New Skin for the Old Ceremony

After the generally restrained, often bare arrangements of Leonard Cohen’s first three studio albums, *New Skin for the Old Ceremony*—Cohen’s fourth studio album—allowed for grander instrumentation. Producer John Lissauer and Cohen broke the spell at just the right moment. The opener, “Is This What You Wanted,” starts with a distinct level of defiance and the sound of drums clearly meant to surprise. “Chelsea Hotel #2”—Cohen’s parable regarding an encounter with Janis Joplin—remains the album’s best-known song and one of Cohen’s all-time finest, written with his guitarist Ron Cornelius. “Who by Fire” and “Take This Longing” further continued Cohen’s streak of writing solemn but spirited songs that felt timeless. “Lover Lover Lover,” “Field Commander Cohen,” and “Leaving Green Sleeves” (based on a reworking of the 15th-century folk song) demonstrated Cohen’s wilder (often humorous) side, which hadn\'t been overt on previous studio albums.

For the first time since 1992, Rolling Stone's definitive classic returns to the scene, completely updated and revised to include the past decade's artists and sounds. When it comes to sorting the truly great from the merely mediocre, the enduring from the fleeting, The New Rolling Stone Album Guide provides music buffs and amateurs alike with authoritative guidance from the best voices in the field. Filled with insightful commentary, it not only reviews the most influential albums of all time, but also features biographical overviews of key artists' careers, giving readers a look at the personalities behind the music.This fourth edition contains an impressive -- 70 percent -- amount of new material. Readers will find fresh updates to entries on established artists, hundreds of brand-new entries on the people and recordings that epitomize the '90s and the sounds of the 21st century -- from Beck to OutKast to the White Stripes and beyond -- along with a new introduction detailing changes in the music industry.Celebrating the diversity of popular music and its constant metamorphoses, with thousands of entries and reviews on every sound from blues to techno, The New Rolling Stone Album Guide is the only resource music lovers need to read.

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