Reviews (page 7 of 14)
2 stars 60s folk can be repetitive and difficult to get through a full album for me because it’s so one note. I appreciate the craft and songwriting but it can be like sitting through a poetry reading with a guitar. Not my favorite and definitely not something I’d return to on my own.
He looks like Michael Corleone. Kinda melancholy album.
Solid album but not as good as his other work
Didn't enjoy at first, but after a few songs it set in. Gives Bob Dylan, saved a few songs, really made me realize how complicated music has become where this was just very simple with a nice emphasis on the lyrics.
I liked it! Had a “gather ‘round for story time with peepaw” vibe that I dig.
As usual with Leonard Cohen, a perfect album with absolutely beautiful songs.
It may be that I listened to this in the wrong kind of environment. I had it playing in my car while driving back from seeing the orchestra. This meant my partner and I were chatting, and there was motorway engine sounds in the background. Perhaps if my attention was fully on the album, I’d have heard more beauty in it. As it was, it felt like a bunch of songs that all sound very similar to each other. Any of these songs in isolation would have likely been fine, but 42 minutes of it resulted in my lost attention.
Nunca pude comprender a Cohen en su música y sus versos, me parecen tan cursis y aburridisimos con la misma tonada.
great
do not like leonard cohen. I am not a sabrina carpenter song
Not my thing
Obvious Classic, know this shit from front to back, not as good as Songs of Love and Hate tho
Smooth and lovely
Each song has its own charming and mysterious world. Maybe I don't quite understand them yet, maybe my ability to focus is too worn down to really absorb it all, but I want to come back to them. Instrumentation was vibrant and diverse, particularly the different instrumental inflections in Master's Song
It's alright. Nothing really amazing, but nothing terrible either.
Was ok. Kinda relaxing
Just beautiful. Favorite track: So Long, Marianne 4.5/5
Not my vibe. Melodic voice, but it all felt very same-y.
1.5
This is what I feel like people think Bob Dylan is. Yeah he's not the greatest vocalist, but the lyrics and atmosphere are amazing.
i can't really follow the lyrics. nice i guess? pretty one note.
Can't say I was excited to listen to a 4th Leonard Cohen album. At least it seemed like he tried to make music here. I still didn't like it, but it's by far the best of his albums that I listened to.
meh
Every song is boring and slow
Fantastic
Amazing. Produced by my friend John Simon. 5 *.
Too dergy for me
I found some of it fairly boring, but there were a few standouts. "So Long, Marianne" will stay with me. Unlike some of the other reviews, I don't find Cohen's voice particularly annoying - and do really like his backing guitar work. I do wish he would do a little more at points. 3/5
Not for me
J - 3/5 Best Track - "So Long, Marianne" F - DNL
What if every Beatles song was Eleanor Rigby? Introducing: Leonard Cohen. He’s spinning yarns. The Stranger Song slaps. He’s getting some good lines in, surprising rhymes (often all I need to be impressed, because we’ve been rhyming in English so long now). Is every song about a woman he feels bad for? Bc if so fair play. A wet Bob Dylan? Stories of the Street is excellent, as is One of Us Cannot Be Wrong. GOD, do I like Leonard Cohen? I think I might you know.
I can be quite binary with my choices, I’m Sopranos over the Wire. Simpsons over Futurama. Beatles over Beach Boys. So out of the two verbose (Jewish) folk men of the 60s, I’m pure Dylan and so have just had no interest really in Cohen. That’s quite a surface comparison really, they’re very very different, but I’m quite surface subconsciously so here we are. I thought this was a Great album. The male companion piece to Joni Mitchell’s Blue (I’d say Mitchell is a better surface companion to Cohen. Canadian. Steeped in literary tradition. Stripped back.) This is a definite re-listen. It’s simple, it’s pure, it’s full of Longing oh my god. Maybe a better comparison is the musical Phillip Roth? This is deeply up my street. Will it stick due to my unconscious bias? Hard to tell. I don’t want to give it a 5. Maybe because it’s the hottest day of the year. One of Us Must Be Wrong is beautiful though.
Second time listening to this on the 1001 album thing. Still grates quite a bit, although I appreciated the guitar playing a lot more this time. But stop droning on and on and get to a chorus or something. Some good songs, but not a 'driving home from work on a 28°C Friday' album listen
Лиричный фолк под гитару
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
Better than I expected
I LOVED IT!!! IT WAS AMAZING!! BEST ALBUM SO FAR! The Stranger Song.... weeehhhhh.....
So Long, Marianne slaps
I needed a lift on this Monday morning. This put me in a drab mood for the duration.
Best Song: Suzanne This was a first for me. I listened to this with my 18-year-old daughter who said, "all the songs sound exactly the same." I may blame this on naievete but the fact of the matter is, she was right. Not my thing.
Masters Song is so good. I never really gave LC a chance before but this is a great debut for a poet.
Not bad. Not my thing, but it was fine
Another one that reminds me of car journeys with my family. I know people sometimes struggle with his voice but I like it and I really enjoy the style of these songs. On the first listen I did feel like a whole album of music in that style is too much for me, but on a relisten I didn’t feel that at all - maybe one I just have to be in the right mood for. Fav song: So Long, Marianne - this is winning due to nostalgia, one we would sing along to in the car. I also liked Suzanne and The Stranger Song Least fav: Winter Lady
Was really not into this one today. I get this guy is respected but just did not do it for me. Specific rating - 2.5 Fav song - stories of the street Least fav- one of us cannot be wrong
Another album with "Jenny In The House" featured songs. Liked the songs I was nostalgic for more than the rest of the album (shocker) but still really enjoyed all of it. I just want to hear what he has to say! Favourite: So Long, Marianne Least: Teachers (really struggled to pick a least, I really like this album!)
I thought all of the songs here were beautiful, but this is still a really generous 3 - the timbre of Cohen's voice just doesn't sit right with me
Wasn't very impressed.
I really like Leonard Cohen, and this album was no exception. I love what he does with the harmony in his songs -- lots of unexpected chord changes and lots of spooky, cool-sounding atmospheres and stories told with music. I wish he was a more talented vocalist, but he is a brilliant poet, so that helps to make up for it. I listened to it twice. Four stars.
This is a true classic album by a amazing poet
Loved this album from the Get Go! Funky bass and percussion will always win me over. A jet service straight to the 1970’s. Elements of the Caribbean mingle in the streets of Latina America and the American Ghettoes. The perfect combination for an all round sound of funky soulful reggaeish beats x
6.5/10. I found this album a tad boring, but the songwriting is incredible.
Cohen of course has great lyrics but what has really always captivated me about this album is minimalism within the instrumentals. The sparing use of anything past the acoustic guitar such as backing vocals is done very precisely making these simple thing resonate so much more. This creates an atmosphere on this album unlike any I've really ever heard, mostly cold and lonely but with moments of light when these other elements come into play. These elements come together with the lyrics to create a truly one of a kind album.
So Long, Marianne gets it to 4 alone.
i was worried about this because i didn’t like the other two albums of his that we’ve had on this list. but this was great.
So, I didn't really know Leonard Cohen growing up. We didn't have any of his CDs and my whole opinion of him was that So long Marianne was probably his happiest song. So baffled me surprised when my dad did some tedious thing on Facebook (that's where old people go to watch adverts) where he listed his 10 favourite albums and lo and behold in the middle was this gem. So why had my dad, the main influence on all my music growing up, the reason I play an instrument, the reason I ended up in bands, the reason I like some yes albums, never played me one of his top 10 favourite albums? Probably cos he's an idiot. This however, is a delight. The guitar playing, the tunes, the lyrics. Beautiful.
Great Songwriting
Some great poetry put into songs on this album by the wordsmith.
Music for a generation, just not mine
Back half from So Long, Marianne is where it’s at. Didn’t quite make a 4, close.
Some heart felt lyrics, but overall, 🥱🥱
So many debut albums featured in the book and this is one of the greatest. Will never tire of these songs. The great poet delivered the perfect album
Pleasant enough, not something I would be wanting to listen to again. By then end of the album I was glad there was no more. Off to listen to some Joy Division to cheer myself up after that.
Pure poetry
I approached this album with the preconception that i font like Leonard Cohen’s vocals, so was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t immediately grate on me. The man can write emotive lyrics and is his younger years could passably sing these. However, it’s just generally a bit dull. Suzanne and So long Marianne are stand outs in a fairly bland album
I’m not as clinically depressed after it as I thought I would be, oddly.
My mind kept wandering while trying to listen to this. I was feeling a bit guilty about not giving it my full attention until I realised that we're just not a compatible pair. I don't mind Suzanne or So Long, Marianne but I don't particularly enjoy the vocals and a lot of the instrumentation felt quite samey between tracks. The weird ear-to-ear wailing and warbling of One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong was the final nail in the coffin. 2/5
Al Pacino sings folk tunes.
Tenk at så mange av de klassiske Cohen-sangan va å finne allerede på debutalbumet. Også litt overraska over at æ aldri har hørt på det her før, all den tid æ elska første Tom Waits-albumet og va svak for tidlig Dylan. Æ likte det godt nok til at det ikke e utenkelig at æ høre på det av fri vilje ved en seinere anledning.
Suzanne one of the best songs ever
eigentlich wäre es eine 2 aber weil mir letztes lied so gut gefällt kriegste 3
Great shit
Too slow for me
Listened in the truck via YouTube music. The singing all sounded the same but the words were great. Way more a poet than singer. The last couple songs I liked best.
Works when you think of it as a poetry album. Cohen's delivery is very much like Bob Dylan, more so than his later albums.
I liked marianne and can see why people like him, but wasnt for me.
Really good
Some great moments on this album. “So Long, Marianne” has some much needed instrumentation other than acoustic guitar. I feel like I get why people think Leonard Cohen is great, but it’s a little bit slow for my tastes. Perhaps if there were more instruments throughout the album it would pick up a bit.
It’s ok.
First impressions - I'm 5 tracks in and this needs to get better, quickly. Every single track is identical - that's not always a bad thing, but it is when it's just someone rambling monotonously. I can feel my mood getting darker and darker. Update - I made it all the way through. I'm not sure it actually got any better in the second half, but by then I'd kind of given up on it and was engrossed in other activities so it was really just on in the background. In summary, it was boring as fuck and far removed from what I would consider good.
Pretty good. Makes me want to listen to more Cohen
beautiful voice, unfortunately not my cuppa overall. open to hear more from him tho.
folksy, old school, lots of dad songs
Probabilmente da riascoltare
Perfectly good music that doesn't suit my tastes.
Brilliant. I love every song.
I understand why people may like it. It's just to slow for me. The story telling, writing and poetry is very creative. And I know there is a beat in there. I'm just not good enough to find it.
= the Beatles
snooooooze. But really there's some great songwriting here but I've never understood the near cult-like devotion some have for this guy.
Great Leonard Cohen
Surprised by how much I liked this, even though I think the second half of the album is largely a let down. It has a melancholic nostalgia to it that's hard to dislike.
Poetic, musical and a unique voice. My obsession with his stuff is still going strong.
Great collection of songs with brilliant lyrics.
Дебютний та перший у, так званій, трилогії «Songs…». Альбом що став взірцем мінімалістичної естетики. У його піснях - майже нічого, окрім голосу та гітари Коена, що змушує зосередитися на грі слів та його «гірко-солодкій» подачі. Співи Леонарда просякнуті тривожністю та меланхолією, а мінорна гітара тільки додає смутку. Це зовсім не той альбом який слухаєш «через музику», бо в цьому сенсі він є занадто стриманим. Головна його сила це звісно ж вірші Коена. В них ви знайдете образи розбитого серця, самотності, та купу релігійного символізму. Звісно, що найбільш «тріумфальним» серед трилогії є Songs Of Love and Hate, але саме дебютний альбом вважається найвпливовішим. Їм здебільшого надихались, та на нього орієнтувались такі зірки як Ренді Ньюман та Джеф Баклі. Ньюман навіть пародіював трек Suzanne, який також перероблювали R.E.M., а величний готичний гурт - Sisters Of Mercy назвалися так на честь 5-го треку цього альбому.
Jedinica iz principa. // Bila bi jedinica jer sam htjela da počinim samoubistvo.
Tender, dark and beautiful. Then it gets weird. Favourite tracks: Master Song, Teachers, One of Us Can't Be Wrong
I wanna smoke cigarettes and read Leonard Cohen poetry please
What a debut. A total vibe. Utterly transportative. The music is kinda secondary to the lyrical narrative and that is a-ok to me....(And it heavily influenced Andrew Eldritch's The Sisters of Mercy, so....)
Full of strong Melodie’s and very easy listening.
Leonard Cohen emerged as a fully formed songwriter. And that's really all there is to say. I would feel so dumb even trying to write something profound about his magnetic, fully enchanting lyricism. Do the instrumentals hold up? Ehm, yup.
Pretty solid but nothing special, had some good listens on there but just sounded like the average 60s folk album to me
Good album, loved the voice and the guitar
Great songwriting mediocre performance
amazing lyrics with an amazing voice with sublime guitar work, chuck on whenever wherever
langweilig
I loved it as an angsty teenager, and I still love it almost 50 years later.
I think I’m a Leonard cohen fan now?
Soundtrack to 2002-2008 Monday Happy Hour at any bar in Brooklyn. From the looks of the cover it must have been the soundtrack to a Dustin Hoffman movie too.
Poetic, melancholy and timeless. Some beautiful songs but ultimately rather dour.
The stranger song
I think I didn't hate this Cohen album? Maybe? It wasn't as fart-huffing, I know that much. It's 1:30 am 3 days after I listened. This is my review.
I hate this but I'll give it a 2 because it's at least a slight improvement over the other trash of his I've heard from this list.
RIP to a legend. The auspicious beginning.
A legend. A classic.
I'm surprised it's taken 366 albums to get to Leonard Cohen. Hope we get some of his later stuff down the road, but this is a great album.
First time listening, quite a treat, Ingenious fascinating lyrics
This album has such great song writing and the instrumentals accompany it so cozily
Was a bit dull for most of it but the songs sister's of mercy and so long Marianne save it
Kinda samey.
Each of these songs is fascinating, beautiful, compelling, haunting - and all of them are absolutely screaming for a more capable vocalist + better instrumentals. If he’d let someone better pick them up and run with them, this album would be incredible. As it is, meh. And frustrating because greatness is like, right there.
A gorgeous debut by one of the great singer-songwriters of Canada, and the world!
Definitely out of my wheelhouse but very good. Beautiful songwriting , so poetic. I don’t think this is an album I can listen to in full, just out of personal taste, but certain songs like “Suzanne” and “Teachers” I see myself coming back to. 3.5/5
My first experience with Leonard Cohen. More of a poet and lyricist and less of a singer, like Lou Reed. I can see the appeal, but not something I would go back to a lot.
I get it, just not my cup of tea.
Not bad. Was probably peak in its time but not really for me. A little too slow
This was very good for the time it was released. Love the triplet picking songs (The Stranger Song particularly) and the lyrics just seem more weighty than other late 60s artists. He has a deepish voice but nothing compared to his later stuff so I don't think Leonard quite has the same presence here as he'd develop in future albums. Would be happy to listen again but it's not a style I listen to a lot of, 3.5.
I've probably slightly undermarked LC. You Want It Darker is an album I often return to, and is pretty astonishing. I think this is his second strongest. Lovely, light, intricate guitars. Wonderful songwriting, and tuneful, mournful singing. Favourites are Suzanne (maybe my favourite song of his overall), The Stranger Song, and Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye. Tip top.
Thought this was pretty great. Cohen is one of the artists from this list that was a complete blind spot for me prior to starting this. I'll be back to this to listen properly but it's at least a 4
Old time folk, it's ... Okay. Chill doesn't really describe it, rather it gets boring to listen to. 2
Leonard Cohen was really original singer-songwriter, like whom there are no other. Or any alike are just followers. Songs on this album are beautifully crafted and the musicians really do honor the songs and Leonards vocal delivery.
I couldn’t listen this through. Yhteen songs and I was borderline bored to death
Mr Cohen has a special voice and style, but still full album of that stuff is too much for me.
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.
Pas mon style mais c’est pas désagréable à écouter.
Bom álbum. Verdadeiras canções de um intérprete muito bom!
Would give 3.5 if I could. We love him but other albums better, a little too calm and sleepy for my liking.
Classic but not my favorite album of his
It’s hard to rate this as an album that contributes to music as a whole. It’s not a “bad” piece of work. I respect it. It’s storytelling with raw vocals that walk a fine line between singing and talking over acoustic guitar. As someone who likes the production aspect of music, it’s not really my thing. But I’ll give it a respectable 3. 3/5
such a beautiful mind
Yawwwwwwwn. The music really matches the album artwork. He looks like he just listened to this album. Felt similar to how I experienced Dylan - just pretty simplistic and variations on a theme. Mostly 2 chords with a dragging vocal line. Hadn’t heard the influence on Fionn Regan before, so that was interesting, but when I love music that raises my spirit through surprise and novelty and skill, this did the exact opposite. Like a long, boring conversation with someone you’re trying to get away from. Actually found myself getting angrier as the album went on. Drawlllllll. (2.5)
Now, the second time I've sat through that album. Rich in lyrical content, but musically not a lot to grab onto for me. Notes, melodies, music are always my first draw. Don't think I'll be putting this on a third time.
Good Album but expecting better to come 3.8/5
Incredible. Listen once, twice, then again.
listened to again still brilliant poetry
4- Stars (10/15)
Glad to finally dig in to the Cohen catalogue. The lyrics are exceptional but I can’t imagine I’ll be adding it to my workout playlist.
I'm really excited for this one! I've been meaning to get into Leonard Cohen for a while, just never got around to it. I already know Suzanne, and I think I know what to expect. Suzanne is as beautiful as I remember. Paying more attention to the lyrics reveals just how beautiful a track it is. Lovely. Master Song is hauting. I don't know if I'll ever fully understand the lyrics. But the end does seem to show some resistance to the said Master, when the narrator says "And I taught him how you would long for me/ No matter what he said, no matter what you'd do". There's a lot of layers to that. And the repitition of the initial verse at the end of the song adds a lot of layers to it too. Great track. Winter lady is mysterious too. When people say Leonard Cohen was a poet they weren't kidding. I'm gonna have to think about these songs to fully understand them. Still, for now, this is very pretty. Man, I'm gonna thank God for Genius after this. At this point (Sisters of Mercy) I've kind of given up on fully understanding and interpreting the lyrics. I'm here for the ride. And that was very pretty. Ok, thankfully So Long, Marianne was simpler and easier to understand! Lovely too! Love the lines "You left when I told you I was curious/ I never said that I was brave". Yeah, writing's fun. Ok, I know virtually nothing about this man, and this next statement could be completely wrong, but he has got to be the sweetest person ever born. Teachers is about... trauma? I know he's very religious, and most religious people struggle with their faith. This song seems, at first listen, to be about the struggle with the teaching methods. This is one of my favourites so far. Yeah, that was good. Man, I don't know quite what to say. I'm puzzled. Was I completely lost lyrics wise throughout the whole record? Yes. Did I still enjoy the hell out of this? Also yes. I'm gonna need some time with this one, bue it really left a mark. As far as rating go, I have no idea how to proceed here. But hey, I'm gonna go with my heart here. This is for first listen purposes after all. Bye
Порой немного заунывно, но в целом можно включать изредка под грустное романтическое настроение. 6,5 из 10.
dylan of the darkness
Not bad
Toppnivået er bra, bunnivået er fyllerør. Dette er stort sett heismusikk.
I wasn't really impressed by this on immediate first impression, but it's really grown on my very fast. I originally thought this might have made this list just as a precursor to what Leonard Cohen would eventually release, but this does absolutely stand on its own! I do really love an acoustic guitar and vocal heavy folk album. Keeping it simple really lets small things be major highlights to an album, like his guitar plucking skills or lyricism (both of which are very good). The album never really blows me away though, which is something that I was really hoping and *wanting* it to do. It's incredibly consistent, with only the final couple moments of the final song really being noticeably not good. It also helps this style is in my comfort zone; my wheelhouse, so it's really easy for me to listen to. Favorite Song(s): Winter Lady, Stories of the Street
This is great poetry and pretty good music.
Gifted with one of the best albums ever written today! Superb lyricism, wonderful guitarwork throughout, perfectly fit for one of the greats of our time.
OVERALL: The lyrics are basically the only reason I'm rating it as high as I am. I don't really know what I was expecting, but I was a lot more bored than I was hoping. The songs are very beautiful, but a lot of them suffer from being very boring. Cohen also isn't the best at singing. Some of these songs took way too long, even though the album is only around 42 minutes long. The instrumentals were usually fine, but they were usually pretty boring. This album really shines in the lyrics, which are always good, and are usually great. Unfortunately, they aren't enough to carry the entire album to be perfect. They are enough to bring it from a 3 to a 4, so that's good I guess. SONG AVG: 7.45 PERSONAL RATING: 7/10 Suzanne: Very beautiful, and the lyrics are pretty good. It is kinda boring, and Cohen sounds very tired, but everything else is too good for me to give it anything lower. 9.25/10 Master Song: I feel like all of the songs are gonna be like this, objectively good but boring. Very good lyrics, and the guitar is kinda basic, but it also sounds okay and gives it a very eerie atmosphere. I also don't really like Cohen's singing that much, and it kinda drags on for too long. 7.75/10 Winter Lady: The instrumental is so far the best by far, but the lyrics are much more simple. It feels like an interlude, but is still pretty beautiful. 7/10 The Stranger Song: I don't know how I feel about this song. I like the instrumental, but it's very repetitive and becomes pretty boring after a minute. The lyrics are very good, but I feel like they didn't need to be stretched to be 5 minutes long. Other than that, I feel the same about this one as I do about the previous songs. 7.5/10 Sisters of Mercy: It's good. Really nice instruments, and the lyrics are obviously great. I feel like his voice gets covered by the instrumentals, but that's not too much of a problem. It also doesn't drag on for too long 9.5/10 So Long, Marianne: I haven't heard much of Leonard Cohen's music before, so I think this is what I was expecting. Really good overall, his singing is actually not that bad. Great backing vocals, great instrumental, great lyrics. It kinda drags on, but it doesn't really harm the song at all. 10/10 Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye: Okay, this is kinda mid. I like some parts of the instrumental, especially when it does the thing at around 1:50, but it's pretty boring otherwise. I just really don't like his singing here. I also feel like the lyrics are a bit worse and more simple than before. I guess it sounds good? 5/10 Stories of the Street: The last song but better. His singing is pretty bad, but the instrumental is better and the lyrics are really good. It's also kinda boring, but that's to be expected at this point. 7/10 Teachers: Good I think? The instruments bring a small level of intensity, but this feels so much like a filler song. I feel like he took a few leftover lyrics, slightly modified them, and tried to make them relate. The lyrics are pretty good, but everything is just kinda decent. 6.25/10 One of Us Cannot Be Wrong: What is happening after the last verse. Other than that, it's fine. Kinda boring. The one part where someone is moaning semi-melodically seriously brings the song down. 5.25/10
Not a fan
Fint å gjøre lineær algrbra til :)
classic album. suzanne is just too good
Not for me
Hey thats no way to say goodbye is a special one to me. This album has good stories in it - much more meditative/meanery and is lyrically great! Yay
3rd album in a row I own on record, always a pleasure spinning this one. Actually one of my favourites of all time. Leonard Cohen’s poetry is immaculate in this and it will always stand the test of time. What an amazing man.
That's not my taste in music - But ok
Gotta listen to this by a river ASAP
Sometimes I doubt this guy but this album ..... undoubted ever again
this is an all timer for me and the army of depressed men I represent
Lots of soft guitar. Gentle singing. Story-telling. Religious feel. Reminds me of Simon & Garfunkel as well as Neil Diamond. Not my style but not bad.
I like it. It reminds me of Bread (the band, not the food) which I got into during Covid to help with my anxiety. It's literally so chill and mellow it pairs perfectly with a glass of wine and your two best friends -- that is only if super chill nights with your friends is something you enjoy.
Fuck Leonard Cohen
Quiet brilliance ❤️
Really enjoyed this all around. Apparently I'm a fan now.
Okay this one was better than the last Leonard Cohen record. “So Long, Marianne” is a good one. 3 stars
i dont typically choose to listen to mr leonard cohen but i am glad that this was the album for the day. this was the first time i actively listened to his music. i really love bob dylan so this felt like a toned down version of his music. i like the storytelling aspect of his lyrics. he sings with a peaceful tone and i think that it is good background music. i can definitely see how he may have influenced paul simon's solo work. but overall, this album was gentle and lovely. however, i still wouldnt reach for most songs from this album. my favorite song was "hey, thats no way to say goodbye". i would rate it a 2.5 or a 3, but im feeling generous so ill rate it a 3.
this is a great album. the sparseness of the arrangements is great in imparting a real clarity to things. probably not an album that I'm going to revisit a ton as I'm just personally a little less interested in this sort of folk thing, but a great listen for this project.
no
Didn’t finish but great lyrics from the ones I did. Marianne is a bop.
God damn love this album
Solid.
Clearly brilliant song writing but I have to admit I find it a little boring, just not to my taste.
I like the quiet nature of this album.
I was surprised how much I liked this album. Not a top tier for me by any stretch, but it was far more-- enjoyable?-- than I thought it would be. Classic and captures very clearly who Leonard Cohen was. It isn't for everyone, and I think a lot of the critiques are valid. But it does capture a moment in time and an important musical influence.
3.5, it’s great but not elite by cohens standards
Definitely a Leonard Cohen album. I'm a fan. So long, Marianne was my favourite
1. zuzanne - 2.5 2. mazter - 2 3. lady - 1.5 4. ztranger - 2 5. mercy - 1.5 6. long - 2.5 7. goodbye - 2 8. ztreet - 2 9. teacherz - 2 10. uurong - 2.5
Artful troubadour.
No variety in the tracks. The dreary vibe means I'm not a fan.
Ethan has loved this album for as long as I can remember. Every time I hear "Suzanne," I think of him. Like the rest of the album, this song embodies a beautifully sad feeling. It is full of love but a touch of somberness, almost like the feeling you get when you remember you will never get a moment again, or a sort of nostalgia. That feeling is evoked for me time and time again throughout the album. It is the combination of humble instrumentation, his soft voice, beautiful lyrics, and fluttery backing vocals. Although I am not a fan of folk/spoken word adjacent music, I really appreciate this album. My favorite track was "So Long, Marianne".
There Are Heroes In The Seaweed 1001 Albums Generator 19 (04/29/2025) Songs of Leonard Cohen is the debut album by Renaissance man Leonard Cohen, released in 1967. Before this album, Cohen was primarily known as a writer, but after penning Suzanne and being encouraged by close friend Judy Collins to play it live, he was signed to Columbia and his music career began. The fact that someone could start their musical journey with a song as perfect as Suzanne is astounding. This is perhaps Cohen's most acclaimed record, featuring three of his most popular songs, and it features a very stripped back sound. Primarily backed only by his acoustic guitar and some light orchestration, Leonard Cohen quietly sings his way through these 10 songs with an imperfection and amateurishness that somehow add to the charm and memorability of this wonderful album. It is so sad to see people on 1001albumsgenerator.com getting one-shotted by this thing. Complaints of "boring", "minimal", and "poor singing" miss the mark in my view. The minimal production and simple vocal melodies force you to really listen. As a listener, this should be your job, but when presented with a flashy, maximalist rock album, it's easy to let it flow in one ear and out the other. If you let an album like this one wash over you, it will be very easy to call it boring. In fact, it probably is boring to listen to it in this way. Besides the bits of orchestration provided by John Simon (which led to Cohen's consternation), the sound of this album is a man and his guitar. However, I think the simplicity of this album's musicality, even by its fans, is wildly overemphasized. Listen to the baroque American Primitivism-esque guitar work on The Stranger Song and Teachers. These are seriously challenging to play, and while I would never argue for Leonard Cohen as more of a guitarist than a songwriter, his guitar work is a bit underrated. Listen to the psychedelic cabaret of Sisters Of Mercy. It sounds like a fucked up carnival, especially when listening with headphones. The first part of So Long, Marianne feels very country. This song has really interesting structure, starting out with almost full instrumentation before fading into just guitar, bass, and vocals. Then it becomes as energetic as this album gets as the drums come in. The ending of One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong sounds like a precursor to slacker rock, with its lofi sound and nearly screamed wordless vocals. With all this said, Cohen was of course a poet first and foremost. I don't think it is an over-exaggeration to say that the second verse of Suzanne could be the best stanza of lyrics ever. He describes Jesus as a sailor and then a watchman, realizing that he is only prayed to by those who need something from him. Jesus is forsaken by God through crucifixion, but he rises from the dead. However, in spite of this miracle, Cohen seems to realize that his love for Suzanne overtakes even his faith. I feel like there are even more layers here that I have yet to uncover in all my listens. This song is just beautiful. One small hit against this album is that Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye is definitely similar to Suzanne in its melody and guitar part, especially in the verses. Being similar to Suzanne is certainly not a bad thing, but I don't think this helps this album fight against arguments of homogeneity. When I think of perfect folk albums, this is one of the first things that comes to mind. Blending the incredible, thoughtful lyrics of a man who was a poet first with the minimal, yet detailed, production of John Simon leads to a perfect album. Songs Of Leonard Cohen is a 5. It was a 5 when I listened to it the first time a couple years ago, and it's still a 5 now. What a privilege to get to listen to this project today. Hopefully no Kid Rock tomorrow. Favs: Suzanne So Long, Marianne One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong Least Fav: Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
Wonderful album
Somber and poetic. Melancholy, but so good, able to tap into something special.
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.
Some very subtle, but complex instrumentation on this album. Dark, beautiful songs. A classic folk album without doubt. Favourite tracks: Master Song; So Long, Marianne; Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye; Teachers; One of Us Cannot Be Wrong
Subtle, poetic and engaging. Brilliant as a debut album. Undoubtedly influenced generations to come.
bro just did spoken word poetry over some guitar
Canadian Bob Dylan? Maybe Bob Dylan is the American Leonard Cohen
10/10 makes me feel melancholy and moody
3,5/5 Melkein jopa nelosen levy. Jotenkin miellyttävää kuunneltavaa.
Mies ja kitara toimi hyvin. On sillä vaan upea ääni. Tykkäsin!
Tiettyyn fiilikseen oikein sopiva. Muutamassa kappaleessa pientä paikallaan junnaamista, mutta oikein hyvä. 4
Onhaan tää Gubbe legenda. Toki si taas albumillinen menee överiksi
Hyvän kuuloista tunnelmointia. Kyllä levyllisen jaksaa helposti kuunnella.
Hieno albumi! Miellyttävä ääni ja kappaleet ovat tarinanomaisia kertomuksia. Huomaa että Cohen oli alunperin kirjailija.
Excellent debut. Leonard Cohen got wiser, and more haunting, with age but that doesn't mean he was a fool to start. I'm sure he'd call himself a fool to the end, though
Not as good grizzled end of his life Cohen, but I settled into it. He started his career in one style and never differentiated from it. And I like it. This really feels like a man telling the story of beginning of a lifetime, a lot of songs have the religious imagery he’s known for but there’s a lot of mentions of “you” or a woman, like a young man whos thoughts are always undercut by love or relations. Strengthened by his later works like You Want It Darker which is clearly the end of one. I may not know Leonard Cohens whole life story, but I understand it.
Som en levnadsglad man som har gett upp
LC is one of my all time faves. Through many pub conversations, I've come to the conclusion that some people just derive more value from lyrics & storytelling, others from musical and technical ability. I'm the former. It's poetry set to music really, this is. THAT BEING SAID Cohen has like, 4-5 albums which are far better, and more enjoyable, and interesting than this one.
Not a bad album. Not really my style tho. Has some good songs.
Enjoyed more than I thought I would.
An album to listen to, spend time with, needing attention. I perfectly do understand that this is mostly met with either enthusiasm or despite. I am on the enthusiastic side of things. Because I do dare to wait...
Iconic Canadian! Enjoy some of his music. There's a lot I haven't heard though, including on this album.
Love Leonard Cohen, but this isn't his best work.
I knew a couple of these songs as covered by others. This album could do with a bit more stylistc diversity, but the one mode most of it is in is amazing- moody, mealnacholic, classical sounding guitar picking. and cohen sounding so young with his voice in a higher register than I'm used to. anyway. I loved it.
where is HALLELUJAH as featured in SHREK by rufus wainwright/john cale/leonard cohen/jeff buckley/pete wentz's suicidal depression? it's not here. i thought that was his only song. i don't really care for his other music do i this reminds me of a sleepier simon & garfunkel. it's sort of a transitional folk album that almost becomes rock sometimes but mostly stays the same. highlights for me are his lyrics and i didn't hate the overall vibe. so long, marianne was the only one that i really got into. but i did get really, really sleepy listening to this, which was NOT good because i was driving. having given our s&g album a 5, i can't deduct too much from this, because the biggest difference is that one has sentimental value for me and one doesn't. weirdly intense album cover. 3/5 i think i need to give paranoid another shot
He’s alive this time! This is good. Goat lyricist, instrumentals ranging from bad to sick. This album started really sleepy and boring but it really picked up for me at Stranger song. That and sisters of mercy were so good. Everything after those two held my attention. Maybe I just need to warm up to Leonard when I listen to him, idk, the first three were better on the run back than I remembered. I like the death album more but this is great. I love the random instruments he sneaks in. It’s a high 4, I might need to re rate the death album a 5 and make this a 5 too. TBD.
Good songwriting. Very pretty. It was nice to hear his older albums when he doesn't sound like he is on the verge of dying. I appreciate this album, but it doesn't move me like some of the other albums we have had.
2nd Leonard Cohen album. You Want it Darker was probably the wrong intro into Cohen, but I loved that record so I have high hopes for this bad boy. He actually sings on this one, but don't expect a wide range here. Starts with a classic - Suzanne. Didn't take long to get some biblical references did it? An issue with this project is that we don't get a whole lot of time to dig into the lyrics of each album that we get, and this is certainly one that I want to read along while I listen to it. Really enjoyed these songs: Suzanne, Master Song, Stranger Song, Sisters of Mercy, So Long Marianne, Teachers, and One of Us Cannot Be Wrong. That's almost the whole album. I liked the others but not as much. Guitar picking on this is simple and so good. The closer might be my favorite. I think this Cohen guy is going places. Feeling a 5/5 on this, another one I wish I had on Vinyl
This album bought an incredible amount of goodwill with me with "So Long, Marianne". I find 60s folk usually deeply boring, I'm not much of a lyrics guy and the artistry of "grand poetry atop sparse instrumental" is often lost on me: guy who likes Charli XCX a whole bunch. That being said, Leonard Cohen does show some solid ability to put together something interesting under the vocals. I don't have a ton of love for this album, its just too slow and sparse for my liking, but Leonard Cohen shows flashes of his ability to arrange a hell of a song on here. You can see how he eventually created "Hallelujah", but he's not there yet.
Great, poignant lyrics over music that just drags.
Found this the weakest of the three len albums we’ve had but can see a lot of his later stuff in this
I need to listen to Leonard more, this album was great and set a great mood.
Like a tamer, less experimental Simon and Garfunkel. Decent album but it didnt really stand out compared to others I’ve heard in the same “genre”
Not as good I as I used to think it was.
Beautiful folk music.
I was a big fan of First We Take Manhattan as a 10-year-old, which has set me up well for the cruelty of life.
no hübsch, herzig, schön und beruhigend zum im hintergrund lose bim butze. aber ich merke, dass so singer-songwriter zügs nöd so mis isch, d akkörd sind mer zu predictable und ufd lyrics losi nöd so fest, drum seit mir das amel nöd so vill.
Not my speed. Dont love that it’s all spoken word. Tracks are pretty homogenous.
Decent.
I remember my dad warning me that Leonard Cohen was 'pretty dark'. I was big into Joy Division at the time so whatever. Anyway this album is just the same sad folk song over and over again. There isn't a lot going on musically until Sisters of Mercy halfway through when you get some accordion and bells. So Long, Marianne is has a mandolin and fiddle and backing singers. None of it is any better than the tracks that are just sparse guitar strumming. Stories of the Street is the highlight employing some more interesting scales and feeling a bit more full bodied without actually adding any extraneous instrumentation. Cohen's lyrics are effective but this is 1001 albums not 1001 poems.
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.
Each song was literally just the same tune repeated over and over again for three to four minutes. I'm not exaggerating at all. Every. Single. Song. Also, his voice was terrible, and he decided that it would be a great idea to not mask that fact by having only a guitar for accompaniment. There were maybe two songs that had more instrumentation, and unsurprisingly, his voice didn't sound as terrible! Leonard Cohen, I don't care how good your writing is if you keep repeating the same tune over and over. If you're good at poetry but bad at musicality, write a poem, not a song. Thank you and goodnight.
4/5, 2nd half of album was better me thinks
it was pretty mid except for teachers
Heck of a first album. Not quite there yet, but as proofs of concept go, it’s awfully solid.
A little too much of the same song the whole time.
Cohen's debut is quite unusual as far as debut albums go. Him being already pushing 40 meant he was a mature writer from the get go, and his experience as an author gave him a different approach to writing lyrics. What I do associate this album with the most is that my father sometimes randomly sing the chorus of "So Long, Marianne". He does it hopelessly out of tune, but in an endearing way. Key tracks: Suzanne So Long, Marianne
Stille, ikke helt min smag
Not bad, not great.
I'm not a massive LC fan. This wasn't really my thing.
Was interesting towards the beginning, but you lost me by being too mumbly...
Some good sad vibes
Never gonna get it! Although this is most paletable
Excellent album, surprised me. I almost skipped, instead I found something to pair with pink moon.
Somewhat depressing.
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
Very surprised by this! I’ve heard about Cohen for years, but was never interested in his music. This album is so nice and folksy, with deep and interesting lyrics. Some unique sound choices.
Of the LC records we’ve heard so far, “I’m Your Man” is my favourite, but the debut most clearly sets out his specialities: the mythic presentation of the everyday lit up by striking imagery, the direct address, his voice pitched at a barroom dramatist’s laconicism, and a strong rhythm guitar propelling the machine along. The embellishments crackle: “So long, Marianne”’s accentuating drum rolls at close and the far off warbling below upfront whistling of “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” make me want to listen to those songs again as I write.
This is a remarkable album; to modern ears it might sound sparse, repetitive even, but in context it houses an incredible run of songs that defined the singer-songwriter field for decades to come. Any disagreement is akin to a highschooler arguing about reading Shakespeare- stick with it, it's good for you! "Some girls wander by mistake into the mess that scalpels make" Phenomenal
Fantastic record
Very good
Was expecting a higher rating, but the musicality just isn't that interesting for too many re-listens.
sleepet
😴
I don't like this kind of music
Hypnotic album, flied by really fast
Cohen has a classical voice, and interesting lyrics. It's like what Dylan could have been if he had a decent singing voice. But, Cohen suffers from the same thing as Dylan, long rambling songs that become monotonous after the 8th verse.
Some excellent guitar playing on teacher!
it was pretty good - not super my taste
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.
4/5. The highlight is clearly the lyrics, imagery is vivid and his voice feels young and naive yet experienced. The main issue is that Leonard kind of sticks with the same way of saying things which although can have a certain energy to it, it ends just being monotone. I respect the music arrangements, with some backing vocals or unique instrument. I think it's almost perfect but the vocals are not doing it for me. Best Song: So Long Marianne, Suzanne, Sisters of Mercy
Красиво, поэтично, вдумчиво.
Wasn’t the worst I heard. I like singer songwriter type music content bad but it didn’t give me any energy that was great to me.
Да блять)
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
Hadn't heard this one at all. A master of lyrics but not my kind of general listening. love the stranger
I listened to this album years ago and didn't understand what the appeal was, but now I get it 100%. So Long, Marianne is an unbelievablely good song. 10/10
ceonard lohen
i fuck HEAVY WITH IT
-1 point for using my vocals at the end of One of Us Cannot Be Wrong without my permission??? His rotting corpse can talk to my fuckin lawyer.
Nice
Amazing album with consistency. Every song was at leats good and the lyrics are just on very high level. About 8.5-9/10.
Chill
æi, hata að ég elskaði þessa plötu. á samt skilið 4.
Beautiful, mournful songs, Cohen has a great voice. It's a petty quibble, but the songs are so consistently bleak... other singer-song writers can be more fun to sing along with.
Fantastic haunting album
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
With the mostly sparse musical content, the lyrics have to carry so much weight and while he’s obviously a brilliant song writer, I was kind of hit and miss of whether a song captured my attention or not. Probably need a few more listens to rate it properly
4.2 As I read through the wikipedia write up there was this review "There are three brilliant songs, one good one, three qualified bummers, and three flaming shits." I think you could say that about a lot of the albums we review in this exercise. But I would disagree with that sentiment for this album, the bottom-end stuff I still think is fairly interesting and unique on their own.
Well, 1960s music poetry....You can see where the legend of the great poet singer came from at least even if you don't love the music per se.
a man that sing about life 8 out of ten
Instrumentals are simple but great. The singing is also good and not too obstructive. Favourite songs: Suzanne, master song, winter lady, sisters of mercy, so long, Marianne, hey, that's no way to say goodbye, stories of the street, teachers, one of us cannot be wrong. Goblins type music exactly. Overall around 8/10
Deep, needs a few listens
No thanks. Every song sounded the same.
Perfect, sleepy little album. Great for a late afternoon nap outside in the hammock.
An absolute masterclass in lyrical and musical excellence. But imagine the hubris required to think HE was the best person to sing his songs. Fantastic songwriting, suboptimal execution.
This is good, but I’m not sure if I like it. It’s depressing and I’m in the mood for depressing currently. Winter lady was very enjoyable towards the end of the song. Sisters of mercy is great. I’m definitely taking a journey with this album. I feel like I need to explore more to really get it. Now I’m on “hey that’s no way….” And I’m noticing a trend that a lot of times I don’t enjoy the first couple tracks on an album, but towards the end I’m all in. That’s happening here. I’m not sure if I require a warm up period or if that’s how the albums were designed? And just like that stories of the street lost me. 🤣
Not again! Pain.
Not terribly interesting to me, but not terrible.
very much enjoyed
Can't go wrong with Leonard Cohen's songwriting
i miss him
Thought this was quite boring tbh
I hate when artists get the title of their album wrong. This should definitely be called The Sad Ass Songs of Leonard Cohen. In all seriousness, the folk genre is one that I never thought I would enjoy as much as I do now. Yes, it’s a sad ass album but hidden there is a beautiful gem, the songwriting shining through and touch us all. Beautiful album and I’m always a fan of a good melodic whistle to end an album.
NICE LISTENING
**boring album, very slow , repetitive, and all tracks sound alike
When I was a kid I heard a comedian , I think it was Ben Elton say “there I was sitting at the bar, humming a Leonard Cohen ditty…mmmmmmmmm”. Inferring his stuff is all monotone without ‘life”. Fast forward to my second dabbling into vinyl, and I bought my first LC album - You want it darker”’. Been buying his back catalog ever since. Guess I had to mature my listening tastes. This is all the stars for me.
(listened twice, was also working on my pc both times) A lot of women being mentioned. Suzanne, Winter Lady, Sisters of Mercy, Marianne, Teachers. Interesting. One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong was my favorite, what an incredible song, and beautiful ending to the album! Suzanne was also a banger, but I knew that. So Long, Marianne was cool as well with the girl singing in the chorus Never listened much to Cohen tho. But I liked it. The songwriting was great and interesting. Although it didn't really hit as deep as I thought it would. But every song can't be Hallelujah I guess. I like the minimalism as well. Mostly just guitar and him. Besides the 3 songs I mentioned, I can't really differentiate the other songs from one another. They kind of just melted into eachother. And again... i got kinda bored tbh. Actually so much that I'm not giving it the highest rating. Would have given it 2,5 if I could. That doesn't mean I won't listen again. I think I'll even buy the vinyl. It just didn't grap my attention that much. Funny to think this is almost 20 years before Hallelujah.
Easy listening with stories from the heart.
Hmm. This is my third Leonard Cohen album, if memory serves. So far, I've liked his late 80s album the best. This was a little bit too out there for me. I'm more of a music person and less of a lyrics person. Since I listen to these albums when I drive, it's hard to give the lyrics the full attention they deserve. I didn't dislike this but I didn't particularly care for it, either.
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.
This slow, melancholy music worked out well on a somber St. Patrick's Day morning. Favorite Track: "One Of Us Can't Be Wrong".
One of the best singer somgwriter album of all time.
Cohen said about Dylan’s Nobel literature award:“To me, it is like pinning a medal on Mount Everest for being the highest mountain” Cohen can be second highest.