
Kevin Barry |
Traditional Irish |
Banks Of Marble |
by Pete Seeger |
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 |
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 |
Beloved Comrade |
by Lewis Allan and Fred Katz 1945 |
Dona Nobis Pacem |
Unknown compositor |
Mr. Cohen Must Be Going |
Short improvisation by Graeme Allwright |
Un Az Der Rebbe Singt |
Traditional Hebrew |
Un Az Der Rebbe Elimelech |
Traditional Hebrew |
Beauty Salon |
1975 Songs for Rebecca unreleased early Don't Go Home With Your Hard On-> DoaLM 1977 |
Came So Far for Beauty |
1975 Songs for Rebecca unreleased -> RS 1979 |
Guerrero |
by Leonard Cohen - John Lissauer |
I Guess It's Time |
1975 Songs for Rebecca unreleased early The Smokey Life -> RS 1979 |
The Traitor Song |
1975 Songs for Rebecca unreleased early The Traitor -> RS 1979 |
Misty Blue |
1975 Pennsylvania, Nov. 23 (s) (b) |
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) |
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) |
You Are My Sunshine |
by J. Davis, C. Mitchell 1940 |
Iodine |
1979 Frankfurt, Nov. 1st (s) (b) |
Red River Valley |
Traditional American S.XIX |
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 |
Billy Sunday |
The Blues By The Jews |
I Ride An Old Paint |
Am. western song, arranged and adapted by: Fred Hellerman |
Drinking Rum and Coca Cola |
Lord Invader and Lionel Belasco (final take of I Ride An Old Paint) |
Streets Of Laredo |
or Cowboy's Lament, from the English folk song The Unfortunate Rake |
Silent Night |
by Joseph Mohr - 1816 |
Solidarity forever YouTube |
by Ralph Chaplin in 1915 |
Another Saturday Night |
by Sam Cooke |
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) |
Tennessee Waltz |
by R.Stewart, P. King, additional verse: Cohen - by Ann Murray/Patti Page ¿? |
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" |
Whither Thou Goest |
From The Book Of Ruth |
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 |
Lullaby |
2009 Texas, Apr. 3 (b) (y); Oakland, Apr. 13 (b) (y); |
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) |
Feels So Good |
New Song or The Other Blues Song |
Born in Chains |
post Taken Out of Egypt 1988 |
My Oh My |
2010 Ghent, soundcheck partial, Aug. 22 (y) |
Save the Last Dance For Me |
by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman 1960 |
Le Manic |
by Georges Dor "La Complainte de La Manic" 1966 |
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) |
Choices |
by Curtis, Yates and Lyons 1997, covered by George Jones 1999 |
Stages |
Show, Sydney, Opera House - Dec 2, 2013 and Soundcheck, Hamburg, O2 World - July 14, 2013
|
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:
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 |
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 |
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 |
Priest |
Recorded by Judy Collins (Wildflowers 1967) |
God is Alive, Magic is Afoot |
Buffy Sainte-Marie, an adaptation of a piece of Beautiful Losers. |
Bells |
Writeen 1967 early Take This Longing (for Nico, LC New Skin For The Old Ceremony 1974) |
Song of Bernadette |
Written by Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes in October 1979 or tour 1972 (AMp237) |
Fire |
Lyrics by Leonard Cohen, music by Lewis Furey |
Way Down Deep |
Written by Leonard Cohen and Jennifer Warnes |
It Just Feels |
Written by Leonard Cohen and David A Stewart |
Lucky |
Written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson, 1980s |
Summertime |
Written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson
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