Songs Of Love And Hate

26/1001 You know when you are at an open mic night, and someone is up there on the stool strumming away and whining on, boring the shit out of everyone, and it just goes on and on and you are thinking "for god's sake, someone get him off there"? Well, the worst parts of this album felt like that for me. I have no doubt there is probably a Leonard Cohen song out there that I will fall in love with, but I am not actively seeking it, and it is, sadly, not found on this album. I can't appreciate an LP for lyrical content alone. Respect to anyone who can and gets something out of this, but, sorry - I just can't do it. Not all songs are poetry with an acoustic guitar; not all poetry with an acoustic guitar is a song. Songs Of Love And Hate is just too dull, too frequently. On second listen, I warmed a little to the sparingly used orchestration which added at least a little movie score-style tension to proceedings, albeit briefly. Beyond that, only the relatively jaunty Diamonds In The Mine gets a "full band" treatment and adds anything approaching variety. Sorry, Leonard, maybe next time...

Another 60s/70s Bob Dylan wannabe but with a bit of beatnik added. Hot garbage.

Pure Shit

Second album de l'artiste proposé par le générateur après 'You Want It Darker' que je n'avais pas apprécié (noté 1/5). Celui-ci n'est guère mieux, je n'apprécie pas sa voix, et comme l'instrumentation n'apporte pas grand chose d'autre qu'un support au chant (aucune originalité par ailleurs) je me suis vite ennuyé. Je ne suis pas allé au bout. Et dire qu'il y en a 3 de plus dans la liste ... =>1/5

1.5 - Bad

Just didn't like it

1 star. Why and how can anyone listen to this monotone garbage. Wish I could give negative stars to this album. The music in the YouTube commercials was better and more enjoyable.

Would give this guy negative stars if I could. Just find this worse than nails on chalkboard. Please no more Cohen!! And yes I really sat through four songs.

I get it, the chic stole his money and he was living as a monk but why should we be punished for that? Love and Hate is mostly hate.

Under absolutely no circumstances will I ever listen to this again.

Not feeling anything.

"I see a red door and I want it painted black" vibes Diamonds in the Mine: someone give this guy a throat lozenge 🙏 I don't know if this is my style- it's not. 1/5

I didn't enjoy any of the songs. I guess I just don't like the genre/style.

trotos

BORING 1/5

Have you tried the Cohen? How about another Cohen? Let's see what else we got here... More Cohen. Featuring an artist twice on this list seems excessive, and when it's Cohen, it's just sad.

It seems like a drunk fella picking-up the mic at the end of the party, when the lights are going away and the people are cleaning. Terrible and suffering to hear.

Awful and there's about 5 albums on here by him !!!

Gonna admit it. After listening to two other albums of his on this list, I gave him an auto 1.

This guy has the singing ability of Bob Dylan (not a good thing) and boring songs. 1.5/5

I just couldn't continue after 3 songs.

Honestly, this is just annoying.

Somehow another Leonard cohen has made the list…. deep depressed sigh. I can’t take it!! He really brings me down, his vibes are the worst.

70’s

awful, it literally hurts to listen to this

Sooooooooo sleepy.

Albums like this always irritate me because I can see its fans inside a really cool room, with dark ambiance, dim lighting and a fall-scented candle lit on a vintage bookshelf. They're connecting and enjoying the music together. But I'm on the outside, looking in. The door's unlocked, I just don't think I want to go in. I get it. Cohen's a genius, a poet, a master of his craft. I'm not going to dispute that, even if I don't have the context or expertise to back up the assertion. He's a songwriter's songwriter. But JESUS this album is hard work. There are times in my day when I don't mind putting in the work. But this is poetry, meant to be analyzed and reflected upon. It's not music you listen to when you want to listen to "good music." The album is almost devoid of hooks, melodies and dynamics. One could argue Cohen's voice makes up for all that, and to seek it is missing the point, but I would disagree. And no one on planet earth who understands societal norms would recommend this to a person asking you for some new chill tracks to vibe with. Given that, like a few other albums on this list, I genuinely don't know how to rate this, so we'll just go based on my current level of enjoyment and fulfillment after consuming this album. Also, I'm fresh off of finishing Songs In The Key of Life, so I'm even more bummed with that transition.

uma estrela duas no máximo

Whenever you see a photo of Leonard Cohen smoking a cigarette? He's not huffing tobacco; he's huffing his own farts.

Oh, good, more singer/songwriter stuff. Jesus, what a drag. This is the cure to happiness and joy - if that was actually something we all needed.

Ooooh, what a voice

No better than the last Cohen album, still makes no sense and he should learn to play more than three cords.

Please no more. My farts sound more melodic than his voice. The man literally cannot sing. His voice is so flat and out of tune it is painful. Again, see my previous reviews of his previous terrible albums. He's straight up awful. The guitar is pathetic and a joke that sounds the same, not only on every song, but on all of his albums too. He is a one trick pony and it's a terrible trick. No mas por favor.

after having to listen to 3 of his albums I finally realized-i really don't care for the talk/sing he does. not one bit. this sounds very similar to his other albums that are (somehow) on this list. don't understand why he's such a revered songwriter

Oh Leonard. I know you are dead but I'm sure you were alive when you recorded this, but your voice tells me otherwise Dreary and dull album couldn't wait for it to be over

Yeah...did not care enough for this one to finish it. I can respect the lyrics...just not my taste.

Oh lord this guy again!?! Third album of his I have got. Still don't like his voice, still don't like his sound, still have no idea what the hell he is talking about.

Vocal style of a chanting monk. This sucks

Somehow mixed him and Lenny Kravitz up. These songs sound like he just made em up on the spot in the studio.

Really not for me.

Slow and melodic. He doesn't sing, he talkes to the misuc. Diamonds in the mine is actually funny because of the whining. Overall, this is bad. Could barely listen to all the way through.

I couldn’t do this album. I appreciated his passion for storytelling here but there wasn’t much music and his voice was terrible.

Way, way too depressing for me I'm afraid.

1.5

Have you ever been so bored that you wanted to drive yourself off the road just to spice things up? That’s what this album made me feel. While listening I imagined myself down to my last 25 cents, last cigarette, watching the Detroit Lions get crushed by the Baltimore Ravens 6 to 38 on the tail end of a losing Parlay. Just sad… all the way around. Why is Leonard Cohen smiling in this Album cover? That’s so misleading. Everyone that helped make this music must have been experiencing chronic depression at the time, and not the funny kind. The kind were they really close to ending it all. This shit make Bob Dylan look like a living legend. This is my new least favorite genre of music. Well done. 1/10

To me, extremely BORING!

Well, the first song was good. Then I struggled to get through the rest until I just had to start skipping songs. What a snooze.

Leonard Cohen kind of feels like the bardic version of Bob Dylan. Unfortunately I feel like Bob Dylan's activism excuses him for his voice, whereas Cohen's philosophical personal introspection and thoughts on relationships just make him sound kind of...creepy. I do not like it.

Songs of Love? No, Hate!

Just can't do Leonard Cohen. 1.5/5

Obviously it’s the whole point give that the title of the album is “songs of love and hate”, but it’s just too emo for me hahah. It feels dark, damp and depressing. It feels cynical and masculine and the opposite of nuanced and idk. Sorry, Leonard

Nice guitar and a decent voice, but very bland and samey with very little to write home about. However after so many weeks into this site, this was THE album that gave me the feeling that this list is *not* a comprehensive, overarching, wide selection of a variety of genres, meant to be reaching all corners of the music spectrum for the important and influential albums across the board, as it is portrayed to be. But it's a list exclusively for and biased toward people who believe Dark Side of the Moon is the greatest album in history, and Led Zeppelin, Floyd, and Nirvana were gods walking amongst us - not really a list made for anyone else outside of that group. Would love to be proven otherwise, but I now don't expect to hear much other than Beatles, Floyd, and artists of that ilk, with very little variety or expansion into other genres (which is fine, but very narrow in scope, and a bit misleading and disappointing)

Hated. A blanket of gloom and depression. This is not music.

I can't believe this f****ing guy is smiling on the album cover. "Songs to Shoot Heroin By", "I Watched My Entire Family Drown", "I've Been Buried Alive".... These would all be more appropriate titles for this depressing as f*** album.

Favorites: -Dress Rehearsal Rag -Sing Another Song, Boys

Is there a 0 star option? Did not and will not listen to this, just about the opposite of what I consider music to be

Obviously a masterclass in lyricism — that I don’t understand. Not my cup of tea

Bad bob Dylan, don’t care if he wrote the shrek song

It’s like Donald trump Singing

This album fucking sucks. Leonard Cohen is impossible to listen to. The ending to Sing Another Song, Boys is, bar none, the worst attempt at music I've ever heard

Very boring.

Every song is the same: a boring 5+ minute long story with Cohen singing the same 3 monotone notes.

Love the guitar in avalanche. That’s it. I have nothing else to say. This was pretty boring. Especially Love Calls You By Your Name.

good god. how does this man have any supporters for his voice because oh my god i would rather watch a cat puke 300 times and think that was a better sound than listen to this.

I've been sitting here trying to compose some witty or sarcastic or even sincere defense on why I hate this so much. There's a bit of a cult around Leonard Cohen - oh what a poet blahblahblah - But isn't this just for me? Ok then... The emperor has no clothes - this is terrible. 3 goddamn Cohen albums already what the everliving hell. I'll finish listening because apparently I enjoy pain - this is/was not my first Leonard Cohen disc and I pray to any musical deities that it will be my last. Absolute shit. 1/10 1 star.

I just don’t get it?!

this made me fall asleep and not in a good way

:/

literally could not finish it

Didn't know what to expect but it made me like Leonard Cohen so much less than I did.

I hate Cohen...

Not a fan.

Avalanche is great guitar work with dumb vocals. "The crumbs of love" yes indeed, Lenny. "Like the shy one at an orgy". Another classic line, Lenny. Diamonds In The Mine sounds like he is going nuts.

This is my 2nd Leonard Cohen album and I'm sorry Leonard, but I can't stand your music. Recently listened to Lou Reed/Velvet Underground and came to the realization that I absolutely LOATHE sing-songy artists. And unfortunately, Cohen does that a ton on this album. I could only take listening halfway through each song and sighed with relief once the last song played. Please for gods' sake generator, don't give me ANY MORE LEONARD COHEN ALBUMS!!!

Found this very depressing. Can’t imagine being in the sort of mood where I would enjoy this. As another miserable git once sang: It says nothing to me about my life

Terrible

I tried but this isn’t for me, the monitone bartitone just doesn’t do it for me, just too over dramatic, it’s all too sincere, more melody less lyrics please 🙂It just grates after a while I can’t listen to any more.

leonard cohen is boring. sorry. just an old grumpy white man moaning about melodramatic things to some on par guitar playing. there are just more interesting things to listen to, and it's not even good background music. not a good start. his voice is not close to being good. albums like this is way music sucks.

Ouch!!!!!

Not for me, lyrics are good, but the music is too sullen and doesn’t grab me

Nennti ekki að klára. Mjög niðurdrepandi

"In some quarters it was the album that seemed to seal Cohen's reputation as being something of a downer, to say the least."

ooooops.... not for me

Nope, fuck off, don't care. Leonard Cohen can go straight in the BIN. this is the third time he's been in here so far. Gah just get lost already. 1/5.

Absolute piss

Not my style today

The guitar is quite nice. Don't like his voice nor how vocal-focused the mix is. Very samey tracks. Little to no percussion. Not a fan at all. Better than full country music. Droning vocal style. Couldn't listen past 3 mins.

Gave up on it ! *

Monótono. Deep

Not my thing.

Very folky. Not really my thing. 2/10.

Leeento en el blue monday, dia de dentista, hoy no toca

not for me.

Spoken word or something this close to it shouldn’t belong here imo. I’m here for music not poetry

Otro disco de Cohen. Otro disco que no tengo ganas de escuchar de noche. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯