Light As The Breeze: Leonard Cohen Returns With Live Rarities Set

Just a few months after the September 2014 release of Leonard Cohen’s new studio album Popular Problems and subsequent concert release Live in Dublin, the troubadour is back with a new offering drawn (like Live in Dublin) from his Old Ideas World Tour. Whereas Dublin presented an overview of Cohen’s extraordinary career, the upcoming Can’t Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour presents rarities performed during the international trek. The May 12 release from Legacy Recordings features a pair of never-before-released songs alongside classics and choice covers from the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

The ten selections on Can’t Forget have been drawn from live performances and soundchecks, and include renditions of favorites such as “Field Commander Cohen,” “Light as the Breeze” as “Joan of Arc.” Cohen also brings his distinctive style to “Choices” from late country music legend George Jones, and “La Manic” by departed Québécois artist Georges Dors, performed in Quebec City. Two new, previously unreleased songs should prove highlights: “Never Gave Nobody Trouble” and “Got a Little Secret.”

Between 2008 and 2013, Leonard Cohen performed 470 shows in 31 countries, attended by four million fans. Can’t Forget promises to “give listeners an extremely special glimpse into Cohen’s intimate rehearsal process, widely known to be in-depth ‘concerts before the concert,’ heard by fans for the first time with this new record.”

Leonard Cohen’s Can’t Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour arrives from Legacy Recordings on May 12 and can be pre-ordered at the links below!

Leonard Cohen, Can’t Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour (Legacy, 2015)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
DD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Vinyl LP: Amazon U.K.

Field Commander Cohen
I Can’t Forget
Light as the Breeze
La Manic (originally performed by Georges Dor)
Night Comes On
Never Gave Nobody Trouble (previously unreleased song)
Joan of Arc
Got a Little Secret (previously unreleased song)
Choices (originally performed by George Jones)
Stages

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others.

Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams.

Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.

Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

7 thoughts on “Light As The Breeze: Leonard Cohen Returns With Live Rarities Set”

Victor Dang
March 19, 2015 at 2:05 pm

If there’s no CD release, there might perhaps be a lossless digital release on either Qobuz for Europeans or PonoMusic for US/Canada(?) citizens.

Reply
ed silverman
March 19, 2015 at 2:05 pm

No CD? A shanda! Shame on you, Leonard. Your fans listen to CDs. C’mon, change your mind.

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1. Joe Marchese
  March 19, 2015 at 4:14 pm
  
  Good news; a UK link for a CD is here! See below comment. Our original article will be updated shortly!
  
  Reply
  1. Ed Silverman
    March 21, 2015 at 11:26 pm
    
    A belated thanks, Joe, for the updated info. Much obliged.
    
    Reply
bazrcoops@hotmail.com
March 19, 2015 at 3:52 pm

This is the CD I added when Leonard sent me a mail yesterday – maybe you should surrender to the Jazz police.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UHRI8B4/tag=thesecdis-21

Baz

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Kevin
March 20, 2015 at 7:04 am

There is a CD listed on amazon usa. It seems that Leonard may go back to not touring at all. Too bad. I wish he had done more touring in the USA.

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Kevin
March 20, 2015 at 7:10 am

And if he ever tours again, I hope it is at venues much smaller than the typical 10,000 seat places he played at in nearly every show. I much prefer Dylan’s approach – many 1,000-3,000 seat theaters are included almost every year, and small cities across all regions are played.

Reply