Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate

No hate, only love for this album

All of Leonard Cohen's early albums are truly masterpieces unto themselves, and a few of his later releases are also contenders. I would unabashedly endorse "Songs of Leonard Cohen", "Songs from a Room", "New Skin for the Old Ceremony", and this album, quite possibly the finest of them all. Each of these albums features a perfect combination of rich and poetic lyrics, understated and masterful musical accompaniment, and excellent production values (now highlighted by an excellent remastering).

"Songs of Love and Hate" is definitely the darkest of the aforementioned albums, which means it is not to be played casually, and that one must be in the right mood to give it their whole-hearted attention. When these circumstances arise, this album can be totally devastating and have a hold on the listener like few others ever do.

The lyrics continue to reveal new levels of depth and detail with each listening, proving that there was good reason for Cohen to be a successful poet/author prior to his music career. One would be hard pressed to find such literate and affecting lyrics elsewhere within the lexicon of "popular music".

As mentioned before, the accompanying music ebbs and flows in all the right places: It is at times stark and spare, but also adds flourishes and character to the lyrics at all the right times. There is also a unique stylistic variety to the music, from the chamber strings of "Avalanche", to the reggae feel of "Diamonds in the Mine", to the Cabaret torch song style of "Sing Another Song Boys". Special mention must be made of female background singers: Cohen is not the most accomplished technical singer, but conveys his lyrics and the mood behind them very well. The background singers provide an exquisite contrast to his rough around the edges voice, with their almost angelic qualities.

The album works very well as a cohesive whole, which builds in intensity and attains a totally sublime feeling by the end. That said, personal favourite songs are "Love Calls You by Your Name", "Sing Another Song Boys", "Diamonds in the Mine", and "Joan of Arc".

A last word about this newly remastered/expanded version. The remastering does bring Cohen's voice to the front of the mix a little more, almost as if he's whispering in your ear on the quieter cuts. That said, many of the subtle nuances of the instrumental parts are now clearer as well. In all, the remastering definitely improves upon the original cd version, and the bonus track is a very interesting and much less sparse version of "Dress Rehearsal Rag" performed quite heavily with a full band.

This is a dark and somewhat depressing album, make no mistake. That said, it is also one of Cohen's strongest and most emotionally affecting albums. If you're interested in something by Cohen which is slightly less depressing, I would highly recommend his debut "Songs of Leonard Cohen". Even if you go that route though, you'll probably come back to this album once your interest is piqued. Highly recommended to the emotionally stable who need a little darkness once in a while. February 18, 2008

Bitter, apocalyptic folk

The title of Leonard Cohen's third album is a pretty accurate description of the music found therein. These songs deal with human relationships at their most polarized and extreme, gushing with emotion and boiling over with intensity. The twist is, there are no love songs here, or hate songs either. For on Songs of Love and Hate, the two titular emotions are so tightly intertwined that they haunt each song with equal force, each one feeding the other, forming a musical cycle that explores human relationships at their most intense and unsparing. It's an album full of bitterness and longing, full of unforgiving regrets and ungranted wishes. Cohen's musical constructions are brilliant, a collection of quiet acoustic compositions that are laced with tension and raw emotion. Combined with the sharp, flat, take-it-or-leave-it sneer of Cohen's voice and some brilliantly understated instrumentation, and you've got yourself an emotionally ravaged masterpiece. Highlights include "Avalanche," which combines a bitter, defiant, and subtly self-deprecating lyric with a rush of dark, flamenco-tinged guitars. There's also the cynically rocking "Diamonds In The Mine," and the moody, quietly beautiful family tragedy of "Famous Blue Raincoat," as well as "Last Year's Man," an apocalyptic masterpiece that combines a haunting melody with lyrical imagery both nightmarish and Biblical. My personal favorite song here is "Dress Rehearsal Rag," a harrowing epic whose lyrics depict a washed-up playboy's contemplation of suicide. The sense of desperation and self-loathing shine through with crystal clarity here, while the music slowly builds in intensity, culminating in a final verse that simply explodes with cathartic anguish. Make no mistake about it, this is a dark, bitter classic. August 18, 2007

Stick we the older cd released of this

I heard a couple of these songs before i have a tape of his best of and that version of Famous Blue Raincoat is different and better. This new version has Cohen's voice up front and center which is not his strong suit. You cant hear the melody of the song that much anymore. I notice this on Last Years Man as well. The other songs on here are good accept that diamond song which is quite bad and really shows why he does not have much of a voice. I have the old cd version of songs of and the sound quality is not that good i have to turn up the volume so that is why i waited to get the restored version of this cd. I should have just gotten the old version of this instead. I would probably like it more with repeat listens it takes a couple of listens to get what his lyric mean.

I listen to this cd again it is a good one i will give it 4 stars now. Every song is good accept Diamonds on your mind that still sucks. My fav is Joan of Ark. There are two songs on here that mention her why didn't he put her on the cover. May 8, 2007

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