Leonard Cohen | ||
| Allmusic Biography : One of the most fascinating and enigmatic -- if not the most successful -- singer/songwriters of the late 60s, Leonard Cohen retained an audience across six decades of music-making, interrupted by various digressions into personal and creative exploration, all of which have only added to the mystique surrounding him. Second only to Bob Dylan (and perhaps Paul Simon), he commanded the attention of critics and younger musicians more firmly than any other musical figure from the 60s who continued to work in the 21st century, which is all the more remarkable an achievement for someone who didnt even aspire to a musical career until he was in his thirties. Cohen was born in 1934, a year before Elvis Presley, and his background -- personal, social, and intellectual -- couldnt have been more different from those of the rock or folk stars of any generation. Though he knew some country music and played it a bit as a boy, he didnt start performing on even a semi-regular basis, much less recording, until after he had already written several books -- and as an established novelist and poet, his literary accomplishments far exceeded those of Bob Dylan or most anyone else who one cares to mention in music. He was born Leonard Norman Cohen into a middle-class Jewish family in the Montreal suburb of Westmount. His father, a clothing merchant (who also held a degree in engineering), died in 1943, when Cohen was nine years old. It was his mother who encouraged Cohen as a writer, especially of poetry, during his childhood. This fit in with the progressive intellectual environment in which he was raised, which allowed him free inquiry into a vast range of pursuits. His relationship to music was more tentative. He took up the guitar at age 13, initially as a way to impress a girl, but was good enough to play country & western songs at local cafes, and he subsequently formed a group called the Buckskin Boys. At 17, he enrolled in McGill University as an English major. By this time, he was writing poetry in earnest and became part of the universitys tiny underground "bohemian" community. Cohen only earned average grades, but was good enough as a writer to earn the McNaughton Prize in creative writing by the time he graduated in 1955. A year later, the ink barely dry on his degree, he published his first book of poetry, Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956), which got great reviews but didnt sell especially well. He was already beyond the age that rock & roll was aimed at. Bob Dylan, by contrast, was still Robert Zimmerman, still in his teens, and young enough to become a devotee of Buddy Holly when the latter emerged. In 1961, Cohen published his second book of poetry, The Spice Box of Earth, which became an international success critically and commercially, and established Cohen as a major new literary figure. Meanwhile, he tried to join the family business and spent some time at Columbia University in New York, writing all the time. Between the modest royalties from sales of his second book, literary grants from the Canadian government, and a family legacy, he was able to live comfortably and travel around the world, partaking of much of what it had to offer -- including some use of LSD when it was still legal -- and ultimately settling for an extended period in Greece, on the isle of Hydra in the Aegean Sea. He continued to publish, issuing a pair of novels, The Favorite Game (1963) and Beautiful Losers (1966), with a pair of poetry collections, Flowers for Hitler (1964) and Parasites of Heaven (1966). The Favorite Game was a very personal work about his early life in Montreal, but it was Beautiful Losers that proved another breakthrough, earning the kind of reviews that authors dare not even hope for. (Cohen found himself compared to James Joyce in the pages of The Boston Globe, and across the years, the book has enjoyed sales totaling well into six figures.) It was around this time that he also started writing music again, songs being a natural extension of his poetry. His relative isolation on Hydra, coupled with his highly mobile lifestyle when he left the island, his own natural iconoclastic nature, and the fact that hed avoided being overwhelmed (or even touched too seriously) by the currents running through popular music since the 40s, combined to give Cohen a unique voice as a composer. Though he did settle in Nashville for a short time in the mid-60s, he didnt write quite like anyone else in the country music mecca or anywhere else. This might have been an impediment, but for the intervention of Judy Collins, a folksinger who had just moved to the front rank of that field. Collins had a voice just special enough to move her beyond the relatively emaciated ranks of remaining popular folk performers after Dylan shifted to electric music; she was still getting heard, and not just by the purists left behind in Dylans wake. She added Cohens "Suzanne" to her repertoire and put it on her album In My Life, a record that was controversial enough in folk circles (because of her cover of the Beatles song that gave the LP its title) to pull in a lot of listeners and get a wide airing. The LPs "Suzanne" received a considerable amount of radio airplay, and Cohen was also represented on the album by "Dress Rehearsal Rag." It was Collins who persuaded Cohen to return to performing for the first time since his teens. He made his debut during the summer of 1967 at the Newport Folk Festival, followed by a pair of sold-out concerts in New York City and an appearance singing his songs and reciting his poems on the CBS network television show Camera Three, in a show entitled "Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen." It was around the same time that actor/singer Noel Harrison brought "Suzanne" onto the pop charts with a recording of his own. One of those who saw Cohen perform at Newport was John Hammond, Sr., the legendary producer whose career went back to the 30s and the likes of Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie, and extended up through Bob Dylan and, ultimately, to Bruce Springsteen. Hammond got Cohen signed to Columbia Records and he created The Songs of Leonard Cohen, which was released just before Christmas of 1967. Producer John Simon was able to find a restrained yet appealing approach to recording Cohens voice, which might have been described as an appealingly sensitive near-monotone; yet that voice was perfectly suited to the material at hand, all of which, written in a very personal language, seemed drenched in downbeat images and a spirit of discovery as a path to unsettling revelation. Despite its spare production and melancholy subject matter -- or, very possibly because of it -- the album was an immediate hit by the standards of the folk music world and the budding singer/songwriter community. In an era in which millions of listeners hung on the next albums of Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel -- whose own latest album had ended with a minor-key rendition of "Silent Night" set against a radio news account of the death of Lenny Bruce -- Cohens music quickly found a small but dedicated following. College students by the thousands bought it; in its second year of release, the record sold over 100,000 copies. The Songs of Leonard Cohen was as close as Cohen ever got to mass audience success. Amid all of this sudden musical activity, he hardly neglected his other writing -- in 1968, he released a new volume, Selected Poems: 1956-1968, which included both old and newly published work, and earned him the Governor Generals Award, Canadas highest literary honor, which he proceeded to decline. By this time, he was actually almost more a part of the rock scene, residing for a time in New Yorks Chelsea Hotel, where his neighbors included Janis Joplin and other performing luminaries, some of whom influenced his songs very directly. His next album, Songs from a Room (1969), was characterized by an even greater spirit of melancholy -- even the relatively spirited "A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes" was steeped in such depressing sensibilities, and the one song not written by Cohen, "The Partisan," was a grim narrative about the reasons for and consequences of resistance to tyranny that included lines like "She died without a whisper" and included images of wind blowing past graves. Joan Baez subsequently recorded the song, and in her hands it was a bit more upbeat and inspiring to the listener; Cohens rendition made it much more difficult to get past the costs presented by the singers persona. On the other hand, "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy," although as downbeat as anything else here, did present Cohen in his most expressive and commercial voice, a nasal but affecting and finely nuanced performance. In all, however, Songs from a Room was less well-received commercially and critically. Bob Johnstons restrained, almost minimalist production made it less overtly appealing than the subtly commercial trappings of his debut, though the album did have a pair of tracks, "Bird on the Wire" and "The Story of Isaac," that became standards rivaling "Suzanne." "The Story of Isaac," a musical parable woven around biblical imagery about Vietnam, was one of the most savage and piercing songs to come out of the antiwar movement, and showed a level of sophistication in its music and lyrics that put it in a whole separate realm of composition; it received an even better airing on the Live Songs album, in a performance recorded in Berlin during 1972. Cohen may not have been a widely popular performer or recording artist, but his unique voice and sound, and the power of his writing and its influence, helped him gain entry to the front rank of rock performers, an odd status for the then 35-year-old author/composer. He appeared at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival in England, a post-Woodstock gathering of stars and superstars, including late appearances by such soon-to-die-or-disband legends as Jimi Hendrix and the Doors. Looking nearly as awkward as his fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell, Cohen strummed his acoustic guitar backed by a pair of female singers in front of an audience of 600,000 ("Its a large nation, but still weak"), comprising equal portions of fans, freaks, and belligerent gatecrashers, but the mere fact that he was there -- sandwiched somewhere between Miles Davis and Emerson, Lake & Palmer -- was a clear statement of the status (if not the popular success) hed achieved. (Cohens performance of "Suzanne" was one of the highlights of Murray Lerners long-delayed 1996 documentary Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival, and his full set was reissued in 2009, both on audio and video formats.) Already, he had carved out a unique place for himself in music, as much author as performer and recording artist, letting his songs develop and evolve across years -- his distinctly non-commercial voice became part of his appeal to the audience he found, giving him a unique corner of the music audience comprising listeners descended from the same people who had embraced Bob Dylans early work before hed become a mass-media phenomenon in 1964. In a sense, Cohen embodied a phenomenon vaguely similar to what Dylan enjoyed before his early-70s tour with the Band -- people bought his albums by the tens and, occasionally, hundreds of thousands, but seemed to hear him in uniquely personal terms. He earned his audience seemingly one listener at a time, by word of mouth more than by the radio, which, in any case (especially on the AM dial), was mostly friendly to covers of Cohens songs by other artists. Cohens third album, Songs of Love and Hate (1971), was one of his most powerful works, brimming with piercing lyrics and music as poignantly affecting as it was minimalist in its approach -- arranger Paul Buckmasters work on strings was peculiarly muted, and the childrens chorus that showed up on "Last Years Man" was spare in its presence. Balancing them was Cohens most effective vocalizing to date, brilliantly expressive around such acclaimed songs as "Joan of Arc," "Dress Rehearsal Rag" (which had been recorded by Judy Collins five years before), and "Famous Blue Raincoat." The bleakness of the tone and subject matter ensured that he would never become a "pop" performer; even the beat-driven "Diamonds in the Mine" -- catchy childrens chorus accompaniment and all, with a twangy electric guitar accompaniment to boot -- was as dark and venomous a song as Columbia Records put out in 1971. And the most compelling moments -- among an embarrassment of riches -- came on lyrics like "Now the flames they followed Joan of Arc/As she came riding through the dark/No moon to keep her armor bright/No man to get her through this night...." Songs of Love and Hate, coupled with the earlier hit versions of "Suzanne," etc., earned Cohen a large international cult following. He also found himself in demand in the world of commercial filmmaking, as director Robert Altman used his music in his 1971 feature film McCabe and Mrs. Miller, starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, a revisionist period film set at the turn of the 19th century that was savaged by the critics (and, by some accounts, sabotaged by its own studio) but went on to become one of the directors best-loved movies. The following year, he also published a new poetry collection, The Energy of Slaves. As was his wont, Cohen spent years between albums, and in 1973 he seemed to take stock of himself as a performer by issuing Leonard Cohen: Live Songs. Not a conventional live album, it was a compendium of performances from various venues across several years and focused on highlights of his output from 1969 onward. It showcased his writing as much as his performing, but also gave a good account of his appeal to his most serious fans -- those still uncertain of where they stood in relation to his music who could get past the epic-length "Please Dont Pass Me By" knew for certain they were ready to "join" the inner circle of his legion of devotees after that, while others who only appreciated "Bird on the Wire" or "The Story of Isaac" could stay comfortably in an outer ring. Meanwhile, in 1973, his music became the basis for a theatrical production called Sisters of Mercy, conceived by Gene Lesser and loosely based on Cohens life, or at least a fantasy version of his life. A three-year lag ensued between Songs of Love and Hate and Cohens next album, and most critics and fans just assumed hed hit a dry spell, with the live album covering the gap. He was busy performing, however, in the United States and Europe in 1971 and 1972, and extended his appearances into Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It was during this period that he also began working with pianist and arranger John Lissauer, whom he engaged as producer of his next album, New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974). That album seemed to justify his fans continued faith in his work, presenting Cohen in a more lavish musical environment. He proved capable of holding his own in a pop environment, even if the songs were mostly still depressing and bleak. The following year, Columbia Records released The Best of Leonard Cohen, featuring a dozen of his best-known songs -- principally hits in the hands of other performers -- from his previous four LPs (though it left out "Dress Rehearsal Rag"). It was also during the mid-70s that Cohen first crossed paths professionally with Jennifer Warnes, appearing on the same bill with the singer at numerous shows, which would lead to a series of key collaborations in the ensuing decade. By this time, he was a somewhat less mysterious persona, having toured extensively and gotten considerable exposure -- among many other attributes, Cohen became known for his uncanny attractiveness to women, which seemed to go hand in glove with the romantic subjects of most of his songs. In 1977, Cohen reappeared with the ironically titled Death of a Ladies Man, the most controversial album of his career, produced by Phil Spector. The notion of pairing Spector -- known variously as a Svengali-like presence to his female singers and artists and the most unrepentant (and often justified) over-producer in the field of pop music -- with Cohen must have seemed like a good one to someone at some point, but apparently Cohen himself had misgivings about many of the resulting tracks that Spector never addressed, having mixed the record completely on his own. The resulting LP suffered from the worst attributes of Cohens and Spectors work, overly dense and self-consciously imposing in its sound, and virtually bathing the listener in Cohens depressive persona, but showing his limited vocal abilities to disadvantage, owing to Spectors use of "scratch" (i.e. guide) vocals and his unwillingness to permit the artist to redo some of his weaker moments on those takes. For the first (and only) time in Cohens career, his near-monotone delivery of this period wasnt a positive attribute. Cohens unhappiness with the album was widely known among fans, who mostly bought it with that caveat in mind, so it didnt harm his reputation. A year after its release, Cohen also published a new literary collection using the slightly different title Death of a Ladys Man. Cohens next album, Recent Songs (1979), returned him to the spare settings of his early-70s work and showed his singing to some of its best advantage. Working with veteran producer Henry Lewy (best known for his work with Joni Mitchell), the album showed Cohens singing as attractive and expressive in its quiet way, and songs such as "The Guests" seeming downright pretty. He still wrote about life and love, and especially relationships, in stark terms, but he seemed to be moving into a pop mode on numbers such as "Humbled in Love." Frank Sinatra never needed to look over his shoulder at Cohen (at least, as a singer), but he did seem to be trying for a slicker pop sound at moments on his record. Then came 1984, and two key new works in Cohens output -- the poetic/religious volume The Book of Mercy and the album Various Positions (1984). The latter, recorded with Jennifer Warnes, is arguably the most accessible album of his entire career up to that time -- Cohens voice, now a peculiarly expressive baritone instrument, found a beautiful pairing with Warnes, and the songs were as fine as ever, steeped in spirituality and sexuality, with "Dance Me to the End of Love" a killer opener: a wry, doom-laden yet impassioned pop-style ballad that is impossible to forget. Those efforts overlapped with some ventures by the composer/singer into other creative realms, including an award-winning short film that he wrote, directed, and scored, entitled I Am a Hotel, and the score for the 1985 conceptual film Night Magic, which earned a Juno Award in Canada for Best Movie Score. Sad to say, Various Positions went relatively unnoticed, and was followed by another extended sabbatical from recording, which ended with Im Your Man (1988). But during his hiatus, Warnes had released her album of Cohen-authored material, entitled Famous Blue Raincoat, which had sold extremely well and introduced Cohen to a new generation of listeners. So when Im Your Man did appear, with its electronic production (albeit still rather spare) and songs that added humor (albeit dark humor) to his mix of pessimistic and poetic conceits, the result was his best-selling record in more than a decade. The result, in 1991, was the release of Im Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, a CD of recordings of his songs by the likes of R.E.M., the Pixies, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and John Cale, which put Cohen as a songwriter pushing age 60 right back on center stage for the 90s. He rose to the occasion, releasing The Future, an album that dwelt on the many threats facing mankind in the coming years and decades, a year later. Not the stuff of pop charts or MTV heavy rotation, it attracted Cohens usual coterie of fans, and enough press interest as well as sufficient sales, to justify the release in 1994 of his second concert album, Cohen Live, derived from his two most recent tours. A year later came another tribute album, Tower of Song, featuring Cohens songs as interpreted by Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, et al. In the midst of all of this new activity surrounding his writing and compositions, Cohen embarked on a new phase of his life. Religious concerns were never too far from his thinking and work, even when he was making a name for himself writing songs about love, and he had focused even more on this side of life since Various Positions. He spent time at the Mt. Baldy Zen Center, a Buddhist retreat in California, and eventually became a full-time resident, and a Buddhist monk in the late 90s. When he re-emerged in 1999, Cohen had many dozens of new compositions in hand, songs and poems alike. His new collaborations were with singer/songwriter/musician Sharon Robinson, who also ended up producing the resulting album, Ten New Songs (2001) -- there also emerged during this period a release called Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979, comprised of live recordings from his tour 22 years earlier. In 2004, the year he turned 70, Cohen released one of the most controversial albums of his career, Dear Heather. It revealed his voice anew, in this phase of his career, as a deep baritone more limited in range than on any previous recording, but it overcame this change in vocal timbre by facing it head-on, just as Cohen had done with his singing throughout his career. It also contained a number of songs for which Cohen wrote music but not lyrics, a decided change of pace for a man whod started out as a poet. And it was as personal a record as Cohen had ever issued. His return to recording was one of the more positive aspects of Cohens resumption of his music activities. On another note, in 2005, he filed suit against his longtime business manager and his financial advisor over the alleged theft of more than five million dollars, at least some of which took place during his years at the Buddhist retreat. Five decades after he emerged as a public literary figure and then a performer, Cohen remained one of the most compelling and enigmatic musical figures of his era, and one of the very few of that era who commanded as much respect and attention, and probably as large an audience, in the 21st century as he did in the 60s. As much as any survivor of that decade, Cohen held onto his original audience and saw it grow across generations, in keeping with a truly timeless and ageless body of music. In 2006, his enduring influence seemed to be acknowledged in Lions Gate Films release of Leonard Cohen: Im Your Man, director Lian Lunsons concert/portrait of Cohens work and career. A performance set, Live in London, was released in 2009. In 2010, the combined video and audio package Songs from the Road was issued, documenting his 2008 world tour (which actually lasted until late 2010), revisiting songs from each part of his career. The tour covered 84 dates and sold over 700,000 tickets worldwide. Cohen didnt rest long, however: in early 2011 he began to craft what would become Old Ideas, his first album of new material in seven years. The sessions took place with producers Ed Sanders (renowned poet and leader of the Fugs), Patrick Leonard, Cohens saxophonist Dino Soldo, and his partner, singer and songwriter Anjani Thomas. Old Ideas contained ten new songs dealing with spirituality, mortality, sexuality, loss, and acceptance, similar in sound and texture to Dear Heather. The tracks "Lullaby" and "Darkness" were staples of the world tour, while the cut "Show Me the Place" was pre-released in late 2011. Old Ideas was released at the end of January 2012. It was a tremendous success, debuting inside the Top Five in the U.S. and U.K., as well as reaching number one in Canada. Cohens success in Europe was more impressive; Old Ideas reached number one in almost ten countries. After yet another world tour that brought him universal accolades, Cohen, uncharacteristically, returned quickly to the studio with producer (and co-writer) Patrick Leonard, emerging with nine new songs, at least one of which -- "Born in Chains" -- had origins that dated back 40 years. Popular Problems was released in September of 2014 to positive reviews and chart success. (Just like its predecessor, it hit number one across Europe as well as Canada.) Cohen continued to tour internationally with impressive vigor, and in December 2014 he released Live in Dublin, his third live album since returning to the road. The album had been recorded in September 2013, during a concert at Dublins O2 Arena, and a high-definition video release appeared in tandem with the audio edition. Yet another concert document, Cant Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour, appeared in May 2015, with the album drawn from live takes as well as pre-show rehearsals at soundchecks. Cohen went right back to work on new material although he was in declining health. On September 21, 2016, his 82nd birthday, "You Want It Darker," the eerie, mortality-themed title track of a new studio album, appeared on the Internet. The full-length, produced by his son Adam, was issued on October 21. The record was his goodbye; Cohen passed away less than three weeks later, on November 7, 2016. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 36 Title: Golden Hits Released: Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:15:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Avalanche (05:01) 2 Suzanne (03:48) 3 Tonight Will Be Fine (02:29) 4 Sisters of Mercy (03:33) 5 The Partisan (03:25) 6 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 7 So Long, Marianne (05:39) 8 Seems So Long Ago, Nancy (03:39) 9 Lady Midnight (02:58) 10 Winter Lady (02:16) 11 Teachers (03:01) 12 The Butcher (03:17) 13 Diamonds in the Mine (03:50) 14 Story of Isaac (03:35) 15 Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye (02:55) 16 A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes (03:01) 17 You Know Who I Am (03:07) 18 Last Years Man (05:57) 19 The Old Revolution (04:46) 20 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:09) |
 | Album: 2 of 36 Title: Songs of Leonard Cohen Released: 1967-12-27 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Suzanne (03:48) 2 Master Song (05:55) 3 Winter Lady (02:16) 4 The Stranger Song (05:00) 5 Sisters of Mercy (03:34) 6 So Long, Marianne (05:39) 7 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (02:55) 8 Stories of the Street (04:35) 9 Teachers (03:01) 10 One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (04:23) |
| Songs of Leonard Cohen : Allmusic album Review : At a time when a growing number of pop songwriters were embracing a more explicitly poetic approach in their lyrics, the 1967 debut album from Leonard Cohen introduced a songwriter who, rather than being inspired by "serious" literature, took up music after establishing himself as a published author and poet. The ten songs on Songs of Leonard Cohen were certainly beautifully constructed, artful in a way few (if any) other lyricists would approach for some time, but whats most striking about these songs isnt Cohens technique, superb as it is, so much as his portraits of a world dominated by love and lust, rage and need, compassion and betrayal. While the relationship between men and women was often the framework for Cohens songs (he didnt earn the nickname "the master of erotic despair" for nothing), he didnt write about love; rather, Cohen used the never-ending thrust and parry between the sexes as a jumping off point for his obsessive investigation of humanitys occasional kindness and frequent atrocities (both emotional and physical). Cohens world view would be heady stuff at nearly any time and place, but coming in a year when pop music was only just beginning to be taken seriously, Songs of Leonard Cohen was a truly audacious achievement, as bold a challenge to pop music conventions as the other great debut of the year, The Velvet Underground & Nico, and a nearly perfectly realized product of his creative imagination. Producer John Simon added a touch of polish to Cohens songs with his arrangements (originally Cohen wanted no accompaniment other than his guitar), though the results dont detract from his dry but emotive vocals; instead, they complement his lyrics with a thoughtful beauty and give the songs even greater strength. And a number of Cohens finest songs appeared here, including the luminous "Suzanne," the subtly venomous "Master Song" and "Sisters of Mercy," which would later be used to memorable effect in Robert Altmans film McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Many artists work their whole career to create a work as singular and accomplished as Songs of Leonard Cohen, and Cohen worked this alchemy the first time he entered a recording studio; few musicians have ever created a more remarkable or enduring debut. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 36 Title: Songs From a Room Released: 1969-04 Tracks: 10 Duration: 35:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 2 Story of Isaac (03:35) 3 A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes (03:12) 4 The Partisan (03:25) 5 Seems So Long Ago, Nancy (03:39) 6 The Old Revolution (04:46) 7 The Butcher (03:17) 8 You Know Who I Am (03:28) 9 Lady Midnight (02:58) 10 Tonight Will Be Fine (03:48) |
| Songs From a Room : Allmusic album Review : Leonard Cohens first album was an unqualified triumph which announced the arrival of a bold and singular talent, and many who heard it must have wondered what Cohen could do for an encore. By comparison, Cohens second album, 1969s Songs from a Room, was something of a letdown. While its a fine LP, it ultimately feels neither as striking nor as assured as Songs of Leonard Cohen. Bob Johnston stepped in as producer for Songs from a Room, and his arrangements are simpler than those John Simon crafted for the debut, but theyre also full of puzzling accents, such as the jews harp that punctuates several tracks, the churchy organ line in "The Old Revolution," and the harsh synthesizer flourishes on "A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes." Johnston also had trouble coaxing strong vocal performances from Cohen; his singing here sounds tentative and his meter is uncertain, which regardless of how one feels about Cohens much-debated vocal prowess is not the case with his other work. And finally, the quality of the songs on Songs from a Room is less consistent than on Songs of Leonard Cohen; as fine as "Bird on a Wire," "You Know Who I Am," "The Story of Isaac" and "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy" may be, "The Butcher" and "A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes" simply arent up to his usual standards. Despite the albums flaws, Songs from a Rooms strongest moments convey a naked intimacy and fearless emotional honesty thats every bit as powerful as the debut, and it left no doubt that Cohen was a major creative force in contemporary songwriting. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 36 Title: Songs of Love and Hate Released: 1970 Tracks: 8 Duration: 44:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Avalanche (05:01) 2 Last Year’s Man (05:59) 3 Dress Rehearsal Rag (06:05) 4 Diamonds in the Mine (03:50) 5 Love Calls You by Your Name (05:40) 6 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:09) 7 Sing Another Song, Boys (06:12) 8 Joan of Arc (06:21) |
| Songs of Love and Hate : Allmusic album Review : Songs of Love and Hate is one of Leonard Cohens most emotionally intense albums -- which, given the nature of Cohens body of work, is no small statement. While the title Songs of Love and Hate sums up the albums themes accurately enough, its hardly as simple as that description might lead you to expect -- in these eight songs, "love" encompasses the physical ("Last Years Man"), the emotional ("Famous Blue Raincoat"), and the spiritual ("Joan of Arc"), and the contempt in songs like "Dress Rehearsal Rag" and "Avalanche" is the sort of venom that can only come from someone who once cared very deeply. The sound of the album is clean and uncluttered, and for the most part the music stays out of the way of the lyrics, which dominate the songs. Thankfully, Cohen had grown noticeably as a singer since his first two albums, and if he hardly boasts a range to rival Roy Orbison here, he is able to bring out the subtleties of "Joan of Arc" and "Famous Blue Raincoat" in a way his previous work would not have led you to expect. And while Bob Johnstons production is spare, its spare with a purpose, letting Cohens voice and guitar tell their stories and using other musicians for intelligent, emotionally resonant punctuation (Paul Buckmasters unobtrusive string arrangements and the use of a childrens chorus are especially inspired). And Songs of Love and Hate captured Cohen in one of his finest hours as a songwriter, and the best selections (especially "Famous Blue Raincoat," "Joan of Arc," and "Love Calls You by Your Name") rank with the most satisfying work of his career. If Songs of Love and Hate isnt Cohens best album, it comes close enough to be essential to anyone interested in his work. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 36 Title: Live Songs Released: 1973-04 Tracks: 10 Duration: 49:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Minute Prologue (01:14) 2 Passing Through (04:08) 3 You Know Who I Am (05:24) 4 Bird on the Wire (04:30) 5 Nancy (03:50) 6 Improvisation (03:19) 7 Story of Isaac (03:59) 8 Please Dont Pass Me By (A Disgrace) (13:02) 9 Tonight Will Be Fine (06:11) 10 Queen Victoria (03:27) |
| Live Songs : Allmusic album Review : Difficult to find and seemingly assembled from spare parts, Live Songs is the shabby orphan in Leonard Cohens catalog. It is also one of his most thrilling releases. Culled from a series of 1972 concerts (except for "Tonight Will Be Fine" from the Isle of Wight festival), the album consists of compositions from 1969s Songs From a Room and a handful of otherwise unavailable material. Those familiar with Songs From a Room will find that the live versions improve upon their studio counterparts, which sound like they were recorded down a well. The spirited hoedown rendition of "Tonight Will Be Fine" includes two extra verses, and the lovely, restrained performance of "Bird on the Wire" may be definitive. As for the oddities, Dick Blakeslees spry political allegory, "Passing Through," suits Cohens dry delivery, and the hypnotic instrumental "Improvisation" reveals a rarely seen side of his musical personality. Curiously enough, the haunting prologue and the poem-as-dirge "Queen Victoria" dont seem to have been recorded live at all. The centerpiece of the album, however, is "Please Dont Pass Me By," a monstrous 12-minute rant, both outrageous and deadly serious, apparently half written, half made up on the spot. Cohen dedicates the song to a host of outcasts, including "the cripples, the maimed, the freaks...the burned, the burning...the Jews and the gypsies" killed in the Holocaust, "the children of England," and "a savior with no one to save," then goes on to beg some unspecified addressee (the listener?) to get naked for him. Before the song is over, he declares that he cant stand himself and instructs the members of the audience to "go home with someone else." Only a daredevil artist could freak out so totally and articulately before a crowd of paying customers. Cohen fanatics will know theyve hit the jackpot when they hear Live Songs. Anyone who cares about poetry and raw emotional honesty in popular music should at least find it interesting. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 36 Title: So Long, Marianne Released: 1974 Tracks: 12 Duration: 41:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Who by Fire (02:34) 2 So Long, Marianne (05:39) 3 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:07) 4 Lady Midnight (02:58) 5 Sisters of Mercy (03:34) 6 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 7 Suzanne (03:48) 8 Lover Lover Lover (03:20) 9 Winter Lady (02:16) 10 Tonight Will Be Fine (03:48) 11 The Partisan (03:25) 12 Diamonds in the Mine (03:50) |
 | Album: 7 of 36 Title: New Skin for the Old Ceremony Released: 1974-08 Tracks: 11 Duration: 37:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Is This What You Wanted (04:17) 2 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:07) 3 Lover Lover Lover (03:20) 4 Field Commander Cohen (04:02) 5 Why Don’t You Try (03:53) 6 There Is a War (03:02) 7 A Singer Must Die (03:20) 8 I Tried to Leave You (02:41) 9 Who by Fire (02:34) 10 Take This Longing (04:06) 11 Leaving Green Sleeves (02:39) |
| New Skin for the Old Ceremony : Allmusic album Review : Leonard Cohen was a poet long before he decided to pick up a guitar. Despite singing in a dry baritone over spare arrangements, Cohen is a gifted lyricist who captivates the listener. New Skin for the Old Ceremony may be Leonard Cohens most musical album, as he is accompanied by violas, mandolins, banjos, and percussion that give his music more texture than usual. The fact that Cohen does more real singing on this album can be seen as both a blessing and a curse -- while his voice sounds more strained, the songs are delivered with more passion than usual. Furthermore, he has background vocalists including Janis Ian that add significantly to create a fuller sound. It is no surprise, however, that he generally uses simple song structures to draw attention to the words ("Who By Fire"). The lyrics are filled with abstract yet vivid images, and the album primarily uses the metaphor of love and relationships as battlegrounds ("There Is a War," "Field Commander Cohen"). Cohen is clearly singing from the heart, and he chronicles his relationship with Janis Joplin in "Chelsea Hotel No. 2." This is one of his best albums, although new listeners should start with Songs of Leonard Cohen. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 36 Title: The Best of Leonard Cohen / Greatest Hits Released: 1975 Tracks: 12 Duration: 46:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Suzanne (03:48) 2 Sisters of Mercy (03:34) 3 So Long, Marianne (05:39) 4 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 5 Lady Midnight (02:58) 6 The Partisan (03:25) 7 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (02:55) 8 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:09) 9 Last Year’s Man (05:59) 10 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:07) 11 Who by Fire (02:34) 12 Take This Longing (04:06) |
 | Album: 9 of 36 Title: Death of a Ladies’ Man Released: 1977-11 Tracks: 8 Duration: 42:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 True Love Leaves No Traces (04:26) 2 Iodine (05:03) 3 Paper-Thin Hotel (05:42) 4 Memories (05:59) 5 I Left a Woman Waiting (03:28) 6 Don’t Go Home With Your Hard-On (05:36) 7 Fingerprints (02:58) 8 Death of a Ladies’ Man (09:19) |
| Death of a Ladies’ Man : Allmusic album Review : One of the most controversial partnerships in either mans career was inaugurated the day Leonard Cohen and Phil Spector decided to make an album together. In the course of just three weeks together, the pair had written 15 new songs, described by Spector as "some great f*ckin music." And though the recording took somewhat longer, Death of a Ladies Man still emerged as an album that, while it certainly lives up to Spectors billing, can also be viewed as the most challenging record of both Cohen and Spectors careers. Certainly, Cohen fans were absolutely taken aback by the widescreen wash that accompanied their idols customary tones, and many hastened to complain about the almost unbridled sexuality and brutal voyeurism that replaced Cohens traditionally lighter touch -- as if the man who once rhymed "unmade bed" with "giving me head" was any stranger whatsoever to explicitness. It is also true that a cursory listen to the album suggests that the whole thing was simply a ragbag of crazy notions thrown into the air to see where they landed. Pay attention, however, and it quickly makes sense. The brawling "Memories" bowls along, an echo-laden vaudeville drinking song that invites everyone who hears it to join in with the so-perfectly timed refrain of "wont you let me see...your naked body." "Iodine," meanwhile, swings on one of Nino Tempos most seductive rhythm arrangements, while Steve Douglas sax squalls behind Cohen and co-singer Ronee Blakleys rambunctious duet; and anybody looking for a dance smash to sidle wholly out of left field could turn to "Dont Go Home with Your Hard-On," a number that not only captured an almost irresistible funk edge, but also roped Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg into its rambunctious backing chorus. Cohen himself has never been happy with the record -- Spectors mix, he complained, stripped "the guts out of the record," but when he suggested the producer have another go, his entreaties were ignored. Finally agreeing to write the album off as "an experiment that failed" and trust that his fans would be able to pick out its "real energizing capacities," Cohen allowed it to be released as Spector left it -- and then effectively retired for the next five years. His judgment, and that most commonly passed down by rock history, has not been borne out by time. Alongside Songs of Love and Hate, Death of a Ladies Man represents the peak of Cohens first decade or so as a recording artist, both lyrically and stylistically stepping into wholly untapped musical directions -- and certainly setting the stage for the larger scale productions that would mark out his music following his return. It might even be his masterpiece. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 36 Title: Recent Songs Released: 1979-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 52:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Guests (06:40) 2 Humbled in Love (05:15) 3 The Window (05:55) 4 Came So Far for Beauty (04:03) 5 The Lost Canadian (Un Canadien errant) (04:40) 6 The Traitor (06:14) 7 Our Lady of Solitude (03:13) 8 The Gypsy’s Wife (05:12) 9 The Smokey Life (05:18) 10 Ballad of the Absent Mare (06:21) |
| Recent Songs : Allmusic album Review : The first thing Leonard Cohens music fans noticed about his sixth new studio album, given the typically open-ended title Recent Songs, was that, musically, it marked a return to the gypsy folk sound of his early records after the incongruous arrangements Phil Spector imposed on its predecessor, Death of a Ladies Man, only two years earlier. There were subtle musical developments, particularly a flavor of the American Southwest, courtesy of the band Passenger, which played on several tracks, but the acoustic guitars and violin recalled classic Cohen. Fans of the artists poetry noticed something else. His writing had become increasingly bitter and angry during the 1970s in the books The Energy of Slaves and Death of a Ladys Man as well as in his lyrics, but there was a new equanimity in these Recent Songs that began with the welcoming introduction of "The Guests." All was not suddenly well, of course, but "the open-hearted many" outnumbered "the broken-hearted few." Cohens usual mixture of religious and sexual imagery in the songs was elegant and evocative rather than painful. If he was conscious of the sacrifices he had made in vain in "Came So Far for Beauty," he was nevertheless able to make a sincere plea to a woman in "The Window," mixing it with a prayer to "gentle this soul." The album was full of references to absence and dislocation, but Cohen deliberately countered them with humor. The cover of "The Lost Canadian (Un Canadient Errant)" was enlivened by a mariachi arrangement, and the album ended with "Ballad of the Absent Mare," an allegory about a cowboys search for a horse that ended with the suggestion that the pursuit was only a romantic game. Though often abstract, Recent Songs suggested Cohen had regained a certain equilibrium after a long dark period. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 36 Title: Liebesträume: Leonard Cohen singt seine schönsten Lieder Released: 1980 Tracks: 16 Duration: 57:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Suzanne (03:48) 2 So Long Marianne (05:37) 3 Sisters of Mercy (03:34) 4 I Left a Woman Waiting (03:24) 5 Winter Lady (02:14) 6 Take This Longing (04:04) 7 Lady Midnight (02:50) 8 Our Lady of Solitude (03:11) 9 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 10 Tonight Will Be Fine (03:55) 11 Lover Lover Lover (03:20) 12 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:07) 13 Diamonds in the Mine (04:00) 14 The Partisan (03:37) 15 Seems So Long Ago, Nancy (03:39) 16 Passing Thru (04:00) |
 | Album: 12 of 36 Title: Various Positions Released: 1984-12 Tracks: 9 Duration: 35:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Dance Me to the End of Love (04:40) 2 Coming Back to You (03:35) 3 The Law (04:28) 4 Night Comes On (04:41) 5 Hallelujah (04:38) 6 The Captain (04:10) 7 Hunter’s Lullaby (02:26) 8 Heart With No Companion (03:04) 9 If It Be Your Will (03:43) |
| Various Positions : Allmusic album Review : Recorded with vocalist Jennifer Warnes (who later cut the album Famous Blue Raincoat, a collection of Leonard Cohen compositions), Various Positions is a stunning return to form -- Cohens strongest work since New Skin for the Old Ceremony. Cryptic and spartan, the set continues in the eclectic vein of recent efforts, but with greater clarity and focus, resulting in an intriguingly diffuse collection ranging from the Serge Gainsbourg-esque pop of "Dance Me to the End of Love" to the boozy, country-inflected "The Captain." | ||
 | Album: 13 of 36 Title: The Best of Leonard Cohen Released: 1988 Tracks: 12 Duration: 46:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Suzanne (03:47) 2 Sisters Of Mercy (03:33) 3 So Long, Marianne (05:38) 4 Bird On The Wire (03:24) 5 Lady Midnight (02:56) 6 The Partisan (03:23) 7 Hey, Thats No Way To Say Goodbye (02:54) 8 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:07) 9 Last Years Man (05:57) 10 Chelsea Hotel No. 2 (03:04) 11 Who By Fire (02:31) 12 Take This Longing (04:05) |
 | Album: 14 of 36 Title: I’m Your Man Released: 1988-02 Tracks: 8 Duration: 40:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 First We Take Manhattan (05:58) 2 Ain’t No Cure for Love (04:50) 3 Everybody Knows (05:36) 4 I’m Your Man (04:26) 5 Take This Waltz (05:59) 6 Jazz Police (03:53) 7 I Can’t Forget (04:31) 8 Tower of Song (05:37) |
| I’m Your Man : Allmusic album Review : A stunningly sophisticated leap into modern musical textures, Im Your Man re-establishes Leonard Cohens mastery. Against a backdrop of keyboards and propulsive rhythms, Cohen surveys the global landscape with a precise, unflinching eye: the opening "First We Take Manhattan" is an ominous fantasy of commercial success bundled in crypto-fascist imagery, while the remarkable "Everybody Knows" is a cynical catalog of the land mines littering the surface of love in the age of AIDS. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 36 Title: Los 60 de los 60 Released: 1992 Tracks: 11 Duration: 43:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Sisters of Mercy (03:34) 2 So Long, Marianne (05:39) 3 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 4 Lady Midnigjht (03:03) 5 The Partisan (03:25) 6 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (03:00) 7 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:09) 8 Last Year’s Man (05:59) 9 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:07) 10 Who by Fire (02:34) 11 Take This Longing (04:06) |
 | Album: 16 of 36 Title: The Future Released: 1992-11-24 Tracks: 9 Duration: 59:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Future (06:42) 2 Waiting for the Miracle (07:42) 3 Be for Real (04:32) 4 Closing Time (05:59) 5 Anthem (06:06) 6 Democracy (07:14) 7 Light as the Breeze (07:16) 8 Always (08:04) 9 Tacoma Trailer (05:56) |
| The Future : Allmusic album Review : As with most every Leonard Cohen album, a new record means a new means of musical exploration. With The Future, Cohen adds chiming synthesizers and eerie orchestrations to his brooding anthems about lifes darker half. One of the last of Cohens full-length albums, The Future is definitely one of the most direct. More notable tracks include "The Future" and "Waiting for the Miracle," both of which were featured on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. Closer to spoken word poetry set to music than simply songs, the entire album is one long manifesto calling all to challenge the concepts of righteousness and despair in our modern world. Regardless of the music behind the man, Cohen still manages to bring to The Future what he brought to his earlier recordings: one man against the world with nothing but a gruff voice and a cause. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 36 Title: No Cure for Love Released: 1993 Tracks: 11 Duration: 1:14:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Dance With Me to the End of Love (05:56) 2 Waiting for the Miracle (08:50) 3 There Aint No Cure for Love (05:40) 4 Joan of Art (06:37) 5 Bird on a Wire (06:37) 6 First We Take Manhatten (05:53) 7 Take This Waltz (07:22) 8 Sister of Mercy (06:21) 9 Avalanche (04:38) 10 I Tried to Leave You (11:11) 11 So Long Marianne (05:30) |
 | Album: 18 of 36 Title: Cohen Live: Leonard Cohen in Concert Released: 1994-06 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:11:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dance Me to the End of Love (06:10) 2 Bird on the Wire (06:53) 3 Everybody Knows (06:09) 4 Joan of Arc (06:14) 5 There Is a War (04:47) 6 Sisters of Mercy (06:16) 7 Hallelujah (06:54) 8 Im Your Man (05:30) 9 Who By Fire? (05:09) 10 One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (05:21) 11 If It Be Your Will (03:18) 12 Heart With No Companion (04:51) 13 Suzanne (04:20) |
 | Album: 19 of 36 Title: More Best of Leonard Cohen Released: 1997-10-07 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:11:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Everybody Knows (05:36) 2 I’m Your Man (04:26) 3 Take This Waltz (05:59) 4 Tower of Song (05:37) 5 Anthem (06:06) 6 Democracy (07:14) 7 The Future (06:42) 8 Closing Time (05:59) 9 Dance Me to the End of Love (live) (06:11) 10 Suzanne (live) (04:19) 11 Hallelujah (live) (06:55) 12 Never Any Good (05:05) 13 The Great Event (01:09) |
| More Best of Leonard Cohen : Allmusic album Review : This second compilation covers Leonard Cohens career from 1984 to 1995 (skipping over both Death of a Ladies Man, which is understandable, and Recent Songs, which is more questionable). Cohen did not have any hits during this period, though a few songs, notably "Everybody Knows" and "Tower of Song," became well enough known to be essential choices. Otherwise, Cohens craftsmanship makes a choice from among his work difficult. This set chooses four of the eight songs from the celebrated Im Your Man album (and more might have been included) and four from its less successful follow-up, The Future. One track, "Dance Me to the End of Love," comes from Various Positions, with another of that albums songs, "Hallelujah," included in a live version. There is also a live version of the Cohen standard "Suzanne," and there are two previously unreleased songs, the typically funny and erotic "Never Any Good" and the minute-long disembodied recitation "The Great Event." Its easy to note important omissions -- "Came So Far for Beauty," "If It Be Your Will," and "First We Take Manhattan" are perhaps the most missed -- but whats here chronicles both the continuance of Cohens talent as a songwriter and the improvement in his deepened voice and record-making abilities in this portion of his career. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 36 Title: Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979 Released: 2000 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:03:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Field Commander Cohen (04:26) 2 The Window (05:51) 3 The Smokey Life (05:33) 4 The Gypsys Wife (05:20) 5 Lover Lover Lover (06:31) 6 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (04:05) 7 The Stranger Song (04:55) 8 The Guests (06:05) 9 Memories (04:39) 10 Why Dont You Try (03:42) 11 Bird on the Wire (05:10) 12 So Long, Marianne (06:44) |
| Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979 : Allmusic album Review : As hed firmly established himself as a poet and novelist years before he made his first album, Leonard Cohen is often regarded less as a musician than as a writer who happens to sing. But his songs have always displayed a subtle but mesmerizing melodic sense that dovetails gracefully with his lyrics, and though his craggy voice has its limits, no one else interprets Cohens songs with his degree of intelligence and quiet passion. In 1979, after the release of his album Recent Songs, Cohen set out on an international concert tour accompanied by members of the jazz-rock group Passenger; Field Commander Cohen was compiled from recordings of the 1979 tour, and it presents an especially strong argument for Cohens gifts as a musician. Cohens voice had gained a great deal of strength and nuance since the dates preserved on 1973s Live Songs, and the smoky rasp that began to scar his vocals on Im Your Man had yet to set in; this may well be Cohens best set of recorded performances as a singer, and having Jennifer Warnes and Sharon Robinson on hand as duet partners is especially rich icing on the cake. While the musicians take care to never intrude upon the songs, they play beautifully, with remarkable taste and skill; Passenger bring out the nuances of these songs with a sure but gentle hand (especially bassist Roscoe Beck and Paul Ostermayer on sax and clarinet), and Raffi Hakopians violin and John Bilezikjians oud add breathtaking punctuation to these performances (Cohen often cites his musicians after the songs, and its not hard to imagine a singer being thrilled to work with musicians of this caliber). While it falls short of the stark emotional force of Songs of Leonard Cohen or Songs of Love and Hate, Field Commander Cohen makes clear that Cohen writes songs, not literature accompanied by incidental music, and here these 12 songs possess a passionate, aching beauty thats a wonder to behold; this is easily the best Leonard Cohen live recording to emerge to date. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 36 Title: Ten New Songs Released: 2001-10-08 Tracks: 10 Duration: 52:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 In My Secret Life (04:55) 2 A Thousand Kisses Deep (06:28) 3 That Dont Make It Junk (04:28) 4 Here It Is (04:18) 5 Love Itself (05:26) 6 By the Rivers Dark (05:20) 7 Alexandra Leaving (05:25) 8 You Have Loved Enough (05:41) 9 Boogie Street (06:04) 10 The Land of Plenty (04:35) |
| Ten New Songs : Allmusic album Review : "Im back on Boogie Street," declares Leonard Cohen on two different songs in this collection, titled with characteristic understatement Ten New Songs. (Previous album titles have included Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs from a Room, and Recent Songs.) More poet than musician, Cohen has, since his early albums, tended to rely on collaborations with musicians to put together his music: John Lissauer on 1974s New Skin for the Old Ceremony, Henry Lewy on 1979s Recent Songs, and, notoriously, Phil Spector on 1977s Death of a Ladies Man. On Ten New Songs, his partner is former backup singer Sharon Robinson, who co-wrote "Everybody Knows" on 1988s Im Your Man and earns co-writing credit on all the material here. She has also conjured the musical backgrounds ("All tracks arranged, programmed, and performed by Sharon Robinson," reads the credit), and she harmonizes with Cohen throughout. But all collaborators (even Spector) are in the service of Cohens poetic vision, which remains the dominant element on this elegiac set. After a restatement of purpose on "In My Secret Life," he turns in a moody set of reflections on decline, even alluding to fellow poet Robert Frosts famous "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" in "A Thousand Kisses Deep": "And maybe I had miles to drive/And promises to keep/You ditch it all to stay alive/A thousand kisses deep." The songs are full of leave-taking, with titles like "Alexandra Leaving" and "You Have Loved Enough" accurately describing the tone, concluding with the prayer-like valedictory "The Land of Plenty," which gently remonstrates with the consumer society the poet has always engaged and rejected: "May the lights in the land of plenty/Shine on the truth some day." Even in the quietude of Cohens catalog, the result seems like a coda. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 36 Title: The Essential Leonard Cohen Released: 2002-10 Tracks: 38 Duration: 3:15:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Suzanne (03:48) 2 The Stranger Song (05:00) 3 Sisters of Mercy (03:34) 4 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (02:55) 5 So Long, Marianne (05:39) 6 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 7 The Partisan (03:25) 8 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:09) 9 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:07) 10 Take This Longing (04:06) 11 Who by Fire (02:34) 12 The Guests (06:40) 13 Hallelujah (04:38) 14 If It Be Your Will (03:43) 15 Night Comes On (04:41) 16 I’m Your Man (04:26) 17 Everybody Knows (05:36) 18 Tower of Song (05:37) 1 Ain’t No Cure for Love (04:50) 2 Take This Waltz (05:59) 3 First We Take Manhattan (05:58) 4 Dance Me to the End of Love (live) (06:06) 5 The Future (06:42) 6 Democracy (07:05) 7 Waiting for the Miracle (07:42) 8 Closing Time (05:59) 9 Anthem (06:06) 10 In My Secret Life (04:55) 11 Alexandra Leaving (05:25) 12 A Thousand Kisses Deep (06:28) 13 Love Itself (05:26) 1 Seems So Long Ago, Nancy (03:39) 2 Love Calls You by Name (05:42) 3 A Singer Must Die (03:20) 4 Death of a Ladies’ Man (09:19) 5 The Traitor (06:14) 6 By the Rivers Dark (05:19) 7 The Letters (04:45) |
| The Essential Leonard Cohen : Allmusic album Review : The tracks on this two-CD, 31-song anthology, spanning Cohens career from his 1967 debut album through 2002s Ten New Songs, were chosen by Cohen himself. It could thus be regarded as an accurate mirror of how Cohen sees his own career path and catalog highlights. And there are many of the songs you would expect from any decent Cohen retrospective: "Suzanne," "Sisters of Mercy," "So Long Marianne," "Bird on a Wire," "Famous Blue Raincoat," and "Im Youre Man," for instance. Still, the balance and selection isnt ideal. Theres just one song ("Famous Blue Raincoat") from Songs of Love and Hate, and no songs at all from Death of a Ladies Man. Cohens 1988-2002 period is arguably overrepresented, with about half of the packages tunes dating from that era. And because his later period is so prominently featured, most listeners wont be able to get around the fact that his voice declined in expressive range in the later years, and his material was less striking than his best early songs. Still, for those whove enjoyed Cohen all along, its a good dose of much of his better work, and certainly doesnt skimp on the running time, with each of the discs lasting 78 minutes. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 36 Title: Mojo Presents...An Introduction to Leonard Cohen Released: 2003-09 Tracks: 23 Duration: 1:43:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Suzanne (03:48) 2 Sisters of Mercy (03:34) 3 One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (04:23) 4 The Old Revolution (04:46) 5 Seems So Long Ago, Nancy (03:39) 6 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 7 Joan of Arc (06:21) 8 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:09) 9 Diamonds in the Mine (03:50) 10 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:07) 11 I Tried to Leave You (02:42) 12 Who by Fire (02:34) 13 Iodine (05:03) 1 The Smokey Life (05:18) 2 Dance Me to the End of Love (04:40) 3 Hallelujah (04:38) 4 If It Be Your Will (03:43) 5 I’m Your Man (04:26) 6 Take This Waltz (05:59) 7 Tower of Song (05:39) 8 Light as the Breeze (07:16) 9 The Gypsys Wife (05:20) 10 That Don’t Make It Junk (04:28) |
 | Album: 24 of 36 Title: Dear Heather Released: 2004-10-25 Tracks: 13 Duration: 49:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Go No More A-Roving (03:43) 2 Because Of (03:05) 3 The Letters (04:48) 4 Undertow (04:22) 5 Morning Glory (03:36) 6 On That Day (02:10) 7 Villanelle for Our Time (05:57) 8 There for You (04:41) 9 Dear Heather (03:43) 10 Nightingale (02:31) 11 To a Teacher (02:35) 12 The Faith (04:20) 13 Tennessee Waltz (live) (04:05) |
| Dear Heather : Allmusic album Review : There is an air of finality on Leonard Cohens Dear Heather. Cohen, who turned 70 in September of 2004, offers no air of personal mortality -- thank God; may this elegant Canadian bard of the holy and profane live forever. It nonetheless looks back -- to teachers, lovers, and friends -- and celebrates life spent in the process of actually living it. The albums bookend tracks provide some evidence: Lord Byrons bittersweet "Go No More A-Roving," set to music and sung by Cohen and Sharon Robinson (and dedicated to Cohens ailing mentor, Irving Layton), and a beautifully crafted reading of country musics greatest lost love song, "Tennessee Waltz." Cohens voice is even quieter, almost whispering, nearly sepulchral. The tone of the album is mellow, hushed, nocturnal. Its instrumentation is drenched in the beat nightclub atmospherics of Ten New Songs: trippy, skeletal R&B; and pop and Casio keyboard- and beatbox-propelled rhythm tracks are graced by brushed drums, spectral saxophones, and vibes, along with an all but imperceptible acoustic guitar lilting sleepily through it all. But this doesnt get it, because theres so much more than this, too. That said, Dear Heather is Cohens most upbeat offering. Rather than focus on loss as an end, it looks upon experience as something to be accepted as a portal to wisdom and gratitude. Women permeate these songs both literally and metaphorically. Robinson, who collaborated with Cohen last time, is here, but so is Anjani Thomas. Leanne Ungar also lends production help. Cohen blatantly sums up his amorous life in "Because Of": "Because of a few songs/Wherein I spoke of their mystery/Women have been exceptionally kind to my old age/They make a secret place/In their busy lives/And they say, Look at me, Leonard/Look at me one last time." "The Letters," written with Robinson, who sings in duet, is a case in point, reflecting on a past love who has been "Reading them again/The ones you didnt burn/You press them to your lips/My pages of concern...The wounded forms appear/The loss, the full extent/And simple kindness here/The solitude of strength." "On That Day" is a deeply compassionate meditation on the violence of September 11 where he asks the question: "Did you go crazy/Or did you report/On that day...." It is followed by the spoken poem "A Villanelle for Our Time," with words by Cohens late professor Frank Scott that transform these experiences into hope. "We rise to play a greater part/The lesser loyalties depart/And neither race nor creed remain/From bitter searching of the heart...." On "There for You," with Robinson, Cohen digs even deeper into the well, telling an old lover that no matter the end result of their love, he was indeed there, had shown up, he was accountable and is grateful. Cohen quotes his own first book, The Spice Box of Earth, to pay tribute to the late poet A.M. Klein. "Tennessee Waltz" is indeed a sad, sad song, but it is given balance in Cohens elegant, cheerful delivery. If this is indeed his final offering as a songwriter, it is a fine, decent, and moving way to close this chapter of the book of his life. | ||
 | Album: 25 of 36 Title: The Collection Released: 2008-06-30 Tracks: 46 Duration: 3:49:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Suzanne (03:48) 2 Master Song (05:55) 3 Winter Lady (02:16) 4 The Stranger Song (05:00) 5 Sisters of Mercy (03:34) 6 So Long, Marianne (05:39) 7 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (02:55) 8 Stories of the Street (04:35) 9 Teachers (03:01) 10 One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (04:23) 1 Dance Me to the End of Love (04:40) 2 Coming Back to You (03:35) 3 The Law (04:28) 4 Night Comes On (04:41) 5 Hallelujah (04:38) 6 The Captain (04:10) 7 Hunter’s Lullaby (02:26) 8 Heart With No Companion (03:04) 9 If It Be Your Will (03:43) 1 First We Take Manhattan (05:58) 2 Ain’t No Cure for Love (04:50) 3 Everybody Knows (05:36) 4 I’m Your Man (04:26) 5 Take This Waltz (05:59) 6 Jazz Police (03:53) 7 I Can’t Forget (04:31) 8 Tower of Song (05:37) 1 The Future (06:42) 2 Waiting for the Miracle (07:42) 3 Be for Real (04:32) 4 Closing Time (05:59) 5 Anthem (06:06) 6 Democracy (07:14) 7 Light as the Breeze (07:16) 8 Always (08:04) 9 Tacoma Trailer (05:56) 1 In My Secret Life (04:55) 2 A Thousand Kisses Deep (06:28) 3 That Dont Make It Junk (04:28) 4 Here It Is (04:18) 5 Love Itself (05:26) 6 By the Rivers Dark (05:20) 7 Alexandra Leaving (05:25) 8 You Have Loved Enough (05:41) 9 Boogie Street (06:04) 10 The Land of Plenty (04:35) |
 | Album: 26 of 36 Title: Live in London Released: 2009-03-31 Tracks: 26 Duration: 2:31:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dance Me to the End of Love (06:20) 2 The Future (07:20) 3 Ain’t No Cure for Love (06:16) 4 Bird on the Wire (06:14) 5 Everybody Knows (05:52) 6 In My Secret Life (05:02) 7 Who by Fire (06:35) 8 Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye (03:47) 9 Anthem (07:20) 10 Introduction (01:29) 11 Tower of Song (07:07) 12 Suzanne (03:46) 13 The Gypsy’s Wife (06:42) 1 Boogie Street (06:57) 2 Hallelujah (07:20) 3 Democracy (07:08) 4 I’m Your Man (05:41) 5 Recitation w/ N.L. (03:53) 6 Take This Waltz (08:37) 7 So Long, Marianne (05:24) 8 First We Take Manhattan (06:16) 9 Sisters of Mercy (04:56) 10 If It Be Your Will (05:22) 11 Closing Time (06:15) 12 I Tried to Leave You (08:33) 13 Whither Thou Goest (01:27) |
| Live in London : Allmusic album Review : As more than one writer has pointed out, in 2008 and 2009 Leonard Cohens loss became his audiences gain. After spending five years living as a monk in a Buddhist monastery during a sabbatical from music, Cohen discovered in 2005 that his former business manager had embezzled nearly all his savings, and two years later, in order to put his finances back in order, he warily agreed to an international concert tour, his first in nearly a decade and a half. Given the circumstances that prompted Cohens return to the stage as well as his age -- 73 when the tour began -- one would have the right to wonder just how enthusiastic the great songwriter would be about meeting his audience again. But judging from Live in London -- a two-disc set recorded during a rapturously received appearance at Londons O2 Arena on July 17, 2008 -- these concerts have unexpectedly given Cohen a chance to remind the world of his strengths as a musician and a performer, and hes embraced the opportunity with joy. The notion of Leonard Cohen playing a 20,000-seat arena may seem a bit surprising (at least in America), but Cohen and his nine-member supporting ensemble give 25 songs from his catalog a treatment that fills them out enough to work in a massive room (at least compared to the intimate arrangements of his early work) without crushing the nuances of gentler numbers like "Who by Fire" and "Suzanne," while "The Future" and "Democracy" sound just as big as they need to be. Theres sometimes a bit too much David Sanborn in Dino Soldos horn solos, but otherwise the band is superb -- especially Javier Mas on banduria, laud, archilaud, and guitar, and the vocal ensemble of Sharon Robinson, Charley Webb, and Hattie Webb -- and despite the craggy, weathered state of Cohens voice, he sounds sure and committed from the first moment to the last, often finding notes that seem elusive at first, and his performance here is genuinely engrossing. Its also surprisingly witty; Cohen may have a reputation as one of the most dour performers in contemporary music, but his between-song patter is charmingly droll, and he finds a passion and a humanity in his songs that sets them apart from their studio counterparts. Cohen sounds genuinely moved by the affectionate reception he receives from his audience, and he seems determined to give them a show to match their loyalty, and with his band (who he frequently lauds during the performance) he truly gives of himself; if this isnt quite the strongest live performance Cohen has released for public consumption, its certainly the warmest and the most emotionally resonant. Perhaps fate forced Leonard Cohens hand to stage the tour documented in part on Live in London, but it seems that fate knows just what its doing, and this album eloquently demonstrates how much Cohen still has to offer, and how clearly his music still speaks to him (and us). | ||
 | Album: 27 of 36 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 2009-07-13 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:18:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Suzanne (03:48) 2 So Long, Marianne (05:39) 3 Sisters of Mercy (03:34) 4 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:09) 5 Everybody Knows (05:36) 6 Waiting for the Miracle (03:24) 7 Who by Fire (02:34) 8 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:07) 9 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (02:55) 10 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 11 A Thousand Kisses Deep (06:28) 12 The Future (06:42) 13 Closing Time (05:59) 14 Dance Me to the End of Love (04:40) 15 First We Take Manhattan (05:58) 16 I’m Your Man (04:26) 17 Hallelujah (04:38) |
| Greatest Hits : Allmusic album Review : The Best of Leonard Cohen samples 12 of the many highlights from the singers first four studio LPs. With a heavy emphasis on the debut Songs of Leonard Cohen and its follow-up Songs From a Room, the set includes such masterpieces as "Suzanne," "So Long, Marianne" and "Bird on the Wire," as well as later efforts including "Chelsea Hotel" and "Famous Blue Raincoat." | ||
 | Album: 28 of 36 Title: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 Released: 2009-10-20 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:19:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Introduction (03:06) 2 Bird on the Wire (04:15) 3 Intro to So Long, Marianne (00:16) 4 So Long, Marianne (07:07) 5 Intro: “Let’s Renew Ourselves Now…” (00:51) 6 You Know Who I Am (03:58) 7 Intro to Poems (00:29) 8 Lady Midnight (03:38) 9 They Locked Up a Man (poem) / A Person Who Eats Meat / Intro (02:00) 10 One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (04:54) 11 The Stranger Song (06:47) 12 Tonight Will Be Fine (06:39) 13 Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye (03:34) 14 Diamonds in the Mine (05:22) 15 Suzanne (04:26) 16 Sing Another Song, Boys (06:31) 17 The Partisan (05:13) 18 Famous Blue Raincoat (06:15) 19 Seems So Long Ago, Nancy (04:19) |
| Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 : Allmusic album Review : On August 31, 1970, Leonard Cohen was scheduled to play the third Isle of Wight Festival. The conditions were not optimal. While 100,000 or so tickets had been sold, there were nearly 600,000 in attendance. Fans overran the island to see and hear the Who, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, and many others over five days. Given the gatecrashers, things got ugly and violent. Some acts were booed from the stage while others were pelted with projectiles; fires were set -- even the stage got torched during Hendrixs performance. Murray Lerner, the award-winning documentary filmmaker who had been commissioned to capture it all, packed up his gear. Thank goodness he stayed. Leonard Cohen was 35 and had two albums under his belt with a third on the way. He was scheduled to play after Hendrix, right in the middle of the chaos. Organizers tried to find a replacement piano for the one that had been burned -- he was asleep in his trailer when he was awakened at 1 a.m. An unkempt Cohen took the stage without hesitation at 2 a.m in a safari jacket and jeans over his pajamas, along with the Army -- producer Bob Johnson on organ, piano, and guitar; Elkin "Bubba" Fowler on bass and banjo; fiddler Charlie Daniels; guitarist Ron Cornelius; and vocalists Corlynn Hanney, Susan Mussmano, and Donna Washburn. Cohen opened with a story about a man at a circus asking people to light a match so they could see one another; he requested that from the rowdy crowd. Some granted it early, many more later. Lerner instinctually reset a camera just before his performance and got most of Cohens show, the vibe of which transformed the festivals last day. Its all here on CD and DVD from Legacy. Cohen played songs from his first two albums, debuted a few, recited poems, and told stories. He offered personal confessions about being in a cheap hotel, trying to pick up a blonde woman in a Nazi poster while coming down from a speed run; he talked of friends who committed suicide because they had no one to talk to; and shared effortlessly, politely, and honestly without artifice or "showmanship." In other words, the qualities he has become known for throughout his career. The CD captures the entire performance in nearly pristine sound. The hits (of the time) are here, the banter is here, and the entire performance by the band is so special it will leave the listener utterly satisfied. Whether its "So Long, Marianne," the poem "They Locked Up a Man," the stellar reading of "The Partisan," or the chilling version of "Famous Blue Raincoat," this is top-notch Cohen. The DVD is imperfect, but thats all right; it is still essential viewing artistically and historically. What Lerner captures is utterly magical, and not to be missed. His sense of timing is impeccable, his taste unassailable. Since he hastily reset his gear, there is one camera instead of three, but it hardly matters. He captures the essence of what happened, he understood instinctually what was going on on-stage and with the crowd, and he portrays that throughout the gig. The concert is interspersed with brief interviews with eyewitnesses Judy Collins and Joan Baez, but their input is unnecessary and self-serving. Kris Kristoffersons first-person commentary, however, is wonderful, because it is journalistic and simple, without nostalgic interpretation. Cohen is not present as a commentator, which is unfortunate, but this is only a small complaint, really. This is one CD/DVD package that is so complementary, its pieces are inseparable. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 36 Title: All Time Best Released: 2011-08-26 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:17:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Suzanne (03:47) 2 So Long, Marianne (05:37) 3 Sisters of Mercy (03:33) 4 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:07) 5 Everybody Knows (05:34) 6 Waiting for the Miracle (03:23) 7 Who by Fire (02:33) 8 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:05) 9 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (02:54) 10 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 11 A Thousand Kisses Deep (06:28) 12 The Future (06:41) 13 Closing Time (05:58) 14 Dance Me to the End of Love (04:40) 15 First We Take Manhattan (05:50) 16 I’m Your Man (04:25) 17 Hallelujah (04:39) |
 | Album: 30 of 36 Title: The Complete Columbia Albums Collection Released: 2011-10-11 Tracks: 198 Duration: 16:15:21 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Suzanne (03:48) 2 Master Song (05:55) 3 Winter Lady (02:16) 4 The Stranger Song (05:00) 5 Sisters of Mercy (03:34) 6 So Long, Marianne (05:39) 7 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (02:55) 8 Stories of the Street (04:35) 9 Teachers (03:01) 10 One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (04:23) 1 Bird on the Wire (03:26) 2 Story of Isaac (03:35) 3 A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes (03:12) 4 The Partisan (03:25) 5 Seems So Long Ago, Nancy (03:39) 6 The Old Revolution (04:46) 7 The Butcher (03:17) 8 You Know Who I Am (03:28) 9 Lady Midnight (02:58) 10 Tonight Will Be Fine (03:48) 1 Avalanche (05:01) 2 Last Year’s Man (05:59) 3 Dress Rehearsal Rag (06:05) 4 Diamonds in the Mine (03:50) 5 Love Calls You by Your Name (05:40) 6 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:09) 7 Sing Another Song, Boys (06:12) 8 Joan of Arc (06:21) 1 Minute Prologue (01:14) 2 Passing Through (04:08) 3 You Know Who I Am (05:24) 4 Bird on the Wire (04:30) 5 Nancy (03:50) 6 Improvisation (03:19) 7 Story of Isaac (03:59) 8 Please Dont Pass Me By (A Disgrace) (13:02) 9 Tonight Will Be Fine (06:11) 10 Queen Victoria (03:27) 1 Is This What You Wanted (04:17) 2 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:07) 3 Lover Lover Lover (03:20) 4 Field Commander Cohen (04:02) 5 Why Don’t You Try (03:53) 6 There Is a War (03:02) 7 A Singer Must Die (03:20) 8 I Tried to Leave You (02:41) 9 Who by Fire (02:34) 10 Take This Longing (04:06) 11 Leaving Green Sleeves (02:39) 1 True Love Leaves No Traces (04:26) 2 Iodine (05:03) 3 Paper-Thin Hotel (05:42) 4 Memories (05:59) 5 I Left a Woman Waiting (03:28) 6 Don’t Go Home With Your Hard-On (05:36) 7 Fingerprints (02:58) 8 Death of a Ladies’ Man (09:19) 1 The Guests (06:40) 2 Humbled in Love (05:15) 3 The Window (05:55) 4 Came So Far for Beauty (04:03) 5 The Lost Canadian (Un Canadien errant) (04:40) 6 The Traitor (06:14) 7 Our Lady of Solitude (03:13) 8 The Gypsy’s Wife (05:12) 9 The Smokey Life (05:18) 10 Ballad of the Absent Mare (longer version) (06:43) 1 Dance Me to the End of Love (04:40) 2 Coming Back to You (03:35) 3 The Law (04:28) 4 Night Comes On (04:41) 5 Hallelujah (04:38) 6 The Captain (04:10) 7 Hunter’s Lullaby (02:26) 8 Heart With No Companion (03:04) 9 If It Be Your Will (03:43) 1 First We Take Manhattan (05:58) 2 Ain’t No Cure for Love (04:50) 3 Everybody Knows (05:36) 4 I’m Your Man (04:26) 5 Take This Waltz (05:59) 6 Jazz Police (03:53) 7 I Can’t Forget (04:31) 8 Tower of Song (05:37) 1 The Future (06:42) 2 Waiting for the Miracle (07:42) 3 Be for Real (04:32) 4 Closing Time (05:59) 5 Anthem (06:06) 6 Democracy (07:14) 7 Light as the Breeze (07:16) 8 Always (08:04) 9 Tacoma Trailer (05:56) 1 Dance Me to the End of Love (06:10) 2 Bird on the Wire (06:53) 3 Everybody Knows (06:09) 4 Joan of Arc (06:14) 5 There Is a War (04:47) 6 Sisters of Mercy (06:16) 7 Hallelujah (06:54) 8 Im Your Man (05:30) 9 Who By Fire? (05:09) 10 One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (05:21) 11 If It Be Your Will (03:18) 12 Heart With No Companion (04:51) 13 Suzanne (04:20) 1 Field Commander Cohen (04:26) 2 The Window (05:51) 3 The Smokey Life (05:33) 4 The Gypsys Wife (05:20) 5 Lover Lover Lover (06:31) 6 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (04:05) 7 The Stranger Song (04:55) 8 The Guests (06:05) 9 Memories (04:39) 10 Why Dont You Try (03:42) 11 Bird on the Wire (05:10) 12 So Long, Marianne (06:44) 1 In My Secret Life (04:55) 2 A Thousand Kisses Deep (06:28) 3 That Dont Make It Junk (04:28) 4 Here It Is (04:18) 5 Love Itself (05:26) 6 By the Rivers Dark (05:20) 7 Alexandra Leaving (05:25) 8 You Have Loved Enough (05:41) 9 Boogie Street (06:04) 10 The Land of Plenty (04:35) 1 Go No More A-Roving (03:43) 2 Because Of (03:05) 3 The Letters (04:48) 4 Undertow (04:22) 5 Morning Glory (03:36) 6 On That Day (02:10) 7 Villanelle for Our Time (05:57) 8 There for You (04:41) 9 Dear Heather (03:43) 10 Nightingale (02:31) 11 To a Teacher (02:35) 12 The Faith (04:20) 13 Tennessee Waltz (live) (04:05) 1 Dance Me to the End of Love (06:20) 2 The Future (07:20) 3 Ain’t No Cure for Love (06:16) 4 Bird on the Wire (06:14) 5 Everybody Knows (05:52) 6 In My Secret Life (05:02) 7 Who by Fire (06:35) 8 Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye (03:47) 9 Anthem (07:20) 10 Introduction (01:29) 11 Tower of Song (07:07) 12 Suzanne (03:46) 13 The Gypsy’s Wife (06:42) 1 Boogie Street (06:57) 2 Hallelujah (07:20) 3 Democracy (07:08) 4 I’m Your Man (05:41) 5 Recitation w/ N.L. (03:53) 6 Take This Waltz (08:37) 7 So Long, Marianne (05:24) 8 First We Take Manhattan (06:16) 9 Sisters of Mercy (04:56) 10 If It Be Your Will (05:22) 11 Closing Time (06:15) 12 I Tried to Leave You (08:33) 13 Whither Thou Goest (01:27) 1 Introduction (03:06) 2 Bird on the Wire (04:15) 3 Intro to So Long, Marianne (00:16) 4 So Long, Marianne (07:07) 5 Intro: “Let’s Renew Ourselves Now…” (00:51) 6 You Know Who I Am (03:58) 7 Intro to Poems (00:29) 8 Lady Midnight (03:38) 9 They Locked Up a Man (poem) / A Person Who Eats Meat / Intro (02:00) 10 One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (04:54) 11 The Stranger Song (06:47) 12 Tonight Will Be Fine (06:39) 13 Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye (03:34) 14 Diamonds in the Mine (05:22) 15 Suzanne (04:26) 16 Sing Another Song, Boys (06:31) 17 The Partisan (05:13) 18 Famous Blue Raincoat (06:15) 19 Seems So Long Ago, Nancy (04:19) 1 Lover, Lover, Lover (07:43) 2 Bird on the Wire (06:09) 3 Chelsea Hotel (03:31) 4 Heart With No Companion (05:06) 5 That Dont Make It Junk (04:22) 6 Waiting for the Miracle (08:01) 7 Avalanche (04:17) 8 Suzanne (03:41) 9 The Partisan (05:18) 10 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:23) 11 Hallelujah (07:32) 12 Closing Time (06:07) |
 | Album: 31 of 36 Title: Old Ideas Released: 2012-01-27 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Going Home (03:51) 2 Amen (07:35) 3 Show Me the Place (04:08) 4 Darkness (04:29) 5 Anyhow (03:08) 6 Crazy to Love You (03:06) 7 Come Healing (02:53) 8 Banjo (03:23) 9 Lullaby (04:46) 10 Different Sides (04:05) |
| Old Ideas : Allmusic album Review : Leonard Cohen, has always possessed a droll, self-effacing sense of humor. He expresses it on the opening track of Old Ideas in the third person: "I love to speak with Leonard/Hes a sportsman and a shepherd/Hes a lazy bastard/Living in a suit...." Its just of the typical Cohen topical standards on offer here: spiritual yearning, struggle, love, loss, lust, and mortality are all in abundance, offered with the poets insight. He is surrounded by friends on Old Ideas. Patrick Leonard, Dino Soldo, and Anjani Thomas get production and co-writing credits. Sharon Robinson, Dana Glover, Jennifer Warnes, and the Webb Sisters all appear on backing vocals. Cohen mixes up the musical forms more than he has in the past. The loungey electronic keyboards on "Going Home" are balanced by Glovers female backing chorale, an acoustic piano, and Bela Santellis violin. The sly, minor-key Gypsy jazz groove on "Amen" is played by a banjo, violin, and Cohens guitar; it tempers his searing lyric, which posits the notion that the totality of love, divine or otherwise, can only truly be achieved when the object of desire has seen his worst, metaphorically and literally. "Show Me the Place" finds Cohen once again adopting the Protestant hymnal as directly as he did on "Hallelujah" -- albeit more quietly -- and wedding it to his simple, direct melodic sensibility. The song is a prayer, not for redemption, but to enter the cloud of spiritual unknowing before his demise, to discover the terrain where suffering itself is birthed. Warnes gorgeous backing vocals, piano, guitar, and violin accompany his beneath-the-basement, cracked-leather baritone in delivering the song with conviction and vulnerability. Cohens live band joins him on "Darkness," where he evokes, musically, his love of both late-40s R&B and gospel, even as he frankly discusses the inevitable entrance into the big goodnight. He also revisits the spartan sound of his early career with "Crazy to Love You," written with Thomas, on which his only accompaniment is his acoustic guitar. Here, he wrestles with an unwanted but nonetheless nagging attachment to erotic desire. "Come Healing" is another gospel-ized hymn, with Glovers vocals, church organ, violin, and Cohens nearly croaking vocal; he sings with reverence: "O see the darkness yielding/That tore the light apart/Come healing of the reason/Come healing of the heart...." "Banjo" is a country-blues that gives the songwriter a chance to indulge his love for Hank Williams while reflecting on Hurricane Katrina as Soldos New Orleans-inspired horns add a haunted effect to the tune. Cohen speaks not only for himself, but the ghosts of restless spirits wandering in his vision. "Lullabye"s lyrics, accompanied by a high lonesome harmonica and a whispering jazz organ to counterintuitively offer an attempt at comfort to the disconsolate. "Different Sides," with its slow, loopy groove, is a basic shuffle that addresses unresolved conflict in lust and law (spiritual and carnal), bringing Old Ideas to a close with an ironic tension. Here Cohen meets his well-worn topics head-on. He doesnt sound weary; he accepts them for what they are--all aspects of the same thing: life itself. | ||
 | Album: 32 of 36 Title: Original Album Classics Released: 2012-09-14 Tracks: 29 Duration: 2:12:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Is This What You Wanted (04:17) 2 Chelsea Hotel #2 (03:07) 3 Lover Lover Lover (03:20) 4 Field Commander Cohen (04:02) 5 Why Don’t You Try (03:53) 6 There Is a War (03:02) 7 A Singer Must Die (03:20) 8 I Tried to Leave You (02:41) 9 Who by Fire (02:34) 10 Take This Longing (04:06) 11 Leaving Green Sleeves (02:39) 1 True Love Leaves No Traces (04:26) 2 Iodine (05:03) 3 Paper-Thin Hotel (05:42) 4 Memories (05:59) 5 I Left a Woman Waiting (03:28) 6 Don’t Go Home With Your Hard-On (05:36) 7 Fingerprints (02:58) 8 Death of a Ladies’ Man (09:19) 1 The Guests (06:40) 2 Humbled in Love (05:15) 3 The Window (05:55) 4 Came So Far for Beauty (04:03) 5 The Lost Canadian (Un Canadien errant) (04:40) 6 The Traitor (06:14) 7 Our Lady of Solitude (03:13) 8 The Gypsy’s Wife (05:12) 9 The Smokey Life (05:18) 10 Ballad of the Absent Mare (06:21) |
| Original Album Classics : Allmusic album Review : Sony repackaged and re-released three Leonard Cohen LPs on Columbia -- New Skin for the Old Ceremony, Death of a Ladies Man, and Recent Songs -- as a slipcased box set. Its not a bad way to acquire the albums if you dont already own them, but isnt recommended for the casual fan. | ||
 | Album: 33 of 36 Title: Leonard Cohen & Canadian Poetry Released: 2014-06-20 Tracks: 43 Duration: 57:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 For Wilf and His House (01:51) 2 Beside the Shepherd (00:55) 3 Poem (00:33) 4 Lovers (00:50) 5 The Sparrows (01:38) 6 Warning (01:00) 7 Les Vieus (00:52) 8 Elegy (00:44) 9 Like an Old Proud King in a Parable (01:08) 10 A Hyacinth for Edith (01:30) 11 Noctambule (01:05) 12 The Plot Against Proteus (00:55) 13 Business as Usual/Fear as Normal (01:45) 14 The Archer (01:03) 15 Sonnet (00:59) 16 My Death (01:06) 17 The Birth of Tragedy (01:42) 18 The Fertile Muck (01:43) 19 Maxie (01:32) 20 The Bull Calf (02:01) 21 The Cold Green Element (01:52) 22 The Improved Binoculars (01:07) 23 Surfaces (00:48) 24 Lakeshore (02:33) 25 Laurentian Shield (01:46) 26 The Bird (00:41) 27 Caring (00:45) 28 Bonne Entente (00:37) 29 Memory (00:49) 30 Will to Win (01:03) 31 Conflict (01:13) 32 Poem 19 from Europe (01:05) 33 Poem 95 from Europe (00:57) 34 To an Unknown in a Restaurant (01:00) 35 A Cracker Jack (01:10) 36 The Pomegranate (02:30) 37 Line and Form (01:54) 38 Psalm XXII (01:07) 39 Plumaged Proxy (01:27) 40 The Rocking Chair (01:53) 41 Political Meeting (02:25) 42 For the Sisters of the Hotal Dieu (00:43) 43 Montreal (03:13) |
 | Album: 34 of 36 Title: Popular Problems Released: 2014-09-23 Tracks: 9 Duration: 36:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Slow (03:25) 2 Almost Like the Blues (03:28) 3 Samson in New Orleans (04:39) 4 A Street (03:32) 5 Did I Ever Love You (04:10) 6 My Oh My (03:36) 7 Nevermind (04:39) 8 Born in Chains (04:55) 9 You Got Me Singing (03:31) |
| Popular Problems : Allmusic album Review : Leonard Cohens Popular Problems is an uncharacteristically quick follow-up to 2012s Old Ideas. That record, cut in the aftermath of a multi-year tour, revitalized him as a recording artist. Producer Patrick Leonard (Madonna, Bryan Ferry) serves as co-writer on all but one tune on Popular Problems. While Cohens sound has revolved around keyboards since 1988s Im Your Man, Leonard gets that the real power in the songwriters lyrics are best relayed through his own own simple melodies. Everything here -- keys, female backing chorus, acoustic instrumentation, etc. -- is in their service. As always, Cohens songs -- delivered in his deepest earth rasp -- offer protagonists who are ambivalent spiritual seekers, lusty, commitment-phobic lovers, and jaded, untrusting/untrustworthy world citizens. He is them, they are him: strangers hiding in plain sight. Opener "Slow" is paced by a blues vamp from an electric piano and kick drum. "...You want to get there soon/I want to get there last..." is delivered in a streetwise croak. Its a fine career metaphor, but the hilarious double entendre is self evident, too: "...All your turns are tight/Let me catch my breath/I thought we had all night." "Almost Like the Blues" employs a 12-bar variant exoticized by hand percussion. Cohen juxtaposes visions of global horror with worry over bad reviews; hes culpable because of his vanity. Gospel provides illustration on some of the better songs -- there are no weak ones. Its used with razored effect on "Samson in New Orleans" to address the devastation -- physical, emotional, spiritual -- left by Hurricane Katrina. Cohen really attempts to sing "Did I Ever Love You." Though it comes out a measured growl, its impact is searing. It shifts from gospel to country jaunt only to circle back, underscoring the bitter, vulnerable truth in the lyric. He observes: "The lemon trees blossom/The almond trees wither," before asking: "Was I ever someone/Who could love you forever?"; he knows the answer. The keyboards and tablas in "Nevermind," a narrative of treachery and global hypocrisy, create skeletal, tense funk. Theyre appended by Donna De Lorys Arabic chant for peace and safety in contrast to the lyrics scathing accusations. Gospel returns on "Born in Chains," a gentle but gripping first-person account of spiritual seeking with references to Judaism, Christianity, and Cohens adopted Zen: "...Ive heard the soul unfolds/In the chambers of its longing...But all the Ladders of the Night have fallen/Only darkness now/To lift the longing up." On set closer "You Got Me Singing," Cohen, accompanied only by acoustic guitar and violin, lays out hope: "You got me singing even though the world is gone/You got me thinking Id like to carry on." Its an open-ended, affirmative sendoff. Popular Problems reveals that at 80, Cohen not only has plenty left in the tank, but is at his most confident and committed. This is his finest recording since 1995s The Future. | ||
 | Album: 35 of 36 Title: Opus Collection Released: 2015 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:37:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Dance Me to the End of Love (live) (06:06) 2 I’m Your Man (04:25) 3 Suzanne (03:48) 4 Famous Blue Raincoat (05:09) 5 Anthem (06:06) 6 Hallelujah (04:38) 7 Darkness (04:30) 8 Never Any Good (05:05) 9 Everybody Knows (05:35) 10 In My Secret Life (04:55) 1 Going Home (03:51) 2 Tower of Song (05:38) 3 The Future (06:42) 4 If It Be Your Will (03:43) 5 So Long, Marianne (05:39) 6 On That Day (02:02) 7 Take This Waltz (05:59) 8 Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye (02:55) 9 Closing Time (05:59) 10 Lullaby (04:46) |
| Opus Collection : Allmusic album Review : Part of Starbucks exclusive greatest-hits series, Opus Collection rounds up 20 of the soulful folk-pop legends most notable offerings, including Cohen classics like "Hallelujah," "Everybody Knows," "Suzanne," "Tower of Song," "Hey, Thats No Way to Say Goodbye," and "The Future," as well as a live version of 1984s "Dance Me to the End of Love." The compilation, which can be procured from any of the ubiquitous coffee house chains myriad locations, features a 20-page booklet and liner notes from music journalist Steven Stolder. | ||
 | Album: 36 of 36 Title: You Want It Darker Released: 2016-10-21 Tracks: 9 Duration: 36:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Want It Darker (04:44) 2 Treaty (04:02) 3 On the Level (03:28) 4 Leaving the Table (03:47) 5 If I Didn’t Have Your Love (03:36) 6 Traveling Light (04:22) 7 It Seemed the Better Way (04:22) 8 Steer Your Way (04:23) 9 String Reprise / Treaty (03:27) |
| You Want It Darker : Allmusic album Review : Given the subject matter addressed in the title and other tracks on You Want It Darker and Leonard Cohens advanced age (82), its tempting to hear this as a last album. In advance of its release, he told The New Yorker he was ready to die, but later walked back that comment. He wrote some of songs solo, and others with Sharon Robinson and Patrick Leonard. In declining health, and required to sing from a medically designed chair, Cohen enlisted his son Adam to produce. Cohens sepulchral voice expresses a wealth of emotion. He is weathered but defiant in acknowledging failures, regrets, brokenness, and even anger. Typically, redemption arrives in these songs with unflinching honesty. The title track is introduced by a choir and a foreboding bassline, its lyrics as much an indictment of human concepts of religion as a confessional reflection, balanced by personal doubt and acceptance. Cantor Gideon Y. Zelermyer engages with the sacred even as Cohen wrestles with it. For every, "Hineni, Hineni/Im ready my Lord…" there is a counter: "...Magnified and sanctified/Be thy Holy Name/Vilified and crucified/In the human frame/A million candles burning/For the help that never came…." In the final verse he asserts: "If you are the dealer/I want out of this game," but Zelermyer and the choir answer and carry him with resolute devotion. "Treaty" recalls the melody of "Anthem" as piano, synth strings, and chorale highlight the poignancy in his lyric. Cohen equates the past with earned insights and an offer of amends: "We sold ourselves for love but now were free/Im sorry for the ghost I made you be…." "Leaving the Table" is a bittersweet country waltz where Cohen reveals things he no longer needs (even if he wishes he did), and underscores his impending exit: "I dont need a pardon/Theres no one left to blame/Im leaving the table/Im out of the game." The intersection of blues, and Yiddish and gypsy folk on "Traveling Light" flows through bouzoukis, mandolins, and drum loops. Their union recalls the haunted musical qualities of 1984s Various Positions. In song after song, Cohen delivers lyric juxtapositions that settle scores with God, past lovers, and himself, but almost always arrives at equanimity. He sounds like a spent Jeremiah alone in a cave conversing with God rather than the biblical figure transported to heaven in a fiery chariot. After coming to terms with the ghosts in his past and his acceptance of mortality, Cohen emits a resilient flicker of hope for total reconciliation in the shadows. A tender reprise of "Treaty" is adorned only by strings and his vocals as he expresses hope for detente: "I wish there was a treaty/between your love and mine." Amid the list of gripes, sins, and losses detailed on You Want It Darker, Cohen remains open to whatever earthly light offers even as his gaze shifts toward the eternal. He makes no compromises. These songs reveal that when all contradictions are nakedly exposed, all one can do is embrace them. Whether this is or isnt goodbye, You Want It Darker is one hell of a record. | ||