Leonard Cohen song to be Christmas No. 1?

X factor person and Jeff Buckley both in the top 10, Leonard Cohen at no 34.

quote:

For sure it is all a by product of the x factor machine BUT this xmas we have a girl with a great voice and a lot of emotion singing a Cohen song for xmas No1. A whole lot better than 80% of the list below IMO

Excellent. The X Factor indeed.

To get back on topic.

They're not trying to make music, they're making money.

If they wanted music they'd have a three track CD led off by Leonard Cohen's (pretty dire) original, followed by John Cale's remarkable performance which polished a turd, then Jeff Buckley's transcendent version.

quote:

Originally posted by munch:

quote:

Originally posted by graham55:
To get back on topic.

They're not trying to make music, they're making money.

If they wanted music they'd have a three track CD led off by Leonard Cohen's (pretty dire) original, followed by John Cale's remarkable performance which polished a turd, then Jeff Buckley's transcendent version.

Only IYO

Not sure who else's opinion I'm supposed to give here!

quote:

They're not trying to make music

Alexandra Burke sings beautifully, they have put excellent musicians around her, marvellous production and covered a beautiful song and many in the country voted with their wallets and bought it. Most of my record collection is 'one man and his guitar' and I love much of that vibe. Music is not just Bruce Springsteen with basic recording machinery making 'Nebraska'. The beauty of music is how diverse it is and, yes some people are succesful and make money from it, does that make it bad? Wish I was a million behind Simon Cowell, he is a very astute business man and knows his market.

A money making machine it is. But then again, pop music has nearly always been the $ is more important than the art. Its targeted at kids (which counts most of us lot out, lets be honest) after all.
Pop has always been quite highly manufactured/targeted,its just that they are getting better & better at the marketing of it.I'd imagine that the money generated by the phone voting far outweighs the money generated by the hard product.
Could the issue be that as long as all the TV contest karaoke lot stick to covering songs from their genre, who cares? Yet another whitney/mariah etc cover, who gives a sh1t. BUT when they start to use proper songs, from our field of interest, then we don't like that cross-over. Leave the grown-up music for the grown ups. Don't try to tell us that a karaoke queen can sing properly, & all that. I've steered well clear of actually hearing the version as yet, although I know that can't last.
Mr Cowell is a businessman. He is interested in money making, not music as an art form. I'm sure if he wasn't in this industry, he'd do pretty well at selling/promotin/marketing anything else he chose to.
Matt.

quote:

pop music has nearly always been the $ is more important than the art

That isn't true, but don't take it from me please click here as these guys say it better than me

Rotf

Has the result been given? Did it get to Number one?

quote:

Originally posted by GFFJ:
Has the result been given? Did it get to Number one?

As one of the world's biggest Cohen fans I'm chuffed to bits for him.... (I'd have gone for the Buckley version of the 2 personally)


1
Alexandra Burke
Hallelujah
(Syco Music)
http://tinyurl.com/a4zzpl

2
Jeff Buckley
Hallelujah
(Columbia)
http://www.jeffbuckley.com/

and Cohen himself was at number 36, by the way.............

Well, at least two of my three suggestions (see above) made it. Just a shame, although not surprising, that another unworthy contender got the number one spot - but no surprise there. After all, if Rachel Of The Perfect Arse can't win that effing awful dance comp, there's no hope for the country.

(BTW, I don't watch these shows.)

Cohen's performance of this was broadcast in Virgin/Absolute Radio this morning.

He makes sense of the song.


I cannot say that I can enjoy the Buckley rendering, which seems indulgent compared to Cohen.

I have missed the X-factor winner's version ...

I like the Pogues' Christrmas song and actually owned a copy of the 1969 hit from Rolf Harris, "Two Little Boys, ..." in December 1969!

ATB from George

George

If you have missed the X-factor's winner's version then do not worry. From the limited clips I heard on the radio it is little more than Bonnie Tyler on steroids, with an extra helping of the sort of finesse one would attribute to Brontosauri - IMHO.

I've heard the new one, and yes ...

Well ... there you go!

ATB from George