Songs Of Leonard Cohen

He does his thing very well. I'm not always in the mood for it, but it's objectively good.

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.

Haven't really listened to a lot of Leonard Cohen. This was a chill listen that was pretty enjoyable. So Long, Marianne is great. Great guitar work and emotion throughout.

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

While the lyrics are poignant, I can’t get into the music. Great storyteller, but not a musician I can appreciate

There are 5 Leonard Cohen albums on this list and none of them have Hallelujah

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.

Har gett för många 5★ till 60 tals skivor och avslöjar mig själv som boomer men jag kan inte göra något åt saken

Neat

I cried twice listening to this album.

Nije nešto što mi se pretjerano sviđa, uredu je, tekstovi nekih pjesama mi se sviđaju, neki manje,a neki su mi jako čudni i nisu moj ukus. Lijepa melodija ali nije nešto što bi inače slušala i malo me dosađuje...inače volim ovaku glazbu ali ovo ne jednostavno......cant get into it

There are some classic Cohen songs on here and others that deserve to be regarded as such.

Beautiful, elegant. Sweet little songs.

you don't get much better songwriting than this. deducting a star for that shriekfest at the end of the album

Beyond the imagistic lyrics, what makes these records are the subtle touches – strings, backing vocals, the odd guitar riff or drumming. Listen to the end of Suzanne” you barely notice the ethereal strings and backing vocals coming back in in which elevates the haunting. The electric guitar flourishes on “Master Song” and is that a harpsichord on “Winter Lady” along with the plucked guitar. The accordion (I think) and piercing backing vocals on “So Long Marianne,” which is a real highlight, the drums and accordion (again) on “Sisters of Mercy,” and the whistling outro on “Both of Us Cannot Be Wrong,” a most fitting bookend to “Suzanne.” “No Way to Say Goodbye” is also classic. The quieter and more controlled singing here is more effective than the gruff and growling than “Love and Hate.” The knocks (fair) are that's it's a bit samey in tempo and style across songs and yes, a bit wallow-y, downgrading melancholy into something like entropy. Still, it's LC, so 4.

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!

I think this might have been the first Leonard Cohen I bought...on tape...and just love this.

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

Ooooh this is a special album. I think Cohen is a musical genius and a poet. I mean what a stunning debut as well. I have a lot of love for the folky sounds of guitar picking, mandolin and other instruments. The mixture of pure story telling and abstract poetry in the lyrics is very exciting. Suzanne is a perfect opener, it's painfully beautiful, even celestial with the backing vocals and harp. I really love reading about how he wrote some of these songs and his unusual process. So Long Marianne is already a favourite of mine, there's so much variety and innovation between the oompa sounds on that track and the very stripped back songs with guitar picking and his vocals. Cohen's voice is an absolute winner for me, it's so rich and deep it sounds like how mahogany looks to me. This album is perfection!

I already enjoy this album - so many faves on there. So Long Marianne is my all time and always makes me want to cry for some reason. LC is a gritty poet more than anything, unbelievable lyrics

Great stuff from Leonard

Utterly depressing

Who doesn't know Leonard Cohen and hundreds of covers of his most famous song - Hallelujah. Beautiful, deep voice and such a melancholic and momentous melody. But I've never done any deeper dig into the discography of Cohen. For me he was an artist of two songs (Dance Till the End of Love being the other). This was my first opportunity to listen to his debut album "Songs Of Leonard Cohen". My first impression was that I couldn't even recognise his voice. At the time the album was released he was 33 years old, he got most famous at 50 and the difference in voice is very noticeable. In my opinion he sounds much more mature, with a more prominent hoarseness and in general his voice transmits more emotions. Leonard in his thirties sounds more like a Canadian version of Bob Dylan, but not as interesting. The musical layer is also very thin - usually there is only few notes of acoustic guitar for accompaniment. There are certain songs, with more instruments and small choirs, where Cohen sounds much better, and the listening is more pleasant. For example "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye". Unfortunately, that is not enough to convince me of this album greatness. I prefer the older Cohen and probably won't come back to this album.

While this isn't the kind of thing I'd usually reach for, I was very amazed and moved by this album, and after a stressful and mentally iffy day, this brought out quite a bit of emotion which honestly surprised me. I'm very glad that I sat down and just listened to this album with no distractions, so I could appreciate just how lyrically amazing this book of musical stories was. Favourite: Teachers

i’m going to kill myself i hate this man’s music more than anything in the world please stop

nope. not even 400 albums in and having a 4th Leonard Cohen album is absurd. This is terrorism. will not and you cannot make me. 0 poutines.

Beautiful tunes, and so different that what I'm used to with Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah).

Beautiful, nostalgic, poetic melancholy. I listened to this endlessly when I lived with Jen. We'd study and write term papers to the slow songs and dance around the house together to "So Long, Marianne". I've wanted to learn "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" on the guitar for about 20 years.

Best song was So long, Marianne. It was fun to listen to but it was a bit droany for my tastes. Love Leonard Cohen though.

Beautiful 8/10

Slightly boring.

not really my preference in style. 3/5

Great poet, songwriter, poet and performer. Always nice to listen to.

Songs of Leonard Cohen is simple, fairly elegant and understated, and accomplished. A bit dull, sure, and that limits it to 2/5, but it's respectable for sure.

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.

Un super classique . Les mots l’album et l’ambiance general sont parfait. A avoir ecoute une fois dans sa vie .5

Didn't dislike it, but a bit too monotone and downbeat for me to choose it

Better than I expected. Poetry read over acoustic guitar, but nice.

Easy listening. I'm definitely more captivated by its poetry than the music. I would listen to it again, maybe not first thing in the morning like I did now, but on a rainy evening. 4/5 No songs were highlights for me. All of them kind of felt like pieces of a whole.

Fun listen easy going

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

Never heard of him until now, no prior conceived opinions, although I wasn't surprised to find it being a folk album. As a first folk album, it was entertaining. I really enjoyed the lyrical content (wikipedia says Cohen was known as a poet before ever thinking of music). The music itself was entertaining, there were a couple that stand out more than others. Good mix of slower and up-tempo songs. For my first folk album, I liked it pretty well, but I don't think I'll be listening to it again.

Perfection

I appreciated it, but need to be in the right mood. Certain sections of songs were great, though others felt repetitive

notes - absolutely captivating album - his voice and guitar are both fantastic and the focus of every song, with accents added sparingly - beautiful lyrics dealing with religion, love, addiction, fantasy - DEBUT ALBUM fav song - the stranger song - really beautiful guitar playing and a complex compelling story - his voice sounds fantastic least fav - sisters of mercy - didnt have the same impact of some of the other songs but i did like the panning bells/atmosphere

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.

Cohen is a true bard. He writes poetry, sings them tender, and leaves you longing for more. He does so much with his acoustic guitar, I'm often in awe at how precise each song is. This may be Canada's greatest offering to the world.

This album doesn’t just demand the listener’s undivided attention, it ties it down in it’s vice-like grip and consumes it whole. Cohen’s beautiful and poignant poetry have my goosebump muscles working overtime. You feel the pain and emotion on every track. Genius. Highlights: Suzanne, The Stranger Song, Sisters of Mercy, So Long, Marianne, Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye Probably the easiest 5/5 to score

🕵️

One good song, but the rest did not age well and is very repetitive.

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

Another classic

Folk. Lento.

ALBUM RATING: 3.6 ALBUM GRADE: B- TRACK RATINGS: 1. Suzanne - 3.5 2. Master Song - 4.0 3. Winter Lady - 3.5 4. The Stranger Song - 4.0 5. Sisters of Mercy - 3.5 6. So Long, Marianne - 3.0 7. Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye - 3.5 8. Stories of the Street - 3.5 9. Teachers - 4.0 10. One of Us Cannot Be Wrong - 3.5

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.

More average music that's not my thing

There are many singer-songwriters who fancy themselves poets, but none have quite the deft touch of Leonard Cohen. He’s not the most talented vocalists, but it doesn’t matter: he weaves a web of words that enchant every time.

very Dylanesque. Modern minstrel. Some of it's kind of dark though- I'll follow you to the slaughter house and wait there with the lambs. The scream wailing at the end was nuts

Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye's chorus is one I find myself singing randomly. I first listened to this album when I was 17 and my parent's were going through a divorce. I think that is why I remember all of them so well. I love this album. There is some repetition, but I like that its intentional and a mood.

okay. don't ever see myself reaching for this album again.

Wasn't a fan of this until the very last 30 seconds of the very last song. He really went all out there.

I liked it less and less with each song as they all sounded the same. If I was more into poetry and just viewed it as a version of that, perhaps would like it more. Really negatively effected my mood for the day with its energy.

Look, he's a great songwriter and I know he was a perfectionist. But dammit I cannot get into an entire album of Cohen performing his stuff. I felt like I had taken an entire bottle of barbiturates and I started slipping into the void. Nope.

Welp, that was depressing... and I kinda liked it... sometimes?

Boring Lenny album

Nice and smooth sailing

Great lyrics, fun chorus'

is ok

The most tuneful I've ever heard Cohen be, but just boring overall

Very boring

Outra obra prima do Leonard Cohen! Tem alguns de seus clássicos. Amei, pena que passa tão rápido. Melhores músicas: minha amada So Long Marianne, Sisters of Mercy e Hey, that's no way to say goodbye.

2 si no es que 1

Perfect. Soulful, Erudite, Introspective. A true poet with a strong voice and beautiful melodies.

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

Just like the previous Leonard Cohen albums I've listened to so far on this: Just not a fan of folk music in general and find it and this album boring. Can appreciate his work, but not for me. 4/10.

CanCon alert🚨 Favourite tracks at the moment are Suzanne, One of Us Cannot Be Wrong, & Sisters of Mercy. Took most of my adult life (so far) to appreciate Cohen’s music, but what a great album to drive home to late at night 24/07/22

База

Vinilo.

One of the most impressive debut albums. Aside from the words, his melodies and guitar playing are quite nice too. Probably my favorite song here is Sisters of Mercy. The only thing I don't like is the wailing at the very end of the album.

Of all days to make me listen to this album again. Leonard Cohen's early songs are inextricably tied up for me with a place and a time. I'm 19, maybe 20, and sitting with others like me on a rusting bridge over a canal whose green scummy surface is dotted with lilies. Someone strikes a match for another to light a cigarette. Lunch break between classes stretched out indefinitely. Mosquitoes buzzing in the late afternoon light, dogs snoozing in the shade. We're telling jokes and stories that people like us have told at that same spot many years before. We feel like we know everything. We think we'll stay this young forever. The romance of that space and time is like the romance of these songs. I revisit it as I age and see how fragile is its beauty. It's all a fantasy really. Leonard's lyrics refer to nothing extrinsic but unravel endlessly, a hypnotic, shimmering meditation on the moment that will pass, on the impossible mysteries of being human. They're so metrically and melodically perfect, so precise in their expression of yearning and loss and wonder, so complete in themselves that you cannot describe to someone after the fact what they felt like, what they were even about. You can't go home again. Every time I listen to this album I'm different, more bent and bumped around. The world is faded because it's larger than you knew. But the gift of memory is precious. Like a mnemonic device, this album takes me back to a time and place that I cannot really revisit, that maybe was never real. You return like a stranger and watch yourself. It's real enough to break your heart, though everything has changed. Songs of homecoming, songs of farewell. It's time that we began to laugh, and cry, and cry, and laugh about it all again.

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

Somewhat haunting at times, I was captivated by this. I hesitate to give 5 stars because I didn't fully digest the lyrics, but this is something I will revisit soon!

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

Something something something, well renowned, famous, blah blah dear god this is dull and I don't want to listen to any more of it.

Much better than the later albums I have heard. Enjoyable in the right mood and setting. Lovely words.

Pretty good for a first album. But Cohen was, largely, a one trick pony, wasn't he? (A fair-to-good trick, to be fair. And in any case, I'm playing the man not the ball. And there is, too, Manhattan.)

3.5

Like best når han synge kjempemørkt

Va ganske kjedelig

very calming

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

Some of the guitar is ok but most of the album is a bunch of rambling. Wasn't too impressed with this one.

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

I love his voice. Such a musical chameleon as well with the different styles of music

Oh.......my........god - dude, I hope these songs all got you laid. Definitely not my bag

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.

Love this album! This man can do nothing wrong. 5/5.

Rating: 6/10

These are more like ballads than songs; you have to pay attention to the lyrics to follow the story. The use of language is fantastic.

Swaaaaagggggg

A stellar debut, superbly balancing minimal instrumentation with Cohen’s cryptic writings

Bongs of Leonard Smokin!!

The best lyricist to date on the album list. I was so drawn to the words. However, the albums is lacking musically with the guitar and vocal tracks missing something more to differentiate each recording.

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

A musician and vocalist before he's a poet and don't you forget it, so can your read-alongs and just listen to the damn music. More often than not, the tone of his voice and the eldritch figures he picks from his guitar are the subjects--the lyrics more like light cast to make them dance and flicker. Many have sacrificed themselves in vain at the altar of songpoetry, with Cohen their misbegotten godhead. If only they'd listened in the first place. RIP to them and RIP to Lenny.

"Suzanne" might be one of the most beautiful songs ever written. In my opinion it is his best song very closely followed by if not tied with "Hallelujah". The rest of the album is beautiful, albeit not nearly as special as the the first. While the second most popular song on the album, "So Long, Marianne" just didn't do it for me. It would have been strange buying "Suzanne" as a single and then experiencing that on the B-side. A beautiful album by an amazing songwriter.

Meh

+So Long Marianne, Stories of the Street, Teachers -The Stranger Song Did I say all singer-songwriters sound pretty much the same? Well, I stand by that, but that's not a bad thing, either. Leonard Cohen takes his expertly-crafted poetry, and wraps it with a loving blanket of audio that effectively conjures up imagery of the story he's telling. So Long Marianne has that psychedelic, folksy, hippy-dippy feel that was prevalent of the era, but none of what's here is that. It's all very melodic and engaging; You can't help but to listen to Cohen's tale.

Mila niespodzianka jeszcze przed polowa listy kolejny pan Cohen, tym razem mialem okazje posluchac jego debiutanckiego albumu, Songs Of Leonard Cohen z 67 jest tym czego sie spodziewalem podanym jeszcze w bardziej minimalistycznej formie niz na Songs of Love and Hate, wiekszosc 41 minutowego nagrania to sam akustyk Cohenowy z dodatkiem jakiegos harpa czy mandoliny, niektore z trakow jak so long, marianne maja jakies delikatne drumy czy bas, ale wiekszosc to minimalistyczne kompozycje folkowe skupiajace sie na prezentacji liryki, a jak przystalo na pana Cohena jest to najbardziej soczysta strona nagrania, teraz jeszcze lepiej widac, ze sa to poematy przerobione na piosenki, a nic forsowanego, dodatkowo sporo mozna poczytac o orginach kolejnych trakow na geniusie, wiec z takim backgroundem tez inaczej sie patrzy na niektore piosenki, bo pojawia sie znowu motyw pani Nico, czy tez Marianne Jensen ktore byly dla Cohena muzami i obiektami ktore pozwalaly dokonywac tych zreczych fuzji odniesien biblijnych z miloscia wyzsza lub nizsza, bo sa traki traktujace o one night standach czy dziwkowaniu, ale takze piosenki o piosaniu pisanej piosenki, jak ma to miejsce na sisters of mercy, na ktorej pan Cohen pokazuje swoja feministyczna twarz, czy moze nie tyle feministyczna co czleka zadowolonego z samego siebie na wyzszym poziomie, czy to z faktu ze dostal od losu darmowego traka, bo byl to podobno jeden z niewielu utworow napisanych przez Cohena w jednym posiedzeniu, a traktuje on o tym jak przygarnal zablakane turystki do hotelu i pozwolil im sie przespac w jego pokoju gdy on pisal wlasnie ten utwor, wiec pisal tak jak pan Dylan, do ktorego najbardziej go rownam, bo przeciez rowniez ikona folka, chociaz o wiele bardziej mainstreamowego, to jednak widac podobienstwa pomiedzy dwoma artystami, nie tylko przez nawiazania biblijno judaistyczne, ale o to jak wyrazaja na papierze sanych siebie niby w podobny sposob, a jednak na jednego przychodzi kawalek z zaskoczenia, a drugi dziubie w papierze, az otrzyma cos wystarczajaco zadowalajacego i oddajacego to co chcial wyrazic, tutaj bardziej moge utozsamiac sie z panem Cohenem, bo czasem ciezko jest znalezc odpowiednie slowa zeby wyrazic swoje uczucia, odczucia czy nawet mysli przerozne, jestem kupiony tym albumem tak jak poprzednim od tego pana, wiec calosc trafi na poleczke spotifajowa, ale na plejke wrzuce jeszcze trzy utwory szczegolnie sluchalne, dwa z nich to najpopularniejsze nagrania tej plyty, wiec otwierajaca Suzanne i wspomniana juz so long, marianne ktore poza wspomnianymi dodatkowymi instrumentalami posiada takze dodatke chorki od pani Nancy Priddy, kolejny powod do sprawdzenia reszty dyskografii Cohena, chociaz mam nadzieje, ze jeszcze cos sie pojawi na liscie, bo taka plyta to prawdziwy powiew lirycznej bryzy wsrod zaduchu popowej papki

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.

Wait... Is every Leonard Cohen song the same? Fast triplets on a classical guitar or slow strumming and one of the most monotome voices in the world. 4, for suzanne though And I'm sure it grows on me

This is Leonard as I like to think of him. I feel guilty at giving 'You want it darker' a bad review. This is a solid 5*****. If you like this sort of thing it's going to hit you between the eyes. It's kinda like the same song with slight variations but the song is a hypnotic soothing affair that takes you away from the everyday hustle and bustle. Storytelling at it's very best.

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

Cette version vivante de Leonard Cohen est bien plus convaincante que celle en décomposition entrevue sur l'album You Want It Darker. Un point à prendre en compte pour les futurs artistes décédés.

I usually take a peek at the wikipedia precis when I start listening, especially for artists I don't know. So for Leonard I just hit play and was much pleased, so I thought I better look at wikipedia to get some context and was surprised to find that this is his debut. It's such a well rounded beautiful heartfelt pure Leonard Cohen album. Faves? It's all good, so captivating.

The voice and the tunes, always a great listen

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

Importante para conhecer melhor a obra, e não fica apenas nos hits.

Ovi tekstovi jaoo. Suzanne mi je jako lijepa pjesma. I da stvarno izgleda ko Adam Sandler.

Opuštajući, lagan album od Leonarda poete. ALbum koji više paše na tmurno/kišovito pa čak i noćno vrijeme nego obrnuto (jesenska aura). I da, na coveru izgleda kao Adam Sendler.

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.

Very good album

Vinilo.

The old school singer songwriter. Unobtrusive but lyrically challenging

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

inte hans starkaste

Debut album from Canadian poet Leonard Cohen. Cohen was a poet and novelist since the mid-1950's. He had learned to play guitar years before but his musical career began with this album in 1967. I personally became more familiar with him only in the last ten years with his last few releases. I do remember his song "Everbody Knows" from the 80's though....my loss. He was much more popular in Europe and Canada. The musical style is folk with Cohen's voice, guitar and other various instruments. Each song is a story in and of itself; told in a third-person perspective from either a women or a man, a first-person perspective or sometimes mixed. The songs are unique portraits of love, relationships or romance. Besides Cohen's voice and acoustic guitar, some songs are backed with vocals, flute, harp, violin and other instruments. Each song is unique and the storytelling and music both simple and complex and worth a listen. Song highlights for me include "Suzanne" - the lure of the perfect woman, "So Long, Marianne" - the strong backing female vocals, multiple instruments, a past relationship and the word play with laugh, cry, laugh and "Teachers" - told in the first person about dreaming about teachers, being hospitalized for hatred and finally, not finishing lessons, played with a flamenco-style guitar. All the Leonard Cohen that I've heard is worth a listen. This, his first album, is a strong and good place to start.

Absolute whopper. I thought this must have been his greatest hits when in fact it was his debut album. Cover art 4/5

I LOVE Leonard Cohen. He's always a 5 to me

Nice, prefer his voice here to his later stuff that I’ve heard, though admittedly I haven’t paid much attention to that yet.

Very simple yet beautiful my fav track was Suzanne

5, wowzas

This is an absolute masterpiece. Leonard Cohen’s lyrics are mystical and transport you to another place. His guitar is haunting- to anyone who says he can’t play guitar- maybe he can’t do a jimmy page solo but he achieves a different kind of aura with his circular style. I still remember going ‘oh I heard of this guy’ and putting the CD on and quickly realising this was something special. A genius’ first work and one of my favourites. 10/10

The voice & soul of Hallelujah.

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.

Major mistake to call your debut album “Songs of [your name].” Because your next album is, theoretically, going to be songs of [your name] as well. But nearly all Leonard Cohen songs, these included, bore me too much to appreciate his writing.

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.

Leonard Cohen’s voice is the worst thing in entertainment…uninteresting. His vocals are bland…boring…and I can’t get past it. So Long, Marianne was the standout song on the album for me. After two albums and knowing there are three more coming, I’m beginning to wonder if I need to call bullshit on the 1001 list because Leonard Cohen should not be on it. One album I can understand, but 5 (!) means there is a deep flaw here.

I probably should like Leonard Cohen... I can't quite work out why I don't. Musically it's all a bit dull and I don't think I have enough time in my life these days to sit and listen to the lyrics in depth

That brilliantly miserable bastard.

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

All his early albums are just perfect!

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.

More lovely acoustic singer-songwriter ish stuff. A big gap between the great songs and the good ones though.

Wasn’t in the mood for this so felt like it was being listened to because it was the only CD player in the car. Still one of the greatest albums of all time however

He’s really good as usual

Sounding like a man whose lived and then some, there is an appealing simplicity to the music and a frustrating complexity to the lyrics which renders Cohen a little elusive at times. For a musician where the poetry really matters, there is also something to be said for letting the music wash over you in a mood, although, in truth, if you do this, you may commit the heresy of thinking all the tracks sound alike.

I listened to this a few times before.

Appreciate, goodbye Maryanne 🥰

Classic Album, Classic singer/songwriter/poet, one of my favourite artists of all time. This isn't my favourite Cohen album but has classic songs "Suzanne" "Sisters Of Mercy" and "So Long Marianne" all became staples for his live shows but also for every busker on London Streets from 1968 onwards! I am so happy I luckily got to see him live on one of his last tours of the UK (Which he had to do after being ripped of by his ex manager) He was amazing and had a brilliant band including a flamenco guitarist (Javier Mas) it was one of those nights where music just flows over you. He was and remains one of my musical heroes, maybe because he was primarily a poet, like Dylan and music was the vehicle for his poetry. Oh My Favourite Cohen Album: The Phil Spector Produced "Death of a Ladies Man"

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.

Great album

Just brilliant. I love this album dearly.

Listened to on 2/20/21 2.5/5 Favorite song: Suzanne This album was the epitome of storytelling background music - kinda odd and very sad but still beautiful

2/20/22 I don’t like his talk singy vibe. His songs are just kinda slow and depressing. Not for me, but not total hate.

Ok, this (unsurprisingly) definitely benefited from a proper listen paying attention to the lyrics! I think the only song I was particularly familiar with was "Suzanne", from Nina Simone's version. Fascinating to learn that goth band The Sisters of Mercy took their name from a track from this album, and titled one of their compilations with a lyric from another song. Fave track - "Teachers" - super bleak and weird, I love it.

Songs of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen (1967) Now this is a fine anti-pop record. Leonard Cohen’s debut album contains the mesmerizing “Suzanne” and several other top quality tracks. And there’s nothing here that is uninteresting. It’s helpful to be aware when approaching this album that Cohen was a recognized (if only modestly successful) poet and novelist before he was a singer/songwriter. In fact, he had already been featured on Six Montreal Poets (1957), a spoken word album with Cohen reciting his poetry on eight of the forty-three tracks. And it’s also helpful to keep in mind that Cohen is consciously and unapologetically Jewish, unafraid of expressing both his faith and his doubt in a predominantly Christian environment—he draws freely, imaginatively, and sometimes critically from images in the gospels. So in Songs of Leonard Cohen, the poet picks up the guitar and gives the listener compositions with well-matched chord progressions and near perfect poetic cadences. The album was recorded and released with the encouragement of Judy Collins during a period when Cohen was hanging out with Andy Warhol/Nico/Velvet Underground crowd. So one should be neither surprised nor put off by the surrealism of his songs (although it’s ironic that such an ‘anti-pop’ album would emerge from a community known for ‘pop art’). He is supported by delicate backing vocals (sometimes, as in “So Long, Marianne”, very 60s-ish) and sensitive if sometimes idiosyncratic instrumentals. The opening track “Suzanne” features haunting if perplexing sentiments of the listener’s need for trust, longing for love, and being commensurate with nature. The mysterious, “half crazy”, and entrancing Suzanne is juxtaposed with reflections on the “almost human” Jesus, who “sinks beneath your wisdom like a stone”. Beware of over-confident declarations of the symbolic meanings. It is deliberately opaque and provocatively obscure, but vivid nonetheless. Cohen’s voice provides a soft, pulsing dynamism to his words, but lacks tonal precision. Melodies are a conventional and unenigmatic mismatch with his most enigmatic lyrics. His guitar stylings are unexceptional, and lacking in variety. But these musical weakness serve to drive the listener to the lyrics, always delivered with understated power and authority. These tracks beg for a slow listen, without distraction, perhaps while feeding on “tea and oranges that come all the way from China”. Highly recommended. 4/5

Just listen to a greatest hits compilation and get through the funeral dirge vibes all at once, listening to his whole catalogue is just cruel and unusual punishment, some folks are singer song writers , Leonard can write.

Pleasant, good words, half-decent melodies; I liked it.

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.

I am not familiar with LEONARD COHEN’s SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN. I have THE FUTURE (1992) but it did not make a favorable impression. I know that IAN MCCULLOUGH from ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN thinks highly of Leonard Cohen. After listening to SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN, IU now understand why MCCULLOUGH thinks highly of COHEN. The opening song on this debut album "Suzanne" is absolutely stunning. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, LEONARD COHEN’s SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN Is joined by four subsequent albums: SONGS FROM A ROOM (1969); SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE (1971); I’M YOUR MAN (1988); YOU WANT IT DARKER (2016) Rate Artist: LEONARD COHEN (4.0) Rate Album (Year): SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN (UK 1967 Original) (4.5) Rate Album (Year): SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN (UK 2007 Reissue (2 Bonus)) (4.5) Ranking of LEONARD COHEN - SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN songs No. Title Length Ranking 01. "Suzanne" 3:48 10.0/10 02. "Master Song" 5:55 09.0/10 03. "Winter Lady" 2:15 07.0/10 04. "The Stranger Song" 5:00 08.0/10 05. "Sisters of Mercy" 3:32 08.0/10 06. "So Long, Marianne" 5:38 10.0/10 07. "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" 2:55 10.0/10 08. "Stories of the Street" 4:35 09.0/10 09. "Teachers" 3:01 10.0/10 10. "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong" 4:23 09.0/10 US 1967 Original Release 090.0/100 = 9.00 / 2 = 4.50 Bonus tracks on 2007 reissue 11. "Store Room" 5:06 08.0/10 12. "Blessed Is the Memory" 3:03 08.0/10 US 2007 Reissue (2 Bonus) Release 106.0/120 = 8.83 / 2 = 4.42

I don't think any of the songs on this qualify as "flaming shits" as the original Rolling Stone review reportedly said 3 did. Several I think qualify for Chris Knox's lyrical dig at Cohen's tendency to "try to make a song out of speech". The big songs on the album sre of course among the best in any league. Extra star for a debut with such an absolutely distinctive voice.

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.

nem comecei e já suspeito que vou gostar... veremos! É bom, não pirei mas gostei

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.

Very nice :)

Not impressed

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.

First time listen - loved the stripped back simplicity of the folk. Will be listening again to really dig deeper into the lyrical content

Pretty boring.

4/5

Hated the style of music and the repetitive monotone sound of each song. Added an extra star for the lyrics though.

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

Seriously strong songwriting let down by dull delivery.

This is just the same song ten times and I love it.

It was a jump to go from "You Want it Darker" from 2016 to this album 50 years earlier, the first of Leonard Cohen's career. This was clearly poetry from a younger man who still has time to find other loves and pathways. But as I said about that other album, his lyrics here are also inscrutable but always intriguing. I don't know why I've always loved the line, "And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China," from "Suzanne" (I also love what the melody does at that point). I thought of it in "Stories of the Street" with the line, "We will find that farm and grow us grass and apples there." There are too many phrases that catch my ear to satisfactorily list them here. Again the sound is dreamlike: the classical guitars, the backup vocals, a lot of 3/4 time...I enjoy floating along...

I have definitely become more familiar with Leonard Cohen through this 1001 project. I had never listened to this album, although I was familiar with a couple of the songs. I like the album fine, but I found that the tracks lack variety...maybe even hearing similar musical themes on later albums. So, I tended not to love the album.

Interesting to listen to Cohen's first album not long after listening to his last. Not a lot of variety in this one --- most of the songs are easy to mistake for Suzanne. But Suzanne is a lovely song so not much harm in that.

I started this album with trepidation because I absolutely loved the album YOU WANT IT DARKER from but really didn’t connect with SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE from 1971. I wasn’t sure where I might fall on an album from 1967… “Suzanne” started and I immediately recognized it. I was familiar with the cover version by Judy Collins. I love this song, and the instrumentation and backup vocals were good. I really liked this song. "Master Song" followed up with a really interesting song that I also liked pretty well. Again it had arrangements that kept the interest level up for me. Great lyrics on this too, as on all the songs on this album. As the album continued it was clear this fell somewhere between the two previous Cohen albums I listened to. Parts of it were a little repetitive, but after listening to the album several times I started to pick up more of the lyrics and that made the repetitive parts more interesting. My favorite song was "So Long, Marianne" but other standouts were "Sisters of Mercy," "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye," and "Stories of the Street." Cohen's delivery of these songs appealed to me much more than "Songs of Love and Hate." Still not quite "You Want It Darker," but I enjoyed this album.

This is a great album. I've never heard Leonard Cohen's earlier work before, just his later work. He's really a talented guitarist and had a nice voice in his early career And his lyrics are so rich.

"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.

Definite shades of 60s folk which made it sound derivative but lyrics and complexity made up for it

vrode norm no odnoobrazno

Dude looks like Adam Sandler. I wonder who pulls more strange.

Leonard Cohen is the man. One of the best songwriters who ever lived, and this might be his best album.

he is an acquired taste that took me decades to acquire. his songs are still done better by other artists.

Un dels millors debuts possibles. Poeta transformat en cantautor sense deixar de ser poeta, aquesta és la casa de 'Suzanne', 'Sisters of Mercy', 'Hey That's Not the Way to Say Goodbye' o 'So Long Marianne'. Totes tonades perfectes, tant lletra com melodia com arranjaments. La resta camina una mica per sota, però amb tanta elegància i sofisticació, en el millor sentit de la paraula, seria injust no donar-li les 5 estrelles

Canada’s Bob Dylan. National Treasure. Icon. This is a wonderful debut album, it’s emotionally driven and poignant music.

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.

Absolute classic.

Great artist. Very compromised with his epoch

Kinda boring tbh

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

pf

Different music…. Not a fan

Well Leonard you are correct “this Suzanne is 😝 crazy. Great strumming on guitar not a fan of the pace and lyrics of his music

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

A warm autumn's afternoon of a listen

I just don't care for Leonard Cohen. I wanted the album to end much earlier than it did. I was not really entertained by any of the songs.

pretty good. I can see where a lot of the stuff from bob Dylan comes from

I had never heard this before. Very nice work

I just cannot get into it. I don't like his voice, and the songs don't do anything for me.

Nice album. Too professional to overlook its flaws, though.

2/5 - Fell asleep during the listen. Not really for me

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

Not saying it's bad, it's just boring.

Perfect album start to finish

Just abit repetitive and meh really

That's more like it

I didn't really enjoy this album.

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

First Cohen album for us and I’m hoping there’s plenty more. Such an iconic and instantly recognizable voice. Cohen was putting out quality material and stellar live shows from the 60’s right up until the year he died. (Most artists go their entire career without putting out something as good as “You Want It Darker” which Cohen did at 82. Fave Tracks “So long Marianne” “Suzanne” “One of us cannot be wrong”

Overall: Decent folk album Relisten? No

Very graceful/ quaint album. First time hearing his stuff. I did appreciate it, as I found it comforting and definitely peaceful for the ears. Describe him as a combination of Bob Dylan and Neil Diamond. No tracks, I can say, stood out. As they flow fluently amongst each other. Suzana although, sets the mood well. Only issue with this is, it ain't that experimental. All the tracks sound the say, stylistically. Country. Country. Country. Just wish it would've tried something different in terms of instrumentals, as all Cohen uses is a guitar. Still reccomend tho, for those gentle souls out there.

Kinda boring

Surprisingly interesting, deep, meaningful, multi-layered, emotional, touching, tantalizing. I don't think I've ever actively listened to Leonard Cohen before, but I listened to this one twice already and will certainly listen to more in the future. Favorite song: Teachers

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

I only want to hear Leonard Cohen songs when they're Soundtracking a western starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, and even then I'm secretly wishing it was Cat Stevens scoring scenes of Beatty and Christie eluding bounty hunters. What I'm trying to say is I prefer McCabe & Mrs. Miller over Harold & Maude, and I'll take the whimsical Cat Stevens over Cohen and his minimalist poetry anytime. I do enjoy Judy Collins' version of "Suzanne", but that cover isn't on this album now, is it?

A bit Monotone

Not for me

So boring. Bob Dylan wannabe. I couldn't even finish it

What a wondeful album. My acquaintance with Leonard Cohen had been slight (and I've no desire to hear any version of Hallelujah ever again), so tonight was my first real dip into his work. My, what a work! His control of language impresses most; is there a misplaced word, an unrefined phrase on the album? I couldn't find one. Nor could I fault the atmosphere of each song. The wistful and bittersweet fits exactly next to the panicked and chilling. Superb.

Fun drinking game! every time Leonard Cohen references some sort of religious imagery-take a shot. Except don’t cause you’ll die of alcohol poisoning

I did not dig it

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?

I know it's Cohen's schtick, but it was a bit boring for me.

un álbum muy bueno en general. tiene una vibra particular que llega muy profundo, y sus letras son completas obras maestras. a pesar de que las canciones pueden llegar a sonar repetitivas, creo que cada una tiene su toque especial y en conjunto conforman un muy buen trabajo.

I enjoyed some of Leonard Cohen’s music in the past but this album is HARD to get into for me. Sorry Leonard =‘(

Debut album of Leonard Cohen. Melancholic 1967 folk. The album was more popular in Europe. It spent over a year on the UK album charts.

24th September 2021 Started in the morning and finished on Sunday afternoon over my birthday weekend. The man, the poet, the legend. Such a beautiful artist and singer, they're poems come to life.

cohen was one hell of a poet. i've always thought so but it's been a while since i sat and listened to this cover to cover and it's kind of devastating to be reminded of it

booooring

klassisk, har lavet bedre, men dæleme god

I'm blown away by the songwriting on this album. The music is understated, yet pleasant, and while it can be kind of same-y, the imagery and turn of phrase overcomes any and all of that. Cohen is one of those artists that I never really got around to, and now I'm wishing I had spent more time with him sooner. Best track: So Long, Marianne

I guess I knew of Leonard Cohen, but I never knew anything about him. This album was an enjoyable introduction, but boy did it feel like a lot to deal with. The lyrics are dense and left me with a sense that I barely had a grasp on how to handle the english language. I was impressed with the elaborate storytelling of every song and I defintely couldn't just passively listen. Rather each song pulled me in and nearly forced me to delve into it's narrative. What I felt the music lacked was an emotional connection that existed on an involuntary level. The connection required work.

Not interesting.

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.

Songs of Leonard Cohen is the debut album by Canadian folk singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on December 27, 1967, on Columbia Records. Less successful in the US than in Europe, Songs of Leonard Cohen foreshadowed the kind of chart success Cohen would go on to achieve. Cohen had received positive attention from critics as a poet and novelist but had maintained a keen interest in music, having played guitar in a country and western band called the Buckskin Boys as a teenager. In 1966, Cohen set out for Nashville, where he hoped to become a country songwriter, but instead got caught up in New York City's folk scene. The album received mixed reviews at the time of its release, with Arthur Schmidt of Rolling Stone writing, "There are three brilliant songs, one good one, three qualified bummers, and three flaming shits."

This is the second Leonard Cohen album I've gotten on this list. I will say I have have trouble distinguishing one Cohen album from another, since they tend to have a similar sound. However, I always enjoy the experience. He's both a gifted singer and a gifted songwriter 4/5

Hard to describe the feeling Cohen invokes but it's easy to say that his music transcends the boundaries of typical North American / UK popular music and harkens back to a type of European folk sensibility. As anyone who has watched the 'Marianne and Leonard' documentary will know, Cohen travelled extensively in southern Europe (before living in a Buddhist monastery in Asia for the best part of a decade) and to my mind he somehow manages to capture this essence in his poetry and music.

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

So Long, Marianne is too much of a sentimental favorite for me to be in any way objective about this album. He can be pretty rambly and I wonder if he really wanted to be a singer at all. Maybe he really just wanted to write and this is what started paying first. Regardless, he's one of a kind and I can't fault any of this. I like the whole dark vibe even if I don't get into some of the songs themsevles. But also, the way the Master Song ends, just so suddenly... I love all that.

Unpopular opinion - but I think Cohen is whack. His poetry is guff, his music is unlistenable (all eras) and I genuinely believe people pretend to like him for cultural cache. Emperor's new clothes made incarnate. Nonetheless, I gave this another spin to make sure my opinions haven't been coloured by youthful bile, but here we are again, bored out of my skull by Cohen.

Gimme “The Stranger Song” all day long. Love it. And look at that dude on the cover! He’ll either kill you or sell you a car. Maybe both. Great marketing.

Peak singer-songwriter that could only compete with the likes of Van Morrison or Nick Drake. Storytelling technique is engaging and clear, a very difficult skill to master when it comes to songwriting. The highlights are "Suzanne" (my favorite Cohen song that reminds me of Sufjan) and "So Long Marianne" (the most accessible to audiences, and the deepest display of emotion; I love how he diverges from the chorus). "The Master" is a personal favorite due to how mysterious in nature it is. Every time I listen to it I pick it new details piecing together what the song is really about. No poor songs, just some less interesting ones. Now a compilation of Cohen's best songs would surely deserve a perfect score out of me (except his hit "Hallelujah"; I hate that song).

Not all poetry benefits from being set to music; the words get lost here amidst samey melodies and finger-picking. I struggled to pay attention.

Not an ideal Tuesday soundtrack but beautiful nonetheless

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

Gentle and nice

One of the greatest folk albums ever. Absolutely beautiful. Suzanne is one of my favorite songs ever. 9/10 1. Suzanne 2. Sisters of Mercy 3. Master Song

Very easy listening

Beautiful, haunting, above my mental pay grade

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.

Slow folk music is not really my speed. This was OK, but nothing ever grabbed me enough to listen to it again. 2

definitely some highlights here, other than that it is alright

a bit repetitive

Mijn moeder draaide dit plaatje altijd grijs. Ik had vooral een hekel aan Suzanne. Blijkt nu toch best een goed nummer en een leuk plaatje. Jezus, wat worden we oud!

Het is een icoon, maar het kwartje is bij mij nog nooit gevallen.

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

Mooi, mooi, mooi.

No es mi tipo de música aunque Suzanne (1) mola. Tendré que leerme las letras para entender a lo mejor. BT: Suzanne (1)

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

Like his other albums, songwriting is impressive, but it's just a little boring and longwinded. Not anything I look forward to returning to

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Master Song Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Sometimes I feel stupid for not liking Leonard Cohen cus he's so beloved and acclaimed. Then I'll put on one of his albums and remember that music is subjective and his 'music' is subjectively a two pack of ass. Good lyrics do not a good album make. At least there's some life to this one.

Too folky for me

Great storytelling and captivating melodies

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

Nice chill folk with great lyrics and occasional instrumental flourishes that really bring it together. Another one I should probably pick up on wax.

Only one of the best albums from one of the best artists ever

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

One of my favorite albums of all time. Huge Leonard Cohen fan. Standouts: Suzanne, So Long, Marianne Hey, That's no way to Say Goodbye. Master Song, Store Room (Bonus CD 2007)

Melancholic and beautiful. I just love it.

I was a teenager in Montreal in the 70s, but grew up not knowing Leonard Cohen's music, except Suzanne. Then in my 20s Cohen became cool and his cool factor just kept increasing. However I only bought this album about 7 years ago, listened to it a couple of times since, it's a noisy pressing so I never let it grab hold of me. So today was the first time I really listened to this album. It will now be in my regular playlist. I let it grab hold and its doing so with a vengeance. 5 stars

"Child, you are a bone."

very folky

classics

Great lyrics and storytelling, fantastic vocals, deep and personal, introspective yet inviting