Songs Of Love And Hate

"I won’t say anything ’cause no one ever listens to me, anyway. I might as well be a Leonard Cohen record" -- Neil, The Young Ones. This is the most Leonard Cohen-y Leonard Cohen album. Simple arrangements, mostly just guitar with tastefully restrained string or vocal backings. There are some classic songs here ('Avalanche', 'Famous Blue Raincoat'), and he is putting his back into the wordsmithing. His voice is an acquired taste, but the yelling on 'Diamonds in the Mine' is a real career low point. Cohen's songs often come alive when sung by other more accomplished singers (for example, the I'm Your Fan tribute compilation of Jennifer Warnes' album of Cohen covers Famous Blue Raincoat), so you gotta give him his props for the songwriting. But jeez, some of it makes me want to slash my wrists. 'Dress Rehearsal Rag' is one of the most depressing songs I have ever heard.

really enjoying the Leonard Cohen albums

Jeg har svært ved at sige meget dårligt om det. Det er dog på en måde mindre lettilgængeligt end fx You Want It Darker, der er en smule mere musikalsk, hvor dette er mere poetisk. Det er ikke dårligt, men det sætter nogle anderledes krav til lytteren end førstnævnte. Hvis man ikke lige lytter til albummet i det helt rigtige headspace, så skræller man nok automatisk 1-2 stjerner fra. Jeg kan dog ret godt lide det - især hvis tiden er til det. 3.8

Always good, seems a little more boisterous with his sound on this one

At last a Leonard Cohen album I enjoyed! I don’t know much about his work but this must be quite a classic album. All great songs.

Essential, of course. The songwriting is amazing, of course, but his vocals are so inviting.

This was on the slow side of things, but I did find this to be a solid listen! I think he has such an interesting delivery with his vocals.

I'm not a fan of Leonard Cohen. He has a great voice. His interpretations of the songs are good and the music creative and high quality. Still, I simply cannot listen to more than a couple of songs and then I simply find it boring. This album is exactly like I expected a Cohen album to be. Ok for a short while and then for me boring.

Helt ok

Some of the best lyricism in the world but for the most part the music doesn't do it for me, even if it's admittedly beautiful

Ok album, I'm not the biggest leonard cohen, I've tried but just not my forte, this was a decent album just not for me

It's not as good, or as classic as some of this other stuff. Kinda rough song writing tbh

This is one of his best regarded albums but I've always struggled with how bitter it is plus songs like "Diamond in the Mind" see him leave his normal low range and try to project which just doesn't work (the guy was a great wordsmith poet and had a wonderful low voice but he can't actually sing). I'd happily never hear this song again his voice is just unbearable, so I don't turn to it in my collection often as a result. One of those rare artists who in many ways got better with age, with "I'm Your Man", "The Future" "Ten New Songs" and the last four albums being some of his best with one of the key factors being discipline with his voice and embracing the depths!

Not a fan of the voice, though the song are pretty well written here. But overall this album was really underwhelming. 2/5

Truly a standout album. I understand why it’s so critically acclaimed. It is really one of those records that every music fan should listen to. That being said, it’s not really something I’d think to reach for often, if at all. Great record, not really my thing.

Kind of similar to his other albums, low voice bard with guitar and strings. I didn't like "Diamonds in the Mine" - growly voice. Everything else was OK but nothing stood out.

It is interesting comparing his more youthful vocals to his later ones. And there’s moments on this I like. But, there’s also a sameness to it all that makes it hard to get enthusiastic about.

Folk goodness occasionally tinged with gospel (nice), country (less nice) and gloomy darkness (my fave.)

I simply do not understand the love for this. Some fetish for deep voices? Pretentious lyrics? A desire to hear the same style song repeatedly? Is a song deep and meaningful just because the lyrics sound depressing and the voice is basso? Good lord this couldn’t end soon enough.

Not much more to add based on previous review. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

I know people think he’s brilliant. And at his best I get that and experience that. But this album was just terrible. It barely counts as music - mainly weak spoken word over overly-repeated chords. And the lyrics aren’t even that interesting to me.

I've only dipped in and out of Leonard Cohen's discography before, an album here and an album there, and never really gone deeper. I hadn't heard this one in its entirety before and ended up listening through it five times. It's great. Dark, timeless cool. A sort of dreadful singing voice with a completely compelling delivery. Love the sombre lyrics, the funereal vibes, the biblical preoccupations, and the music that's stripped back but not skeletal. Love Calls You by Your Name makes me want to start freaking out, in a good way. Have you seen "The Influence", the Ben Smith painting of Leonard Cohen with a miniature Nick Cave sitting on his knee? Cave described Avalanche as one of "the essential pillars that hold up the structure of my artistic world", one of his "hiding songs" – dark, secret, sheltering songs to cover yourself up with and hide from the world in. Of course a boy whose most profound favourite song is Avalanche would grow up to be Nick Cave. And I love him, so of course I would enjoy this album. It's very audibly The Influence.

Woke up too early to a dark, wet, miserable looking morning outside. Just what I needed - a bloody Leonard Cohen album to listen to! If I hadn't received another Michael Kiwanuka CD in the post yesterday which I hadn't played yet (the complete antithesis of Cohen) there would have been no point getting up at all.

This record started well, I have always like L-Co but never really got into any particular eras or albums. I think this is because his voice really is hit and miss and when it does miss... boyo boyo does it miss. The album started well then Diamonds in the Mine went in an interesting but not very appealing direction. I would describe this record as being like a sandwich with the four tracks of bread being very good, think delicious home made warm crusty bread, but the filling was not great... like that awful crab paste slop that came in jars. Still the bread was so good I have rated this quite high...I am very tired but you get the idea...

Deliciously dark, Scott Walker without the voice but with beautifully stark instrumentation. The strings on this album are wonderful, it’s all so melodramatic, almost comically so at times. Sags massively in the middle and is just too silly overall, but 'Avalanche' and 'Famous Blue Raincoat' in particular are fantastic. also, I just checked to see if his debut was on the list (cos it's great) - it is, along with this and THREE more albums wtf. Say it with me, THREE ALBUM PER ARTIST LIMIT! Dimery you SUCK

I like this earlier LC with acoustic guitar better than the latter day dark smooth jazz version. Dude had a way with words for sure.

My second favourite Cohen album I've heard so far, just behind the debut, but it also contains my new favourite track of his. Favourite track: Avalanche

He looks so young on the album cover! I didn't come across him until the 90s, and it's interesting to now associate the lyrics to things like "Famous Blue Raincoat" with a man in his 30s instead of one in his 50s or 60s. It's an excellent album, and no one else can be confused with L Cohen.

ok, i think Ive had enough Leorard Cohen now. I very much enjoyed the previous albums and had his debut a dew days ago. but this one comes bottom of the list. It still has his trademark charm and wit, the arrangement is still good, but this is a bit more snarky and lacks some of the humility and warmth of previous albums. If i'd had this album first, im not sure i'd have warned to him as much as i have. But i didnt so i can appreciate its value

It’s music for a certain mood. But once again I’m enchanted by the sound of it all

Maso

I enjoyed this album, it was nice to be a little more stripped down than his other albums. He is an awesome songwriter, performer. The opening track is my favorite. Bro has serious ‘Joan of Ark’ issues!

Leonard has been growing on me! We are doing a cover of Famous Blue Raincoat in one of my bands, so that's my fave track.

Both not as drony as it could be and not as gritty as it could be.

Everyone knows that Leonard Cohen does not have a very good voice. Given that, whoever was complicit in his decision to make him sound even worse on Diamonds in the Mine should feel very bad.

better than the last Lou Reed on here. At times I almost forgot he couldnt sing, it wasnt as bad as I was expecting, hes a better poet that singer/songwriter

Oh come on. I had miserable fuck Cohen 2 weeks ago, to which I said I'd rather listen to someone being disemboweled. I had Lou Reed yesterday - to which I said it made me want to kill myself. Are you trying to get me to commit suicide? If I get another miserable bastard tomorrow (looking at you, Nick Cave) I'm doing it. And it'll be your fault. This man does not deserve to have even one album on here. I just can't cope with him. This is the downside of truly random generation.

I like Leonard, but give me bird on a wire or the greatest hits. You can have too much Leonard is my take in his back catalogue, 10 songs is enough, so I've met my quota anyway

Great album, lyrics are incredible

Starts with the majestic avalanche. Full of brooding intent, beautifully played and sang. Then there are a couple of numbers which sort of meander. Then we hit cohens career peak, famous blue raincoat. A letter to a man who had stolen his lover. However Cohen had won the lover back. A vengeful letter set to song but one that bears repeated listens. The album finishes with Joan of arc which despite cohens slightly stilted delivery is still a work of art. Just short of a masterpiece

Heard it before. Not much of a Cohen girl but I gotta admit, this is a good album 3/5

Probably my favorite album of his, so raw and versatile musically and lyrically. Pretty much the blueprint for Nick Cave's career and I really love that man.

nice guitar but incredibly boring

Meh was fine. Didn’t feel up or down about it. Just was there.

I can understand how people might think Leonard is a morbid, minor key one trick pony, BUT hey I don’t! Lyrics dense, devastating, and funny in delivered in a voice that would grow deeply baritone over the years, Leonard created his own singular world and on the right days, it is a most comforting place to exist.

Tout se ressemble

Sad, but brilliant

не знаю. красиво

3,4 Highlights: Avalanche, Famous Blue Raincoat

Between a 4 and 5

I know Coen is technically an amazing songwriter, but boy does he make me sleepy.

tried… not the biggest fan. but i’ll give it another try later bc i support canadians

I am blinded by the fact that when i was 18 or something a man tried to convince me that Leonard Cohen is the same as Bob Dylan and then he stalked me on the internet.

Don’t think I’ll ever love Cohen but this is one of the couple of records I’d come back to. Dark poetry against a suitably sparse backdrop.

It's not the cheeriest album that you'll ever listen to, but the poetry is beautiful. For me, Cohen was always a poet/singer rather than the other way round. The album is introspective and melancholy. Avalanche is the highlight.

424/1089 i still quite liked this, Cohen has a voice and atmosphere that i appreciate but this was the weakest of his albums that i’ve heard. i liked my faves but i didn’t care for the other tracks faves: Avalanche, Famous blue raincoat, Sing another song boys 61/1089

Ugh why are there so many Leonard Cohen albums on this list? What's special about this guy?

Depressing storytelling my lord - still quite beautiful though

It's dark and sad. You know, like Leonard Cohen.

Famous blue rainbow is excellent. Otherwise Leonard cohen would be better served with a greatest hits.

It took me till my late 40s to warm up to this style. And it might never have happened if not for the performances of Wayne Gillespie who point this direction. Leonard - the original serious artist - his poetic confessionals reveal a lot about his tortured and perversions and emotional contortions. He writes in code, symbols, mythically. Or are they dramatisations? Ironically, it's so universally impenetrable - we can all relate, having decided what it means, or enjoying hearing someone's inner secrets thump to the floor like excised organs. Warmth presence and fascination. No, not a true singing talent. Something else. Enigmatic rawness and expression. It's not truly a 5. But it either touches you or it doesn't. The shape of warmth. I could listen to Hallelujah forever. And his version didn't the best. Is it me or is this recording harsh and unforgiving when played on high end headphones? It's like the mic was maxing out or the mix harsh. His voice positively rattles. Listen best through big muddy old 70s speakers ? Yes he's warm and and depressing.

Interesting the fingerprints on this record. Bob Johnston, he's almost up there for a nomination to the Brian Eno I Pop Up Everywhere award. To think he went from producing Bob to Leonard, nice work if you can get it. And old mate Charlie Daniels, what a fine Nashville studio addition he was. Now context is everything right? Especially in the weirdo world of the 21st century where you can't make a move without checking though the checklist that is the dos and donts of whether something "can" be worthy as opposed to just worthy. The context here is that my mother had this record, so in my mind it is redolent of South Maroubra surf club, copper art, fondue sets, Uri Geller, Chariots of the Gods and Number 96. But once the fog cleared on hearing those songs from that patchouli oil haze you realise of course the power of the tunes. Leonard could write a song, he gently pulls you in, disarms you and then messes with your mind. The thing I always love about him is that he has this economy of word and thought; he says what he has to say and moves on. Stunning.

If you told me that Songs of Love and Hate wasn’t a top album of 1971 at the time, I might not have believed it. But 1971 was a very special year in music, and this record can get lost in the shuffle of legendary records that came out that year. Cohen’s songwriting is right up there with Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, maybe not quite Dylan’s level, but still the very best of folk rock. I wish the songs were more memorable, because the music is arranged so well. I might give it more attention in the future. 3.5 stars

Not the folk that I like.

Not the greatest voice but I find his songs compelling. I prefer his voice when he got older. However, I think his voice works for his songs. “Famous Blue Raincoat” is my favorite song on the album. Not my favorite Leonard Cohen album, but I don’t hate it.

2.5

I'm putting the hate in songs of love and hate. Because the singing is awful. The man has one setting- DIRGE. some songs are minor dirges. Others are mega dirges. Get a new singer. This record makes me claw at my face and go 'aughhhh noooo'

Every time I see Leonard Cohen on this list I hope it's for the last time. Here's to hoping the 3rd time is the charm.

good ass song writing, but performance wise... (2.75/5.0)

Cohen is one of the musicians I’ve been meaning to do a deep dive on. I only have a really surface level appreciation of his work so far. His lyrics crack me up.

It's ok. I am not a fan of the slower work.

Better than Coldplay

I’ve honestly been a Leonard Cohen fan for a long time. I dig his weird. 4 Boolean: True

On first listen, I didn’t walk away saying, “My, how dark this is!” Instead, I walked away saying, “Man, how much like Dylan this is.” I had trouble shaking that thought. But with a little bit of a furrowed brow, I’m rounding this up to 4/5.

Bob Dylan + Johnny Cash + Charles Bukowski = Leonard Cohen

Fantastic songs

Do I need to say this again? I respect him as an artist but it’s just not for me I keep hearing how great his lyrics are and that he’s a poet etc. but if it sounds shit I’m not going to get that far, and it is shit

01) Avalanche - 9,0 02) Last Year's Man - 8,0 03) Dress Rehearsal Rag - 8,0 04) Diamonds in the Mine - 8,0 05) Love Calls You by Your Name - 7,5 06) Famous Blue Raincoat - 8,5 07) Sing Another Song, Boys - 8,0 08) Joan of Arc - 7,5 TOTAL: 8,06 (81/100) Current ranking: 265/1025

Life's too short for me to keep trying to like Leonard Cohen's music. The kindest thing I can say is that he's like a Quebecoise Bob Dylan, including that he is a better writer than a performer. I'm out!

Such a nice change of pace from his later "I'm Your Man", as well as a nice counterpoint to his more romantic tendencies on other albums. I can see why several tracks on this album have remained among his canon over the years--especially the opener "Avalanche" and "Famous blue raincoat" and the closer "Joan of Arc"--but it's hard to point to any real weak points across the entire album; the weakest songs are perhaps the duo "Dress rehearsal rag" (apparently beautifully covered by Judy Collins before this album even came out) and the strangely rough chant "Diamonds in the mine" (which still has some appeal), plus aspects of "Sing another song, boys". It's not at all surprising to read that Nick Cave covered "Avalanche" on one of this albums, as I kept thinking as I listened to "Songs of Love and Hate" how similar Nick Cave's style is to this album. I'm sorry we have yet another Cohen album before we're done with him, but that doesn't detract from how strong an album this is.

Didn't really grab me--it's hard for me to not compare him to Bob Dylan and then want to hear Bob Dylan. Sorry, Leonard.

Probably THE Leonard Cohen album. The orchestration and production -things that often work against in him in his later catalog - create the perfect dimly lit room for his voice to sit in, letting each phrase burn like a candle.

Darker than his debut LP, and it lacks any songs as memorably catchy as “So Long, Marianne,” but it certainly showcases Cohen’s talents as a storyteller and lyricist just as well. He breaks from his formula on the playfully weird, country-tinged “Diamonds in the Mine.” Some nice orchestration here, too.

My fave Canadian export.

Primordial Bob Dylan?

Some of it was pretty but overall very bland and depressing

I wish I liked this more, but it is slow and boring and his voice is not very good.

Not as good as some of his other offerings, but there’s a lot to like here. Diamonds in the Mine is crazy good because HE sounds crazy.

Diamonds in the Mine and Sing Another Song, Boys really knock me out. The rest of the songs are a bit drone-y at times, but always some version of enjoyable.

I don't hate Leonard Cohen, but I do feel he is over represented on this list. There's only so many of these albums I can endure. Cohen is a fantastic poet, but the musicality is very lacking for me.

Love it

This wasnt too bad, but could have been better. His voice kind of irked at times.

This was my third Leonard Cohen album, and I think I wasn’t in the right mood for it today. It was pure poetry no doubt, and the music was mostly subtle and allowed the lyrics to be front and center. I’m typically totally in for dark and depressing, but this was just too much for me on this day. I have tons of respect for the man and his art. And I don’t think three stars is fair. But I can’t go higher as nothing stood out as a song I need to hear again.

This guy should’ve just wrote poetry books. This isn’t music it’s talking.

No thank you, if I never heard this album again my life would be better off.

Eh

Good

Not nearly his best work but most stuff by Lenny is better than 99% can do.

Dreadful dreary music

Makes you wonder what would have happened if he would have collaborated with someone to write music for his lyrics.