Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary Edition
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Free Music Notes for Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary Edition
Free Music Review: Like a reunion with an old friend!
Hit: 5 Stars
I first heard, "Famous Blue Raincoat" back in 1987. It was first given to me by a friend that knew I would like 2 songs, "Joan of Arc," and "Song of Bernadette." The latter is about Saint Bernadette who, as a young girl, was graced with a series of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
I did love those songs, but more than that, I had never heard such a sumptuous recording. I was impressed with the high level of artistry and depth in each song. Epic movies, each; fully realized. I literally needed time to recover after each song before being able to listen to the next.
The years came and went, and by word of mouth this virtually un-publicized recording quietly sold and sold and sold...so well, the demand for copies exceeded the legally available supply.
Frustrated by the poor sound quality of bootleg copies being sold, and further disappointed by the confining effects of digital sound reproduction when the album was issued on Compact Disc; Jennifer wanted to re-release the album in a form that re-created the original, outrageous, sonics found on the original release. So, to mark the 20th anniversary, Jennifer re-mastered the recordings. She actually "un-mastered" them to be more precise. Bypassing all mixing boards and simply sending the music from the original analog master tapes directly to disc. She clearly loves this music. In fact, She kept the original master tapes in a closet in her home. They were found to be in better shape than the copies that were professionally archived!
Given the 20 years this music has been in my life, I believe every song is timeless. Even the four additional tracks are exquisite. Contrary to many reports they are not left overs from the original sessions. They were recorded after the album was released and at least one was lovingly rehearsed in Jennifers' living room. Hearing them is like finding buried treasure. "Ballad of the Runaway Horse" is simply a masterpiece.
Leonard's lyrics have a beauty all their own. The music is exquisite. The spot on vocal interpretation and crystalline voice of Jennifer Warnes meld these songs into a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. "Famous Blue Raincoat" has stood the test of time. I deeply love this work, and I am thrilled to recommend it. This re-mastering has truly expanded the soundstage of the music. The highs are higher and the lows are lower. Every instrument has room to breathe here. Jennifer sounds like she is in the room with you! WHAT A VOICE! Give this new release a listen. See if you too don't fall under its spell...
For the record..so to speak, there are really 3 purchase options to consider:
1. The standard re-mastered anniversary C.D. This includes a 24 page booklet on the making and history of the album.
2. A limited edition GOLD version. With expanded booklet notes. The C.D.'s recording surface is electroplated in 24 carat gold. Gold provides a more even recording surface and ultimately a more faithful reproduction of the source material. Not to mention gold is an infinitely less corrosive element than today's standard Compact Disc recording surface.
3. An ultra limited, (only 6000 copies were made) box set on vinyl. It is recorded at 45 RPM, which requires 3 discs to hold the work. Each disc is recorded on 180 gram, virgin vinyl, for the highest quality analog sound reproduction available. It also has an extra demo track of "A Singer Must Die" not available anywhere else!
Free Music Review: Exquisite interpretations
Hit: 5 Stars
This original album was released at a time when Cohen was almost forgotten, about seven years before tribute albums like the breathtaking I'm Your Fan and the rather tepid Tower of Song would spur renewed interest in his work. Warnes' versions are always graceful and moving. She understands Cohen's music well, having done backing vocals on albums like Various Positions so she interprets his songs with loving dedication.
My favorites include Aint No Cure For Love from Cohen's I'm Your Man, Coming Back To You and Night Comes On from Various Positions, Came So Far For Beauty and Ballad Of The Runaway Horse from Recent Songs and of course the formidable Joan Of Arc where Cohen himself sings some of the verses. The title track stands out with its smoky sax and desolate ambience whilst the live version of Joan Of Arc really fires on all fours.
Warnes' voice is the perfect vehicle for Cohen's poetic lyrics of romantic longing and resigned despair. The new tracks are superb. She slightly adapted the lyric of Night Comes On to a female perspective, and Ballad Of The Runaway Horse becomes a long excursion with a complex arrangement and a display of great virtuosity in the instrumentation which includes viola and cello.
If It Be Your Will is a straightforward rendition close to the original, and the album ends on a spectacular note with the live version of Joan Of Arc, from Cohen's Songs of Love and Hate which was recorded in Antwerp in 1992 and includes the Novecento Orchestra and two choirs: Het West Brabants Operakoor and De Tweede Adem, in addition to her regular backing musicians.
The luxurious fold-out CD box contains a booklet with two line drawings by Cohen, full color and black & white photographs, letters from Lenny to Jenny, a short 1956 school essay on St Bernadette by Jenny and information on all the songs. My only complaint is that I would have loved to hear her interpretations of Suzanne and Sisters Of Mercy too.
Other Cohen tribute albums that I recommend are Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy by Judy Collins, which includes a live version of Song Of Bernadette, the song co-written by Jennifer Warnes, and the soundtack album Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man with artists like Martha Wainwright, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Jarvis Cocker, Perla Batalla, Nick Cave and U2.
Free Music Review: Long time fan of THAT VOICE dropping in --
Hit: 5 Stars
Fans may be interested to know that Jennifer Warnes' eponymous website currently offers somewhat pricey but precious signed copies of this remastered FBR: 20th Anniversary Edition. Her site also currently includes a KVMR radio interview from August 3rd, 2007.
As Satisfied Lone Wolf said in an earlier review of FBR, "Jennifer is heaven." If you don't already have this or any other Jennifer Warnes album since 1987, consider getting caught up well past the Top-40 and soundtrack material that pops up on oldies stations. Meanwhile, you are missing many gems of heavenly beauty in THAT VOICE. You won't be hearing these on the desolate airwaves of commercial radio. Give your ears some quiet time to listen to and enjoy this magical voice -- it is not background music!
Using the following albums, I previously squeezed an almost satisfactory "Best of Jennifer Warnes" playlist onto a backup CD. I wouldn't argue with any suggested alternatives or additions, so wonderful is this songbird.
>> Love Lifts Us Up: A Collection 1968-1983 (Raven Records Remasterings)
1. Right Time of the Night
2. I Know A Heartache When I See One
3. Up Where We Belong
>> Famous Blue Raincoat
4. Bird On A Wire
5. Joan of Arc
6. Came So Far For Beauty
7. Coming Back To You
8. Song Of Bernadette
>> The Hunter
10. Lights of Lousianne
11. Way Down Deep
12. The Hunter
13. I Can't Hide
>> The Well
14. It's Raining
15. Prairie Melancholy
16. The Nightingale
17. Patriot's Dream
From the new Famous Blue Raincoat: 20th Anniversary Edition I would also include "If It Be Your Will" (and perhaps "The Night Comes On"), but that would put my meager backup CD over 80 minutes. In any case, the Anniversary Edition is well worth having for the additional tracks and for the splendid remastering. If you're a huge fan, it's also worth getting the signed greeting direct from Jennifer Warnes' website.
Free Music Review: One of the best albums EVER gets a face lift ...
Hit: 5 Stars
Jennifer Warnes is a singer's singer, and Leonard Cohen is a songwriter's songwriter. They are each at the front of their game and are brilliant in unique, almost tangible ways. I am not certain whose idea the original album was, but what a wondrous pairing! Warnes adds new levels to each of the excellent Cohen songs she interprets here and does a remarkable job on her songwriting collaboration with Cohen, "Song of Bernadette."
Americans barely noticed this superb collection during its initial release; it was overshadowed by Warnes' #1 song "The Time Of My Life" of the same year. However, I don't believe anyone can say he or she has heard Jennifer Warnes at her best without hearing this recording! Warnes' immaculate interepretation of "Famous Blue Raincoat" blows Tori Amos' well-known version out of the water! Just as exquisite are "Bird On A Wire," "First We Take Manhattan" and "Ain't No Cure For Love." Warnes and her co-producer, C. Roscoe Beck, handpicked a batch of amazing musicians for this 1987 CD, including a Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar performance that is mind-blowing! Snatch this anniversary-edition CD up and listen to it like there is no tomorrow ... it's brilliant!
This edition's remastering is spectacular, and it suits the legendary engineering of this album perfectly. And the bonus tracks are anything but "B" material. Oh, and just wait until you hear Warnes' live solo version of "Joan of Arc"! Chances are, you'll be left speechless.
This CD is a must for any audiophile or fan of solid, intelligent, vibrant music. I'd give this CD 100 stars if I could! Buy this CD for yourself and an extra one for someone you love.
Free Music Review: Raincoat Remastered
Hit: 5 Stars
This landmark 20-year-old collaboration between songwriter/poet Leonard Cohen and singer Jennifer Warnes is in my opinion the most successful album for either artist, both artistically and commercially. Warnes' pitch perfect, emotionally charged voice teases out every last nuance and dimension of Cohen's inspired lyrical and musical compositions. Even on Cohen's most highly charged songs, one is able to fully appreciate the sweet timbre of Warnes' voice, but at the same time the sensuality and beauty of her voice never obscures the sharp edged, painfully romantic, tragic, fatalistic themes that have marked Cohen's finest and most characteristic compositions, many of which are represented on this album.
Compared with the original CD release, the sound on this remastered version is better in almost every respect, with the possible exception of the first song "First We Take Manhattan," in which a slight, digital-sounding sibilance has been added to Warnes voice. The other cuts are just great, with the digital remastering adding a more authoritative bass note and greater ambience and spaciousness to the soundstage. .
If the overall improved sound isn't enough, this remastered album offers four additional performances of Cohen compositions that are not from the original studio album sessions, including a Warnes-only live version of Joan of Arc, which is riveting even though it doesn't offer the magical duet with Cohen featured on the original studio album. Each of the four additional cuts would have been worthy of inclusion on the original release of Famous Blue Raincoat, which is high praise indeed.