1992 Leonard Cohen – The Future
The Future is the ninth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released in 1992.
After touring successfully in support of his “comeback” album I’m Your Man (1988), Cohen took a year off to help his son Adam convalesce after a serious car accident in the West Indies left the young man in a coma for four months. Cohen also began a romantic relationship with the actress Rebecca De Mornay. Anthony Reynolds notes in his book Leonard Cohen: A Remarkable Life that work on Cohen’s ninth studio album “was not forged in one concentrated effort. The number of studios used ran into double figures and was spread between Montreal and Los Angeles, although the original plan was to record it in Montreal only, with the same personnel that had worked on I’m Your Man. The cast brought to bear on the album was more akin to a movie production and included both a choir and an orchestra…” The songwriting process had not gotten easier for Cohen over the years; in an interview with Q, the singer admitted, “I’ve never found it easy to write. Period. I mean, I don’t want to whine about it or anything but…it’s a bitch! It’s terrible work. I’m very disciplined in that I can settle down into the work situation but coming up with the words is very hard. Hard on the heart, hard on the head and it just drives you mad. Before you know it, you’re crawling across the carpet in your underwear trying to find a rhyme for ‘orange’. It’s a terrible, cruel job. But I’m not complaining.”
Tracks
1 The Future (Leonard Cohen) 6:42
2 Waiting For The Miracle (Sharon Robinson) 7:43
3 Be For Real (Frederick Knight) 4:32
4 Closing Time (Leonard Cohen) 6:00
5 Anthem (Leonard Cohen) 6:09
6 Democracy (Leonard Cohen) 7:14
7 Light As The Breeze (Leonard Cohen) 7:16
8 Always (Irving Berlin) 8:04
9 Tacoma Trailer (Leonard Cohen) 5:56
Media
Musicians
1 The Future
| Drums | Steve Meador |
| Guitar | Bob Metzer |
| Programming | Leonard Cohen |
| Programming | Yoav Goren |
| Tambourine | Lenny Castro |
2 Waiting For The Miracle
| Mandolin | Dean Parks |
| Programming | Leonard Cohen |
| Programming | Yoav Goren |
| Violin | Bob Furgo |
| Percussion | Lenny Castro |
| Background Vocals | Anjani Thomas |
3 Be For Real
| Bass | Fred Washington |
| Drums | James Gadson |
| Guitar | Paul Jackson Jr |
| Pedal Steel Guitar | Bob Metzer |
| Mellotron | Steve Lindsey |
| Organ | Steve Lindsey |
| Piano | Greg Phillinganes |
| Wurlitzer | Steve Lindsey |
| Percussion | Lenny Castro |
| Background Vocals | Jacquelyn Gouche |
| Background Vocals | Tony Warren |
| Background Vocals | Valerie Pinkston |
4 Closing Time
| Bass | Bob Glaub |
| Guitar | Bob Metzer |
| Programming | Leonard Cohen |
| Programming | Yoav Goren |
| Violin | Bob Furgo |
| Background Vocals | Julie Christensen |
| Background Vocals | Perla Batalla |
5 Anthem
| Bass | Bob Metzer |
| Drums | Steve Meador |
| Guitar | Bob Metzer |
| Percussion | Lenny Castro |
6 Democracy
| Bass (synthesizer) | John Barnes |
| Drums | Vinnie Colaiuta |
| Guitar | Dean Parks |
| Mandolin | Dean Parks |
| Keyboards | Jeff Fisher |
| Keyboards | Randy Kerber |
| Keyboards | Steve Lindsey |
| Programming | Jeff Fisher |
| Background Vocals | David Morgan |
| Background Vocals | Jennifer Warnes |
| Background Vocals | Julie Christensen |
7 Light As The Breeze
| Guitar | Bob Metzer |
| Acoustic Guitar | Bob Metzer |
| Programming | Bill Ginn |
| Programming | Steve Croes |
| Violin | Bob Furgo |
| Sax | Leonard Cohen |
8 Always
| Bass | Leland Sklar |
| Drums | Ed Greene |
| Guitar | Dean Parks |
| Guitar | Dennis Herring |
| Acoustic Guitar | Dean Parks |
| Organ | Steve Lindsey |
| Organ | Mike Finnigan |
| Piano | Jim Cox |
| Sax | Brandon Fields |
| Sax | Lon Price |
| Tambourine | Lenny Castro |
| Background Vocals | Edna Wright |
| Background Vocals | Jean Johnson |
| Background Vocals | Peggi Blu |
9 Tacoma Trailer
| Synclavier | Steve Croes |
| Programming | Bill Ginn |
Other Musicians
Choir – The LA Mass Choir : Aladrian Elmore, Brenda Lee Eager, Carmen Twillie, Cynthia Bass, Dana Stockard, Evette Andrews, Gigi Bailey, Jeralynthia Banks, Jimmie Frazier, Julia Waters Tillman, Julie Christensen, Kevin Shoates, Lashann Dendy, Lavan Davis, Laythan Amot, Maxine Waters Willard, Mona Lisa Young, Nysa Larry, Oren Waters, Patricia Finnie, Perla Batalla, Raven Kane, Roseland Parker, Sonya Griffin, Stephen Lively, Steve Berkley, Theresa Walker (Track 5)
Strings – Berj Garabedian, Bruce Dukov, Daniel Smith, David Campbell, Donald V Ferrone, Joel Derouin, Larry Corbett, Ray Tischer, Ron Clark, Sid Page, Suzie Katayama, Tom Tally
Liner Notes
Producer – Leonard Cohen (Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Producer – Yoav Goren (Track 2)
Producer – Steve Lindsey (Tracks 3, 8)
Producer – Leanne Ungar (Track 4)
Producer – Rebecca De Mornay (Track 5)
Producer – Bill Ginn (Tracks 7, 9)
Producer (Additional) – Steve Lindsey (Tracks 2, 6)
Arranged By – Leonard Cohen (Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 9)
Arranged By – Yoav Goren (Tracks 2, 4, 5)
Arranged By – Rebecca De Mornay (Tracks 2, 5)
Arranged By – Steve Lindsey (Track 3)
Arranged By – Jeff Fisher (Track 6)
Arranged By (Additional String Arrangements) – David Campbell (Track 2)
Arranged By (Additional) – Steve Lindsey (Track 6)
Arranged By (Additional) – Leonard Cohen (Track 6)
Arranged By (Backing Vocals) – David Campbell (Tracks 1, 5)
Arranged By (Horns) – Lee Thornburg (Track 8)
Arranged By (Strings) – David Campbell (Track 1, 3, 5)
Conductor (Strings, Backing Vocals) – David Campbell (Tracks 1, 5)
Directed By (Choir Director) – Donald Taylor (Track 5)
Engineer – Leanne Ungar (Tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
Engineer – Richard Cottrell (Tracks 5, 6)
Engineer – David Shober, Ian Terry (Track 6)
Engineer (Additional) – Eric Anest (Tracks 3, 8)
Engineer (Second) – Ben Wallach, Chad Blinman, Charlie Paakkari, Doug DeForest, Duane Seykora, Enrico De Paoli, Eric Anest, Jason Roberts, Mark Guilbeault, Martin Brumbach, Ray Blair, Richard Kaplan, Robert Hart, Talley Sherwood, Tom Winslow
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Mixed By – Leanne Ungar (Tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
Artwork (Original Hummingbird Drawing) – Dianne Lawrence*
Design (Cover) – Michael Petit
Distributed By – Sony Music
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Copyright (c) – Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Made By – Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Pressed By – Sony/CBS, Haarlem – 01 – 472.498 – 20
Printed By – Sony/CBS, Haarlem – 01-472498-20
Recorded At – Image Recording Studios
Recorded At – Cherokee Studios
Recorded At – Capitol Studios
Recorded At – The Complex
Recorded At – The Village Recorder
Recorded At – Ocean Way Recording
Recorded At – Studio Tempo
Recorded At – Studio 56
Recorded At – Sunset Sound
Recorded At – Mad Hatter Studios
Recorded At – Studio II
Recorded At – House Of Soul