Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen

AGREE/DISAGREE

A great album to be sure. And everyone loves the same ole' favorites, Suzanne, Hey that's no way to say goodbye, etc, But . . . I wonder why so few seem to notice, One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong?
I'd like to think he had to veil the song with some light humorous coverings, just so he could relate and share his feelings. Otherwise the hopelessness and tragedy he is describing is too painful to re-live.
If you love deeply, then you also hurt deeply. Would I recommend it? No. It's something few can handle. And why there is such a casual and uncommitted attitude (about love) today. Would I do it again? I'd have no choice.
Listen to it again. Listen to the truth of how it feels to be SO passionately in love with someone that you'd do almost anything for.
Oh you stand there so nice in your blizzard of ice,
Oh please let me come into the storm.
These lines are essential. Knowing the danger, he still begs to be accepted. Knowing that just seeing her without her clothes, could freeze him, like it did the eskimo, he still wants in.
And every other character displays similar conditions of helplessness. There are such perfect descriptions of her effect, and power, over each one.
Don't be misled by the whistling and cries at the end, they are simply the sound of insanity.
Doesn't this song touch a sensitive nerve on anyone else? June 11, 2008

The beginning of the majestic Leonard....

This was Leonard Cohen's first album, and it's an amazing album. It's filled with some of his best songs ever, songs that sound new everytime you listen to him. It starts with one of his signature songs, Suzanne. Surprisingly, it's not about a lost love or a current love, but a woman of impeccable taste and hospitality. I especially love The Stranger Song, which grows more brooding and profound every time I listen to it. Sisters of Mercy, So Long, Marianne, and Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye are three other songs that are truly endearing. This is the beginning of the amazing journey for Cohen, as most of his work has been surprisingly consistent and always worth listening to. Many times when an artist has a great debut, he burns out afterwards. Not Leonard. He's aging most gracefully.

An interesting note to cinema buffs. Many of these songs are featured in Robert Altman's masterful McCabe and Mrs. Miller, and the song Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye is featured in Werner Herzog's Fata Morgana.

Essential listening from one of Canada's greatest men. May 8, 2008

Songs of Leonard Cohen

The songs on this cd are classic Cohen. If you like Leonard Cohen, you will love this cd. Turn down the lights, turn the volume up, sit down and just contemplate his voice and words. An awesome poet, songwriter, singer. April 7, 2008

Brooding, deep and delicious

I have never figured out why I love this album so much. It touches my soul in a strange, satisfying way. If I am feeling down, I listen to this album and it seems to express my feelings. I always feel better afterward. Magical. February 23, 2008

Canada's Answer To Bob Dylan

In the late 1960s, Leonard Cohen was one of those fabled individuals of whom most serious music lovers had heard but who had not actually been much heard except through the voices of better-known singers who tirelessly promoted his songs. Over the years, Cohen became better known and has since become a cult hero in the world of those who like their music decidedly deep and decidedly dark.
I first became aware of Cohen back in the 1960s when I heard Judy Collins' haunting rendition of Suzanne. I liked that and I liked some other Cohen covers I later heard but never got around to actually buying a Leonard Cohen recording until some ten years ago. Since that time, I have gradually added to my collection of his music but did not acquire his first album until it was recently remastered. And what a piece of work it is!
Many have compared Leonard Cohen to Bob Dylan because both are masters of the English language and both are masters of poetic imagery. And like Dylan, Cohen has a peculiar talent for the blending of the sacred and the profane. You might even say that Leonard Cohen is Canada's answer to Bob Dylan. The last picture of Cohen in the attractive booklet that accompanies the CD even looks like Dylan does today! Despite the flattering comparison, however, Cohen is absolutely an original.
I like the dark, the brooding, and the bittersweet when eloquently and intelligently expressed, so its almost only natural that I am a confirmed Leonard Cohen fan. Every song on this CD, including the bonus cuts, is a winner. Suzanne is obviously the most famous cut closely followed perhaps by Sisters of Mercy. Good as they are they are not my favorites. Mine are Master Song, The Stranger Song, Stories of the Street, Store Room, and finally Teachers which is hugely evocative of the pre-commercial works of fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot.
On the Songs of Leonard Cohen, the listener is presented with an astounding body of work that, to paraphrase the updated liner notes, assures Cohen a place in the pantheon of great twentieth century songwriter/poets. There are precious few artists whose debuts are so auspicious as this. This is a recording that deserves a place in the music library of every serious music lover. Get it while you still can. November 2, 2007

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