Product Description

Leonard Cohen's debut album encapsulated the performer's artistry. A successful poet and novelist, he came to music through the folk idiom, and this set combines the aural simplicity and visual clarity of these two passions. Cohen's lugubrious voice brought an intensity to a haunting collection bound together by beautiful melodies and deeply personal lyrics. Members of contemporary group Kaleidoscope join producer John Simon in creating a delicate backdrop for some memorablelove songs. Cohen's ability to be both intimate and universal is a rare gift and results in a body of work that is bothtimeless and enthralling, albeit a bit sombre.

Track Listing

1. Suzanne
2. Master Song
3. Winter Lady
4. Stranger Song
5. Sisters Of Mercy
6. So Long Marianne
7. Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye
8. Stories Of The Street
9. Teachers
10. One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51869 in Music
• Released on: 1991-10-28
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
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 earthbound vocals. -- Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews

Perfect
Awesome album! Beautiful songs, poetic lyrics, and some awesome guitar playing (especially on Teachers). Perfect for putting on late in the evening when feeling sleepy... The last song, One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong is superb - haunting and beautiful at the same time, especially with the weird screams at the end. 10/10

THE ORIGINAL MASTERPIECE
The lilting poetry of Suzanne lures the listener into Leonard Cohen’s world of romantic despair while introducing the essence of his sound: a deep monotone voice framed by sublime female backing vocals over a simple but engaging melody. 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 song-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.

The long journey into oblivion
Leonard Cohen is unique in that his first album was his best, his second was his second-best ... and so on into current well-earned obscurity. The Suicide King has a deep bass voice and an obsession with minor harmonies, but his songs are actually life-affirming, as others have noticed. "I loved you in the morning, your kisses deep and warm, your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm". He is a brilliant wordsmith, more arty than Dylan. All these songs get under your skin, perhaps "The master song" being the most obsessive of all time. Certainly one of the great folk/rock albums.