MORE POETRY ON RECORDS




Poem (1993/1994)

A recent version of the poem "Poem" was recorded on December 3, 1993 for KCRW-FM and was included in the compilation album "Rare On Air, Volume One" (Mammoth MR0074-2, released in 1994).

Cohen's poem is used as the prelude to the live songs on this album, featuring several artist from Tori Amos (Silent All These Years) to David Wilcox (Chet Baker's Unsung Swan Song)


"Weird Nightmare - Meditations on Mingus" (1992)
A tribute album, with many guest artists, to the memory of Charles Mingus. Cohen reads the poem "Chill of death" with Mingus's music in the back/foreground. This strange and exacting album has been produced by Hal Willner. Columbia CK 52739.


Reading of Beautiful Losers (1993)
Promotional cassette, produced by Vitage Books, New York. Fall 1993 Volume. Cohen reads passages from his novel Beautiful Losers. Other authors on the same cassette are Gloria Naylor, Mark Leyner, Michael Ondaatje, Rita Dove, and Charlayne Hunter-Gault.

Thanks to Marie Mazur for this entry


Democracy on "US Poetry" (1996)
The PBS broadcast of the five-part series The United States of Poetry in February and March 1996 (depending on the station) had Canadian Leonard Cohen reading (not singing) part of "Democracy" from his 1992 album The Future. Cohen starts off part 3, The American Dream. Cohen is sitting at a desk during the entire reading in black surroundings, with no background except an American flag in the beginning. This segues into a flaglike Universal Product Code (UPC) with a white spot for the stars representing the 50 states, and the camera pans progressively in on Cohen. There is sparse musical accompaniment about half way through the reading.

This TV documentary was produced by Washington Square Films for the Independent Television Service with funds provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. "A filmcrew of fifteen traveling over 13.000 miles to record poets in flight". Over 60 poets were featured in the series.

The original PBS special, titled U.S. Poetry, available on home video from KOED Books and Video, for 29,95 USD. Call 800-647-3600 to order.

The soundtrack CD was issued in 1996 by Mercury Records / Mouth Almighty Records. Cat. # 314 532 139-2. 37 poems recited by the authors (total time 57 minutes). Original music by Tomandandy. Cohen's Democracy is # 4.

Finally, there is also the hardcover companion book The United States of Poetry published by Abrams. The book features the work of 77 contemporary poets from Nobel Laureates to rock'n'rollers to cowboy poets to rappers. It's illustrated with 225 images (180 in full color). Cohen is, of course, included. Available for 29,95 USD from your local bookshop or from Abrams, 100 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Thanks to Rudi Schmid for the info

Click on this link: Democracy - to hear the poem! (in RealAudio)

Story of Isaac on "In Their Own Voices -
A Century of Recorded Poetry" (1996)

A 4 CD boxed set; 122 poems; 247 minutes
Label: WEA/ATLANTIC/RHINO, # 72408, USA 1996
CD 59.97 USD, tape 39.98 USD

The compilation includes Story of Isaac by Leonard Cohen
(original song taken from Songs From A Room
(track # 20 on Disc 3)

Compilation producers: Rebekah Presson, David McLees.
Includes liner notes by Erica Jong, Al Young & Rebekah Presson.

The box was created and compiled by poet and poetry historian Rebekah Presson, who included tracks recorded from her 1980s radio show New Letters On The Air, first aired in Kansas City, Missouri. In the show poets recited their poetry. She also collected material from the Library of Congress archives as well as other resources, including some of the poets' personal archives.

Read more about this album






[PREV PAGE] [NEXT PAGE] [INDEX PAGE] [SUB INDEX PAGE]