Songs Of Love And Hate

god this is dreary. someone should introduce this guy to some Sponge Bob.

“Songs of Love and Hate” by Leonard Cohen (1971) I recommend that you don’t play this album as background music while you’re working. This album should be listed to on a cold and/or rainy day, wrapped in a blanket and drinking herbal tea—staring out the window. I’ve never listened to this album before, although I’ve long respected Cohen’s work, chiefly his more popular works like “Suzanne”, “The Future”, “First We Take Manhattan”, and “Democracy”. This album does not disappoint. Cohen is a poet and a prophet (in that order). His genius in this album is found in the dark musical and lyrical moods which he crafts with an entrancingly low baritone voice and skillful acoustic guitar stylings. His production team has found the perfect combination of echo and reverb to accentuate his unique vocal style. Cohen strugglers with pitch control, but more than compensates with sonority. His backing instrumentals and vocals are first-rate (including, I was pleased to learn, Charlie Daniels on bass and fiddle). But the focus here is on the lyrics. The listener is compelled to think about each line, and Cohen’s slow tempo and metrical space provide opportunity for this. The word pictures are evocative, prompting his audience to enter into the narrative as a front row observer, if not a participant. The symbolism is rich and imaginative, if not always decipherable, and finely tuned to the overall theme and mood of each composition. I recommend “Avalanche” and “Joan of Arc” for a serious listen. In his lyrics, he frequently makes reference to historical, literary, and cultural markers in order to serve his poetic expressions, revealing an intellectual engagement with the human drama that is as deep and sonorous as his voice. The lyrics of “Avalanche” would stand alone as poetry, inviting the hearer to consider how his or her physical imperfections affect one who has pity. He writes this poetic monologue in such a way that virtually everyone can relate to both sides of a pointedly touching encounter. The line “You must learn what makes me kind.” is hortatory without being preachy. I’d love to lie on the couch in his office. “Joan of Arc” is a wonderfully inventive love ballad imagined between St. Joan of Arc and the fire that consumed her as she was executed by being burned at the stake. It plays on the theme of ‘love as a flame’, with echoes of St. John of the Cross “The Dark Night”, stanza 3, and “The Living Flame of Love”: “¡Oh llama de amor viva! . . . Matando, muerte en vida la has trocado.” The serious listener will make a penetrating if tearful comparison with Loreena McKennitt’s “Dark Night of the Soul”: “The fire ‘twas led me on . . “ I need a break. Anyway, this album is very good. If you’re interested in digging deeply into your soul, Leonard Cohen is standing there with two shovels. And a match. 4/5

I don’t think I’ll ever understand the appeal of Cohen.

He's sad and he has a guitar. Fuck yeah!

This would depress a puppy.

What a voice, what a poet. Famous Blue Raincoat is a melancholy masterpiece - it doesn't matter how many times it is played.

Medicine for depression. If you want to be depressed, that is.

Probably stomached enough of Leonard by this point. If this was a footballer, it'd be Phil Neville.

Didn't love any of the songs. Did hate a few, so title is half accurate.

Great for listening to when you've had a heavy night on the crack pipe

I really like poetry despite not knowing what it means most of the time. I just think word soup is cool. This album is no exception.

Man, this is bleak for first thing on a Saturday morning.

it's fine. this is fine.

No Leonard Cohen

Unquestionably a masterpiece. My favorite of Cohen’s albums. This is what Bob Dylan wishes he sounded like

Don't even need to stick this on to know it's a five. More if it was allowed. Not even his best album, but still holds many moments of transcendent beauty.

I would have bet a fool’s seventh gonad that I would enjoy this, but it was pretty bland and annoying

This was absolutely hauntingly gorgeous. Cohen's voice is incredibly emotive, and the often bare-bones instrumentation really brought that out.

No. 104/1001 Avalanche 4/5 Last Year's Man 5/5 Dress Rehearsal Rag 3/5 Diamonds in the Mine 3/5 Love Calls You By Your Name 4/5 Famous Blue Raincoat 5/5 Sing Another Song, Boys 4/5 Joan of Arc 4/5 Average: 4,0 What a great poet and melancolic songwriter. Famous Blue Raincoat best showcases his ability of eliciting feelings from his listeners. Still don't know why he thought Diamonds in the Mine is worth including in this album.

Leonard's lyrics have always been the best of the best but, except for the album Phil Spector produced, the instrumentation on his LPs before Various Positions was rudimentary.   While some of this is due to his music drifting away from pure folk in later years, I expect another reason is that Hallelujah brought him money so he could afford more studio time to add more layers to the sound.  Joan of Arc, my favourite song on the album, is an excellent example. You can see how the song evolved by comparing the album version and the version on his 1994 LIVE album. Avalanche is a haunting song and the instrumentation doesn't need to evolve one inch. It's my favourite song on the album. Leonard plays the classical guitar. His guitar playing is underrated and he was somehow able to play this and sing at the same time when they played this live. Last Year's Man is another gem lyrically. It's also my favourite song on the album. I like how the children's choir is brought in to sing back up but just for the sixth minute of the song. I guess they didn't have any more rehearsal time lol. The children make another cameo in the last quarter of Dress Rehearsal Rag.  Side 2 has Famous Blue Raincoat which is definitely definitely definitely my favourite song on the album.   The songs that I didn't mention as my favourite are also quite good. Esp Dress Rehearsal Rag, Diamonds in the Mine, and Sing Another Song Boys.--

Wonderfully mellow guitar sound and Leonard perfectly front and centre without being obtrusive. Genuinely poetic. So many simple but subtle production details with backing instruments and vocals.

5/5. Big Leonard Cohen fan! Always great to see his albums on this list. Best songs: Avalanche, Joan of Arc, Dress Rehearsal Rag, Love Call You By Your Name, Diamond in the Mine,

A masterpiece. Lyrical poems, and what a voice.

I never think I will like Leonard Cohen's music but as I listen it surprises me and I do like it. 4 stars or B+.

I'm a big fan of I'm Your Man so was excited to get Leonard again. This one feels like a stripped down version of that. I love his voice and his drama, and I like when the backing vocals come in. Overall though, this album is a little too simple, and I don't really know what he's singing about. Diamonds in the Mine was the standout song for me, and Sing Another Song got pretty interesting as it went on. Despite not loving this, I like his style and he still makes me swoon.

The first time I've heard this for the astonishing work it is. I can't believe it's taken this long. Maybe I was on too much of a Cohen bender first time around, or I didn't have a wide broad enough frame of reference. In a way, it's Cohen at his most rock and roll. Spiritually and emotionally it's raw, aggressive, even violent. The guitar picking--which for all the world should sound delicate, even timid--is somehow muscular. It's got *ass*. As for the imagery: "That's a funeral in the mirror and it's stopping at your face."

Avalanche is great, although a tad bit long. That actually holds up for the whole album; the songs last too long for my taste. The album couldn't hold my attention when listening from front to back either. All in all I rather listen to Nick Drake or Tom Waits when I'm in the mood for melancholic songs.

The last album you want to listen to when the windchill is -35 degrees outside. Unless depression is sort of your thing.

Beautiful, haunting, and almost devastating, all in one album. The lonely atmosphere and stripped back isolated instruments give this album a vibe that's not quite like anything I've heard before, but still just pierces your soul in a way that nothing else really can.

Like most everybody who comes across this entry, I’ve heard Leonard Cohen before, I know his big songs like Hallelujah, First we take manhattan or Suzanne and I mean he’s pretty good. Not my favorite. I think I tried to listen to an album of his before and came away unimpressed. This one is different. Glancing over the track list I of course know Famous Blue Raincoat and was wondering if I’ll just get that and an album of fillers. How wrong was I. The album starts with Avalanche which kind of feels like one. This rolling intense acoustic guitar and tense vocals. I didn’t delve into the lyrics because I just don’t care to, but the emotional intensity is always there. Dress Rehearsal Rag is incredible, so strong, also Diamonds in the Mine. It feels like this entire album is uniformly strong songs. This air of love and loss and emotional intensity connects all of them through their different stories. Cohen’s powerful vocals lead the way with pretty sparse yet very effective instrumentation supporting him. This is an easy five stars.

Great singer! Pity he passed away..

What an absolute piece of art. Nothing less than Masterpiece.

It took me a while before I could appreciate Cohen's work, and this is the album that finally made me a fan. Avalanche is one of my favorite songs of all-time and the whole album has a dark and cynical feeling that I really like.

Good lord this man can write a song! Wish I could travel back in time to the point I started diversifying my musical tastes and slap the Dylan out of my hand and put this in it instead. Not that Dylan is so terrible, or anything, but man I woulda enjoyed discovering Cohen at an earlier age.... Fave track - "Avalanche" is just absolutely tremendous. "Famous Blue Coat" is wonderful... A bunch of the others, too....

5.0 + The most emotionally intense and deeply atmospheric Leonard Cohen album, and also my favorite of his. Absolutely arresting in its poetry, delivered with a dry baritone and hushed finger-picking guitar. Standouts: "Famous Blue Raincoat", "Last Year's Man", "Avalanche", "Love Calls You By Your Name."

I had never listened to Cohen before this list. And honestly he has quickly become on of my favorites from this list. So far this one seems like his best work I've heard yet.

Christ, bad choice of day for this. Been dealing with the emotional fallout of a former colleague being a serial sexual harasser, followed by talking about how to address the horrible effects of inequality of children's services, and trying to find affordable solutions when our government gives no f***s and pennies (I have a weird job). Then I think, well that was harrowing, I'm going to listen to my album to cheer up and it's... Leonard Cohen. It is incredibly depressing. But brilliantly so. Famous Blue Raincoat and Dress Rehearsal Rag especially so. Lyrically brilliant, use of a children's choir. He's also hilarious if your humour skews dark. Can't fault this album.

Not my favourite album of his, but he is one of my favourite artists and this album contains my favourite song of all time 'Famous Blue Raincoat'

I've never listened to this album by Leonard Cohen before. It's a beautiful experience. Very raw.

What an incredible album. Cohen at his darkest and with some of his greatest songwriting (which is saying a lot). One of the best singer-songwriter albums of all time

Great storyteller. Kind of have to listen to words, not just jam to music. Low 5

Well, I stepped into an avalanche, it covered up my soul … Four o’clock in the afternoon, And I didn’t feel like very much … I thought you were a racing man, Ah but you couldn’t stand the pace, That’s a funeral in the mirror, And it’s stopping at your face … And you passed the summers, Picking all of the berries that grew there It’s four in the morning, The end of December, I’m writing you now, just to see if you’re better … Ah, the last time we saw you, You looked so much older, Your famous blue raincoat, was torn at the shoulder …

Haunting. Not something I want to hear regularly but I understand his appeal and influence now.

Leonard Cohen was someone I was hoping and expecting to listen to in this project. I have always wanted to explore his earlier music. I had owned a 1991 tribute album which was how some of his songs were most familiar to me. My favorite song from that compilation was “Avalanche,” sung in French by Jean-Louis Murat. I played it a lot. It sent chills to hear Leonard Cohen’s version with its classical guitar sound and his resonant voice opening this album. I wish I knew why I am so seized by that song. And the rest of the album seized me, for that matter. I walked into work late just to finish a song first. “Famous Blue Raincoat” completely pulled me out of the world and took hold of my heart. This album makes me really, really feel; like I’m plugged in to something beyond myself while I listen.

This was such a pleasure to listen to today. Cohen is on the list of artists like Bob Dylan and Tom Waits who I had to age into. I appreciate him in a way that was never possible before. I have a two-disc Leonard Cohen Essentials CD but haven't ever listened to any of his studio albums. So glad to be doing it now. The guitar work is exquisite, the lyrics emotionally deep. The chorus of children's voices is particularly effective but not overused. I favorited every track.

I know a lot of Leonard Cohen's greatest hits. But I will admit to not being so familiar with his complete discography. This early album gave a real insight as to where Leonard came from as an artist. A very enjoyable listen. Will be adding it to the regular rotation.

A personal favorite.

FIVE Solid stars. Always a favorite of mine.

Excellent album

Pleasant surprise, really good song craftsmanship.

Cohen's lyricism is quite existential. He often presents views that, upon examination, may be opposed to each other; consider the title, Songs of Love and Hate. To say Songs of Love and Hate is sad or depressing is misguided; if anything, it's reality, and that is nothing to be sad about. Accepting the world as it is presented Cohen wrote lyrics from a position that embraced the ideology of Western existential philosophy and the philosophy of Buddhism: life is suffering. Songs of Love and Hate is eight tracks that will hit differently depending on where you are and perhaps who or what you choose to share it with. Love it or hate it, you cannot deny the potent and often at odds with itself tucked into the esoteric lyricism accompanied by simple background music that provides emotion as conflicted as the man singing the words he wrote. These words identify a soul being pulled in multiple directions in a world filled with conflicting stimuli - Love and Hate. Songs of Love and Hate is not a depressing album; it should make you smile and cry tears of joy, as Cohen stated - "It's the notion that there is no perfection - that there is a broken world and we live with broken hearts and broken lives but still there is no alibi for anything. On the contrary, you must stand up and say hallelujah under those circumstances." Cohen's quote arguably sums up the record as best as anyone could.

Something about Leonard Cohen just hypnotizes me. His deliberateness about every line always hooks me and pulls me in, and the sparse accompaniment seals the deal.

Enjoyed it. Poetry to music, so the music is fairly simple, but effective. Worth listening to again.

what a pioneer, beautiful and gentle songwriting throughout.

Ring assigned “Songs of Love and Hate” the day after a Nick Cave double album is a useful accident that has still failed to resolve into a conclusion: I can tell this is great, but the greatness is bouncing off a sun and booze-thickened skull tonight. “Joan of Arc” is playing a cheerful curse as I write this, so I can’t score this lower than 4. Also, “Avalanche”’s opening guitar rush is perfect for the title.

You have to be in the mood, but it's a great collection of songs if you are. I've enjoyed (?) being despondent to a "Famous Blue Raincoat" accompaniment many times over the years (yes, it is poetry: "..and thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes; I thought it was there for good, so I never tried" is devastating) Some of this is quite sparse and intense, and some of this sounds like a drunken minstrel rambling in a demented Wild West saloon, all of which adds to the fun. And, of course, "Avalanche".. Definitely the best of his misery canon, but not for every day

3.5/5

Bit bummed, isn't he?

I love his voice, it's soothing, but without Halelooya (no, I'm not spell checking) it's lacking. 3.5 stars

Boring but in a good way

singer songwriter music doesn't really appeal to me. its not that i don't care about lyrism in my music, im more inclined to read into them when the surrounding instrumentation is also interesting. I'm sure the lyricsm on here is excellent when analyzed, and there were parts i like, famous blue raincoat was great. I just find the production to be so uninteresting. I also jus don't like his voice its just not for me also why is diamonds in the mine kinda reggae i feel like im going insane

Cohen's a brilliant poet who decided to sing his work. I love his writing, but his music is all rather one-note in terms of sound and mood. He is very over-represented I this list.

I like Leonard Cohen's music, I dont really take any songs away from it most of the time that I would listen to out of the blue but its a treat still when I hear some of his stuff.

Pretty bleak, very similar to bob dylan just wayyy more depressing. Not sure if that’s a shitty take or what but oh well.

Someone’s been listening to Bob Dylan. Or vice versa. It’s had to tell and I don’t care enough to look it up.

Cohen wrote some really great songs, but I would say that pretty much any one of his albums covers that. Having him appear multiple times on this list is unnecessary as both his lyric style and music remain fairly constant. He was not about re-inventing himself lyrically or musically each time he released an album.

Dreary boho ballads for pretentious English lit undergrads, and I kinda dig it

La pochette est à mon goût. L'album contient peu de pièces mémorables, mais demeure très intéressant. C'est Leonard Cohen, je suis vendu d'avance. C'est cool d'entendre Leonard chanter tout croche en criant sur "Diamonds in the Mine". Les choeurs de femmes sont parfois bien utilisés, parfois gossants. Y'a quelques très bons passages, comme la finale de "Sing Another Song, Boys". Même si je ne comprends pas les paroles, j'aime ça.

Top-tier poetry, but not as interesting through the lens of music

Leonard Cohen doing Leonard Coheny things. Man sounds like he’s lost all his friends, flung himself into an empty well, and then decided to cut an album.

The lovers will rise up and the mountains touch the ground · · ─ · ✶ · ─ · · Not sure what he's beaming about on the cover, because this album didn’t trigger anything even remotely close to joy in me. Cohen drones on for 45 depressing minutes over some sparse instrumentation, and it’s just a drag to get through. The lyricism is this album’s saving grace. Great poetry, and probably should’ve stayed that way. · · ─ · ✶ · ─ · · Favorite track: Joan of Arc Least favorite track: Diamonds in the Mine

Is it mean of me to think his voice sucks?

People must drawn inspiration from this purely because they are inspired to write an actual song.

Dreary, very slow contemporary folk. Not my cup of tea.

Dude. I used to think Bob Dylan was a bad singer until I heard this album full of one second-rate, overlong Bob Dylan knockoff over and over and over. Dude sounds like a drunk Neil Diamond. I cannot believe he wrote Hallelujah. Sorry Cohenheads

Grated on me after a bit, sorry Leonard

Gorgeous, but very dark album. Not my favourite Cohen, but still 5 stara

master piece

Es ist ein düsteres, poetisches Meisterwerk, das die Tiefen menschlicher Emotionen auslotet – Liebe, Hass, Einsamkeit und Sehnsucht. Es ist kein leichtes Album, aber eines, das sich tief in die Seele eingräbt. Die Songs sind minimalistisch arrangiert, oft nur mit Gitarre und Cohens unverwechselbarer Stimme. Die Texte sind literarisch, fast wie Gedichte, die von gebrochenen Herzen und existenziellen Fragen erzählen. Es ist ein Album, das nicht tröstet, sondern herausfordert – und gerade deshalb so kraftvoll ist. Das Highlight: “Famous Blue Raincoat”. Dieser Song ist ein emotionaler Höhepunkt des Albums. In Form eines Briefes geschrieben, erzählt Cohen von Verrat, Vergebung und der melancholischen Schönheit vergangener Liebe. Die Zeile „Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes / I thought it was there for good, so I never tried“ ist ein Paradebeispiel für Cohens Fähigkeit, komplexe Gefühle mit schlichter Eleganz auszudrücken 😊.

Impeccable

Uf

𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘵𝘦 feels like Leonard Cohen sitting in a dimly lit room, whispering his secrets straight to you. The arrangements are bare, almost fragile—just guitar, a few strings, and that unmistakable, weary voice. It’s a dark record, but not in a dramatic way; more like the quiet ache that settles in after the storm. 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵 still stops time, and 𝘈𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦 sounds like it’s carved out of stone. It’s an album that hurts a little, but in the most beautiful way possible.

Nada a dizer, génio!

Beautiful! I love love loved diamonds in the mine, hadn’t heard that one yet

Great album!

Classic masterpiece

Love them all

For better or for worse, this isn't a product, this is art, and so it can land very perfectly or not at all. I can hear later singer-songwriters productizing this style for wider consumption, and by doing so, cheapening it *coughsufjanstevenscough* Within 2 songs I thought the album would quickly overstay its welcome, but, damnit, if Old Legs here ain't grown on me and I enjoyed it till the end. I can imagine this to be something to dive deeper into, with the lyrics in hand. The music does its job while being a little too predictable, yet has flashes of genuinely creative moments to spice it up, which in my opinion is a recipe for 3-4 review. But the experience is ultimately mostly carried by the lyrics. Considering that most albums I've heard on this project so far had throwaway lyrics that bordered on the laughable, this is a very welcome change, and that alone pushes this to 5 for me.

One I already know and enjoy a lot! I went through a phase within the last year where I listened to this album nonstop, so this was a treat.

Lots of words - some of them will hit

This is one of my all time favourites. Every song here is perfect. Especially „Let’s Sing Another Song Boys“ is awesome.

Leonard Cohen was one of the artists I discovered through this site. This must be his third album to appear here, but since the first, I've come to appreciate this man's work and talent. He's become one of those artists I never tire of listening to.

Cohen is a treasure chest of priceless and precise lyrics that do an amazing job of evoking an emotional response... assuming that one is listening to them. This is not album to have playing in the background, this deserves to be listened to and contemplated on. "Joan of Arc" "Avalance" and of course "Famous Blue Raincoat" are my favourites on this album.

Fantastic album. All songs sound so amazing and poetic. I wish I was half as beautiful as this album.

Untouchable genius.

Albsolute classic, his best.

Cohen is truly one of the greatest songwriters to ever life. Every song is a story. A masterclass.

Superb

A real blast from the past. Uni days revisited.

There's dark and then there's Songs of Love and Hate, it's an intense listen and not something that can be enjoyed casually. It's hard to put a star raring against this album without diminishing it in the process. I've just read a few of the reviews peoe have left for this album and it seems to be one that provokes strong responses from everyone who hears it which I think makes it worth anyone's time to hear it at least once in a lifetime. I also didn't know it was possible to listen to Famous Blue Raincoat and not be stopped dead in your tracks but apparently some people think it's awful.