Songs Of Leonard Cohen

A story teller first, this wasn't my cup of tea

The Songs of Leonard Cohen are one of life's most important works of art. The first time I listened to this record was the first time I ever felt love. It nurtured me and made me feel safe and happy. I've never questioned why. It's just something organic. Thank you Leonard. I'll do a little wank to the thought of you this evening.

Not really my cup o’ tea. The spoken word aspect was mostly what I’m not into. If Mr Cohen’s tunes came up in a shuffle with the rest of my library, I wouldn’t skip it but I didn’t really enjoy the whole album in a sitting.

The opening track of this album almost lulled me to sleep. The strings and organs on Master Song hint at a more engaging sound but then just fade back away. So many of these songs feel like lullabies. The Stranger Song has such gentle guitar picking and Leo's soft voice barely getting above a whisper. Aside from the accompanying instruments and the occasional guest voice, these songs kind of blend together. The lyrics are poetic and emotionally complex, but Leonard's voice is taking me out of the beauty.

Soft religious metaphors for days.

This might be one of the most boring albums I've ever heard in my life. Leonard Cohen just drones on while he plays minimalistic nothing on his guitar which the mix burries in the background to the point you can barely hear it. A couple songs kind of up the tempo but even they do who cares? This album is a snoozer.

Mellow, chill singer / songwriter guitar music. Nothing I recognized. 2.5 stars

Not particularly my cup of tea

Not really my style, old-fashioned slow music

When Suzanne started, all I could think was I hope this picks up because Mr. Cohen is going to put me to sleep. From the gentle guitar strumming to Leonard’s monotone voice, this is very mellow music. And that’s pretty much the entire album. It feels like I went to a poetry reading that was accompanied by someone playing acoustic guitar. So Long Marianne gave us some background vocals to contrast with Leonard’s monotone, so that was a somewhat upbeat break. In all, not bad if you want something mellow to listen to. I often enjoy mellow music. However, these songs start sounding very similar. Some of the guitar strumming is quicker on some of the tracks, but for the most part, this entire album is Mr. Cohen speak-singing poetic stories over quiet, peaceful guitar.

boringggggg

Far too melancholy for my liking. Songs well written and composed, but not feeling the mood with this album.

Liked the instrumentation, but I just don't like his voice, I put him in the same basket as Bob Dylan, more droning than the US Military. Didn't save any for a playlist.

Nice to see that Leonard Cohen's style didn't change throughout the years. Once a contemporary artist, always a contemporary artist. Is debut album definitely set the tone for his entire career, however with this album I can see why people may have liked this album. His voice is markedly different as well, it hasn't yet taken on that gravelly tone that he became well known for, which to be honest I think I prefer the voice on this album. Best: Suzanne Worst: One of Us Cannot Be Wrong

Just too boring for me to appreciate any kind of musical genius that might be happening here. 2.5 stars

Apart from the legendary track "Suzanne", this is an album for fans of Leonard Cohen. I never understood why he was so popular because he sounded so depressing - it must have been a 1960's thing.

I still don't really know what to make of the near monotone quality to Cohen's voice. There's something fitting about it, like it's the final piece of the puzzle that comprises this album of slow, pared down instrumentals, and lyricism that's sometimes dour and referential to religious text. It is fucking hypnotic and I genuinely don't know *why*. But hypnotic isn't exactly synonymous with pleasurable, and fascination isn't the same as love. Suzanne is a stellar opener, but Master Song drags and drags. Moving on to Winter Lady and, yeah, I really do think his voice is the problem that's holding me back. It's like, I'm hearing what you're laying down, but am I listening? I dunno, I just keep thinking that this would be better off as a poetry collection than a musical album! It's something I can't shake the feeling of, even halfway through. A lot of these songs have moments I like, but the full picture is quite lacking. In the latter half of the album, So Long, Marianne is the only real standout. The length of the album is the main thing keeping this score from going any lower tbh. It comes close to dragging at times, but not so close that it is impossible for me to say "well, this wasn't for me, but at least it was something different!"

Not a fan. A bit depressing

Strange music. Don’t know if I like it or not. Storytelling/lyrics is good, but just weird to listen to. Probably wouldn’t choose this to listen to.

Идеально на фон. Настолько, что вообще нечего выделить :(

Please no more Leonard cohen

My God this is a boring record. 40 minutes felt like 4 hours. I think it's because of Leonard Cohen's delivery of "spoken word" music. I feel if you are going to be a vocalist, you should do two things: 1) be excited to perform, and 2) fucking SING!! Cohen sounds almost bored to be performing, which leads to a super boring album. Cohen sounds like a Dollarama brand of Bob Dylan, and (on the album cover) looks like an unimpressed Adam Sandler. Even in his photo shoots, Leonard looks bored and unimpressed. The musical accompaniment is super minimal (almost non-existent), which doesn't help the nature of this record. Overall, not great. Lyrics made no sense, and Leonard sounded like he didn't want to be there. This music would be the type of irritating drivel enjoyed by hipsters in artsy coffee shops. Certainly not my type of music at all. I like folk, but I also like it to be delivered in a way that is less boring. This was 40 minutes of waiting for something to happen, and nothing did. Favourite songs: Suzanne, I guess? Not great, but less annoying than the rest of the record. Least favourite songs: One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (what's with the random moaning at the end of the song? Sounds like someone inhaled a kazoo and is trying to free it from their windpipe), "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" and others... I was so bored, I zoned out several times, so I don't know their names, and I'm not relistening to find out. 2/5

Not for me

I've been stuck on this one a while, time to finally bite the bullet and review it so I can un-pause! I understand why people like Leonard Coen, but this album does very little for me. The first song is a strong start, but after that it just becomes a dull slog; so many repetitive and dreary melodies. "So Long, Marianne" has to be one of my least favourite, the halting melody in the chorus makes me grimace, even though it is quite catchy. His singing really leaves a lot to be desired too. Although there are some nice guitar parts in places. I know he is supposed to be renowned for his lyrics primarily, but I find it hard to sit down and unwrap them from such a boring package. I'd much rather read them in a poetry book than listen to this album again. I do like Bob Dylan, which makes me feel a bit hypocritical, but at least Dylan has a bit of variation throughout his albums, and is a quite good songwriter musically to boot. In addition to being a great lyricist!

2/5 Best: Suzanne Worst: Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye

Disappointing. Not as good as I'm Your Man

Like a poor man's Bob Dylan. More spoken word poetry over a guitar than anything else.

Don’t listen to this album if you are drowsy, or before a strong cup of coffee. His voice is like a bedtime story. 2.8/5

Divisive genius performs the occasional pearl. Suzanne is a five star song, but Stories of the Street is not.

I appreciate the poetry, and I like the vocals. I’m into the dark vibes. But usually I need it paired with upbeat Production. Or at least more production than this. Very subdued/minimal which is fine, just need to be in the mood for it.

Not my style, kinda all sounds the same throughout but meaningful work.

Sobre tones, influenced by Spanish guitar.

Ok but very simple and kinda draggy.

I didn’t care for this but I see why people like it. I didn’t listen too closely to the lyrics but he sounds like a good poet. Dylan definitely influenced him

Please no more of him.

I didn’t particularly like this one. To me Leonard Cohen always just devolves more into a poetry reading rather than music. The backing music can often be completely forgettable. I was most intrigued by Suzanne, but more because I had heard Tales of Brave Ulysses by Cream previously and that song rips the music from Suzanne and some of the themes. Otherwise I don’t really like it.

My first reaction was fuck no, not you again Leonard. And by the end of it I thought thank fuck. Sorry Leonard you just do not do it for me

It's not bad, but the songs on this album all sound mostly the same and they have a bit of an easy-listening / adult contemporary sound. You may love Leonard, but what I just said isn't wrong.

One thing I'm learning about myself doing this project. The Singer-Songwriter genre is not my thing.

A poor man’s Paul Simon.

I enjoyed maybe 3 out of 10 songs. I'm just not into the droning storyteller vibe. If this was a book of poetry it'd be fine, but no, he had to pick up a guitar.

Pretty enjoyable, I like Leonard Cohen. I like his older sounding voice better than the younger version, but let's face it it's still Leonard Cohen.

Love the songs. Not so much the performance.

To me most of the songs feel like they are poems with random music behind them. The music seems disassociated from the lyrics. I liked the first and last songs though.

2.5 - some amazing lyrics here, probably a friday night album with wine...

Enjoyed some of the guitar playing, but overall not really my style so hard to judge. Not worth really keeping any

If you're a fan of Dylan and appreciate folksy music accented with heart-felt songwriting and imagery you'll also love this. Thing is though, I hate Dylan and I also don't like Cohen. He's another of those polarizing artists, you either love him or hate him. Someone here also wrote that if you find Dylan too exciting, then Cohen is for you... which I found hilarious. His lyrics may be good, but he's the Dark Prince of Gloom and his maudlin, gloomy voice throughout just makes me want to slice open my veins now.

No strong feelings.

I don't think this is really my thing, but I might try it again down the road and we'll see.

Overall too ...monotonous for me. It's got a lot of fast paced finger picking with really mellow singing that feels a little exhausting. The lyrics are all written in what feels like a fantasy setting which can be fun, but can make things hard to follow/comprehend. For example, there's a line from "So Long, Marianne" that goes, "We met when we were almost young". Does that mean they were, infants? Toddlers? Does it have some deeper definition that actually means they were just AFTER being young? (just turned 18 or something along those lines) It's not until the middle of the record with songs like "So Long, Marianne" and "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye" that we get into stuff that has more of an arrangement to it. The album then goes back to fewer instrumental landscapes. The album rounds out with a whistle solo accompanied by a vocal tracks that feel like their wandering around due to the panning. They also become more and more, intense before the song finally closes. Feels like something Bob Dylan would have made if he was obsessed with The Hobbit. Ultimately not my jam.

Suicide music on a grey Monday morning. Just what I need.

If you’re happy and you know it go elsewhere.

you can really hear the beard

Not for me

Meh...not my bag. Good lyricist, but the music doesn't do it for me.

This was just so....boring

You just had to finish off with the whistling and yelling, didn't you

Ihan kaunista, mutta levyllisenä kovin pitkäveteistä vaikka kuuntelin kahdessa osassa. Varmasti aika ja paikka tällekin muttei nyt lähtenyt lentoon.

Ei iskeny. Jaaritteluna jäi mieleen

That's 3 Leonard Cohen albums I've listened to thanks to this list. Hopefully that's enough... 1 extra star for "So Long, Marianne" - when he's not being so bloody morose, he's not a bad vocalist...

Everything except for So Long, Marianne was pretty dreadful

A little Simon and Garfunkel, a little bit of The Bee-Gees, too. I bet Elliott Smith was really into this record. The music is OK and the vocal performance is a lot better than I was expecting. I don't take too much away from the lyrics at all. In summary, I regard this record in the way I take that one cottage-core Taylor Swift album.

Not my cup of tea. Some of it got better though

Oh gawd, not an album to listen to if you’ve got the January blues.

This is not for me. All the same tunes for the most part and endless verses. Positives: I did Suzzane and Marianne. The production value is really good.

Album important pour l'artiste. Personnellement, je suis plus musique que textes dans un album, donc côté musique, c'est correct, mais sans plus. Donc pas un album auquel je reviendrais, mais je ne passerais pas dans une playlist.

A little bit monotonous

Wow I can’t believe how different his voice sounds from the other record. I like You Want it Darker better. The lyrics are somewhat interesting but I wasn’t really excited about anything else on this record.

I didn’t like this nearly as much as You Want It Darker. Kinda had a bob Dylan vibe for different parts.

Álbum debut de Leonard Cohen, el cuál debutaba en el mundo de la música viniendo desde la literatura. Habiendo publicado dos novelas y cuatro libros de poemas cuando salió este álbum, se nota claramente el sello literario en cada una de sus canciones. Contando historias, y centrando la mayoría de la producción en su voz y el relato de las letras. La instrumentación, centrada en el folk, da más que nada un ambiente para el relato. Y cumple con su objetivo, que al no ser un objetivo muy ambicioso, podría haber sumado algo más a la mezcla sin la necesidad de opacar el centro, que es sin dudas, lo gran letrista que es Cohen. Suena medio vacío por momentos, y si no se le centra su total atención al contenido lírico, termina siendo algo aburrido y lento.

it’s just not for me

Could do without the religious imagery

Lyrically intereting although uses the word lover too much and his scanning was weird. His singing was like listening to gravel in a washing machine and the music was like just awful.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

More average music that's not my thing

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

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

2 si no es que 1

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.

Va ganske kjedelig

very calming

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

Meh

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.

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

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.

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.

Not impressed

Pretty boring.

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

vrode norm no odnoobrazno

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

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

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

Just abit repetitive and meh really

I didn't really enjoy this album.

Overall: Decent folk album Relisten? No

Kinda boring

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

I did not dig it

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

booooring

Not interesting.

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.

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

a bit repetitive

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

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

Not really my thing

This is not the album to listen too when you've just had your second covid jab, you're heading to work feeling awful, and you need a pick-me-up. Inspite of that, its fine, it's Leonard Cohen doing his stuff....2.5

An unenthusiastic bard

-Kind of cool acoustic riff in "The Stranger Song" -ok the fact that Leonard Cohen wrote "Hallelujah" makes this album so much worse -Its basically just guitar and Cohen reciting poetry kind of singing for the entire album -there is like no change of emotion across the entire album -this would be a 3 for a lot of other artists, but it was so boring and Cohen was capable of so much better

Chill, calm old rockish

Boring

Sounded like Lou Reed. Some interesting songs but pretty samey.

Pleasant and nice lyrics, but really boring

I don't know what to do with Leonard. He's a clever writer, but I never quite feel like I need more of his music. Some of the backing vocals cement this album into a earlier time, and this album has a number of strange songs to women. "So Long, Marianne" and "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong" came closest to being a potential repeat listen. This album took some work to get through. I don't feel like rounding up --> 2 stars

it was ok. not into this kind of songwriting.

4/10 It was alright for me, all songs kind of sounded the same, might have to listen again, wasn’t paying much attention while listening through Favs: None

слишком спокойно и однотонно

Some interesting vocal progressions, but I am just not a huge fan of Cohen's voice

I mean, it is LITERALLY one song! Again, I've tried Leonard Cohen before - not for me I think.

A bit mournful

Some moments of greatness but overall a tough listen

Dated; presentations like that don't cut it anymore. Cohen's later albums are way better, IMO, even if they didn't achieve the same cult status.

muy pajero I guess, primera impresión no tan wena pero podría gustarme con más escuchas

Music and voice alone are not enough to keep me around to listen to the lyrics. Has to do more for me to stick around for long

No thank you Leonard. I didn't like the singing or the music, and I feel like it's bs that he's on this list tbh.

5

Ouin je ne suis pas un gars de texte ça par mal, l’ambiance et la guitare est là mais ....

It's really different than I expected it to be.

Not my bag

2.5. some are good background, some are annoying.

I love the later work of Leonard Cohen, at least the handful of songs I'm familiar with. I don't love this so much though - the songs are vaguely creepy. 2 stars.

No

Not my jam. The songs were very similar, best one was So Long, Marianne but i didn’t listen to the whole thing

Really like his voice, not so much the music.

Not my style...

Not a huge folk fan I guess

Leonard Slowhen.

Not my steez but i liked it better than old man Cohen

High two

I've never actually heard this guy outside that annoying song Jeff Buckley covered. Aaaand it's American 60s folk rock, hoorah. I was expecting he'd be able to at least sing but he can't. It's so fucking amateur! I guess the lyrics are what sucks all the wannabe hippies in. Also, for 40min album this goes for a fucking AGE. Legend status denied. 2/5.

I just can’t do it. There is nothing musically interesting about any of the four Leonard Cohen albums I’ve been subjected to on this list. Certainly nothing worthy of having five albums in the damn book. There’s no real change in style among any of them. Maybe an exception or two in there, but most of the songs are extremely similar: half singing/half talking while barely audible, extremely minimalistic music plays in the background. Leonard Cohen could be the second coming of Shakespeare in his lyrical content, but it doesn’t matter because the music behind the lyrics is so clearly an afterthought, and nearly every song is so incredibly dull to listen to because of it. Is he a good songwriter or just a good lyric writer? I don’t know because I have yet to be interested enough in one of his songs to look up what he’s saying. I’m not even sure what feeling his songs supposed to invoke because I feel nothing but rage at Robert Dimery wasting my time with another Leonard Cohen album. The album cover for this one is appropriate because it’s the same face I make whenever I see that I have to endure another of his albums.

1/5

se for pra ouvir um velho cantando com um violao, que seja cartola.

Another Cohen album & another lame Cohen album

idk what he was on when he made this but i can’t even finish it like nope.

1 - TERRIBLE

I believe Uncle Dale had the perfect review. In visiting about Leonard Cohen, I remarked I thought he sounded like a mellow Dylan. Uncle Dale replied, "Poetry put to music. Dylan and Cohen were poets above all. Neither one could sing but had to put thier words out there and music was the vechicle."

Melancholy to miserable. Or two upbeat songs. Just wouldn't want to listen to this - it would bring any mood down for me.

I just really don't like folk.

Columbia CL 2733 (US) mono vinyl rip: Not my thing. I don't get it. All the songs kinda sound the same. Similar voice to Bob Dylan, which I prefer over this.

Partially known. Poems are great but a melody now and then would be nice, too.

Not my speed

Jew

Just. Meh.

Сара спремала челик Марко 1,5

it's songs alright

Respectfully, I did not enjoy this at all. It's almost laughable how much I disliked it. It's just not for me and that's okay.

Boring

very unenjoyable for me. every song sounds the same and they are hardly musical at all.

You know that scene from Animal House where Belushi destroys the guitar? That's what I think about. Just seems pretentious.

Starting to realize I’m just not a Leonard Cohen guy lol

1/2

No real songs but mostly just a guitar riff dragged on for an excruciatingly long time with monotonous low-energy "vocals" on top of it.

Boring but Suzanne and winter lady like winter woman is raye song names maybe she got inspiration

Pretentious rubbish

favs: hey, that’s no way to say goodbye rating 0.5/5

BOOOO GET OFF THE STAGE

I've tried but it's just so far away from the music I like to listen to. I find it unbelievably boring, sorry Leonard.

2/10 I gave it a fair shot but this ain't my cup o' tea.

Want to do 1.5 cause I didn’t mind it, but it was putting me to sleep at work and isn’t my favorite genre of music.

Slow, boring annoying

Overrated artist. I hate his voice and his slow monotonous songs.

Guy looked like Al Pacino

i tried hard to get myself to focus on the lyrics so i could at least give this a 2 but it's so hard when the performance is this monotonous and devoid of emotion. the greatest lyricist in the world couldn't get me to care about his music when it sounds like the audio version of stale bread crusts fave track: so long, marianne

Ties with Simon & Garfunkel as the worst album so far. So corny.

I listened to most of it. Not something I would ever run out and buy. Had to listen to some Rolling Stones to get me moving again.

....

Boring ahh album, bro just spoke over a melody. First rap album? Also how many bihhhs did this guy have?? About 40 songs about different women

Breaks the cardinal sin of "music shouldn't be boring" One guy only singing two notes with a guitar

25 - Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen - Rating = 1 Folky, soft vocals with some “oooh” soft backing… this is Americana folk, 60’s jangle… um… I’m not getting more than 30 seconds into any of these songs… slow, folk, ramble… The two starred songs are just boring… no.

I have no idea why people like this crap. He sounds like a traveling minstrel. So f-ing boring.

Apparently, folk is a genre I don't like. Why does it always sound like drunken men waxing poetic about nothing?

Replay nope

Did not enjoy it

What’s up with the hard-ons for Leonard? Second album in one week. He’s not terrible, but it’s just not interesting. Calling whines and moans as vocals would be stretch. Hard pass.

Holy boring…. I don’t get the obsession with this guy.

Awful

Sounds like Leonard Cohen. Not really anything else to be said, love him or hate him, he's one of a kind.

Obnoxious trash.

boring

Bob Dylan wannabe

Absolutely not - he's one with Cat Stevens that if it comes up it's a no from me Never been a fan, but my parents were - I understand the love, I just don't have it

Dullllllllllllllll. While he may be an amazing song writer he is not an amazing singer. He managed the exact same tone for each song, impressive honestly.

Couldn’t get through it. 3rd Leonard Cohen album is all lot considering all songs are very, very similar. I love ‘Suzanne’ but the Nina Simone version.

Dustin Hoffman saying, "I'm not mad; I'm just disappointed." on the album cover is a bold choice. Seriously, though, what's wrong with you Leonard? This is all so bleak and depressing. I can't listen to you any more.

I hate to give this star one album. From Warren Zevon to the Mountain Goats, I love a lot of music that is folk adjacent. I love Hallelujah. But this album was a tough listen for me. Where music I'm not loving can sometimes slip into the background of my attention, this album kept my focus on itself, but that was not a good thing. I actively disliked listening to it.

Not my cup of tea

The songs felt slow, boring, and kind of repetitive. After a while, they all started blending together and made the listen feel longer than it actually was. I got through the whole album, so not terrible by any means, but nothing that caught my attention.

Kind of a triggering album from childhood ickyness.

Too refined of an artist to include something so pedestrian as a *chorus* in his songs, Cohen mercilessly piles on one verse after another like some medieval bard telling the tale of how St. Olaf slayed the dragon. Also, like many other folk singers of the 60's, the music itself is little more than an afterthought, serving only as a bed for Cohen's overly earnest lyrics.

#46 Not this guy again

Not a fan. Couldn't get interested in it.

Not my thing

Was having a pretty good day until I listened to this album. Was so bad I threw up in the middle of the night and had to miss my morning lecture.

I really didn't like this one. I can't believe he is being compared to Bob Dylan. Music was very boring, and felt arrogant somehow.

Incredibly dull

Tedious, not very adventurous music. Your typical singer songwriter bullshit. After Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen might be the second most overrated, singer songwriter.

First listen

No Hallelujah

This is like if you took the worst songs from I'm Your Man and made an album out of them. Lacks cool instrumentation. Made me sleepy. Feels like it should just be a spoken word poetry performance instead of an album.

That first song is the most listened to Leonard Cohen song, it was good. Nothing else was.

This guy stinks

Not my jam. Found it boring.

I’m good. Didn’t finish it.

Not my style of music. Bored me to death.

Poetry done to music. Like my poetry free music free. Not for me.

This is some of the most pretentious drivel I’ve ever heard.

not interested

Going through my backlog, I really wasn't expecting this to make me look forward to Baby One More Time coming up next.

Jesus Christ, this made me want to throw myself off the Tyne Bridge 💀 If this has to be on this list, it needs to be album 1001, because you'll want to end it all before it's finished.

I'm not one who pays attention to lyrics, so this was lost on me. Nothing personal.

Not the one that is for me

Not for me. I get why its popular though

Folk music and its poetry just isn't for me.

This is mostly just someone (barely) singing a bunch of weird stories over basic guitar rhythms. One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong wins worst song by far.

not for me which has sorely disappointed my husband ha.

Scene: Animal House frat party. Bluto finds a guitar player serenading female students on the stairs to the basement. He grabs the guitar and smashes it against the wall. “Sorry.” I’m not sorry. I’ve known this album since the seventies when my family played it a lot. My opinion hasn’t changed; it’s self-indulgent twaddle designed to get girls into bed. Apparently it worked.

Sleep-inducing. Very tough to get through, even whilst cutting songs short.

I can’t explain but it gives me the heebie jeebies. Not bad but not good.

Boring and whiny

I tried to give it chance but I wasn't able to find a way to enjoy it. The lyrics and songwriting are fine. But the performance was just boring throughout.

Whingy and dull

do not like leonard cohen. I am not a sabrina carpenter song

1.5

meh

Not for me

I was in a good mood this morning, but old Leonard couldn't have that could he?! Songs of Leonard Cohen? More like Wrongs of Feeling Broken

Jedinica iz principa. // Bila bi jedinica jer sam htjela da počinim samoubistvo.

I couldn’t listen this through. Yhteen songs and I was borderline bored to death

I've never liked Cohen's music, but his voice is amazing. I'm pre-emptively giving this album a 2/5 and will verify it by a quick listen. His voice isn't even dark and musky on this one, as he is but a young man. I _really_ dislike folk music.

Fuck Leonard Cohen

no

No variety in the tracks. The dreary vibe means I'm not a fan.

Sleepy, slow, monotone, rambling are all words I would use to describe this album. The lyrics may be deep and meaningful to a lot of people, but it feels like listening to someone talking just for the sake of talking. A lot of the tracks are very sparse with just acoustic guitar and Leonard’s singing which only adds to the sleepy feeling of the album. Even the tracks that do feature more instruments still feel just as sparse.

Not my speed. Dont love that it’s all spoken word. Tracks are pretty homogenous.

This is basically spoken-work poetry set to Cohen strumming his guitar, so musically it is not very interesting at all. So how are the words? I have always found Cohen's lyrics to be so stacked with obscure references and metaphors to the point of incomprehensibility. I was looking up the lyrics of The Stranger Song as a good example of this, but I stumbled across a website which presented the lyrics as paragraphs, and it really reinforced that they are basically fables and parables covered by layers and layers imagery presented as songs. Some people might like that, but I don't, I am left with having to analyse the words against my own will. I think there is a strong element of the emperor having no clothes here, or maybe these lyrics are so hard to understand they are acting as a kind of Rorschach test and people are projecting their own meanings and feelings onto them. One star feels a bit mean for this but honestly I didn't like the lyrics at all and the music is such a nothing that there's nothing else left to like. And this album's goodbye was the deliberately bad "arrghh-lah-larrhh" singing (?) - what a strange and unfortunate choice to leave me with a bad taste in my ears.

His voice is boring and the songs just feel like he's droning on. Winter Lady was ok, So Long Marianne was nice. Everything else was just dull and sleep inducing. Best song: So Long Marianne

I don't like this kind of music

Shit. Yesterday I got Bob Dylan and now this. I really don't give af about nice poetry if the music is not interesting enough. This could have been a poetry book instead of the torture that was listening to this whole album.

Just not for me. Very slow. Similar to Bob Dylan. I can see why people like it but just not for me. Had to turn it off at dinner time

I don’t think Leonard Cohen’s stream of consciousness is all that intelligent. I’ll keep an open mind when the others come up, but this was not for me. So Long, Marianne almost upgraded the album to two stars, but it didn’t make it. The background singer Nancy Priddy is the best part of the album. 2.5/10

No thanks. Every song sounded the same.

Not again! Pain.

There is no range in his songs or music. If you listen to one song, you’ve heard the whole album. Boring, uninspired, and bland. It’s the musical equivalent of eating an unsalted saltine cracker.

Today I learned that I never need to listen to Leonard Cohen again.

I bailed after 5 songs. I have always DESPISED that damn Hallelujah song, and now I can fucking hate Leonard Cohen too. This album is a slow moving, monotonous, bummer. I can’t believe this sleepy time cunt is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but Iron Maiden isn’t 🙄

1/5

Ooh boy. Boring music and introspective, esoteric lyrics. I felt like I was stuck in a tavern of olde, trapped listening to a travelling minstrel play, and the tavern was out of ale.

I hate the way this guy says perfect body, and I do not have to explain myself.

Leonard Cohen's debut album is as boring as its cover and its voice. Vocally speaking, Cohen seems so stoned that instead of singing, he just reads the lyrics, as if he doesn't feel what he's singing. Honestly, besides seeming to have been recorded with bad intentions, it's quite dull. A real waste of time.

- It took me awhile to come around to Dylan. This is a bridge too far. - A lot here is not working for me: Cohen's monotonous delivery. Boring, often simplistic arrangements. Dated accompaniment. I felt my hand hovering over the "skip" button on almost every track. - The only plus side I see is the lyrics. But A) that is typically the last thing I focus on with music and B) if the only thing to pull from this are the words, make a book of poetry rather than an album.

Could only make it through 2 songs. Not for me

Really struggled to get through this one. It wasn’t bad per se, I just found it boring.

Too much Leonard Cohen.

не мое

Nope.

не удивлен, что в ключевых словах на странице этого альбома есть BORING

Not for me. Not very instrumental, slow.

Shite

I'm sure the poetry/lyrics resonate for a lot of people, but I'm just not one of them. The music is also nothing special and typical of the time it was released. This album was just completely uninteresting to me.

My opinion of Leonard Cohen went from neutral to negative after hearing his albums on this challenge. This one was particularly terrible. I played it while my assistant and I worked, but we had to stop listening. It was putting me in a bad mood, and it was making her sleepy. I hope this is the last of him. I think we've listened to four of his album, and I've had enough.

Leonard Cohen? More like peepeepoopoo.

Trash

If you can imagine eating a plain rice cake for every meal for a month is what listening to this album was like. 1001 album worthy: No - 6/12

Its ok. Im not a fan of Leonard Cohen or this style of singer songwriter music.

Not liking this one any more than the first Leonard album presented on this.

I had to force myself to finish this, he's just not for me.

I don't get the infatuation with Leonard Cohen.

Dull as feck!