Songs Of Leonard Cohen

Faves: Suzanne, Winter Lady, The Stranger Song, So Long Marianne

Gobsmacked listening to this one. I thought You Want It Darker was good, but this one completely blew me away.

Maybe not the most exciting music, but a masterpiece of poetry and mood.

Somehow this is one of the best albums of Mr Leonard even if this is his debut. I love it.

Simple folk, done simply well. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 5. No big allegories relating this to an art museum or anything like that; it’s just excellent poetry put into musical form, and I really, REALLY enjoyed it. I’ve dabbled in poetry before; I’m not great at it, but sometimes I’d like to think I do alright. This is masterful poetry – Leonard Cohen has always done a good job of pulling out emotions from something in his songs, whether it’s his older wistful vocals & biblical allegories on “You Want it Darker” or the immensely dreary heartbreak present on most of “Songs of Love & Hate”, and this album proves no different. This is thankfully a much brighter album, or at least not painted as darkly – a lot of these tracks are drenched in the more mysterious & painfully confusing moments of one’s life, but they usually have something sunshine-y scattered throughout, to keep the imagery rich & hopeful, even while acknowledging the sadness of it all. Honestly, most of that sunshine comes in the instrumentation, which is more varied & “musical” than what I can remember on the other two Leonard Cohen albums we’ve gotten. Once again, I will fully understand someone giving this a 3, or a 2, or even a 1 – if you’re not big on lyricism, or you find his voice bland, or you just want something truly bright & happy & poppy, this isn’t it. You have to be in the right mood (and arguably the right timeframe, it’s a night album imo) to get it, but I think what’s here is significantly more digestible & “gettable” than the other two albums, which still feel drenched in life experiences I may never truly feel or understand. This feels like poetry you can analyze without having to go layers deep; it’s remarkably vivid, and his songwriting still shines. I really truly enjoyed this – it’s a 5 for me; not a high end 5, but a 5 nonetheless. “So Long, Marianne” rules, by the way.

suzanne- 9 or 10. hurts so good master song- 6 winter lady- 7 or 8 the stranger song- 6 or 7 sisters of mercy- 8 or 9 so long marianne- 9 or 10 😭 hey thats no way to say goodbye- 10 😭 🔫 stories of the street- 6 teachers-6 one of us cannot be wrong- 6 thank you leonard. shout out lucy and eri fr fr 🕊

I know the songs, but, man, this whole album is pretty great! Hard to believe this was his first effort, it’s so mature and emotionally and melodically intelligent and unapologetically sex-informed. This has me going back through his cannon and putting together my Cohen playlist - now I’d only I could go back to 3rd year university armed with that…

This really is a stunning debut. Every song is beautiful and immersive. This was the soundtrack to my late teenage years- when I thought I understood it all. Listening again bring me right back to that time and the music has aged so well. This was one of the first albums my father bought when he moved to Montreal from Egypt and because of this always heldna special place in our family. There are many cohen albums that I love, but this may just be my favourite.

My first full listen of the album!

could there be American Chanson? a genre that i've always wanted to get into but with a clear barrier for entry -- knowing how to speak French -- i find myself unable to get what other people (read: the French) do from the style. chanson is more than just a personality singing alone, it's someone singing truths from themselves, affecting the audience not just in sound but in meaning. i want to be affected, i want to feel that tear in my soul. it's just hidden behind a language that i never bothered to learn the rules of. so i need to settle for American chanson. the closest you can get to that, as far as i know, is Leonard Cohen. i've heard his slicker, almost parodically synthetic work on I'm Your Man and liked it. here, we find ourselves at the tonal opposite, with "tenderness" being the word in mind here. the sparseness of the arrangements do away with the dramatic and end up leaving me feeling something at the end of each song. raw emotion delivered slowly and beautifully. i have a beat up copy of this, rescued from the ARC Thrift Store in Fort Collins, and i'm glad its with me, even if it's been chewed by a dog and forgotten. feels appropriate. i don't care if he was yours to begin with, Canada. you can't take him from us. he made these songs in New York. he's our boy.

All great

I was a bit floored by this album. Starting to realize just how much I like folk music - particularly stuff like this with really deep emotions tied to the themes throughout. Reminds me of a combination between Bob Dylan / Nick Drake / and The Van. Fantastic album that is going to push me into listening to maybe his entire catelog. I loved every single track and imagine that this album only gets better with each listen. 9/10

10/10 fucking love this man. Suzanne never stops giving me the chills. 1-22-2025

Was already one of my favorite albums! Life-changing!

Leonard Cohen is just so captivating and distinctive. I love his poetry and his delivery. The music is fairly simple and serves, basically, to present his words, which are always interesting. The Biblical allusions may largely escape me but the sense that his work rewards close listening does not.

Back in the mid-70s when I was a student and just embarking on a life of listening to records, Leonard Cohen was always touted as this depressing figure. But really his music is so much more than that. Not so much to my taste, but this is a cracking debut album.

Well, it took long enough, but I finally got a Leonard Cohen album for the project! He has quite a few on here, so I've been very curious to hear what his albums are like. Fortunately, I'm starting now with his debut album, which is probably the best place to start. Not only is it a great starting point because of the fact that it's at the beginning of his discography, it's also just an amazing album all throughout. Songs of Leonard Cohen is simply excellent. The fact that this is his debut is astonishing given the masterful artistry at play here. The instrumentation is simple but very effective. It serves as the perfect backdrop for the star of the show... the lyricism. See, before getting started with his music career, Leonard Cohen had experience with poetry and other writings and it shows. This album is filled to the brim with some of the best storytelling I've heard in an album. There's something about songs like "Suzanne" and "So Long, Marianne" that really strikes a chord with me. I love it. Leonard Cohen's singing is very fitting of these songs. It's nice. I like it. There is not a single bad song on here. The tone is very consistent, but it works because the style is so good. This is probably one of the finest debut albums I've ever heard. 5/5.

First surprise on this challenge. This album was unbelievable for 1967 , great folk and variety of singer songwriter. Big fan already

That's my man 😌

People sleep in this

Excellent

I can't fault it. The production is intimate and sounds so raw and live. You can lose yourself in the lyrics and let it the music wash over you in endless tides. He makes despair sound uplifting and love sound like hell itself. Beautiful

This is one of my all time favourites. When I listened to it for the first time it blew my mind and it still does. The lyrics are among the best I have ever heard.

Driving through the English countryside as I am right now must be the perfect vibe for this album as it hit… This is the debut studio album from Leonard Cohen, writer of jazz police. And the final album of his I have to review. But it’s a sad feeling honestly because I love his music. Other than songs for a room they were all easy 5/5’s. Suzanne and master song together is a powerful way to start a career and those songs are great ways to represent the early album. Then I think so long Marianne on side two complements these opening two songs, so if you accidentally started on the wrong side you still get a similar experience, like really similar with hey that’s no way to say goodbye, like that’s very similar to Suzanne, The ‘I’m just a station on the way’ line on winter lady got me. The album honestly reminds me of the first Simon and Garfunkel with its religious theming with the stranger song and sisters of mercy. It’s not as prevalent as on that album but existent nonetheless. Stories of the street is alright I wouldn’t call it super notable but I liked it. Teachers I liked for the whole ‘teach our hearts to break’ stuff. And yeah one of us cannot be wrong just fits as a closer, he’s get better at finale’s but it’s still great. 5/5

I'm not crying, you're crying

ily mr cohen

Defiantly one of the best; easy call.

Timeless classic from a great singer songwriter.

what can i Say. 3 of my favourite Leonard Cohen songs on one album. it was always going to be a 5. Starts of superbly, then builds up to an incredible 4 songs in a row from sisters of Mercy

Justo llevo un par de días volviendo a pensar en este disco, creo que si el 1001albumsgenerator no me lo hubiera sugerido, igualmente habríamelo puesto.

I have no reason not to give this one a five star, like, I spend countless time with it...soft and chill, slowly drifting away in the tide of lyricism...oh such a joyful ride, another aspect of life, makes me sentimental.

Nulla da dire

leonard cohen is a natural treasure and despite how dated this album is, it (unsurprisingly) remains timeless to me. teachers is just one of the many highlights here and wow he really was a legend i cannot believe it took me this long for my first cohen album

Пока лучший альбом, что я слышал у него в этом списке. А 1001 хочет, чтобы я был экспертом по, эмм, Бисти Бойз и Леонарду Коэну... Лучшая песня - One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong.

Tämähän on mestarillinen aikansa popfolk pläjäys! Toimittaa joka kerta herkkyydellään 5/5

I love me some Leonard Cohen. Always reminds me of a Smokey small bar.

It's been literal years since I have felt so emotional listening to an album as I feel right now listening to this for the very first time. I can only compare it to the first time I listened to Hunky Dory, my favorite Bowie album, during a dark time in my life. It's the same familiar feeling once again.

Love a bit of Leonard!

This is incredible. I've been listening to it the whole weekend and I still can't get enough. I'll be definitely going back to it - I need to review all the little details in the lyrics. It's harder for a non-native speaker and yet Leonard Cohen was incredibly popular here where I'm from. I guess his music and poetry go really well with our sentimental nature. What I like about it: the minimalistic production (and yet plenty of little tweaks here and there to make it more interesting), the monotonous voice and delivery against the hard hitting lyrics, the female backing vocals on So Long Marianne, the masterful guitar playing and the the atmosphere of a poorly lit room with wooden floors overlooking a cold, freezing city. Just perfect.

Beautiful. All my 5s have been 60s folk artists (Blood on the Tracks is a 70s album). But you know what, they’re all excellent. This one might be my favorite, it’s soooo good. Pretty and calm, with obviously stunning lyricism.

Still resonates after all this time. Nice production keeps the voice and guitar up front but with some interesting arrangements. You can tell that he was originally a poet, lyrics are amazing and full of allegory and metaphor (whichever is which) about personal love, religion and philosophy that keeps your head spinning. He has a fair handle on melody and musical phrasing even though he is primarily a wordsmith. An absolute classic! One of the great artists of all time.

There’s only one Leonard Cohen. Only one artist could make you want to say stuff like “is he the thinking man’s Bob Dylan”. Every song is a poem, and a good one at that. The music is authentic and intimate - and the mood is all Cohens all the time. Love it.

4.5 rounded up very plasnt:-) very fall highlights: suzanne, master song, stories of the street, one of us cannot be wrong (oct 14 2024)

beautiful

Very melancholy and pleasant. Think this is Kurt Cobain's Leonard Cohen afterworld. Sighing eternally. Sometimes, Suzanne is my favourite song. One long vibe. Brilliant.

Tje rising of a dark grey star!

Loved all of this.

The simplicity of the music is hypnotic and allows the poetry to reach deep into the soul.

Deceptively simple, but its not

Loved the lyricism and the performance

yipee!

Best album ever

Superb as always.

I'm a big fan of folk music, it comes in the blood I think. My mom and her brother were a folk duo when they were younger, and my uncle continued to play bars until he passed. It's one of my favourite genre's in fact. Most of what I regularly listen to is at the very least folk inspired. I only wish I had listened to this album when I had the time to truly enjoy it, so I think I'll be likely to revisit one evening when I have the time to sit and enjoy. I loved this album. Everything about it. Leonard's voice hits the right spots. The minimalist guitar. An album of story-telling and poetry, often combined within the same song

Really beautiful, sad

Just beautiful.

A Canadian legend. Loved the poetry. Made me realize the musician Sun Kil Moon took heavy inspiration from Cohen, which is cool

Listened to this one on a long drive after a long day and it was pretty perfect. The poetry was fantastic.

Just absolutely amazing. Incredible folk music

Was für ein Meister der ruhigen Lieder, grossartig!

gentle and whispered folk music, mostly just voice and guitar. it's sweet, sincere... and honestly pretty emotional. all sorts of songs about being together with someone, losing said someone and being alone with yourself and your thoughts. many of the comments featured throughout each track on youtube is full of stories from people sharing their emotions and memories... this is clearly an album that speaks to a lot of people, and it spoke to me too. if you're moody and if you want an album that'll soothe you, give this one a spin. this album makes me feel nostalgic... bittersweet and nostalgic.

When I first heard this album I was hooked. Uniquely different…true poetry set to music. A renaissance troubadour of his time. Suzanne and Marianne loom large in music’s pantheon of inspirational women in song. This is dopey review but I dig this album

Storyteller / poet 100%. I can hear a little Lou Reed and Bob Dylan.

Real good. Nothing detailed. Wild how his voice changes over his career

Такое чувство будто я нашёл этот альбом где то в подвале и решил послушать, дикий лоу фай

What's not to like? It's Leonard Cohen and bangers

Earlier Leonard with a less growly voice. Will fantastic, I’ve really grown to love LC.

Personally, I have always enjoyed Leonard Cohen's uniqueness. It's the sort of thing that I have appreciated more as I've grown older. In a way, this album is confounding and draws you into a strange place. On this recent listen, I found myself getting caught off guard by some phrase or an instrumentation element or some bizarre touch which only led to further listening.

One of the Best Albums of all times. Soft and intimate. Pure Poetic bliss.

Like a more biblical Bob Dylan when it comes to the surrealist imagery. Otherwise, this album stands out as a unique experience. The vibe is so calming while also somehow tortured. Each moment is so perfectly calculated, even as some lines leave you in perplexity, wondering if the onslaught of images mean anything at all. It’s crazy to think that LC spent months composing some of these tracks. These songs are like manna from heaven, perfect for a rainy day or a candlelit evening.

This is a more emotional rating than most. Leonard Cohens been one of my biggest guys for a long time, and this album just as big. I've had many moments with this album, and I can't seperate those from my rating. If I had never heard him before now, I'd probably go 4 stars, but its a full 5 for me. Suzanne, Master Song, Stranger Song, So Long Marianne and One Of Us Can't Be Wrong are my favorites (and I love them dearly) Album cover: B+. He looks kinda goofy. Reminds me of the Lust for Life album cover but serious. Also the inner sleeve of the vinyl has a really cool catholic painting of a lady on fire. If it was that I would give it an A.

What a motherfucker of an album. Boy's got couplets, stanzas, bars whatever the kids are calling them. And yeah I hear the "music to slit wrists by" criticism, but its more complicated - so long marianne is pretty triumphant for a break up song - it turns almost to a military march. Love his singing uses its limitations, and shows the same raw edge as his lyrics on Teachers and the gloriously unhinged outro to One of Us. Musically beautiful too - even when its just guitar bass and voice it creates momentum and menace. And there are perfect touches all over - strings, mandolin?, pan pipes, choir. It all combines with his pseudoflamenco cadences and pseudopiano fingerpicking to create something pretty amazing.

LOOOOVE LEONARD, and it's second time he has come up here, I think this is gonna be better than that white black album, also I know two songs of this so I kind of have high expectations. His voice is spectacular, and I know this is gonna have sadness all over it, but I still think I'm gonna like it. I'm also getting ready for the fact that songs might sound the same, but it's Cohen and I will nonetheless like them, but I will complain obviously. First song, I know this one, I remember chorus being catchy. He has a rather softer voice, compared to the older Cohen. There's vocalising in my right ear and violin in the left. I had a woman's voice repeating what he says in the right ear only. Guitar is melancholic, and that's the only thing that's playing. Lyrical delivery is good, but not unique enough. Violin really makes this song much better tbh. I thought this was a longer one. Quite a track, little versatile of him. Second song, I'm hearing a bass already with a dominant sound of guitar. It does sound the same as the last song. Lot of Christianity references and that's said without reading the lyrics. Now this is a much longer song. What a weird sound on the edge of my ears, kind of jazzy. He's barely vocalling, but he's not just talking either. Sorry, but hearing him say "you kneel for him to come" sounds dirty without context. OOOOH VIOLIN IN MY LEFT EAR WAS EXTREMELY GOOD, though didn't last long, same appearance in the right ear with different weird instrument. Song faded away at the end, but he didn't really stop singing tbh. Third song, what a short song. There's guitar on the left, but another one is playing in the middle, alsoo another instrument on the right, I have no idea of its name. I was mistaken about this album having good choruses, if they exist here, they're quite the same as verses probably. Sonically it's melancholic, but also good even though it's sometimes painfully slow. 4th song, rather upbeat guitar start, and that's how it's gonna play for the rest of the song apparently. Thing is Cohen isn't about the sonical part of the songs, while that part isn't bad it just isn't enhanced and has no interaction to the lyrical delivery, it's basically permanent wave. So the lyrics must be some sadness causing shit that I currently don't understand, I'll check it now ig. Told you, apparently this is based on some film, imagine you know that film and you connect yourself with this song to that movie, GOOD STUFF. I'll watch that movie I suppose. Overall tho it's about woman's and men's commitment. 5th song, soft start and somber guitar I hear. There is a caenival like sound on the left(Beatles vibes). This one is quite good sonically and HAS an interaction with the way he sings. Also that carnival has moved from left to right ear slowly, loooved that. I thought I've heard a woman voice here, but mistaken I suppose. Apparently he wrote this while he sheltered some two women who had trouble outside, and did the lyrics in one sitting, quite a wonder. Liked this one more than I imagined. 6th song, OOH now it makes sense, it wasn't Suzanne with the good chorus, it was So Long Marianne, this one. It's full of sounds already, and the chorus yesss it scratches my brain in a good way. Verses are also very well sang, the delivery of them I mean. Was waiting for the women to appear in the right ear, made the song much better. Another religion line. There're 6 verses in this one, just noticed. Also lyrically Marianne was apparently his friend and an ex-wife who was his muse and last time they met he didn't know it was the last. Guitar doesn't change how it's played at all I think. Quite a hit to me. 7th song, fuck I fully forgort to take notes. Nothing drastic happened and I was checking lyrics and it's about him having an argument with a blonde woman who he didn't wanna leave but that's the way it's gonna go sadly for him. This one's not as special sonically either I guess. 8th song, a different in a good way start. Idk what to write I'm out of ideas, this happens after a couple of songs that sound exactly the same and are relatively mediocre. I'm honestly bored of this. However, usually when this happens songs are usually just growers. Also this is a rainy day album for a sad day, wait a second his voice cracked, weiiird anyway, there's none of that happening now, and songs become sad when they are listened at least twice so I can't judge these songs well enough. I didn't expect more than this either (my first paragraph doesn't say otherwise, this was the high expectation I talked about). I wish he did more change to sonical part and sometimes sang less while that would have happened. 9th song, catchy start, upbeat almost. Verse-wise it's sand in a fun way, still a sad song though. Oh he cracked his voice veeery slightly again. He has muuuuuch better songs than this tho, another crack, idk what's wrong with him. He's too young to make really good music I'm afraid. I'll still rate this high though, I did say I'd complain so I'm doing that. 10th song, album was out in December?! Not a single Christmas song somehow(cohen-style obviously), he did mention Christmas metaphorically, but still. The song didn't give me material to sing about, TALK ABOUT LUCK HE STARTED WHISTLING AND SCREAMING(not really, more like unsexual moaning). Nothing special happened before. Just gonna review fully now idc... The album didn't have the touch of artistry I think, it didn't feel like an album, just some randomly written good poems that had the same guitar playing along, I don't love that. The last part was like so different it was giving "the album ended" but also I wish he did more than just that DURING the album. Despite all that, this is a grower album most likely and that's how Cohen does his albums anyway, they don't have to have an intro and outro it's not mandatory, and it's 60s, I can't ask for much. So this is a 4.5 album, I say that rating a lot, but I can't help it, it's definitely not 4, because I have a lot of time ahead of me and I'll definitely like it one day or another, I wouldn't do this if it was another artist, so it is a little subjective, but that's the point, I ain't a critic I am just describing songs' sonical and lyrical progress and judge them based of that, but Cohen is another matter, also I think I'm explaining myself so that my future me knows why I rated this high, not sure if anyone will ever read this. Basically definitely worth it, but he gets much better over the years, and somehow black and white album(the old one btw, I just remembered he has a relatively new one too) was slightly better than this.

I'd listened to Suzanne before, but not the rest of the album. Boy am I glad I did, each track just about reaches the same level of quality as Suzanne which is incredible. Both the lyrics and the music are masterpieces in their own right, the sensation to me was like the bit in Ratatouille where Remy eats the Strawberry and the Cheese at the same time. Cohen is one of the best to ever do it. A lot of good folk music I find is generally well written but sometimes falls short in the instrumentals or the vocals, but Leonard Cohen and this album are a cut above. The magnificent finger picked guitar, solid bass in a few tracks, fun percussion in Sisters of Mercy and the angelic backup vocals in Suzanne. I feel inadequate just writing this piddly review about an album put together by a wordsmith.

Already biased towards it but it gets the first 5* after 66 albums. Love the mood, stories and harmonies throughout. Not an album for all moods, but have kept going back to it over the past days.

The first album by Cohen is certainly one of the best with all-time favourites like "Suzanne" and "The Sisters of Mercy". Cohen is a brilliant lyricist, a writer first and only then a musician. That makes him so great.

Beautiful music. Loved it

More LenCo, and this one is even better. Truly one of the greatest, most consistent albums I've ever heard. The guy just doesn't waste a beat. So Long Marianne is an absolute all time great. Thank you project.

This album makes you feel like you're sat on your own next to a lake on a hot summer's day sipping at a herbal tea

5/5

Este disco merece las 5 estrellas, solamente con leer las letras. Leonard Cohen fue un gran músico y poeta. De este disco disfruto particularmente: Suzanne, Winter Lady, Sisters of Mercy, So Long Marianne, Hey, That's No The Way to Say Goodbye.

Bon p’tit gars de chez nous Perfect album. Watch McCabe & Mrs. Miller.

It's only ever going to be 5 stars for Leonard Cohen. I wish I'd been to watch him live. What a talent.

This was a gift for a Friday album. I immediately was happy to listen and knew I was going to come in with a higher rating. Cohen’s delivery is not an amazing vocal performance and he knew this; yet I love the distinctive and raw quality of it so much more than the mechanic/soul-less deliveries of others. Every song is a story. Suzanne is one of my favorite songs of all time but I don’t skip a single song on the album. For those of us who enjoy it, I think it’s something genuine that resonates with us. For me putting a Cohen album is emotional regulation: it’s comfort within his melancholy and evocations.

<3

I was not in the mood for this, until I was. Fantastic album.

godly

Enjoyed this more than I thought, would listen again

i love this album, might have become a fav

Really pleasant, cool writing and narrative.

Excellent!

One of the great troubadour songsmiths. I would probably give any of his works 5 stars without needing to listen. But this is the first album, ad his early minimalist style really emphasizes the lyrics and core of the music. Beautiful, fragile, and powerful.

Immaculate songwriting perfectly complimented by minimalist production.

Such a beautiful album, and one of the few artists whose lyrics can actually be considered poetry.

WoW. So much beauty. 5 stars.

I’m Canadian, I 💕 you LC it’s part of my patriotic code.

Ich habe mich ertappt, dass ich immer glaube bei Leonard Cohen braucht man eine bestimmte Stimmung, um ihn hören zu können. Aber das stimmt nicht. Leonard Cohen erzeugt ihn dir genau die richtige Stimmung. Seine Lieder um schmeicheln meine Ohren und fesseln mich. So schön. Auch die Arrangements sind wunderbar, kreativ und leise mit vielen Überraschungen. Es lohnt sich genau hinzuhören. Ich habe es mehrmals an angehört und genossen. Das Album fasziniert.

One of our greatest modern poets. Like so many lyricists, his poetry translated easily to music an songwriting. 5/5

It's impressive how an album based on such simple vocals and guitars can be so stupendous and comfortable to listen to. I didn't know Leonard Cohen. Little did I know that he is the composer of the legendary "Hallelujah". And even fewer knew that this was his first album. Still, the voice delivery and interpretation, and especially the lyrics, can be divine.

Fucking legend of a songwriter

Just classics from start to finish. The music matches the voice that matches the lyrics. The production is very understated, and the tracks are somewhat similar. I can see how this album would be tough to get through if you're not into the feeling and vibe, but for me it's a very secure 5/5.

Zo'n artiest waarvan je altijd een beetje de indruk hebt dat hij overschat wordt. Dat nummer Hallelujah is helemaal kapotgecoverd, en heeft iemand een idee waar het over gaat? Of luister de latere liveconcerten, de man hoeft met zijn zware stem maar een aardig zinnetje te zeggen en hij krijgt al een open doekje van het ademloze publiek. Maar goed, hier is hij helemaal aan het begin van zijn carrière. Het openingsnummer is een evergreen geworden (shout-out naar Herman van Veen), en staat ook redelijk symbool voor de rest van de plaat. Dromerige teksten, minimale folky muziek, het is quasi-diepzinnig maar wel goed gedaan. Weet je wat, ik gun de man het voordeel van de twijfel en laat me overtuigen.

Epic

Just a stunning record with fantastic lyrics

Discovered Cohen and this stunning debut through one of Werner Herzogs weirdest documentaries (which is really saying something) Fata Morgana (1971) . Several of the tracks feature in the film, set in the desert. The sparse instrumentation with guitar and minor add ons from other instruments is the sonic equivalent of the warm desert and some sporadic oasis. The female accompanying song is like the Fata Morgana. Ethereal. A shimmering incorporeal longing. It constrasts so well with Cohens desert-dry voice. Although my favourite songs of Cohen are found on later recordings, his debut is maybe his best album of his career. Tastefully produced and not as bare or overproduced as some later albums.

1001 todays-selection is the one and only Leonard Cohen. Songs of Leonard Cohen. He's one of my favorites singer songwriters with a voice like a toad . His lyrics are perfection . This album should be in everyone's library. Leonard is at his finest . I like Hey, that's no way to say goodbye, Suzanne." shit, who am I fooling? I love all the songs on this album

A real Leonard Cohen from the beginning.

Simple album, but very well done. I'm glad I listened to this album all the way through.

Such an amazing song writer. Loved this album.

4.75

Absolutely beautiful listen to it twice

Awesome songwriting with lyrics that really keep you engaged and make you think

Ik werd meteen blij toen dit album verscheen. Dit is de Leonard Cohen die ik ken, en fijn vind. Misschien dat ik me te erg gehecht heb aan deze ‘versie’ van Cohen, dat ik You Wanted it Darker niet objectief kon raten. We gaan van verhaaltjesverteller Marty Robbins naar de échte raconteur Cohen. Een debuutalbum, en het eerste nummer wat Cohen ooit opgenomen heeft is Suzanne. En dat werd meteen zijn grootste hit (misschien na Hallelujah). Suzanne vat samen wat ik mooi vind aan Cohen, introspectieve poetische teksten en zachte gitaarstukken. Maar de fijnste van het album vind ik One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong. Zo poetisch, romantisch, je voelt de emotie door je speakers komen als Cohen begint te zingen. Hij begeleid elk nummer subliem met gitaarspel. Hij doet niet aan solo's, moeilijke akkoordenschema's, vreemde gitaartechnieken, maar dat maakt allemaal niet uit. Zoals Keith Richards het gitaarspel van de Stones geweldig iconisch laat klinken, doet Cohen dat ook. Ik heb vrijwel niks aan te merken op dit album. En ik kan ook nog van ieder nummer genieten. Dan staat er maar 1 ding te doen.... Rating: 10 Highlights: Suzanne, Master Song, So Long Marianne, The Stranger Song, One of Us Cannot Be Wrong

In de wetenschap dat dit een dag zou worden waarin nauwelijks tijd zat voor een album was het een opluchting dat het er eentje werd dat ik intussen al meerdere malen binnenstebuiten heb getrokken. Dit debuutalbum van één van de belangrijkste poëten van de moderne tijd laat zijn penkunsten zien zoals wellicht geen werk later in zijn carrière dat deed. Waar vooral zijn derde, en in mindere mate zijn tweede en vierde album, meer muzikale verscheidenheid en volwassenheid toonde, is dit een intiem muziekstuk met een aantal van m'n favoriete momenten in Leonard Cohen's history of storytelling. De toon wordt gezet door 'Suzanne', wat de kracht van een 'stripped down' en akoestische Leonard als geen ander nummer laat zien. Maar toch zijn het de subtiele achtergrondzang en strijkers die op de juiste momenten accenten leggen, waardoor het nummer floreert. Een magisch lied. De mood wordt nog moodier bij het koppel 'Master/Stranger Song', dat de duistere tonen die later in zijn carrière tot kunst worden verheven voor het eerst tentoon stellen. Prettig voor de flow van het album is het wel dat het middenstuk wat lichtvoetiger is, met 'So Long, Marianne' en 'Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye'. De eerste is instrumenteel één van de interessantere van het album, al gaat hij net íéts te lang door. Maar de realistische - vaak omschreven als pessimistische en zwaarmoedige - toon in de kunst van Cohen is nooit ver weg. In de laatste fase van de plaat komt de uitzonderlijke eigenschap van deze poëet om de psyche van de mens uit te wringen tot expressie, en wordt het niveau van het album opgekrikt naar die van een 'Blood on the Tracks' of 'Songs of Love and Hate'. Hierbij reserveert hij een plekje in het canon der 20e-eeuwse literatuur. 'Stories of the Street' is een fabelachtig verhaal over de duellerende instincten in het menselijk brein, en bevat het meest overtuigende vocale werk. 'With one hand on the hexagram and one hand on the girl. I balance on a wishing well that all men call the world.' De constante strijd tussen spiritualiteit en lust die als een rode draad door het werk van Leonard Cohen loopt prachtig samengevat. Na het aangrijpende 'Teachers' komt voor mij het hoogtepunt van het album, 'One of Us Cannot Be Wrong'. Een complex love-revenge story met voodoo tinten, waarin een koude relatie door de ogen van meerdere karakters wordt beschreven. Een intrigerend en uniek stuk, en de dronken uitbarsting in het slot laat de luisteraar weten dat Leonard - ondanks zijn ogenschijnlijke rol als menselijk orakel - ook zelf gewoon maar een mens is. Een passend einde van één van de beste debuutalbums van de 60s, dat vandaag de dag nog steeds een tijdloze bron aan zinvolle lessen en beangstigende waarschuwingen blijkt. 9/10 Highlights: Suzanne Stories of the Street One of Us Cannot Be Wrong

A classic

"It's time that we began to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again" ❤️

A beautiful downcast debut.

My favorite

It is a masterpiece! The best folk I ever listen.

Suzanne - A bloody masterpiece Master Song - Love it Winter Lady - So so The Stranger song - Brilliant Sisters of Mercy - Brilliant So long, Marianne - Powerful portrait Hey... - Love it. Probably my favourite Stories of the street - lyrical genius A true 5

Umm, excuse me? Leonard Cohen had 'Suzanne', 'Sisters of Mercy', 'So Long, Marianne', 'Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye', and the magnificent 'One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong' on his debut album? Unfair.

Leonard Cohen had already attracted critical acclaim as a poet before launching his music career - so it should come as no surprise that this masterful grasp of lyrics was already fully developed on his debut album.

Incred

Simply stunning. There are no other words.

Leonard Cohen's debut album is a brooding masterpiece. Cohen's strength has always been his writing and it is front and center here. Many songs here (Suzanne, Master Song, the Stranger Song, So Long, Marianne) are essentials in Cohen's canon. The recording of this album was fraught, and Cohen disagreed with producer John Simon regarding arrangements. However, I think this album works very well and the arrangements highlights the melancholy of Cohen's words well.

This may be one of the greatest albums ever made. It won't pop up regularly. You may never listen to this again. But for 41 minutes and 34 seconds you will feel as if you are floating away from gravity. Nothing technical, nothing amazing for the guitar, nothing super impressive. Then, Leonard begins to speak. I wept like a child listening to Suzanne and for each song after it, it immediately brought me to a moment in my life. No album has ever made me transition thoughts between so much of my life before and it is unlikely any will after this. Leonard is doing poetry over a guitar. I dedicate this album to anyone who is over the age of 30, because you won't listen to this album and not get teary while thinking of old times long since past.

Simply one of the best lyricists ever

It's not just about the music, it's also the lyrics that make Leonard Cohen's music stand out. Was he a poet who also wrote music or a musician who also wrote poetry? The answer is both of course.

I really like the album. Enjoyed listening while working. 5/5

Beautiful voice, beautiful guitar, beautiful songs

Actually enjoy listening to his music. It's very relaxing and chilling. Really like falling asleep while listening to his music. Beautiful voice.

Just beautiful. Like sitting on a campfire and listening to an old storyteller. Not overly complicated or anything, just pleasant. I really liked it

Superclassic album. Some Girls Wander By Mistake. Sisters of Mercy etc etc

Found myself humming along nicely with this.

Probably the best LC album: very consistent set of songs with great lyrics and subtle musical variations.

classic

I love the poetry and the way he highlights it with the perfect music. Such a talent. Not the biggest fan of his voice, but that doesn't hardly take away from how great his album is.

I missed this when it was released in 1967 (the year I finished the HSC) although I was familiar with Judy Collins’s version of Suzanne. Then in 1970 I met my first girlfriend/lover, an art school student who was a big Cohen fan, & became besotted with this album. This was magnified in 1971 when Robert Altman used 3 of the songs as the soundtrack to his film, the western, McCabe & Mrs Miller - The Stranger Song, Winter Lady &, most memorably Sisters Of Mercy, playing when a group of prostitutes arrive in a wintery western town. To this day, I picture that scene every time I hear that song. The 3 classics on the album are Suzanne, So Long Marianne & Hey That’s No Way To Say Goodbye, but there are no duds on this album. Cohen is unique. His lyrics are superb. I soon became infatuated with his writing & devoured his poetry & then his novel Beautiful Losers several times - it is credited with introducing post-modernism to Canadian literature. I know I’d never read anything like it. This album still blows me away every time I play it & I’ve hammered it in the last few days. I understand that Cohen is not to everybody’s taste. The night In the late 70’s when I first took the woman who would become the mother of my children home, Songs Of Love & Hate was already on my turntable, so I just started playing it, quickly discovering she definitely was not a fan. Life’s funny, eh?

A beautiful and perfect album. A lyricist like no other. Except maybe Dylan? So long, Marrianne is one of my all time favourite songs and so a joy to hear. I’ve heard plenty of Cohen but never listened closely so this was a fantastic listen.

A brilliant debut to a stellar career. I was actually in Montreal when he died and they played Hallelujah before the Canadiens game that night.

4.8 - I felt like this is such a pure album, it feels like a performance rather than just a bunch of songs. Love his lyrics and voice.

I can't review this, the album and artist mean too much to me

Its like if Bob Dylan had a better voice - soft, warm, good vocals. I would listen to this album again for sure. Master Song was really good.

El disco que escuchábamos los veinteañeros culturetas para ligar. Un disco perfecto ¡Y sin guitarras eléctricas!

A really lovely combination of music and lyrics, sung with such a soothing voice. I listened several times, and that speaks volumes.

I went to pick up my daughter this morning from super early morning practice. It was still dark, it was cold and rainy with a dense eerie fog. I put on the album, the mood outside seemed to perfectly reflect the somber tone of the music…it was perfect. Perfectly depressing and I loved it. I somehow got my hands on a mix tape with some (unknown to me then) Lenard Cohen songs maybe a few Tom Waits. I have no idea where it came from. “Little Blue Rain Coat” “waiting for the miracle” “Dance me to the end of Love” “the future” and of course “hallelujah”. I loved them and still play them from time to time (as my kids can attest) but they are strange and I’m high school I got a lot of what kind of weird shit is this? And lack of access or funds kept me from seeking out more music. So to listen to his debut album on this cold winter day was kind of cool for me. The lyrics are amazing and love what I interpreted as the use of many contradictions in his lyrics. Really unique in blurring the lines between poetry and music. Just don’t listen driving to the beach! Favorite song “the stranger song”

Suzanne Sisters of Mercy So Long, Marianne Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye

Beautiful

i cant believe boygenius invented leonard cohen!

Leonard, Leonard, Leonard. Rarely do celebrity deaths feel personal but his did, and I only ever heard his songs. “There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in,” though not from this record, might as well be a motto for the Olsens, and I feel is emblematic of this dance in Cohen’s lyrics between a veiled judgement of people’s idiosyncrasies (and especially his own) and a warming kindness towards persons. He’s searching, anxious for a transcendent thing, but certain that if it will come it will be from within (or by understanding the other in a deeper way). Ana: peaceful. Sad, really sad.

Beautiful, emotional and unique. ***Teachers **The Stranger Song *Master Song *Suzanne

Standouts: "Suzanne," "So Long, Marianne," "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye," "Stories of the Street" Lyrics- 5/5 Instrumentals- 5/5 Production- 5/5 Vibes- 5/5 Overall 5/5 Leonard Cohen is often labeled as one of the most influential musical artists of all time. His lyricism, his vocals, his instrumentals, many people are just drawn to it. This album is no exception. This album was right up my alley. I've never delved deeply into Leonard Cohen's discography, but after this album I think that'll change. The songs range from hauntingly warm to beautifully cold. Cohen just has such a way with words and notes, this is undoubtedly one of the best albums I have ever heard.

01) Suzanne - 9,5 02) Master Song - 9,0 03) Winter Lady - 9,0 04) The Stranger Song - 8,5 05) Sisters Of Mercy - 9,0 06) So Long, Marianne - 10,0 07) Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye - 9,0 08) Stories Of The Street - 9,0 09) Teachers - 9,5 10) One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong - 8,5 TOTAL: 9,10 (91/100) It's my 50th album, and my 6th five stars. I love the story telling, love the atmosphere and I loooove "So Long, Marianne".

So much more than Hallelujah. Leonard was a treasure.

awesome

A really impressive debut album. One thing I appreciate about this is that I like a lot of late 60s folk, this album is very far from being overproduced or having too much additional instrumentation. Orchestration on this album is very spare. Sounds fade in and out and only ever accentuate Cohen’s voice and simple guitar playing. Stark and beautiful, this album just impresses me more with time.

Chill and good

An icon

Great album form the Canadian "Bard" :-)

E z 5 star.

Crying cat emoji

Love his voice.

This is a great slower album, with standouts in Stories Of The Street, Suzanne, Master Song, So Long Marianne, Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye, and Teachers.

Amazing

- I like this album very much, but at least some part of this comes from having listened to some if his later works, specially "You Want It Darker" - Seeing how his music and tone changed is part of a broader experience and I'm not sure how it would feel to listen to this in 1967. Probably amazing, tho.

Lovely album.

Just an excellent storytelling type album. This is Cohen’s best work, The Stranger Song, So Long Marianne, Teachers! Such visual music in the sense you can see the tales he sings about at times. This is fucking great. 5 stars

Altså her har vi poesi. Det er TYDELIG at Leonard Cohen var poet før han ble musiker, og resultatet er et hypnotisk, vakkert og poetisk album. Jeg kan late som om jeg er hard og Metal så mye jeg vil, men det er noe med god Folk, spesielt nå om høsten, som bare treffer dette lille kunstnerhjertet midt i blinken. Et vakkert, lengselsfullt og noe melankolsk album hvor jeg ikke har hjertet til å kalle noe for dårligst… MEN, «So long, Marianne» og «The Stranger song» skal stå som noe av det sterkeste albumet har å komme med. Elsker folk. Elsker Cohen. Nydelig album. For en debut.

turns out I had heard a LOT more of this album than what I thought (which was none), it's played in every second hand store I've ever been in I swear. It sounds phenomenal when it's not coming out of their tinny speakers though. Just as beautiful as I thought it would be, this is the blueprint for songwriters for a very very good reason, it's just everything you need from a good song, every time.

Every song just sounds like a variation of "Suzanne." Five stars.

perfection. no notes. Top Tracks: 1) Suzanne 2) Master Song 3) So Long, Marianne 4) Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye 5) One of Us Cannot Be Wrong

I love Leonard Cohen. Five stars. He's great. I could listen to him for hours and I have; I listened to it three times today. The last song is someone stubbing their toe in a musical way for the last minute and in the end it gets too bad and he's just screaming lol

Wow. Surprised I haven't listened to this one already, it's pretty great. I haven't listened to much by Leonard Cohen at all, but its time to fix that...

Beautiful album, the first of many.

telling a story in a nice soft way

Such an amazing album!

Classic Americana. Good songs to play on the guitar.

Timeless classic, emotionally charged poetry accompanied by haunting beautiful backing instrumentation.

Loneliness you can feel. A beautiful album

Leonard's lyricisim is on full display here. Suzanne is such a wonderful track. Super mellow, very engaging, his voice really brings you in to listen to the lyricism. Easy 5.

I know I'll be going back to this album a lot.

Prachtig

4.5/5

Top, top album

Es uno de mis discos favoritos. Me acuerdo que lo escuché por primera vez porque quería ver qué onda Leonard Cohen, a quien había conocido por una canción de Nirvana, y me gustó tanto que este casi un año hasta escuchar el segundo disco de él, porque siempre que me daban ganas de escucharlo quería volver a poner este disco

On ne s'en lasse pas

fenetre sens de la marche …

"I greet you at the beginning of a great career, which yet must have had a long foreground somewhere, for such a start."

What poetry! So Long, Marianne and Suzanne are standouts for me.

Ok, going by the rule of 3 to 4 classics and no filler in the deep cuts, this album is a definite 5.

I love this album. McCabe and Mrs. Miller introduced to me to how beautiful Leonard Cohen's songs are. This album is fantastic

This made me cry, it's a beautiful album

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Some of the best lyrics I’ve ever heard from one of the greatest songwriters of all time Favourite tracks: Suzanne, The Stranger Song, Sisters Of Mercy, One Of Us..

I loved you in the morning

A fabulous debut Leonard, no notes. Cool to hear a large portion of your discog in almost reverse order too.

beautiful !!

otrolig. helt enkelt 5+

Lika osvag jag är för de senare albumen, lika svag är jag för de tidigaste.

The songwriting on this album is just amazing, with nice acoustic instruments to go along with it. His voice was a lot less gravelly then, too, which makes the vocals better to listen to. Definitely a great album, even if just for the lyrics alone.

I really only know Hallelujah by Cohen, which means I know him as EXTREMELY lyrically gifted but vocally pained. But wow, this album is beautiful and I think I need to go know him better. His vocals weren't even that bad. But his lyrics, damn. I know everyone loves Dylan and think he's the best poet, but I think Cohen has him beat. And the soft musical accompaniment was just perfect. I thought his best were Suzanne, Master Song, So Long Marianne (maybe his most accessible?), Teachers (love his picking and plucking and the Middle Eastern sounding instruments), and One of Us Cannot Be Wrong (masterful lyrics). I enjoyed the others quite a bit too. I was definitely reaching for 4 stars and decided to bump it up.

Mon cœur s'est brisé une fois de plus ....

PREFS : Suzanne, Master Song, The Stranger Song, Sisters of Mercy, So Long, Marianne, Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye, Stories of the Street, One of Us Cannot Be Wrong MOINS PREF : Winter Lady

A sublime album from my favourite artist of all time.

So interesting. The lyrics are amazing; complex and poetic . The singing makes me feel like I could be a singer. :) A blast from the past that was worth revisiting.

Debut records don't get much better. Stunning lyrics. Great accompaniment and a singular voice.

Absolutely fantastic. Poetry set to music. Also love the subtle backing female vocals that add a little punch to some of the lyrics.

I never had this album but know all of the songs except two. I’m surprised at how many classic LC songs are in this one. While it changes from time to time, my current favourite of the songs on this LP is One of Us Can’t Be Wrong which is loaded with killer lyrics such as “ . . . and then I confess that I tortured the dress that you wore for the world to look through.” On a live DVD I have he says the song is about a blond woman he met in a nazi poster. Gotta love Leonard.

At times, this album sounds like circa 1963 Bob Dylan. It's easy to imagine Dylan singing Master's Song or The Stranger Song. In addition to those 2, I'd list Susanne and So Long Marianne and Sisters of Mercy as some of Leonard Cohen's greatest compositions. I like the sparse production, complemented by just the right amount of eclectic instruments, strings and a single background vocalist, used sparingly. There's an electric guitar in Masters Song that goes uncredited. The other songs aren't as great, but lyrically LC is still in a category of with very few others in it.

The real port laureate of the boomers. Bob Dylan is good but Mr. Cohen is excellent with a voice that is far better suited than Dylan's nasally whine.

I’d give this album 5 stars for the song Suzanne alone. I enjoyed this very much. It’s musically soft and simple and it’s lyrically a master class in song writing.

The first of five albums that are called Songs..., this first one may lay the claim of being the best of the bunch. And why shouldn't it? With this debut, Leonard Cohen opens the door that contains more worlds than there are corners in each room, never letting up with his lyrical tapestry that weaves and woves with a delicate intensity that tells tales of lost love, venomous rage and emotional declarations. Most people would become content after making such masterpieces as this, but not Leonard. He had only just begun.

i love this album, the poetic nature of these songs is something you rarely see

So good. Demands close listening.

sacred music

Cohen's storytelling is second to none. This album was my introduction to him, towards the end of high school -- his lyricism is so vivid and cinematic that I couldn't help but love him. Musically, I was initially bored, but there is so much more going on than it may appear at first glance. The horns and strings and guitars that embellish his poetry and guitar playing can be subtle overdubs, but make all the difference. Truly a Canadian legend, and songs like "Suzanne", "Master Song" and "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" will always hold a place in my heart.

This is one of my favorite albums, listened to it 100s of times.

My mum has this record from when it came out. I gave it a few spins when I was a kid who’d discovered LC through Buckley’s cover of Hallelujah. Love Suzanne and So Long Marianne but had forgotten the rest. On re listening they stand out but the whole record is strong. What a voice and a truly great songwriter.

Possibly my favourite album of all time

He was the ultimate story teller, especially when it came to love, loss and lust

Favourite song: Suzanne

Brilliant artist throughout his life and this album reflects and foretells it wonderfully. He always draws me in and there's something about what he's saying and how he says it that keeps me engaged, even when he takes a path or uses a style that isn't my usual choice. I have read only brief descriptions of his life and art, but every time I learn something about him, I want to learn more. Sounds like I need to read a more fulsome biography about him. :)

Classic, so many good songs on this album

Waffling between 4&5 stars. Really enjoyed it, soothing and calm

TBz 1. So Long, Marianne 2. Stories of the Street 3. Master Song 4. The Stranger Song What a awesome listen. Just a collection of beautiful stories. No particular bangers per se, but the album is a work of art. This should be celebrated as a whole. I will add So Long, Marianne to my playlist but this album is special. Solid 5!

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

I cried twice listening to this album.

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

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

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

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

Perfection

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

🕵️

Another classic

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Vinilo.

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

5, wowzas

All his early albums are just perfect!

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

Great album

Just brilliant. I love this album dearly.

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.

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

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...

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.

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

Absolute classic.

Perfect album start to finish

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”

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

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.

Melancholic and beautiful. I just love it.

Leonard Cohens debutalbum från 1967. Fantastiska melodier, men det som gör albumet till ett av de bästa folkalbumen någonsin är främst texterna, poesin. Cohen berättar dystra historier om kärlek på ett extremt vackert och uttrycksfullt sätt. Det är svårt att inte bli påverkad. Om han hade levat idag är han nog i mitt tycke den musikpoet som efter Dylan mest förtjänar Nobelpriset. Jag hade lyssnat mycket på tre låtar tidigare, Suzanne; So Long, Marianne; och Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye, och hade även lyssnat flyktigt på albumet i sin helhet. Förutom dessa tre toppenlåtar är det några andra som sticker ut extra mycket, främst Master Song, The Stranger Song, och One of Us Cannot Be Wrong. Den sista avslutar albumet, och handlar om Nico, som Cohen var förälskad i en period. Hon kallades för "The Ice Queen", och låten visar hur hennes kyla påverkade alla som kom i kontakt med henne. Han sjunger om hur han berättade om sina känslor för en terapeut, som bara genom att höra Cohen berätta om Nico blir kär i henne, och tvinga stänga sin klinik. Då hela albumet kännetecknas av sin poesi, och hur skicklig Cohen är på att använda ord, blir det extra påtagligt att sista låten avslutas med ett ordlöst jämrande från Cohen, efter att han klivit in i Nicos snöstorm. Då albumet är en poetisk uppvisning så kommer här några av mina favoritformuleringar: "And just when you mean to tell her That you have no love to give her Then she gets you on her wavelength And she lets the river answer That you've always been her lover" - Från Suzanne "And while he talks his dreams to sleep You notice there's a highway That is curling up like smoke above his shoulder It's curling just like smoke above his shoulder" "And then leaning on your window sill He'll say one day you caused his will To weaken with your love and warmth and shelter And then taking from his wallet An old schedule of trains, he'll say 'I told you when I came I was a stranger'" - Båda från The Stranger Song "I'm not looking for another as I wander in my time Walk me to the corner, our steps will always rhyme You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me It's just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea" - Från Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye. (Den kanske kändaste raden - "Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm" - är också vacker). Bästa låt: Svårt att välja en. Väljer fyra: Suzanne; The Stranger Song; So Long, Marianne; och Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye.

Love Leonard Cohen. Great album.

Este disco me recordó que, cuando era cachorro, mi perrito se dormía escuchando “Suzanne” <3. No soy muy fan del género, pero sí reconozco qué hay letras muy bellas, y creo que es lo que más rescato

Leonard Cohen is amazing. This is earlier less noir and gritty, but still exactly what he does best.

One of the greats

Que clase, que delicadeza! Como no querer a Cohen

Excellent

Very cool. Very easy listening.

Sugar Man? Awesome for the sixties. I am going to listen again in mono.

Easy vibes

Perfect album.

bueno pero no de mi agrado

I liked this a lot. I think I am a Leonard Cohen fan. This is good stuff.

Leonard Cohen's music is like poetry. It's crazy how good and well-rounded is song-writing is even on his first album. This is a folk/singer-songwriter classic but somehow feels so ahead of its time too. The songs are really timeless and there is so much to discover throughout. I wish there was a bit more variation in them, but so good either way. Top Songs: Suzanne, Master Song, So Long, Marianne, Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye

Sehr ruhige Musik fast nur mit Gitarre. Sehr entspannend

Today was an unusually cool and muggy morning; I took a detour from my usual walking path to see the elephant tree. I'm still surprised at just how much less gruff and gravelly Cohen's voice is here in comparison to how it will sound later in his life. There's even sparser instrumentation here than on Songs From A Room, almost just his guitar and his voice with some occasional supporting choir vocals. As always, there is such beautiful poetry in his lyricism, with words so captivating and moving I wound up trying to sing along with songs I was hearing for the first time right then and there, and usually I could pull it off. There's also a particularly wonderful moment of additional instrumentation with what sounds like a marching band drum on So Long, Marianne, which serves as a powerful moment on the album; any time those additional musical elements crop up, they hit incredibly hard. There is a bit of a lack of progression on some of these songs, leaving them feeling a bit listeless and repetitive despite their beauty. I'm glad that this is a songwriting quirk Cohen would go on to work out as soon as his very next album. Highlights: Suzanne, So Long, Marianne, Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye, Stories of the Street, Teachers, One of Us Cannot Be Wrong

After suffering through two later Cohen albums we finally reach the pristine source, before his voice was ruined by smoking and he unwisely swapped out his hypnotic guitar for cheap keyboards. These more spartan arrangements let the poetry of the lyrics shine through.

A poet who can't sing, but sure can write some incredible songs. He would later come into his own as a performer -- I saw him in 2012 and he sang and danced for four hours with only one 5 minute break between two sets, then took three encores with no breaks, at 78 years old. Amazing!

We love Leonard but this does get samey after a while

A great collection of folk songs. While i do prefer you want it darker, it's still a solid debut album full of fantastic tracks in it.

I wish every track on this debut was as good as Suzanne, but I don't think such an album can even exist. Cohen comes pretty close a couple of times, though, and that's honestly a marvel. I'm not in love with every track on the album, a couple of them do become a bit too deadpan for my taste, but it's an overall beautiful set of songs. The guitar brings an unique sense of serenity and the lyrics speak for themselves, just wonderful. The sparse moments of backing vocals bring freshness and depth to the songs. Cohen's somewhat one-dimensional delivery and range are an acquired taste, but I consider them integral to his work, especially in contrast to the music and the lyrics. I think a better singer would ruin, or at least diminish, this album. That would be a shame, as this is an essential listen. Favourite track: Suzanne

Obvs he’s amazing but this album made me too sad

I did not expect to like this as much as I did. I've never listened to Leonard Cohen before. I feel like I need to listen to it 100 more times to get everything out of it!

issuing a disclaimer before my review: i’ve decided to be more stingy with my fives, coat of many colors and electric warrior are ACTUALLY a 4 for me . and I’m going to save my fives for albums that really stir me. melodic and beautiful, the lyrics are poetry and i’m not always like always sure what’s going on like. narrative wise but it reminds me of folk tales and obv very heavy with biblical references the background vocals on so long, Marianne are so lovely when they come in after “and the angels forget to pray for us” chefs kisssss i love in a couple of songs how the blonde woman is referred to as a storm. blondes have more fun joke here coconut rice with egg favorites: suzanne, the stranger song, hey that’s no way to say goodbye

I’m biased as a Leonard Cohen fan. In my opinion, no one crafted songs as well as he did in this era.

Brilliant songwriting, probably some of the best I’ve heard. I had to actively listen to each track to fully appreciate it. Still not sure what I think of Cohen’s vocals, but they were growing on me by the end. Definitely adding this one to my regular rotation.

I have not heard this one but I'm a big Leonard Cohen fan so Looking forward to it. Loved it his lyrics make me want to keep listening so well written

Lyrics are important, but sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes they are just the vehicle for the groove and the vibe of the song. However, here lyrics are key as the music and voice are so spare. And, oh what lyrics. Glimpses of the sublime, that tell us universal truths about love, loss and sacrifice. Suzanne May singly be one of the greatest songs ever

I found this set of poetry set to music both relaxing and mentally stimulating. A few songs don't work as well for me, but I'd definitely listen to the whole thing again. Didn't hit me quite the same as You Want It Darker, but I'm glad to hear more of Cohen's music.

Cohen picked up the ball Dylan set down and ran in an entirely new direction, mixing his own sense of poetry with plain, simple instrumentation. It's a heady mix, and Cohen isn't the most skilled musician yet so it's also pretty similar across the board. But the songs are deeply intoxicating and alluring, threatening to spiral out of control (as indeed Cohen does purposefully near the end of the album). It's not perfect but it's a strong record and one worthy of being here.

I'm from Belgium. Well 4 songs of this album (So Long, Marianne, Suzanne, Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye and Sisters Of Mercy) entered the Classics 1000 (Radio 1). As of today (or this year) two of them are still in the list (So Long, Marianne and Suzanne). I'm not familiar with any of Cohen his albums but I understand why. This album doesn't contain any bad song or any boring song. Really enjoyed listening to this album. I think i'm going to explore more of his albums very soon. 4/5

Ballads that grab you by the heart and don't let go. So beautifully soothing. Legendary voice too.