Songs of Leonard Cohen [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Songs of Leonard Cohen [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Track Listings

1. Suzanne

2. Master Song

3. Winter Lady

4. Stranger Song

5. Sisters Of Mercy

6. So Long Marianne

7. Hey Thats No Way To Say Goodbye

8. Stories Of The Street

9. Teachers

10. One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Digipak reissue of 1968 album. 2001.

Tracks:

Suzanne
Master Song
Winter Lady
The Stranger Song
Sisters Of Mercy
So Long, Marianne
Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
Stories Of the Street
Teachers
One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong
Store Room
Blessed Is the Memory

Customer Reviews:

Original masterpiece enhanced.......2007-05-16

Cohen's timeless debut has been enhanced by the addition of 2 extra tracks. The lilting poetry of Suzanne lures the listener into his world of romantic despair while introducing the essence of his sound: a deep monotone framed by sublime female backing vocals over simple but engaging melodies.

Master Song, Winter Lady and Stranger Song reinforce the desolate landscape although the melodies are less immediate. Cohen's genius shines brightly on the immortal Sisters Of Mercy, a strange mixture of the spiritual and the sensual that must be one of the most beautiful musical poems in the English language.

This delicate gem is followed by the powerful and evocative So Long Marianne and the understated Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye, both masterpieces of words, melody and arrangement - the female vocals on Goodbye is especially impressive.

Stories of the Street appears as a poem in one of Cohen's 1960s poetry books: Selected Poems 1956-1968 and deals with a visit to Havana during of just after the revolution. Interesting fact: The line "some girls wander by mistake" from Teachers was later used as an album title by the goth band Sisters Of Mercy: Some Girls Wander By Mistake

One Us Cannot Be Wrong addresses the beloved in a series of strange images before moving on to melodic whistling and ending with bitter shouted la la lahs. For those interested in other artists' take on Cohen: Suzanne has been beautifully covered by inter alia Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy and Geoffrey Oryema: I'm Your Fan, while Sting and the Chieftains' celtic version of Sisters Of Mercy is available on the Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen tribute album.

On the I'm Your Fan tribute there are interesting interpretations of Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye by Ian McCulloch, Stories Of The Street by That Petrol Emotion and So Long Marianne by James.

This reissue booklet includes liner notes by Anthony DeCurtis, three black & white photographs of LC and two full-color paintings by the artist. Both extra tracks were originally produced by John Hammond and for reissue by Bruce Dickinson. The second, Blessed Is The Memory, is the more immediately appealing with its lovely organ flourishes.

Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man

Songs from a Room

Flowers for Hitler

Average customer rating:

Stick we the older cd released of this

Songs of Love and Hate
Leonard Cohen
Manufacturer: Sony Legacy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Songs from a Room
Songs of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen: Under Review 1935-1977
Death of a Ladies' Man
New Skin for the Old Ceremony

ASIN: B000NOKA1W
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Avalanche
Last Year's Man
Dress Rehearsal Rag
Diamonds in the Mine
Love Calls You by Your Name
Famous Blue Raincoat
Sing Another Song, Boys
Joan of Arc
Dress Rehearsal Rag [Early Version][#][*]

Customer Reviews:

Stick we the older cd released of this.......2007-05-09

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.

Average customer rating:

A new Leonard Cohen fan.
Welcome back, Mr. Cohen....
Take a Walk Down "Boogie Street" with Mr. Cohen
A Lackluster Performance
Beautiful!

Ten New Songs
Leonard Cohen
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dear Heather
Essential Leonard Cohen
The Future
Various Positions
I'm Your Man

ASIN: B00005Q45W
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

In My Secret Life
A Thousand Kisses Deep
That Don't Make It Junk
Here It Is
Love Itself
By The Rivers Dark
Alexandra Leaving
You Have Loved Enough
Boogie Street
The Land Of Plenty

Amazon.com

Where has Leonard Cohen been for the past nine years? The legendary songwriter's mostly been in a Zen monastery, it turns out, obsessively rewriting and polishing the oblique, lapidary lyrics for this austere collection. Ten New Songs is arguably Sharon Robinson's record as much as Cohen's--she cowrote all the songs, plays most of the instruments (primarily a synth that seems to have freshly emerged from a chintzy 1984 power ballad), and accompanies Cohen's gloomy croak with her own crooning. This is the most subdued album Cohen's ever made, which is saying something. It's as if he no longer has time for anything in music or performance that could alter the meaning and force of his words. --Douglas Wolk

Customer Reviews:

A new Leonard Cohen fan........2007-03-27

Don't know how I missed Leonard Cohen in the 60's, but I am a fan now. These new recordings are fabulous.

Welcome back, Mr. Cohen...........2007-03-11

This was Leonard Cohen's first album in 9 years after a stay in a Zen monastery. It feels like he's never been away. This is another great work by Mr. Cohen, sad, depressing, uplifiting, haunting, and moving. Some have complained about the spare instrumentation (mostly a synclavier/computer performed by Sharon Robinson, who co-wrote all the songs here with Leonard), but I think it works very well. It's simple and straightforward, and it really enhances the sad, Scotch drenched lyrics. A Thousand Kisses Deep is my favorite here, along with Alexandra Leaving (a great title to a great song), and By the Rivers Dark. This isn't my favorite Cohen album (that's The Future), but this is probably the 2nd most played album in my Cohen collection. I hope that Mr. Cohen doesn't go away for 9 years again. Everyone missed him. But it's amazing that despite the fact he was gone for so long, he didn't miss a beat.

Take a Walk Down "Boogie Street" with Mr. Cohen.......2007-02-22

Hearing the throaty "Everybody Knows" in the movie "Pump up the Volume" (1990) had me envisioning an aged black man with deep wrinkles in his face, but the baritone voice belonged to Leonard Cohen: white, descended from Polish ancestry, and born into a Jewish middle-class family in Montreal, Canada.

"Songs of Leonard Cohen" (1968), Cohen's first, was produced after becoming an accomplished poet and novelist. Generally the singer has received greater attention in Canada and Europe than the good ol' U.S.A. Listen to any older album prior to 1984 with the exception of "Death of a Ladies' Man" (1977) and one hears soul-bearing songs - dirges in the vein of open wrists and blood dribbling married to the sound of pure, simple instruments. However, the prosaically named album, "Ten New Songs" (2001), has a tinge of the hopeful but also continues the synthetic mood music begun by Cohen's 1984 album, "Various Positions." The slight upbeat in lyrics can be attributed to a lifelong depression recently leaving (in an interview Cohen says he read the brain loses its anxieties as it grows older and cites this as a possible reason for his depression lifting).

Sharon Robinson (co-author of "Everybody Knows") appeared as a back-up singer on past albums and is by Cohen's side again as a back-up singer, co-writer, producer and arranger (probably left something out). Robinson actually shares the album's cover photo with Cohen. One may begin to wonder why her name is not besides Cohen's on the album's title since her input is apparently quite significant (Cohen's vision forms the album). She croons the title refrain, "In My Secret Life," several times on the opening track just before handing over the meat of the lyrics: "I saw you this morning./ You were moving so fast./ Can't seem to loosen my grip/ On the past./ And I miss you so much./ There's no one in sight./ And we're still making love/ In My Secret Life." Cohen's signature melancholy is still evident. "I'm turning tricks, I'm getting fixed,/ I'm back on Boogie Street" ("A Thousand Kisses Deep"). "You Have Loved Enough" proves true love is present and thriving among the darkness. "That I am not the one who loves - It's love that seizes me./ When hatred with his package comes,/ You forbid delivery./ And when the hunger for your touch/ Rises from the hunger,/ You whisper, 'You have loved enough,/ Now let me be the Lover.'"

The glaring deficit of "Ten New Songs" is the music or more appropriately called muzak. Often, only humdrum sounds accompany the adept lyrics. Randomly pick a track and chances are the same artificial drumbeat along with an electronic keyboard mix that sounds awfully close to what one can produce with a couple hits of a home keyboard and its repeat button will be heard. Serious flaws that would have crippled most albums, but Cohen's impeccable delivery and polished poetic lyrics make the trip down "Boogie Street" irresistible.

Bohdan Kot

A Lackluster Performance.......2007-01-29

This CD is about on par with Dear Heather, except it is more somber and dirge-like. It could use at least one song with an upbeat tempo, and the heavy use of synthetic sound gives it a sterile feeling. I long to hear a new Cohen CD where his guitar is the central instrument again and there is actually a live band backing him up. The songs worth repeat listening are: "A Thousand Kisses Deep," "In My Secret Life," "Alexandra Leaving," and "The Land of Plenty." The lyrics, in typically Cohen fashion, are pretty good for songs, but not quite poetry, however the music is just slow, depressing and dark, like a clock winding down.

Beautiful!.......2007-01-19

An extraordinary compilation of Cohen's particular brand of lyricism - both musical and poetical - honed and mellowed by longer life experience . The arrangements are elegant and the production excellent - I love everything about this album.

Average customer rating:

Difficult to Love and Well Worth the Effort
Half a great album.
Masterpiece enhanced
songs from a room done right!!
His best, beautifully repackaged

Songs from a Room
Leonard Cohen
Manufacturer: Sony Legacy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Songs of Love and Hate
Songs of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen: Under Review 1935-1977
Recent Songs
Live Songs

ASIN: B000NOKA1C
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Bird on the Wire
Story Of Issac
A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes
The Partisan
Seems So Long Ago, Nancy
The Old Revolution
The Butcher
You Know Who I Am
Lady Midnight
Tonight Will Be Fine

Customer Reviews:

Difficult to Love and Well Worth the Effort.......2007-07-20

This album is dry as bones and lean as a desert. It is the first Cohen album I owned -- on vinyl -- and it took me a while to latch on to it. But it was so worth it. Every passing year I seem to love it more.

"Story of Isaac" was the first thing to hook me; it is almost a chimera of two songs that are not closely related -- a biblical story from the point of view of the boy about to be sacrificed, and an antiwar song that recognizes the violence in all of us -- but they set each other off well.

It seems wrong to blather on and on about an album that is beautiful because it is so spare. When you look up the word "plaintive" in the dictionary there should be an illustration of this album cover. I hope the new remixes don't run over that austerity. This is music that gives you space to breath, and think, instead of pounding you over the head with mindless sound. I have the earlier CD, and when I play it I find myself missing the vinyl crackles.

Half a great album........2007-07-15

I guess that most artsits would be lucky to create an album like Songs from a Room; It's half a masterpiece, and most musicains have never even recorded an eighth of one. Of course, Leonard Cohen isn't "most musicians." He's made some of the greatest music of his generation, works that, at their best, rival those of Bob Dylan in terms of sheer poetic vertuosity. Seen in that light, Songs from a Room isn't a great album. Certainly, it's a very good one, a record with plenty of great songs and musical moments. There are cutting lyrical insights here, and several subtly beautiful melodies. Unfortunatly, there are also far too many uninspired songs and uninteresting musical ideas to call this a great album.

The best songs here demonstrate Cohen's unique songwriting abilities: the chilling "Story of Isaac" is a tense, nightmarish study of generational friction and self sacrifice. Cohen's lyrics are bitter, bruised, and full of genuine menace. In the song's spine-tingling conclusion, Cohen spits: "When it all comes down to dust/ I will kill you if I must/ I will help you if I can," brilliantly summarizing a bleak but deeply felt view of human nature. "The Butcher" runs along similar lines; with its brutally simple guitar chords and stark lyrical imagery, the song conveys the feeling of bitter disilousionment with startling accuracy. "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy" is as haunting as it is beautiful. Its ghostly, spare melody is the ideal framing device for Cohen's brittle, regretful lyrics- it's a song full of painful memories and quiet loss. Interestingly, one of the best songs here wasn't even written by Cohen- "The Partisan" is a cover of a World War II era ballad that tells the story of a member of the French Resistance. Cohen's performance smolders with quiet, but undeniably present, tension, his voice electric with barely subdued nervous energy.

But not every song on the album is as good as these four- "A Bunch of Lonesome Heros" could have been an excellent song, but its gorgeously dramatic melody is buried under an incredibly unpleasant production, which bathes the music in echo and odd backing instruments. The half-formed lyrics don't help much, either. "You Know Who I Am" matches a convoluted guitar line with some incredibly pretentious lyrics ("I am the distance you put between/ all of the moments that we will be"), and "Tonight Will Be Fine,' despite being bouncy and jaunty, is completely joyless. Cohen's whistling during the final verse is just plain annoying. "The Old Revolution" and "Lady Midnight" are only halfway interesting in terms of lyrics and melody, and each one fails to leave a lasting impression. Finally, there's "Bird on a Wire." Although it's probably the most well-known (and perhaps well-liked) track on this album, I honestly think that it's the weakest song here. Cohen's performance is annoyingly melodramatic, full of painful high notes (a poor attempt to cover up the lack of genuine emotion in the man's voice). The music itself is overly sweet and completely inconsequential: the guitar line is a dull, mumbling cliche, and it's augmented by an equally worthless string section. The lyrics are direct but half-baked. Although the first few lines ("Like a bird on the wire/ like a drunk in a midnight choir/ I have tried. in my way/ to be free") are genuinly poetic, they're counterbalanced by some of Cohen's most insufferably over-earnest declerations ("I will make it all up to thee," he sings, has voice raspy and insincere).

So, that leaves us with an album that, at its best moments, is as powerful and transcendant as anything Cohen has ever written. But at its worst...

Masterpiece enhanced.......2007-07-06

Leonard Cohen followed up his debut album with another masterpiece, this collection of magnificent songs of solitude, despair and resignation. Besides The Partisan, a song about the French resistance with its beautiful French verses and female vocals, all compositions are by Cohen.

The most popular number here is Bird On A Wire that has been covered by artists as diverse as Johnny Cash, Joe Cocker, Judy Collins, Rita Coolidge, Tim Hardin, The Neville Brothers and Jennifer Warnes.

For some reason, the opening lines of Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes make me think of Frodo's journey to Mordor in Lord Of The Rings: "A bunch of lonesome and very quarrelsome heroes/Were smoking out upon the open road." Other highlights include The Story Of Isaac and The Old Revolution, in both of which Cohen's characteristic Biblical imagery surfaces, and the somber Lady Midnight with its many layers of meaning.

Seems So Long Ago is a wistful confessional dirge whilst You Know Who I Am is a delicate love poem with esoteric undertones: "I am the one who loves changing from nothing to one". The mood lightens up on the former closing track Tonight Will Be Fine with its catchy melody, driving rhythm and erotic lyric, although even here the sadness is just a sigh away.

This reissue booklet includes liner notes by Anthony DeCurtis, one full-color and four black & white photographs plus a full-color painting of a chair. Both extra tracks were originally produced by David Crosby and for reissue by Bruce Dickinson. The first, Like A Bird, is an earlier version of Bird On The Wire. This version is less flowing, more halting than the familiar one. Nothing To One is the earlier version of You Know Who I Am.

Cohen's sublime music has a transcendent, spiritual quality. These haunting songs "from a room" have lost none of their poetic impact after 4 decades; their grace, elegance and beauty shine on.

I'm Your Man

I'm Your Fan

songs from a room done right!!.......2007-06-09

Hallelujah, finally Leonard Cohen's catalogue has been given it's proper dedication. It's almost a laughing stock that the previous leonard cohen releases didn't have lyrics. Cohen is probably the most notorious lyrist in the rock era, not necessary he is rock as we know it but he is of the modern era nevertheless. Anyway everything is perfect the appearance of the product in a digi-pak which opens up into a book with lyrics and some pictures from the appropriate era make this more than a worthwhile purchase. Infact it should be sold for more money than it's selling for on amazon because the value is that great. Did i forget to mention there's bonus tracks...and those are always subjective no matter how good or bad since they didn't come with the original album and usaully it's best they're left off for traditional reasons, but i won't comment if they were good or bad. However the mixing of this cd is beautiful, whoever did the mixing knew just what they were doing...not only is the vocals right there's this amazing seperation and reverbration going on here probably the latest recording techniques at work or the latest cd compressing abilities at work. I strongly recommend this, i recommend buying this CD for the 2nd time as it's worth it beyond comprehension. Give the other one to a friend who never heard of leonard cohen before, or sell it to the local CD store if you have one in your area, but i applaud you to buy this newly remastered CD.

His best, beautifully repackaged.......2007-05-13

What a delightfully dark album! But if you know any Leonard Cohen songs, you already knew that, right? Wrong. This is dark even by his standards, a remarkable look at Vietnam and the 1960s generation gap from the enigmatic Canadian. Cohen being Cohen, of course, that can't be seen on the surface, which is what keeps the brilliant album brilliant instead of relentlessly depressing. The production style is extremely austere, apparently in reaction to what Cohen considered the excessive instrumental flourishes of his first album; whether intentional or not, this fits the lyrical atmosphere perfectly and adds to it.

While there is nothing overtly topical about the then-current issues at hand, youth alienation and war are addressed metaphorically throughout the set. "Story of Isaac," "A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes" and "The Old Revolution" are best seen through this lens. The album's token cover, "The Partisan," is a more transparent take on the horrors of war, and it fits well between the others. Perhaps most macabre is "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy," a chilling tale of a long-ago love affair that came to a tragic ending (and, characteristically, he remembers the year and what she was wearing!) This one hasn't turned up on any greatest-hits album that I know of, as good a reason as any to buy Songs From A Room. Amusingly, the album ends on an almost-cheerful note with "Tonight Will Be Fine" - perhaps even Leonard Cohen has his limits.

The booklet-style package features lyric sheets, a new appreciation by Anthony DeCurtis, and a sprinkling of pictures and interesting period memorabilia. Also new to this version are previously unreleased early versions of "Bird on a Wire" and "You Know Who I Am". I think they feel tacked on after the intensity of the original album, but they're interesting to hear on their own.

Average customer rating:

recent songs
Simply Beautiful...
Not to be missed!
A great one
OH MOTHER OF GOD....

Recent Songs
Leonard Cohen
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Various Positions
New Skin for the Old Ceremony
Death of a Ladies' Man
I'm Your Man
Songs of Love and Hate

ASIN: B0000025HJ
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

The Guests
Humbled In Love
The Window
Came So Far For Beauty
The Lost Canadian (Un Canadian Errant)
The Traitor
Our Lady Of Solitude
The Gypsy's Wife
The Smokey Life
Ballad Of The Absent Mare

Customer Reviews:

recent songs.......2007-05-14

very enjoyable album .leonard cohen is in good musical form on this album.it is well worth a listen,great lyrics ,great songs.up there with bob dylan the great.

Simply Beautiful..........2006-11-01

More melodic than some of his other works. Lots of strings on this one but they are a nice touch (not overpowering). Even though Jennifer Warnes is not my favorite of his backup singers, she does a wonderful job with complimenting Cohen's voice.

Not to be missed!.......2002-05-07

My favourite Leonard Cohen album of all time is "Songs of Love and Hate". And it wasn't until I heard "Recent Songs" that I found an album that matched "SOL+H"'s lyrical and musical beauty.

After his ridiculous collaboration with Phil Spector - "Death of A Ladies Man" - , "Recent Songs" was a wonderfully welcome return to form. Among my favourites songs on this album are "The Window" - a beautiful song in the tradition of "Last Year's Man"; "Un Canadien Errant", sung entirely in French by the Montreal born Cohen; "The Guests", "The Gypsy's Wife", and "Ballad of the Absent Mare".

This is a must-own for any Leonard Cohen fan. And it should also be pointed out that this is the last album Leonard Cohen recorded before his voice transformed into the gravely sound which has been his trademark since "Various Positions".

A great one.......2002-01-16

From the Gypsy Wife to the Smokey Life, this Errant Canadian scores a hit. Every song is fresh, densely packed lyricaly and a variety of musical arrangements give the package a depth.

This is an excelent album to "get into" Leonard Cohen.

OH MOTHER OF GOD...........2002-01-11

This is the first LC album I've ever heard, and I've got a bad feeling that I'm going to do something crazy tomorrow -- LIKE BUY THE REST OF HIS ENTIRE CATALOG IN ONE SHOT -- because "Recent Songs" is absolutlely masterful. And beautuiful. And haunting. And every thing else affecting Art should be. ...

Bird on the Wire/the Songs of Leonard Cohen

Average customer rating:

Bird on the Wire/the Songs of Leonard Cohen
Perla Batalla
Manufacturer: Mechuda Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Heaven and Earth
Mestiza
Famous Blue Raincoat
Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man

ASIN: B000CAJQC6
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Tracks:

If It Be Your Will
Seems So Long ago Mancy
Coming Back to You
Dance me to the end of Love
So Long Marianne
Came so far for Beauty
Ballad of the Absent Mare
Famous Blue Raincoat
Bird on the Wire
Suzanne

Product Description

Leonard CohenÂ’s gruff voice has kept many from properly appreciating the brilliance and utter romanticism of his songs. Perla Batalla here lovingly wraps her warm voice around 10 of them to glorious results. The best are the ones where she takes the most liberties: Â“Famous Blue RaincoatÂ” backed by a string quartet, a jazzy Â“Seems So Long Ago, Nancy,Â” Â“Ballad of the Absent MareÂ” as a duet with David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Â“Dance Me to the End of LoveÂ” as a duet with Bill Gable partially translated into Spanish, Â“SuzanneÂ” cleverly interpolating bits of Steven FosterÂ’s Â“O Susanna.Â” The sound is sumptuous. Engineer/mixer Leanne Unger is an excellent choice for the project as she has worked on many of CohenÂ’s own albums over the years. Her sympathy and love for CohenÂ’s songs, plus her familiarity with them, greatly enhances the album. The three cover shots of Perla Batalla and Leonard Cohen sharing warm moments speaks volumes both to PerlaÂ’s sincerity and love for CohenÂ’s songs and CohenÂ’s endorsement of PerlaÂ’s work. Beautifully conceived and executed, Bird on the Wire is a rewarding listening experience I find myself returning to frequently. It is every bit the equal of Jennifer WarnesÂ’ classic Cohen tribute album Famous Blue Raincoat. For those uninitiated to the glories of the songs of Leonard Cohen this is a wonderful introduction. For the rest of us it is simply heavenly. Â— Michael Tearson

Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen

Average customer rating:

Like any collection of covers you take the bad with the good
Buy it if you're a Cohen fan, skip it otherwise
OK, but the source material is so much better....
famous blue raincoat
...yet another take.

Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen
Various Artists
Manufacturer: A&M
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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I'm Your Fan
Famous Blue Raincoat
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy
Recent Songs

ASIN: B000001EZK
Release Date: 1995-09-26

Tracks:

Everybody Knows - Don Henley
Coming Back to You - Trisha Yearwood
Sisters Of Mercy - Sting & The Chieftains
Halleluiah - Bono
Famous Blue Raincoat - Tori Amos
Ain't No Cure For Love - Aaron Neville
I'm Your Man - Elton John
Bird On A Wire - Willie Nelson
Suzanne - Peter Gabriel
Light As The Breeze - Billy Joel
If It Be Your Will - Jann Arden
Story Of Issac - Suzanne Vega
Coming Back To You - Martin Gore

Amazon.com

If ever an artist deserved the tribute-album treatment, it's Leonard Cohen, an intermittently fascinating songwriter but perhaps the worst singer to ever release more than one major-label album. Cohen has never written a song which couldn't be improved by someone else singing it, and it's no coincidence that he's been the subject of three tribute albums. The latest is Tower of Song, which turns Cohen's work over to such middle-brow pop stars as Don Henley, Billy Joel, and Suzanne Vega. The results from this new project are mixed. Melodramatic, angst-ridden vocals by Tori Amos ("Famous Blue Raincoat") and Peter Gabriel ("Suzanne") emphasize Cohen's narcissism and purple poetry. On the other hand, Elton John delivers a delightfully campy, irreverent reading of "I'm Your Man," and Sting joins the Chieftains for a nicely understated, Celtic-folk arrangement of "Sisters of Mercy." --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

Like any collection of covers you take the bad with the good.......2006-05-16

Leonard Cohen is a brilliant songwriter. His lyrics are true poetry; a rare commodity in the world of popular music. However his "singular" style of performing can be a bit trying at times, so I really don't mind an attempt like this one. Get some talented artists together and see what they can do with his songs. Like any work of this type you will get a few high notes and low notes.
The Good:
Trisha Yearwood puts a bit too much country yodel in "Coming Back To You", but you end up believing her.

Tori Amos's sparse arrangement for "Famous Blue Raincoat" works perfectly and her delicate vocal, breathing in deeply throughout, is beautiful.(I should really think about getting some of her stuff.)

Aaron Neville gets all country on "Ain't No Cure For Love" and makes his great voice plead for a cure, which ain't forthcoming.

Willie does "Bird On A Wire " proud. Softly with guitar then organ and harmonica build up, then drums, but never changing the basic plaintive quality of the vocal.

Peter Gabriel's version of "Suzanne" is haunting and true.

Great Billy Joel on "Light as a Breeze." He makes this one his own.
"Story of Isaac" is a tough song to do convincingly, but Suzanne Vega approaches it with simplicity and intelligence.

The Bad:
Don Henley put more emotion into "Dirty Laundry" than he did on "Everybody Knows."

Sting and The Chieftains make "Sisters of Mercy" sound like an outtake from BELLS OF DUBLIN (I liked that one) this one, not so much.

"Hallelujah" by Bono is absolutely awful. I really thought Bono would make this a classic; instead he transforms this transcendent song into bad techno.

"I'm Your Man"- Elton John Trying waaay too hard.

Jann Arden's take on "If It Be Your Will" isn't really bad, just forgettable, something a Cohen song really shouldn't be.

Martin Gore makes a mistake with the synths on "Coming Back to You" but his vocals almost push it into the good side...almost.

So more good stuff than bad stuff and the good stuff will make it worth your time if your a Cohen fan.

Buy it if you're a Cohen fan, skip it otherwise.......2006-03-17

This is a must-have for any Leonard Cohen fan. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of many of the covers on this album. But it's an incredible lineup of artists -- Peter Gabriel, Sting, Bono, Willie Nelson, Suzanne Vega, Elton John, Billy Joel, Tori Amos. You really couldn't assemble a more talented bunch. And as much as I'm not enamored of many of the covers on this album, as a huge fan of Cohen's music, I nonetheless find them interesting.

My favorite track on the album is Suzanne Vega's rendition of Abraham and Isaac. Her voice is simply sublime -- it doesn't have any of the melodramatic affect of Tori Amos's, yet it manages in its subtlety to be incredibly intense and wonderfully conveys the various shades of tone and mood in the song. It's probably the only track on the album that I actually prefer to the Cohen original.

I also like Sting's cover of Sisters of Mercy.

OK, but the source material is so much better...........2005-03-15

I should start off by saying that, personally, I always prefer Cohen singing Cohen over cover versions. However, tempted by the idea of Bono doing "Hallelujah" and Sting doing "Sisters of Mercy" and ignoring the voice in back of head telling me that I should know better, I purchased this Album

Let's face it: a cover version will nearly always entail a shift in meaning from that intended by the artist. At best this will be a mere shift in tone and sentiment (read: Willie Nelson (Bird on a Wire) and Peter Gabriel (Suzanne)) and, at worst, the song is ruined almost beyond repair (read: Elton John (I'm your Man and Don Henley (Everybody Knows)).

The three stars go to Trisha Yearwood (Coming Back to You), Billy Joel (Light as a Breeze) and Peter Gabriel (Suzanne).

famous blue raincoat.......2005-01-08

I owe much to this CD because it introduced me to Tori Amos. Her rendition of Famous Blue Raincoat is simply overwhelming. Unlike other reviewers here I found Billy Joel unbearable, Elton John is always lukewarm. The real gems are Peter Gabriel and Bono in addition to Tori. But if you absolutely love the originals then you will not aggree. My comment is only for people who think Cohen is a very interesting but somewhat dull singer/songwriter.

...yet another take........2004-12-06

Ok, I bought this cd to hear ANYONE other than Leonard Cohen sing his songs. I own his albums and given a choice I prefer to hear others sing for him.

Who I liked: Don Henley, Billy Joel, Sting, Susan Vega and Jan Arden. WOW! Great stuff!

Tori Amos sounded like she should have relieved herself before the recording session.

I expected more of Elton John.

Bono did a lucid reading, I am just not sure I like electronica performance art.

Peter Gabriel...What were you thinking?

Aaron Neville this "country" wasnt cool.

Oh, and that last guy that did the second cover of "Coming Back To You. I liked Trisha Yearwoods better...which is still an insult.

But, It's great to hear how universal L. Cohen's words are. I read all the reviews here and EVERYONE liked SOMETHING. The stuff I dissed, others thought it was great and vise versa. I'm glad I bought the CD.

Average customer rating:

Simply arranged, beautifully performed. A Cohen masterpiece.
Leonard Cohen, singer and poet
Fantasic CD
Amazing
Songs Of Leonard Cohen

The Songs of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Songs of Love and Hate
Songs from a Room
New Skin for the Old Ceremony
I'm Your Man
Various Positions

ASIN: B0000024TT
Release Date: 1989-07-13

Tracks:

Suzanne
Master Song
Winter Lady
The Stranger Song
Sisters Of Mercy
So Long, Marianne
Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
Stories Of The Street
Teachers
One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong

Amazon.com essential recording

Time has been extraordinarily kind to Songs of Leonard Cohen. While it attracted considerable fanfare upon its release in 1968, not everyone was immediately captured by its dusky charms. Randy Newman, for one, couldn't resist the temptation to parody "Suzanne," the album's brooding opener, on his 12 Songs album. (Conversely, director Robert Altman brilliantly drew upon the dirges here for the soundtrack to his classic anti-western, McCabe and Mrs. Miller.) But what some once found to be pretentious and affected has come to feel penetrating and ageless. Seeded with what have become signature songs of the Canadian wordsmith ("Sisters of Mercy," "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye," "So Long, Marianne"), the album has a narcotic quality that owes as much to producer/musical director John Simon's inspired folk-baroque soundscapes as to Cohen's lofty lyrics and earth-bound vocals. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Simply arranged, beautifully performed. A Cohen masterpiece........2007-01-30

I got the urge to listen to this disc today. It's been a long time since I've listened to it in its entirety. Collected here are some of Cohen's strongest songs, the ones he will be remembered for: "Suzanne," "So Long, Marianne," "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye," and "The Stranger Song." Cohen, in his world-weary way, sounds so young on these songs!

"Songs of Leonard Cohen" was my first introduction to Cohen's music. I bought a used LP at a thrift shop for fifty cents and I became hooked. Cohen's words and music are penetrating, and took root in my soul. That's how affecting some of his songs are. Simply and tastefully produced by John Simon, this album is timeless.

Leonard Cohen, singer and poet.......2007-01-16

I finally bought a cd of Mr Cohen's after reading that
Bob Seger was listening to his latest. It is excellent with
superior lyrics with great melody and presentation. He is frequently
compared to Bobby Dylan, with some truth, however his songs sometimes
have too much in common- a more diverse tempo would help- such as
from Dylan where " the times are always changing".

I think I read he is coming out with a new book of poetry,
possibly to be part of the Spoleto festival in Charleston.

Fantasic CD.......2006-08-20

I actually had this album when it was a record but I love Leonard Cohen's songs and when I didn't have a turntable anymore I wasn't able to play it. The impetus to get this CD was the movie "Leonard Cohen:I'm Your Man" which I saw recently and wanted to be able to hear his music at home. It's a great CD and probably the only one that has "The Master Song" on it. That's my fave song.

Amazing.......2006-03-30

I first heard this album in college...I had heard some of his songs done by others (Judy Collins). But I had never heard them sung as they were meant to be sung, like this. I was lucky to be at a University with a great library, so I checked out some of his written poetry...great stuff. I also wore out several LP's of this album, which has so many classics on it (who can watch "McCabe and Mrs. Miller", directed by Robert Altman, and not think the movie was made all the more perfect by "The Master Song" and "The Sisters of Mercy"?)Perfect!...Bob N.

Songs Of Leonard Cohen.......2006-03-18

One of the un-sung geniouses of the our time (and the sixties)....this is his premier album, and one I have worn out several times...glad to finally have it on CD!!!

Average customer rating:

His other live CDs are even greater.
Great Early 1970's Live Cohen...
Please Don't Pass me By (A Disgrace)
Just about 5 stars
RAW & COMPELLING

Live Songs
Leonard Cohen
Manufacturer: Sbme Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979
New Skin for the Old Ceremony
Recent Songs
Death of a Ladies' Man
Cohen Live

ASIN: B000007VW5
Release Date: 2001-10-08

Tracks:

Minute Prologue
Passing Through
You Know Who I Am
Bird on a Wire
Nancy
Improvisation
Story of Isaac
Please Don't Pass Me by (A Disgrace)
Tonight Will Be Fine
Queen Victoria

Album Description

1973 album comprised of live recordings made in 1970 & 1972 in London, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Isle Of Wight and Tennessee. 10 tracks, including 'Minute Prologue', 'Passing Through', 'You Know Who I Am' and 'Bird On The Wire'. A Columbia release.

Album Details

1973 Release Containing this Canadian-Born, Distinguished Poet's Folk Songs. Leonard Cohen, World Traveler, Wordsmith, Balladeer, Musical Protégé of Columbia A&r Man John Hammond. Includes Some of his Most Admired Poetry/Song Works: "Song of Issac", "Bird on a Wire", "Please Don't Pass Me By" and Eight More.

Customer Reviews:

His other live CDs are even greater........2006-09-11

This is a great Cd, but not as great as is other live CDs. So if you can't afford to buy them all, I wouldn't start with this one.

Great Early 1970's Live Cohen..........2005-12-05

There are 3 Live Cd's in Cohen's catalogue...each with it's own strengths (I don't find weakness in Cohen, he is an unfinished project)
This is the 1st one, an import (bought mine in London) showcases Cohen touring about his Songs From A Room album...on 2 separate occasions in 1970 and in 1972..a couple of unreleased poems and the traditional country Passing Through are found besides such classics as The Story of Isaac, Bird On The Wire with laid back minor accompaniment coming from the likes of Charlie Daniels on fiddle and bass..

Please Don't Pass me By (A Disgrace).......2002-12-03

I first heard this album, in particular, the song "Please Don't Pass Me By", back in ~ 1973. It was on a late-nite FM radio show, on a now non-existent station out of Milwaukee, WI, USA. I'll never forget that song, the emotions it drew out of my soul; shame, sympathy and anger... The whole gamete of emotions that I was capable of feeling!

Leonard Cohen's voice ripped right through my soul, stirring feelings that I found hard to control. The perfect combination of Cohen's voice and lyrics are impossible to describe in this song of Disgrace, only feelings can come close to relaying the affect it had, has, on me. I am so thankful that I was able to find this song on a CD; my Vinyl copy disappeared years ago, lent-out and never found its way back.

I highly recommend this CD to any fan of Leonard Cohen, and to fans of many of the 60's and 70's "Folk" music artists.

Just about 5 stars.......2001-11-11

Although not the world's most invigorating live performer, Leonard Cohen profoundly lonely poetic masterpieces come across on stage well, in their manner. This early, often overlooked live masterwork is something that any Cohen fan will have to own. The live renditions of classics like Bird On The Wire, Story of Isaac, and Tonight Will Be Fine, etc., are competent, but not readily improved over the studio versions. On the other hand, it's the live renditions of previously unissued songs that make this album so noteworthy. Cohen's version of Passing Through has an odd sing-along ominence, and two masterpieces crop up later in the set. The first of these, the 13-minute Please Don't Pass Me By (A Disgrace) is sort of an odd narrative poem set to music, with its sing-along chorus that is undeniably profound. This is unquestionably the high point of the CD, and makes it a worthwhile purchase for Cohen fans on account of it alone. The other is Queen Victoria, a classic poem of his, performed live here-Cohen sings it in a vaguely touching way, a fitting close to the set. Although not the first album of his you should pick up, this is one you'll definately want to own after you've been primed in Leonard Cohen.

RAW & COMPELLING.......2000-08-28

Live Songs is one of his early classics and should be part of every fan's collection. Please Don't Pass Me By with its spoken introduction is harrowing, Passing Through ("glad that I ran into you") is delicate and yearning and Tonight Will Be Fine is unsettlingly erotic. There is an intensity here that complements the studio versions very well, a side of early Cohen that fans will miss out on if they don't own this album. Some of this rawness later manifested on the Phil Spector-produced Death Of A Ladies Man to the consternation of many of Cohen's fans. But it was always a part of his musical make-up, as this album demonstrates. In some ways, Angels Of Light's album New Mother reminds me of the mood of Live Songs.

Average customer rating:

The Rain Falls Down on Last Year's Man
One of Cohen's best, IMHO
Dark and Brilliant
His Ships Are On Fire
What can I tell you, my brother, my killer?

Songs of Love and Hate
Leonard Cohen
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Songs of Leonard Cohen
New Skin for the Old Ceremony
Songs from a Room
Various Positions
I'm Your Man

ASIN: B000002AZY
Release Date: 1995-02-07

Tracks:

Avalanche
Last Year's Man
Dress Rehearsal Rag
Diamonds In The Mine
Love Calls You By Your Name
Famous Blue Raincoat
Sing Another Song, Boys
Joan Of Arc

Customer Reviews:

The Rain Falls Down on Last Year's Man.......2007-02-21

The first song sets the tone for the album. Avalanche is just what it sounds like... a man's life caving in on top of him sung with bitterness, bile and sarcasm, his trademark guitar propelling the ballad forward, stark and primal. And it only gets better from there. Cohen's voice is raw and powerful on every track, often framed by the celestial chorus of women's voices that offer a sharp contract to his. Well know songs on the CD include Famous Blue Raincoat and Joan of Arc. But the lesser known songs are gems in their own right. Especially gloomy are the self-mocking Last Year's Man and suicidal fantasy Dress Rehearsal Rag, both with brilliant lyrics.

Deservedly the CD continues to grow in stature over the years. This music is sure to be a party killer, but perfect to listen to when you're alone, depressed, angry, smoldering with love and hate.... an anthem to the dark genius of Cohen.

One of Cohen's best, IMHO.......2007-02-07

Can't get this on iTunes since it is an import. This is Cohen at his peak. If you have no Leonard Cohen - give this one a try!

Dark and Brilliant.......2007-01-28

This is not the kind of album you want to put on when having a cocktail party. It's alone music. But it is a harrowing, brilliant album. Songs of Love and Hate begins with Cohen's trademark flamenco guitar and winds it's way through stark children's choruses and spine-tingling string accompaniments. But Cohen's startling lyrics take center stage. He is a poet on caliber with Bob Dylan. This album is so uncommercial, however, that it is out of print. I got my copy on eBay. The album hits a peak with track 4, "Diamonds In the Mine" a raucous, fun number where Cohen sounds dangerously unhinged. Just as it sounds like he's lost control, we return to his solo acoustic guitar on track 5, "Dress Rehearsal Rag." The towering, depressing "Famous Blue Raincoat" is featured on every Cohen retrospective and tribute album (of which there are several). It starts out with the poet intoning, "It's four in the morning, the end of September, I'm writing you now, just to see if you're better..." There's something about being awake at four in the morning. It's not the night, and it's not really the morning either. Most people are not awake at this hour. Only tortured loners like Leonard Cohen. SOLAH concludes with the elegiac "Joan of Arc" which, if you haven't slit your wrists by then, will send you off with the feeling that you have just heard something raw and painfully honest from a great songwriter. The album has a very cohesive quality, as if it could have been recorded all in one night. The mood captured is consistently somber but it has the feeling of a stark, emotional moment in time that was as rare as it was brief.

His Ships Are On Fire.......2006-11-19

Because it was mostly unfamiliar, only one of the tracks appearing on Best Of LC or The Essential LC, I didn't listen to "Songs of Love and Hate" much at first. And none of it is what you'd call catchy sing-along music--maybe Diamonds in the Mine, if you can get a good scream going on by the end. But the more I listen the more I appreciate the raw emotional power than Cohen invests in these songs. "Avalanche" makes me feel a little guilty about being a liberal; "Last Year's Man" leads the listener directly to "Dress Rehearsal Rag", a state-of-mind I'd wish on no one; "Diamonds in the Mine"--a bouncy little piece of nihilism; "Love Calls You" even with its odd rhythmic structure, seems almost upbeat; after the painfully personal "Famous Blue Raincoat, Cohen invites us to "Sing Another Song, Boys" as his "ships are on fire" (I'm always right there on "she waves a Nazi dagger" for some reason). By the time the quite "Joan of Arc" comes along, we're ready for some peace, which only comes in the name of fire. All in all, an emotional juggernaut; emblematic of Cohen's genius.

What can I tell you, my brother, my killer?.......2006-10-14

I originally purchased this album after a friend had put Famous Blue Raincoat on a mix CD, and I was mad.

Why?

She didn't put the rest of the album on that mix CD.

This is the essence of Leonard Cohen - beauty in sorrow, sorrow in beauty.

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