Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Just OK. It has a very 60's sound, exactly what I would expect from this type of artist.

A little slow for my tastes, but cute and folksy. Leonard Cohen looks kinda like Adam Sandler; makes it more fun to pretend it him singing.

Had a bit of an uncanny valley effect for me. There's a lot of music contemporary to this album that I love and have listened to it a lot and so I could hear the influence this had on those or vice versa. But there was a darkness and intentional dissonance to this album that threw me off a bit.

I can appreciate why this album was picked and it was pleasant to listen to for ~10 minutes, but it is a little too peace-lovey for my tastes. I'd say this isn't something I could just pick up and enjoy at any given time; a very specific setting and mood would be required to make it through much of this.

I listened to it.

I feel like I've head this album before. It's the 3rd Leonard Cohen album on my list. It was ok.

I like some of his music but not all, this album wouldn’t be one I would listen to a lot.

The 4th (!!!) Leonard Cohen album I've gotten. It's fine. Like all the others. Maybe slightly better than average but there's nothing else to say after 4 of his albums. 3.5/5

Good but not great. There are some interesting songs and ideas but won't keep my attention for the 41 min of runtime.

Det är ganska bra men många av låtarna låter likadant.

This genre of music is pretty much completely foreign to me, so any rating I give is relative to the other albums that this project has given out so far. Having said that, this might be the best one out of the folksy, moody, white guy guitar albums I've gotten over the last three months. Makes total sense, as it is Leonard Cohen after all. There's more character here. He sings his songs as if he's been weathered by life, and just telling stories on a front porch or by the campfire. It's sad but also serene. It's still not fully my style, but I can certainly appreciate what was done here. Standout tracks are Stories of the Street and One of Us Cannot Be Wrong.

This whole album sounds like the ending of an intellectual independent drama movie. While not especially a bad thing, it also failed to give me any emotion that didn't require some cerebral processing. I understand it's an album any "serious" music fan should revere, but it was just not entertaining enough for me. Everything is "nice" about this album. The lyrics are outstanding, the guitar is beautiful, even Cohen's often criticised voice fits nicely, but is it really music or a dark bohemian intellectual masturbation to listen to when you're cold or canadian or christian?

Wow his voice was so different in the 60’s. I definitely liked “you want it darker better”. I wanted more from the vocals and melodys in most of the tunes “Thats no way to say goodbye” is a good song I didn’t realize he wrote it. I first heard the Lianne La Havas version. Lyrics were interesting I would’ve wanted more

Loved the guitar in some of the songs. Doesn’t quite hit 4 stars for me, but certainly 3.5.

In his very first album, Cohen crafts a remarkable set of poems and a slightly less remarkable set of songs, but there are still plenty of high points to be enjoyed over the course of its runtime. Cohen, 33 years old in 1967, already comes across world-weary and disillusioned next to his boyish contemporaries, as he sings of heartbreak, abandonment, sex, death. Biblical allusions abound: these are songs haunted by prisoners and masters, a sinking Jesus, Joseph looking for a manger, lambs at the slaughterhouse, overflowing with apple cores, skeletons and decay. There’s also a tendency to return to a theme of travel and wandering, with rogue and merciful characters alike roaming through the verses looking for a home. Instrumentally, it’s sparse, cold and wintry. Many songs are just accompanied by delicate fingerpicked nylon guitar, but occasionally backing vocals, strings or accordion swell underneath (see “Suzanne” for a particularly successful example of this). Cohen’s voice is a long way off the gravelly depths he’d arrive at in the 80s, and there’s a little more of an attempt to ride the melodies in earnest participation (“So Long Marianne” is positively soaring by his standards). “Suzanne” and “So Long, Marianne” are the career-defining works here, and they’re both stand-outs on the album. In particular, “…Marianne” is the peak, chock full of heartbreaking lines. My personal favourite: “we forget to pray for the angels; and then the angels forget to pray for us”. A lovely, succinct depiction of a relationship sliding into oblivion. It’s difficult to know how to rate this one: I think one can get almost as much from it just by reading the lyrics, as they’re so vivid and accomplished. The music is not to the same standard, and starts to drag a little by the last couple of tracks. Cohen would go on to greater works, but this is a great introduction to his singular, iconic voice. I plan on spending more time with it, and suspect it will take time to reveal itself.

When the first time I listened to Cohen, it impressed me very much as it's such a unique style.

LC is cool. This isn't my favorite album of his, but it's still solid.

Some very nice tracks on here, and a few less interesting ones.

¿Qué está haciendo Michael Corleone en esa portada? Nunca he tenido una relación con Leonard Cohen. Conozco su nombre vagamente, pero su obra se me escapa. Entiendo que su fuerte son las letras, pero no son las letras las que me interesan. En todo caso, este disco se deja escuchar y puedo reconocer que hay varias canciones que se pueden encontrar en esas recopilaciones de grandes éxitos.

Großartiger Lyricist. Entspannter Singer-Songwriter Musik. Teilweise etwas starr.

No doubt Cohen is a masterful poet, full of wordplay, accompanied by those bittersweet melancholic chords. Not something I'd listen to regularly, but the appreciation is there. ...on a sidenote, who signed off on the typography on the artwork, it's dreadful. Would have been a stronger design without it, just have the photo of Cohen.

Kinda annoyed at work, Bub and Pops lunch, knee hurty run, Zac Efron party, out, bike home, cat time

Like finding this on vinyl in a house you've rented in the country, in a valley, with lots of dark wood and 70s furniture, listening to it while it's rainy outside, and you're flipping through old magazines.

I have a list of songwriters who should have others sing their songs. Cohen is one of them. He's in good company in a list that also contains Bob Dylan and Neil Young. These songs are undeniable though, and despite the performance, which does not work for me, the songs do!

Leonard Cohen is a good lyricist and songwriter. I wouldn’t say he’s the best singer but his tone is unique yet monotonous and given the songs it works decently. He seems to me to be a less enjoyable Lou reed/velvet underground. The music is decent and there are a few songs worth revisiting given the right mood. 5.8/10

Slightly boring.

not really my preference in style. 3/5

This is really good - it's Cohen's first album and his voice hasn't developed the gratingness that makes his later stuff harder to listen to. The songwriting is great, and it's very relaxing to listen to. The album fits together well - a little too well, to be honest, it's all a little bit the same, and that knocks it down from a 4 to a high three.

Mostly just sad, chill guitar songs about a dude who has no bitches. Not terrible.

Definitely lots of quality here. The songwriting reminds me of Bob a little bit, with songs that just gooooo and plenty of cryptic lyrics. Leonard’s voice is really beautiful throughout as well. 6/10

OK. Didn't grab me

Tough one to rate (especially being Canadian). I feel one cannot ignore the sort of legendary statuses of Leonard Cohen and some of his songs (a few of which appear in this album), but if I'm honest, the talk-singing style is sort of difficult to listen to after a few tracks, and many of them have a very similar sound. Still, if I were to rate individual songs (assuming a nice peppering throughout a more dynamic playlist), I would probably go higher. The sound is icon, and I feel most musicians would have difficulty copying it well.

Love later Leondard Cohen. You can see the hints of what's to come, but this was a little too coffee house for me.

Folk. Lento.

Dark mood and sound. Nice 70’s indie pop style. Long songs with many verses that tell stories. Interesting chord progressions that meander in and out of different keys in an unpredictable way. Calming and soothing like Sufjan’s acoustic tunes.

Not my kind of music. Kinda boring. Not bad to put on in the background if you are working or something like that. Kind of has a spoken lyrical sound with and acoustical guitar, similar to Bob Dylan type music. Not as bad as Simon and Garfunkel, but kind of rough that these albums came up back to back.

Great lyrics, fun chorus'

is ok

I listened to this high and all the songs kind of blended together for me. mid album

I listened, but mostly just for continuity. It was pretty low key and chill, which was nice, but I probably wouldn't listen again.

Like a darker version of Bob Dylan. I'm familiar with Leonard Cohen but taking the time to listen let me appreciate the creativity in his lyrics. Similar to other albums so far, not too many songs I added to my spotify but I understand why people love him. To me, he's essentially a poet who can also sing, which doesn't really make me want to listen to the music on a regular basis, but I did enjoy revisiting the songs.

más enfocado en la letra y la voz relajante del señor, que en el instrumental. me recuerda mucho a Bon Dylan, tengo que prestar más atención a la letra o de plano leerla. por ahora le pongo 3 pero leyendo la letra puede cambiar la cosa.

Decent without being spectacular

3.5

Like best når han synge kjempemørkt

Very much in the tradition of Simon and Garfunkel or Bob Dylan. But unfortunately there isn’t a lot of variety in his sound on this album, so I like it less than those other artists

For some reason, Leonard Cohen and Anthony Bourdain are the same person in my head. 3.75 stars: impressive songwriting, but a lot of the songs just kinda blend together. Suzanne a banger tho

Some well crafted songs, but I can't fully connect with LC as it feels like he's holding back as he sings/talk sings.

Rating: 6/10

Nice sounding album however I found most of the songs to be rather similar/monotonous and paired with the very minimalist background music, it failed to leave a lasting impression

Любопытно было послушать раннюю работу Леонарда Коэна. Совершенно иное звучание нежели в современных работах. Даже работа с собственным голосом совсем другая. Master Song понравилась. В остальном, не могу сказать, что что-то зацепило. Но могу понять, кому альбом может понравится и показаться близким. Для меня это 5 из 10.

C'est à croire que Leonard Cohen était déjà mort bien avant de devenir son fructueux cadavre tant l'album est dépourvu d'énergie.

Not bad. Music is nice and mellow. Lyrical structure is quite formulaic throughout, rso can be a little repetitive, but it’s ok overall.

Eh

A pretty nice listen. However, it seemed like he was singing the same tune every song, but with different music in the background.

I like Leonard Cohen's later stuff, but this was a little tough to listen to.

The old school singer songwriter. Unobtrusive but lyrically challenging

Måste nog vara rätt mood för denna, en tråkigare Simon & Garfunkel

inte hans starkaste

Leonard Cohen is a poet, not a musician. It's interesting to pair this against his later work. This album is like the naive, dough-eyed kid who's finally set foot outside his boyhood home alone for the first time. Whereas, The Future (1992), sounds closer to a Bukowski book, reflecting a jaded folk singer with crushed dreams and regret. This album, SoLC is a wholesome coming-of-age listen on par with a Simon / Garfunkel album. I especially enjoyed So Long, Marrianne, which carries the S&G feel all the way through.

The best Leonard Cohen album on the list. Vibes are more Simon and Garfunkel than Nick Cave which explains why its my highest rated of the LC albums. Guess he should have stopped at 1.

I'll be terribly honest, but Leonard Cohens old music never did it for me. And I've given this album another 4 listens and tried. But even though I really enjoy his poetry/lyrics and know how good of a songwriter he is, most of the songs just leave me feeling... nothing. I know I'm probably alone in this, but I like his later work better

p136. 1968. 3.5 stars Lyrically light years ahead of the competition. Stripped down, sparse sound that still sounds fresh. Overwhelming sense of melancholy though, and if you're not prepared to listen to the lyrics a lot of the tracks can sound the same. You have to be in the right mood to fully appreciate this, and if you're not it can sound like self pitying meandering.

Appreciate, goodbye Maryanne 🥰

An ok album pretty chill but no real stand out songs just an ok average album

Not too sure... not very into the melody but at least it's folk.

Suzanne and So Long Marianne are good songs, but the rest are to samey and to depressing

Alrighty, cant say I know much about this guy other than hallelugia. Master Song is kinda trippy and intriguing. This album was pleasant, but not really my thing.

My concentration wavered towards the end. Cohen’s lyrics and narratives are brilliant, but the arrangements end up feeling and sounding repetitive, detracting from what is a worthy record overall.

Leonard makes church, gospel music. Idk why but that’s what comes to mind. But, like unorthodox. His lyrics, guitar, even his voice is really beautiful on this album. I like the moments with the female background singers too. My favorites were Suzanne and Master Song. Great album, but I wished I liked it more.

Can see why this is on the list great song writing, a few great songs, Suzanne, so long Marianne, but found the rest a bit dull though.

Pleasant tales of love and love lost to beautiful acoustic and Spanish guitar. Raw, reflective lyrics throughout but limited vocal range or variety.

3.5/5 Some good songs on the album. Easy to listen to, but not something special Favourite songs: - Suzanne - Master song - So long, Marianne

"Songs of Leonard Cohen", guess whose debut album is this. A clue: he was actually a published poet and novelist. So, while his album titles are too generic for a poet (his second album, which I already heard, was titled "Songs from a Room"), his songwriting is unsurprisingly awesome. Folk, acoustic mellow albums are never my thing, even after listening to this undeniably fine record. It came two years before the personally boring "Songs from a Room", but I enjoyed this one more. Perhaps because it's more raw and sparse sounding than "Songs from a Room". I like the guitars and I felt the emotions in his voice most of the time. It has decent love songs, but still too mellow for my taste. The less "acoustic"/stripped-down tracks such as "So Long, Marianne" are personal highlights. Overall, just another acoustic moody album. Not my vibe, even during a chill, rainy day. Decent, but not for me.

444

This is basically a darker, more melancholic Bob Dylan. It's very poetic, definitely a lyric-focused record. You will get more out of this record if you pay attention to it, otherwise it will likely bore you. The guitar playing is great, too. I enjoyed the B-Side more than the A-Side.

6/10

I have never been able to stand the constant drone of leonard cohen - I guess I didn't smoke enough weed in college.

Some good lyrics

Good ol Cohen. Always nice for an early morning listen. Every song felt like you were driving/walking through a dusty old town long forgotten by time. Apple says this sounded like nothing else at the time so that's pretty cool since it kind of sounds basic now. But for a debut album that is really impressive.

Folksy Cohen. Fun to go from him much older to this younger version, which definitely does sound '60s. I like a lot of the style here though, it didn't really blow me away or anything but it makes sense that he grew into the legendary singer-songwriter that he was. A very consistent level of craftsmanship. Favorite tracks: Master Song, Stranger Song, Teachers, One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong. Album art: Al Pacino. 3.5/5

Somber

Pretty upbeat by cohens standards

Lotta white dudes on this list

7/10

I can see the appeal a bit more now. Poetic, melancholy folk. Still not a fan though.

12/14/21 - Pleasant, a little unnerving

I'm gonna be honest: I like Cohen but i'm kinda bored of american folk songs

A little bit slow and boring. Some nice songs. Very gentle. 'songwriter' songs

Decent talk-y folk music. Last song was the worst, bad one to end on

So Leonard Cohen is an great songwriter and a phenomenal poet. But for me, it kinda stops there. His singing doesn't do anything for me, and the overall instrumentation and innovation on his tracks leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. Lyrically he can stand toe to toe with anyone, but when you compare his songs to other musician-singer-songwriter-poets like Bob Dylan or Nick Drake especially, I think he gets left in the dust. With the exception of You Want it Darker, which is excellent. But yeah, this album just blurred into the one Leonard Cohen-ism for me. I respect his abilities massively - but I also think the sameyness and forgettability of a lot of this album probably goes under the radar a lot of the time

Just ok. Never really got into Leo, and more familiar with his work via covers. This one's a bit too heavy for workday listening, so I'll have to give it another shot. And he does go by "Leo," right?

Not bad Mr Cohen. Not bad at all

Poet first, musician second. Quite monotonous as it's focus was on lyrics way more than on melodies. Worth a listen but I won't be coming back to this one, Leonard Cohen has made some better material later on.

Got a little dull after a while but I do like Cohen's voice and the overall atmosphere he creates.

deep voice. weird lyrics

This is a beautiful album. It is very much a mood though. Not as dark as some of his later work, but like a walk on a grey fall day, beautiful but sad. Gorgeous lyrics, spare compositions. Some lovely guitar work on "The Stranger Song" and "Teachers." I dislike the use of the female backup singers. It makes things weirdly bright where they shouldn't be. Fave Songs: Suzanne, The Stranger Song, So Long Marianne

Very easy listening

This is much better than the last Cohen album on this list (Songs Of Love And Hate). More upbeat. I enjoyed most of these ballads quite a bit! I still have not heard much from Cohen that beats Hallelujah. One hit wonder? I remain unconvinced otherwise.

definitely some highlights here, other than that it is alright

Heb niet zoveel aan de 3 sterren toe te voegen: mooi album.

Classic Leonard. But... I prefer the more developed voice, varied music. This feels like a preview of the main show.

Songs of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen for Leonard Cohen or BLCFLC!

Can't tell when one song ends and the next starts. It's lovely, but it's repetitive.

very folky

classics

Not my favorite style of folk but still an enjoyable album. The often almost spoken word story telling Cohen deploys isn't nearly as effective or engaging to me as his more melodic contemporaries (Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, etc.). That being said he still has some beautiful arrangements throughout and the lyrics can often be really interesting even if their density can make it challenging for me to stayed personally engaged.

A bit samey, not really my thing

very nice!

Beloved on RYM. Its too soft and samesy for my tastes. I like the brill building backup vocals on So Long Marianne.

false

"Suzanne" et "So long, Marianne" sont des classiques à juste titre mais je trouve le reste de l'album peu intéressant

Good ol' Folk music from Canada! Leonard Cohen's voice is so soothing to listen to and it blends perfectly with his music.

I read somewhere once that Leonard Cohen was essentially a poet and the music was just a way of releasing his poems. This albums fits with that theory. It's very lyrically dense and musically pared back. It was a decent listen, but not really my kind of thing.

Its nice is what I can say about it. I appreciate leonard is weaving these fantastic stories and I love the atmosphere they create, but the whole album being the same tempo is just a bit too meh. I still enjoyed it, but I felt like the album was just coasting really, I got very few emotional or energetic highs or lows. All that said so long marianne is fantastic i love it

I enjoyed this a lot but it didn't really grab me. If I could I'd give it 3.5 stars because it's not wowaweewa to get 4 stars but it's not so average that it deserves only 3.

pretty good chill folk album, I am not a huge fan, but decent.

It was really good, but not my favorite. He does really interesting things with singing past when a measure or instrument stops it’s primary attack, and that just lends to totally cool vibes. I got bored after a bit, but my attention span also isn’t the best.

I love the vibes of the 60s. In general, from the point of view of the lyrics, the songs are beautiful. 6-above average (you can listen to).

Not my favorite of the artist, but very solid.

'Suzanne' and 'So long, Marianne' are great. Some songs has beautiful storytelling with understated music. The rest of it is boring.

Amazing song writer. Folksy with deep lyrics ala Dylan. Grew on me as the album progressed. A lot of slow, beautiful finger picking songs. Music that makes you think/feel. 3/5

Eu gostei mais quando terminou o album e tocou outras musicas dele

Some classic Lenny songs

.

- [ ] Production: 9/20 - [ ] Songwriting: 16/20 - [ ] Innovation: 11/20 - [ ] Bangers: 5/20 - [ ] Emotional response: 13/20 - [ ] =54 Lovely stuff

This feels old school, but somehow not in a way that makes me feel nostalgic. I found the recording quality to be a tad bit distracting, and although I don't feel particularly strongly towards the music, I wouldn't mind listening to this again.

Leonard Cohen and his music are a national treasure. Unfortunately, you need to dig through some dirt muck to get to the gold, and this is it. I was bored, but was also listening through a lame car stereo which probably lost the finer dust of this album. 2.5 stars and rounding up based on the catalog to come. ### side note - I was introduced to Leonard Cohen from the Movie “Pump up the Volume” - when Christian Slater dropped the needle on LEonard’s “Everybody Know” I was hooked for life. Surprisingly, his version doesn’t make the soundtrack, but a solid Concrete Blonde cover does. The soundtrack also has another LC cut - “If it be Your Will” among many other nuggets - I encourage you to listen. This is the second time I’ve referenced it since we started the 1001…

Yawn!

lots of weird storys but just background folk works too

por ahí no ma

Very pleasant but probably wouldn't go back to it. 3 stand out tracks

Ich hör ihn ja immer wieder gern und auch hier wertet dass Herz höher als das Ohr. 2.8

Da schweben alle möglichen flüchtigen Aromen vorbei, und keines von denen kann ich so richtig fassen. Ich erinnere Anklänge von/Assoziationen an Reinhard Mey, ABBA, Serge Gainsbourg, Johnny Cash, Tony Marschall. Das bescheuerte ist, ich kann überhaupt nicht einordnen ob ich glaube dass er sich irgendwo in diesen Universen bedient hat, oder die sich in seinem, oder ob das sowieso alles in der allgemein geatmeten Luft lag. Irgendwie ist das Kirmesmusik, dann aber auch wieder hochseriös, und siehe auch sein gottgleicher Status. Man merkt: ich bin verwirrt und mir fehlt der Kompass. Keine Ahnung wonach ich da die Note gebe - gefällt mir supergut? Nein, sicher nicht besser als 3,5. Superschlecht? Auch nicht schlechter als 2. Ok, dann ... 2,8? 2,9? Hm. Na gut: Diese Platte bekommt von mir eine 2,85. Hier und jetzt und for the Ladies.

Melancólico. Buena voz. Pausado

Muy relajante

Decent album, some forgettable tracks

Mellow and complex. Have to be in the right mood for this. Kind of like how I feel about most Dylan.

Good but a little boring

Tres beaux textes. Mon hit: The stranger song. Sur la désire d'être en relation mais la difficulté d'y être heureux.

Leonard Cohen is so cool, but I think I like his older, more gravelly voice more.

For lite rødvin i arbeidstiden til at dette gir fot

I shockingly was super into it. His voice was so smooth and his lyrics felt like they really told a story. It was hard not to listen to it

It's pretty solid. Definitely a folksy introspective Paul Simon vibe with clearly the focus on deeper than average lyrics. Though good, not something I'm likely to revisit.

Exceedingly pleasant. Classic 60's folk. Nuff said.

Lyrical, but samey sounding as a full album

Some pretty songs

Ok

Melancholic and slow. I love the songs "Suzanne" & "How Long Marianne". Everything blend together otherwise. It made me want to listen to Rodriguez

Didn't like it as much as the other cohen. Still pretty decent tho

The compositions themselves are beautiful, but often last 1 chorus or verse too long. There's an inherent mystery in the progressions, but repetition wrings out any interest before the tracks have ended.

He is quite the mellow singer/songwriter. There is no urgency in his music, just peacefully goes through the words. I know he inspired many cause I’ve enjoyed covers of some of his songs.

I know it’s great songwriting but not really my cup of tea.

3.5 stars. Lyrically awesome album. Unfortunately it's the type of music I have to be in the mood for. Best to listen with head phones while relaxing to hear the lyrics properly

6/10 Not really my style, but very good. He's a brilliant storyteller and it shows.

Leonard Cohen is obviouslly an overlooked song writer. I just don't know if this is the album that needs to be on this list.

Yeah I can appreciate Leonard Cohen as a poet and artist but only in small doses. Once song at a time is probably enough for me. That said he was an inspiration to generations of other artists.

Got distracted by life, should probably give it another chance.

false

It was oke. But will not be my favorite music.

Couple of classics already

Was a bit like listening to some gospel music. Kind of visceral, in a weird way.

Better than other LC album but still only meh

Great chill out and get work done music.

Like the voice

I'd listened to Leonard Cohen before and not really liked it. I enjoyed this album though.

Pretty mundane and nothing really interesting on this album.

no. how can i ever forgot this evil man? who sings about Jesus yet have Aaron’s blood flowing in his veins. maybe he is using new testament stories as a literary device and i don’t have the right to criticise him because i am a gentile, but i really think that it’s not kosher. as everybody knows that shall keep my stance as a cohen hater and i could say this is the most boring album of his that i’ve heard so far. although it is his debut but unlike my formulating reviews of debut albums, it’s not alright. main reasons of complaint are his delivery (as always), the arrangement (what the fuck is with the accordion? or whatever? on sisters of mercy and other instrument that panned slowly from the lest stereo channel to the right stereo channel during the second verse), and of course the annoying and loud ass female backing vocals during so long marianne. and when you add all those things together you got the most sleep-able music in the entire world. like i woke up at literally 6am cause i’m too excited about today’s world cup quarterfinal match in which england (the team i support) faces norway. and after listening to leonard cohen singing 2 hours after the match ended i was lying in my bed and realising that the most rational thing to do next is to sleep. it’s just this sleepy. also my mental state is like when cohen began shouting at the end of one of us cannot be wrong. it’s only 11am but i’ll take a nap anyway. mom said that lunch will be ready in 20 minutes. goodnight everybody. 2/5

I've enjoyed the previous Leonard Cohen albums I've gotten, but this one is just boring. Basic, psychedelic inflected folk music. Feels like an album that rides and dies on it's writing and lyrics, and those aren't aspects I really look for in an album on the first couple listens, so this one is really falling flat for me here.

Like Dylan, Leonard Cohen is not for me.

Lyrics fine but felt tortured listening to

Suicide music but at least this one didn't drag. He still can't sing

We've gotten entries from every other stage of Leonard Cohen's career so I guess it makes sense that his debut would be on here. While I have found a lot of his other albums pretty lackluster I can understand why the debut album of an artist who had a 50 year run would make the list. I find it to be another skippable early folk album but can see why people would enjoy it. There's plenty worse on this list, including from Leonard Cohen himself so I can't complain too much. A couple OK tunes and lot of other filler. When the list is complete I won't be coming back to LH. 1.55 stars

2.5 ☆ not my cup of tea pero me gustó mucho So Long, Marianne y las background vocals que de repente usaba, También creo que escribe precioso.

Not a leco fan

Listened

Poetic but not my jam

Cohen’s “My divorce just went final” face above pretty much sums up this album perfectly. This is sad, womp-womp music nonstop for 40 minutes. This was my first time listening to Leonard Cohen; I did not get the impression that he is some kind of virtuoso songwriter as I have been told. This record was Dylan-style folk with depressing lyrics and, strangely, lots of religious references. I didn’t care for much of any of it. 2/5

I’m not sure I’m a Leonard Cohen guy. I’m also not a Lou Reed fan, and there are similarities to their styles: lyrically focused; minimalist; esoteric. I appreciated that this earlier work would have fit into the of Vietnam and questioning and Dylan and psychedelia. But outside the context of that period I’m not sure this one holds up as well. My key tracks were the opener Suzanne and The Stranger Song, which was more melodic with the finger-picking guitar. This album, for me, is adequate but I probably won’t remember to come back to it again.

Sorry if this is harsh, I would’ve given it 2.5 if possible. But then 3 feels too high. I think its great background noise and peaceful but (controversially?) quite boring. Also a lot of the lyrics that sound like poetry actually mean nothing when u think about them properly. I dont have an example nor will i provide one. Also making the best song on the album the very first one is just a recipe for disaster

Maybe when I am older I will understand...

Mellow album. Super minimal with mostly acoustic guitar and vocals. 2.5/5.0

This went down better than the previous Cohen album I’ve had on this list. It’s nice for what it is, some of the lyrics are good, and it is executed well. Not really for me though.

too sad for me

Æjj, er ég ekki bara leiðinlegur að gefa tvær?

It’s like if Bob Dylan sounded worse …

The lyrics are better read than accompanied by pedestrian guitar.

master song

Sisters of Mercy was really interesting! The rest was a decent audiobook (stole that joke from someone else).

Ist mir ruhig ohne viel Abwechslung.

Albums are all good but similar. Not my thing

Not a fan, great song writer

Lou Reed if he was whimsical and liked folk

Sound of a more well spoken Bob Dylan.

It's not a bad album but he *is* a bad singer

not my cup of tea

i dobt care

A readily identifiable voice, almost hypnotic. Easy going, pleasant, poetic. Excellent lyrics. Very stylistic. Not my style but my rating is my personal preference and not at all a reflection of the quality of the work, especially for its time.

I'm sure it hit different in its time but this just doesn't do much for me.

Warm vocals and chill guitar but most songs are extremely similar in sound and content. Highlights: "The Stranger Song", "So Long, Marianne", "Stories of the Street"

Sounds ok, but this genre is not a thing i can dig

Suzanne — Im not super sure I’d vibe with this 60s album.. Master Song — I feel quite iffy on it Winter Lady — maybr im just sad but this song isnt that bad The Stranger Song — okay I’m not living for the folk nor the religious themes unfortunately Sisters of Mercy — i could’ve sworn that i didn’t check the box for folk and country So Long, Marianne — oh em gee women i like women Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye — Stories of the Street — it was okay Teachers — this one was pretty alright too One of Us Cannot Be Wrong — The yelling hello 😭

songs of love and hate ist ausreichend

I don't know what playlist these songs could possibly be a part of

Schwieriger Fall. Er kann nicht singen und die Kinderchöre sind schlimm. Dann doch lieber das erste Album von Georges Moustaki (1969). Das ist natürlich nicht auf der EN/US Liste. Wird ja auf französisch besungen.

Derivative

Hardly world changing

I think I hear a fog horn: "Boooooooooring!"

Nah

I really thought I would enjoy folk music more than this project is showing me I do. This is so fucking boring.

2.5

Not an album I'd return to in a hurry. Mundane and fairly depressing.

Made me sleepy. I was a tad bored. Leonard isn't for me. I could definitely see this being part of a soundtrack for an indie film, though (the question is: 'would I watch it?' probably once).

The man speaks the words in a very sad voice, accompanied by sad music.

Classic folk, ok

meh

I think his song writing is lost on me. It seems like good poetry but I can't follow it on the first listen so it doesn't do much. I don't like how he goes back and forth between two chords a lot. . . . lazy I like the one man band sound on "Sisters of Mercy" Maybe I'm just not in generous mood, but I think he would have been better as a poet: I don't care for these songs

not bad but wont remember or revisit

The vocals are very Dillonesque, but I prefer Dillon. This was a bit too folksy-treacle for me.

One of my musical idioms is that I'm not a lyrics guy but realize their power. To me, Voice and Lyrics are 2 intruments just like a songs guitar, bass, drums, keys, etc. You don't have to have lyrics & you don't have to understand them. BUT, lyrics have the most power over any other instrument when done correctly. This album is a 0.0 on music, voice, instruments, skill, & originality, but (probably) a 10.0 on lyrics. I'm sure this would be rated differently if I listened to it 10 times, but don't have that in me. You can see his greatness but more as a poet imo.

Indie before indie. Perfect for a soft, rainy morning tho no one song stood out to me 2/5

Not sure what you have to be on to make this something you want to listen to.

Not a fan, I can take a song or two. But I couldn't wait for this to be over. 1.5/2

Well done, Leonard, this one didn’t make me mad! We have the premonition of future awfulness in the backup singers, but as a guy with some songs and a guitar he’s tolerable at this point, if a little dull.

2.5

Nice

I liked so long, Marianne

Temu Bob Dylan

3/18 Boring

- Religious imagery, not necessarily my favorite - Talented singing - Liked ‘So Long, Marianne’

If you had a party and wanted people to leave, throw this in the ole hi-fi!

Of all the Leonard Cohen I’ve had to listen to, this was by far the best. His voice was much better when he was younger. I knew Suzanne. I’m still not a fan though.

I respect the legacy of Mr. Cohen's body of work, and I respect the art form of storytelling. While the musical accompaniment was peaceful and pleasant, the overall experience, to me, was just kinda boring

54 albums in and have had two Leonard Cohen albums already - the last one and now the first. On "You Want it Darker" Cohen's voice sounded weather-worn and life-worn. Here he just sounds like some guy. Sometimes it feels like the music is incidental, like Cohen had the poems and wanted a way to make people actually sit and listen to them. Though there are a few moments to perk up the ears ("So Long, Marianne," for example) they are few and far between. Note: when the album was done Spotify autoplayed Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" and I thought it was still Cohen and was like, "oh I should rethink this." Nope.

Well, there’s more liveliness in his voice on this album isn’t there? I’m not sure I like it. It’s less poetic. This is another one of those albums where it sounds like it could have been performed in a castle by the Kings musician. But the problem would be that the King would be bored with this music and have the kings musician executed.

Muito chato. Parece um história complicadamente entediante

Eh, not my favorite of Leonard Cohen’s.

Don't know what to say, the singing was a bit monotonous

Almost gave this a higher rating out of a sense of, I guess, potential? It feels like something I could get more out of in the right mood. I even tried. Listened to it like I do everything else on the list, headphones on, undivided attention, lights low. I opened a window to let the cold in a little bit and listened to it twice trying to find that thing I missed about it. I don't know, man. I don't love the drone of it, the writing isn't strong enough to make up for a pleasant but weak voice, and it's not got much variety to it. None of those are bad on their own but I felt like I was meeting the album 75% of the way the entire way. Also the song where he's lusting after a Nazi really didn't work for me? but to be fair I'm going to find someone involved with the Velvet Underground annoying even outside of the nazi thing anyway, could have been a three or maybe even a four in the right mood and circumstances but instead it's a two. dude's got four more albums on the list (please stop including so many albums by the same artist) so maybe one of us can redeem ourselves here

deadass ruined the entire album with the last 30 seconds of the last song, one of us cannot be wrong.

Not for me...

Nah

Wow, I had high hopes for this one but really did not care for it. So dull. Vocals and song structures are monotonous, and even the lyrics failed to make much of an impression on me. Listened to: walking the High Line. Favorite tracks: Sisters of Mercy, Stories of the Street

I like a bit of melanin my music and often sit in a dark room or in bed at night wallowing in sadness. Not that I am naturally a depressive type but find some comfort or consolation in such music. So one would think a Leonard Cohen album would do the trick for me but it never as. When I was 17 a friend of mine recommended Cohen to accompany our teenage angst which was all the fashion then. It never grabbed me then and still doesn’t. I soon tire of his monotone voice singing over simple guitar chords. I get the impression that it isn’t the music which is important but his use of words in his lyrics. I don’t shy away from lyrics but never spend endless time analysing them for hidden meanings. I’m from Yorkshire so prefer straight talk. There are one or two of his songs which I do like. Like Suzanne on this album which is a classic covered by many other singers. So I can see why he is held in high esteem but from my point of view I don’t get it. As a footnote my 17 year old friend got himself into a lot of trouble and tragically committed suicide later in life. I also knew a work colleague who never had any luck in relationships who played Leonard Cohen music a lot. She also died very young. Makes me think Leonard Cohen albums should come with a Government health warning. 2/5

I like this album more than You Want It Darker, but I’ve decided that Leonard Cohen is not for me. He sort of sings on this one, which I prefer to the spoken word approach. Musically, I love the pared down, folky acoustic vibe, even though every song sounds the same. I recognize that his lyrics are poetry, but something about them feels so distinctly masculine. I can’t connect lyrically, and I feel no emotional impact, even when I read the lyrics along with the album.

i do not really care for american folky poetry songs but i'll take leonard cohen over bob dylan anytime

no está horrible y maluco pero si bastante aburrido la verdad, ya para la mitad es como too much y ya no quiero escuchar más

Ahhh, I can hear the beginnings of something here.

I've heard enough of Leonard Cohen to say he's one of those musician's you either get or you don't. I don't. I really gave this album a couple good listens. I just can't find any enjoyment in this at all. It's not terrible. It's just not for me. 2

Now I love a singer songwriter. And I love a melancholic song. But for goodness sakes Leonard, lighten up sometimes. My day had already been ruined by the time I got to So Long, Marianne. And blow me if he doesn't dive straight back into his dirge fest after that. 2* for the undoubtedly poetic (if overly gnostic) lyrics.

Took me three attemps to finish. Cohen's album just uses his singing and a guitar, for the most part. Master Song, So Long, and Stories are the better tracks, but for the most part, the music is uninteresting and cannot capture my attention. For that reason, it's hard to listen to it outside. Sometimes Cohen is not even singing, but rather is talking, making this some sort of a spoken word. Perhaps some will enjoy the lyrics, but I am a music fan. Def not going to re-listen it apart from the selected tracks maybe. Not ugly, but sometimes not enjoyable, just two start for this one.

honestly... i'm not a huge fan of people who sound like they're half-singing, half-talking. it's just not my cup of tea. i love the instrumentals, but it's intolerable with that voice (not that i'm gonna judge anyone who likes this album a lot, i can understand!). i think "winter lady" and "teachers" get a pass, though; those are when leonard's voice matches the vibe of the instrumental. now, i'm usually super easy to please music-wise. am i also super picky? yeah! so take my negative reviews with a grain of salt, and don't let anyone's opinion dictate yours.

I try so very hard to like LC…. This is as close as I get. 1. Suzanne 2. Sisters Of Mercy 3. So Long, Marianne

Boring tbh

Not really my type of music. Sounds very boring

нот куайт май темпо(диднт рили листен вилл трай ту ин зе обозримом фьючер)

2 out of 5 Couple of decent songs, rest were too folky for me

Скучно

There are many albums that I haven’t heard in this world and this was one of them. I know who Leonard Cohen is because of Hallelujah. This album I could have gone without hearing it. I liked So Long Mariane. That’s it. 2/5.

Too folksy for me

Respect Leonard Cohen. But not really my vibe.

My Rating 2.0. How can you make this album sound so sad and boring when you have templates already set up for you to transform your poetry into something insightful and catchy???? See Dylan (Freewhelin Bob Dylan) and Simon and Garfunkel ( Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme)

Lyrical, mellow

Not as bad as the other Cohen album inflicted on me but still deeply unpleasant. I don't mind terrible singers but terrible singtalking is not my thing.

Now I’m depressed.

apparently it’s supposed to have been an influential album…it only influenced me to turn it off.

Yeah, not really my cup of tea. But, this dude made Hallelujah! I love the chill vibes.

It sounded more than a storytelling album with some basic music on the side, rather than a musical album. Very monotone, all songs sounded the same, normal, but the same. Nick Cave vibes. Did have some interesting lyrics though - the stories.

It all sounds like the same song all over again. I wouldn't turn this off if it were playing at a chill evening with friends and we're drinking wine, but you wouldn't hear me saying "Hey, we should put on some Leonard Cohen".

Would not buy

Not my cup of tea

Meh

bardzo smutne piosenki

Not for me

Well. I initially thought that the finger style guitar and the lyrics were not so bad either, but I changed my mind after 4 songs. The vocals drone on worse than the instruments. Yet another 60s boring record.

Good but boring

I hate myself for not enjoying this, as I adore folk and singer-songwriter stuff. Furthermore, I love Stan Rogers despite not being Canadian. I always meant to give Cohen a shot, but I was left scratching my head after this. It's fine, but not particularly great. Wasn't impressed by the composition or lyricism or vocals, or much of anything really. I know there's later works from Cohen on this list and I certainly hope I find them more appealing than this.

Boring boring boring.

I'm just not into whatever leonard cohen makes... it's good sure but it's just boring and got bored half way thorugh

4/10 - just super soft lyrically driven songs but no real tune grabs you

Fairly inoffensive but just boring. I liked some songs more than others but I don’t think I’d ever choose this as an album to put on.

A little boring 60s folk, but it’s good enough I guess. Basic two star album.

Es increíble el ambiente que crea una guitarra. Sin embargo no conectó conmigo.

Not feeling it

Decent lyrics. Lazy melodies. Poor singing. Not for me.

Nothing really caught my interest or ire.

Moo-dee

Couldn't get over the awful singing, but I understand this is quite the series of lyrics and inspired many other artists. The guitar is quite nice, and I liked the stripped-down nature of the music, just vocalist and guitar. That makes it feel a little more intimate.

I really wanted to like this, I love this era of folk music but it just feels a little too "same-y" and bleeds together. I'm sure I'll get crucified but it's a 2/5 for me.

I like a lot of his stuff. But this album Was a miss

the only song i like by him is "I'm your man" and its not even on this album.

When Cohen is good he's really great. This album, however, doesn't have so much of that. Sometimes he gets more caught up in the stories than the music, there are many such stories here. It all flew by quite quickly. I know he does better, I hope those albums are here too.

I had never heard any of Leonard Cohen’s work before and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Unfortunately this album didn’t really grab me. I listened to the whole album about 3 times and my biggest positives is that the instrumentation is super impressive, especially the guitar playing. The guitar player on this album is genuinely so talented it’s crazy. But the problem I had with the album the most was just that I don’t really connect with songwriting if the song is super slow and there’s no humor involved. It’s obviously not a bad album, it just did nothing for me and I didn’t end up saving any songs. But again it’s a solid folk album, just not for me.

On se fait chier

Boring zzzzz 2/5

Sorry, am I going mad? 'Suzanne' and 'Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye' are EXACTLY the same tune melody?! I was just thinking about how fucking samey it was and then he started singing a melody I'd already heard!! I just.... can't...

He uses the same melody multiple times. It was only interesting once.

Lullabies for me. Don’t listen when you’re driving.

This is music for people who like watching paint dry