Songs Of Love And Hate

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'

Love it!

better than at least one of his others

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

I just love this album; no hate involved.

Bored

Quelle voix. Je peux pas croire que c'est mon premier Cohen que j'écoute d'un bout à l'autre. Avalanche est vraiment superbe. Le jeu de guitare de cette pièce et de plusieurs autres sur l'album n'est vraiment pas plate. La fin de Diamonds in the Mine est un peu intense 🤣. Ce n'est pas mon style de prédilection, mais c'est un album intéressant que je vais sûrement réécouter.

К сожалению, альбом совершенно не зацепил, хотя я прекрасно понимаю, насколько важны стихи в творчестве Леонарда Коэна.

The perfect album to begin a heroin addiction to.

I love you, Leonard. I hope you're fairing well.

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.

Honestly, I wished I liked it more. I’m usually so into this sound, but there’s something keeping me from really sinking into this one. Still, worth a listen if you’re into folk of any kind.

Such a voice, *excellent* playing in the background.

Love the feel, love the poetic verse and voice, but can’t do more than 3 stars because I was very ready for it to end by the time it did.

The first song way AWESOME! But the rest of the album wasn’t as amazing. I actually enjoyed most of it and considered giving it a 4.

Thoroughly belongs on this list. I love his lyrics and never would have made it through an album without this list. But it's all so morose all at once! I think it's really only morose at a certain depth. It makes me aspire to sit down and pay attention to something for more than 140 characters at a time so I can appreciate it at that deeper level. Aspire, but not succeed today.

Vraiment un classique intemporel, texte et musique, un chef d’oeuvre 5

It's not too diverse of a record, especially when compared to his previous efforts, but it solidified his niche as the dark folk artist and the emotional focus on the record proved to make it powerful. Many critics claim it is one of the darkest records you may ever hear, and that may very well be true.

This seems like the nineteenth LC album this site has sent me. I'm sure it's great and he's sincere but not what I wanted for my birthday

4.5

esse n tem como

"Oh, not this asshole's voice again..." This one hit me better than most of his albums. I actually could listen to this again. Must be the mindset that I've been in lately. LC played really well in the '90's when everyone was depressed and phama didn't have the market share it does today. This is good for a moody gray spring showers when you've forgotten to take your meds. I love Spotify for the play count. It's always great to check out what song on the album has been played the most. For this album, it's Blue Raincoat which must've been used in a movie, or a tide commercial. It doesn't compare to the first track Avalanche IMO and is actually really boring. Just noticing the sun poking through the clouds and now I"m consumed with finding something more fun to listen to. Okay find...I'll tuck this away for another gloomy day.

“Songs of Love and Hate,” aka “More Songs of Leonard Cohen,” opens with the best Cohen song on the five albums we’ve listened to - “Avalanche.” The rest is, like other songs of Leonard Cohen, not for me.

I never quite get to loving LC. It's more like songs that I tolerate and hate.

Once again for the third Leonard Cohen album in a short time, his voice is a major problem. It’s just bad. Not offensive, but bad nonetheless. His voice kind of works on Avalanche. It’s still disappointing though because the song could be so much better if someone better were singing. I am not looking forward to the last 2 albums of his on the list. I’m already expecting my review for his 5th album to start, “Not this asshole’s voice again…”

As unsubtle as LC’s voice is, the lovely and light-touch accompaniments make the record. Consider the quiet, pointed strings, barely audible aria-like vocals and picked flamenco riffs in the background of “Blue Raincoat.” The piano on “Sing Another Song” is more prominent, but plays the same role, both underpinning and elevating the emotional power, and enriches the quite engaging singalong. The lilting backing vocals on “Joan of Arc” (and another mini-singalong chorus).

Songwriting is great, but It much prefer grittier, bassier older Cohen. Even his early 90’s stuff is markedly better.

sounds like a Disney soundtrack and that's not a bad thing

Another killer album from Cohen. He's remarkably consistent.

A bit of a slog for me - no doubting the mans talents but not for me

This album should be named Songs TO Love and Hate. Some of the songs are quite pretty and have a very “drunk alone next to your fireplace” feel. However, one thing they all have in common is that they all just feel absolutely depressing. It’s a very specific mood that the album places you in. If you didn’t want to be in that mood, you’ll likely hate the songs. If you want to be, or were in that mood in the first place, you might love the songs. However, for me, this is a mood I rarely ever want to be in. Favorite track: Famous Blue Raincoat

This album has a definitive vibe, and if that vibe is for you, then you should listen to it. It is both grandiose, and calming, and Cohen's voice fills out the space; however, I preferred "You Want It Darker" to this one. It's pretty good, I like a lot of elements from it, but I don't think I will return to it at all.

background music

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!!!

Kind of depressing

Amazing

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

I like deep throat, growly Len. This album seems like a transition from folk singer to storyteller. I need to come back to this to take in some of the themes and tales being told.

Great deep voice. Smart poetry. Spare to invisible music. Not Cohen's best collection. However, it does include Famous Blue Raincoat, Avalanche and Joan of Arc.

I don't think famous means what Leonard Cohen thinks it means.

Vocal progressions felt pretty similar across all the songs. I feel like I heard echoes of Hallelujah everywhere throughout this album.

I just find his songs a bit boring.

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."

Fine, but just fine.

Excelente.

Downbeat, sparse, that voice...a classic, best listened to at 3am after a fair amount of Old Fashioneds. Avalanche and Famous Blue Raincoat are highlights but everything is just pure quality.

Not as good as Songs of Leonard Cohen, but it's aight.

first listen lovely fingerpicking

Started off pretty strong, but went downhill fast.

Leonard Cohens voice is a unique one. That said it’s his lyrics that spoke more to me. Sadly though the album doesn’t offer enough dynamism.

Terrible

Another solid string of Cohen folk pieces. Much darker, much more anxiety-inducing. None like "So Long Marianne" here. There are several reoccurring themes like the idolized Joan of Arc figure. "Avalanche" is a very eery opener, with the dramatic strings and that shifty plucked guitar at the forefront. "Diamonds in the Mine" is a crazy surprise, I really like Cohen's chaotic voice here. But of course the star of the album is Cohen's outstanding writing. Very poetic and dark, often melancholic. You really get a feel of Cohen's emotions through his choice of words and metaphors that project the intensity and images he sees in his head. This is best represented in his masterpiece "Famous Blue Raincoat." There are few songwriters out there who can tell such deep and involved stories, but Cohen has shown to be able to do so time and time again.

Haunting and great.

Another case of very well done story telling by the hands of an imperfect voice. A 'generous' 3 but more 2.5

I like to think that so many of his songs have been covered by other artists because they said to themselves, "I think I can sing this song better than that."

gave me bob dylan vibes

Incredibly boring lol

This is Leonard Cohen's third album of folk rock music. It was one of his most successful albums around the world. And as one can tell from the album title, this album was emotional and seemed to classify Cohen as a "downer". It's no surprise that Cohen revealed he was going through a bout of depression during the recordings for this album. The music on this album complimented the rainy weather on the other side of my window in such a way, that it made the listening experience so much better. I'm not normally a fan of slow, folk rock music, however today and this album was an exception. This album is one to listen to when you're in your feels.

Bob Dylan style, interesting, but not my thing

Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld

Vinyle

Excellent - a personal; favourite

A classic!!

Too brooding for me to really like, but pleasant melody wise

Good album.

This is my second Leonard Cohen album generated, and he has improved significantly since the last one.

Душевно

5 stars

Love his voice but doubt I will listen to this again.

“Avalanche” es el invierno hecho canción: los violines son el viento fresco que cuando arrecia se convierte en violonchelo; la guitarra suena como un riachuelo embravecido; la voz de Leonard es el sol que, a pesar de todo, calienta. Empezar un disco de esta manera es establecer unas expectativas tan altas que son muy difíciles de cumplir. Los cantautores tienen un problema conmigo y es que yo no he venido a leer poesía sino a escuchar música y se nota que ellos dan más importancia a la letra que a cómo suena. Claramente escribe la letra a priori y luego añade la instrumentación, por eso en muchos momentos alarga las vocales para adaptarse al ritmo o, al contrario, mete unas cuantas palabras por segundo. Curiosamente, a veces el cuerpo le pide clavarlo y por eso de vez en cuando suelta un “tarararará” que se sincroniza de forma tramposa con la música a las mil maravillas. No obstante, celebro los “tararararás” cuando aparecen, como en la intimista “Famous Blue Raincoat” -de fondo con sutiles voces femeninas- y al final de la creciente “Sing Another Song, Boys”. Con todo, son varias las canciones de este disco en las que el paisaje sonoro está tan cuidado como el mensaje y por eso el señor Cohen tendrá más oportunidades en mis oídos después de este primer acercamiento a un álbum suyo.

okay. Seemed a bit samey to me.

Another Leonard Cohen

Dásemd. Cohen klikkar ekki.

Folk is one of my least favorite genres, but this isn't bad

4 Saf7at Men 3l Bouheli Mte3 Dostoevsky. Got Sick Zeda

Poesía musicada de Cohen. Ningún megahit. Un 4.

Didn’t love or hate this album. Leonard cohens voice here is very unique. His singing cadence is more of a talking. The songs aren’t too bad though. 4.9/10

Some classic Lenny tunes - not my favorite but still a great album.

Amazing how Cohen can tread a dual path that leads in opposite directions, yet he follows them both simultaneously: one leading to nothing but a scrapbook of women, the other to a place where love calls him by his name. I can't imagine he didn't understand the full meaning of love calling someone by his name. This is dangerous music because if you're alone and have access to alcohol, this could be...unhealthy. The music is so close, so corporeal, and the lyrics are so detailed they're confessional. No one succeeds at failing at love the way Cohen does. And he's got a huge crush on Joan of Arc. But why? Because of her bravery, her conviction, her virginity? No, because her heart is a fiery brand. He longs (lusts) for that fire, but he fears getting burned. Unlike the saint, though, he is not fearless.

Nope.

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.

dude sounds gnarly as fuck in that diamonds song jesus other than that nice

The voice reminds me of Bob Dylan. I like the lyrics.

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.

1 down 999 to go baybeeeey I liked it a lot!!!! I’ve never listened to a full Leonard Cohen album all at once before. I’ll be honest it’s not exactly jam packed with Bops, and when ol Lenny started yelling about how there’s no chocolates in the box Spoons got spooked. However Avalanche slapped, the lyrics across the album slapped, I did tell Len to cheer up but that was one time and the song was six minutes long so forgive me. Overall? Very good! (But fr cheer up Lenny)

I actually really enjoyed the bit where he yelled about no chocolates in the box! Also I love the way the guitar sounds all twingly and pretty

I love the lyrics of Leonard Cohen so much more than his voice lol

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

Ouch!!!!!

Quem não se arrepia e se emociona com Leonard Cohen? Dói fundo no coração. Sempre.

Liked it for the most part minus the Bible references which I didn't understand. Being a huge Bob Dylan fan, this was a welcome surprise to discover a similar sound that I like about BD.

Amazing songwriting, but I can't handle the voice.

Sad, somber, sweet

Love a bit of Leonard!

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

Very deep lyrically

This is one of those albums that you have to be in the mood to listen too. Like on a comedown or when you’re feeling low. Today wasn’t one of those days so whilst it’s a great album, it’s only 3 stars today

A relic of times long gone. Yet, as much as I’m inclined towards much more complex tunes, I will admit it is refreshing to get the occasional dose of some classic Cohen.

Hand me a rope

Don't know this album at all. My primary experience with Leonard Cohen is his overplayed Hallelujah which I run from screaming at this point. Hmm, even with the lyrics, some of the songs are hard to understand the story / concept he's trying to get across. Seems like you'd need several listens and maybe even some outside information to finish solving the puzzle.

7/10 nice album but not my favorite of his.

6/10. I like Leonard Cohen, but I don't really get what puts this album on the list. I still enjoyed the lyrics for the most part, but some of the songs just sounded kind of bad. Overall a positive listening experience, but a bit disappointing.

It's usual Leonard Cohen. 8/10

Good lyrics and sometimes he even managed to sing them

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 …

Really enjoyed this one. Not your typical album when it comes to lyrics or vocals. Refreshingly unique at a time when the genre had a lot of good albums to stand up to.

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

I like Leonard Cohen, and this is a good album. I always feel morose after listening to this though.

Sounds the exact same as Songs From A Room, poetry with some instrumentation in monotone voice

I don't know. I liked it a bit better than You Want It Darker but track to track my enjoyment varies pretty widely, so minus one star for that. Of course this doesn't change the fact that Cohen is an excellent songwriter, and ultimately that is why you listen. Fave track: Avalanche

I can’t get on board with this morose stuff!

Dreadful dirges. I don't think I like poetry.

Amazing obviously

Pretty fucking dreary, but solid songs

Musically quite disappointing. The texts are ok but a bit vague. Feels like someone who's experimenting with some chords and song in their attic. Not much melodical diversity between the songs. Then one folky song in the middle and the live one near the end. Famous Blue Raincoat is quite pretty. Overall not annoying, but also not per se a delight to me.

This album was ok, but I have the feeling that I just didn't get it somehow. Best song was probably Joan of Arc, although the backing vocals at the beginning and end of the song sounded like a drunk man trying to sing along, yet completely fucking up the timing. What am I missing?

Always hard hitting and sincere. There are some lovely songs but also some which are too sparse to be genuinely enjoyable.

Beautiful lyricism, musical arrangements that are like Ringo - not overly flashy but perfect for the song, and Cohen’s moody baritone. I love it.

prefer his new (when he was older) stuff

3, pretty decent. I know his strength is in his lyrics so I'm sure I didn't get the full effect of that since I'm listening while working.

Does what it say on the tin which is no mean feat. I prefer the more synth type numbers from his later career though.

Might as well just copy and paste my review from the last Cohen album we had: Got a little dull after a while but I do like Cohen's voice and the overall atmosphere he creates.

Yet another perfect album. Like many others I became aware of Leonard Cohen through the movie Pump Up the Volume and Nick Cave. I though this album was a compilation at first as it has a number of my favourite Cohen songs on it

It's got Avalanche and Famous Blue Raincoat on it; what more do you want?

2/5 - Cant face any more Leonard Cohen. I'm sure the album is great, but its not for me.

Nennti ekki að klára. Mjög niðurdrepandi

I struggled with this one, just not my cup of tea.

Eh a bit too mopey for me (or at least the mood I was in)

Good

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.--

He sounds like Dylan on songs like Dress Rehearsal Rag. I guess the similarities are the vocal range and poetic lyrics (though LC is easier to decipher). Famous Blue Raincoat is classic – I like Avalanche too. The background singers are really in the background at times, but it works. When LC tries to actually sing vs speak, in songs like Diamonds in The Mine, the results aren’t very good.

The Canadian Bob Dylan. I intensely dislike Dylan so you know where this is going. I know Cohen is greatly revered and has influenced many great artists so I think if I was to read and ponder his lyrics I would appreciate him more. But Gawd he has such a dreary maudlin whiny voice that I can’t even go there. You mean people actually seek out this music and claim they enjoy it? He only gets 2 stars for his lyrical poetry. Major deductions for his one note sad boy delivery.

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

Buen disco. Cultura general

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

ooooops.... not for me

Beautiful

Didn't think I would like this one. In the end I didn't mind it as much as I initially thought. It has some good moments, but it in general Cohen is a bit 'goeey' at times.

Much preferred to the other Cohen album on here, found this one a great listen

Pretty good actually, but I think you need to be in the mood.

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.

I am not familiar with Leonard Cohen's catalog. I heard a cover of one of his songs done by some friends once and have always thought that I should dig in and examine his work. Unfortunately, my day today did not lend itself to a focused listen on the lyrics, so I think that I may be missing some of the beauty in his art. I found the music pleasant though and will continue to explore this and other albums in the future.

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.

Leonard Cohen is an artist who I have always felt I should know more about than I do. I have a familiarity with the seemingly endless stream of “Hallelujah” covers, which is a wonderful but overexposed song. Beyond that I don’t know much. This album is a bit tough for me. It’s so downbeat - at times almost absurdly so. Reminded me of some of my efforts with Bob Dylan. But I love a lot of the lyrics and music. My favorite songs: Avalanche, Dress Rehearsal Rag, Diamonds in the Mine (thank god for the backup singers), Famous Blue Raincoat. After trying unsuccessfully to enjoy listening to this on my second listen, I sought out some of the covers listed on the Wikipedia page. Aimee Man’s cover of “Avalanche” is awesome, I watched the TV series that it served as the theme for and loved it but didn’t recognize it as the same song. I also knew and loved Tori Amos’ cover of “Famous Blue Raincoat”. The Jennifer Warnes cover is also fantastic. Both make the song so much better. Allison Crowe’s cover of “Joan of Arc” is great as well. Clearly I like Leonard Cohen as a songwriter more than a singer. I can appreciate the occasional song but this entire album is too much.

Hells bells, darker than a dark thing

Avalanche Famous blue raincoat

it's refreshing to hear full 5 to 6 minute songs. reminds me very much of Piero's music. very relaxing, the music is beautiful.

Really not as good as I would've wished for. I was ready for some banger ballads, and some of them definitely were, Avalanche and Lasr years man were very good, then it got a little funny, until the famous blue raincoat takes it back again, though the quality of the lead vocals are weirdly low in that particular song. A solid 3 imo. Avalanche and famous blue raincoat are really good though

I’m a big Cohen fan going way back, I have memories of pulling this LP out of the stacks for one of my college radio shows back in the 90s (I was particularly fond of inserting Tonight Will Be Fine from Songs from a Room into a midnight to 2 am show). For that, I never owned this one, and was surprised at how unfamiliar I was with the deeper tracks. Some surprising gems (Diamonds in the Mine displays Cohen in a shade of crazy I hadn’t encountered before). The standout hits are what they are for a reason though, Last Year’s Man and Famous Blue Raincoat stand well above the rest here.

It’s poetry. And some of it is ok. Not sure it’s songs or music though.

A lot like Dylan, in that his voice isn't great and sometimes the covers are better, but he writes amazing lyrics.

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.

God.

Sublime. Melancholy.

I really enjoy this artist, always had a soft spot. I always have to listen to every lyric when he sings and his tone and delivery are perfect. Great album

Cohen's voice is... haunting, but very uneven. It's a tough listen and the musical accompaniment doesn't help bring the music to life.

Avalanche was a really strong start and definitely most of the tracks have a cool bob dylanny story song approach. The instrumentation is pretty light and it is all pretty good... nothing warrants a lot of repeat listens and I think he thinks his rhyme in "diamonds in the mine" is better than it actually is.

Leonard Cohen, the great singer/songwriter from Canada, is on his third album here. He's continuing the dark and somber feeling from his last album, Songs From a Room, and knocking it out of the park. Each song here stands on their own in excellency. He weaves incredible stories and drenches them in ambience, not just in his guitar but in little flourishes of strings and backing vocals as well. Beyond instrumentation, Cohen will sing with an unbridled passion, even in the quieter and more subtle moments. Some might find him boring but I find his stuff compelling. I mean, Cohen will always be considered one of the best. He's just too damn good.

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.

I don't get it but understand why others might.

Godt men for ensformigt og kedeligt.

Не смог послушать целиком, почти впал в летаргический сон

Love Leonard. 5/5

It's alright, some decent songs. Very meh on it, as I have been with all the previous Leonard Cohen..

Fun but quiet and underwhelming.

Пара песен понравилась. Коэна мне все же трудно долго слушать

Absolute piss

I thought it would be… more. Maybe if I had time to sit and listen to it over and over? I know Leonard Cohen is touted as being highly influential but overall it’s not something I think I will want to come back to again and again.

Not my style today

Ugh

Great album. Cohen begins to branch out from his normal finger picking style. Possibly my favourite album of his. Best Tracks: Avalanche; Diamonds in the Mine; Famous Blue Raincoat

it was alright i suppose. nothing special.

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

Some good stuff

Voice is good, but couldn’t find much cohesion between songs

kinda drags along

Leonard Cohen por donde se vea (oiga)

Leonard Cohen hizo toda una vida con un mismo disco, a juzgar por este tercero que ya salió en esta lista. No hate, tho, jaja. Igual pues lo de siempre, hay de repente grandes letras, la música no está mal, pero no me emociona tanto. "Last Year's Man" creo que fue mi fav. 7/10

Boh non mi e' piaciuto molto.. magari da ascoltare di piu'

This is the 4th album by Leonard Cohen for me to review on this list. The recommendation came up earlier, but it took me a while to review the album. I was not looking forward to listening. The first track, "Avalanche" and "Joan of Arc" showed some potential to possibly grow on me. "Famous Blue Raincoat" got an 'okay' from me too. There may be room for my appreciation of individual tracks to grow, but by the end of the album I am still left with the feeling that I should skip Cohen. I wouldn't listen to this album again.

4.5 / 5 I hadn't listened to Leonard Cohen that much until now, and I really thought he was great. It is clear that Leonard did not have the best voice in the world, in fact I am not even sure that he was singing, but reciting the lyrics in several songs, however, he can convey a powerful feeling, which made my skin crawl. This album may be a bit heavy at first, but you get used to it fast. In short, I really enjoyed it, especially for the lyrics. Fav tracks = Diamonds in the mine, Sing another song boys, Dress Rehearsal Rag

Leonard Cohn definitely has a reputation as a kind of Tom Waites type. I have never heard one of his albums until now. Avalanche - sounds familiar...was this in a movie? Was it covered? I like the hurt vocals and the frantic guitar. Last Year's Man - I want to figure the message here. Another album with multiple Joan of Arc references, like Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark. Anti-war message for sure. Dress Rehearsal Rag - Not a Rag at all. This is the most lyrically minded album I think I've heard yet. Musically, we're in nomansland. But Cohen is so emphatic, deliberate, and clear. Diamonds in the Mine - So weird. Like - he's going out of his way to not be in tune or sing well. I'm sure there's a commentary here. There's this happy tune with this grating angry vocal. At this point we have established a deliberate vocal, which makes you listen, and so when you listen, it's very bleak. Making his words more emphasized and we get an ironic message that life is empty. Society is moral-less. Life Calls you By Your Name - Softer approach, reminiscent of Avalanche. Famous Blue Raincoat - What a story. This song is packed with raw emotion and imagery. So a guy tried to steal this guy's girl. Then the guy who has the girl, sends him this message? Thanks for the trouble...you took from her eyes. Great lyric. Sing Another Song, Boys and Joan of Arc. Dark, depressing end. Song about Joan of Arc's experiences burning at the stake. I'd honestly probably give it 3.5 instead of 3.

This is an album I’ve previously heard, and I really love it. Brilliant songwriting and great performances of Cohen’s signature sparse guitar playing.

Kolejny folkowy album o ktorego pojeciu bym pewnie nigdy sie nie dowiedzial, gdyby nie listowe losowanko, songs of love and hate to trzeci w bogatej dyskografii, bo az 15 studyjnych nagran, album Leonarda Cohena, ktory tworzy swoje ballady po angielsku, jak na kanadyjczyka przystalo, jednoczesnie nie brzmi on w ogole jak kanadyjczyk, nie chodzi mi o uzywany jezyk, czy wymowe, ale o kontent tworzonej muyzki, bo ostatnio tyle nawiazan biblijnych w tekstach slyszalem u Dylana, a nie wydaje mi sie zebym mijal sie z prawda okreslajac Cohena kanadyjskim Dylanem po przesluchaniu tego materialu, bo tak napakowanych kontentem lirycznych tekstow ciezko szukac u kogokolwiek innego, dlatego takiej plyty nie da sie przesluchac raz i o niej zapomniec, bo zawsze znajdzie sie inne spojrzenie na sluchany kawalek w zaleznosci od posiadanej wiedzy lub materialow pomocniczych, bo genius jest tutaj dobrym wsparciem dajacym drogowskazy w ktora strone mozna ciagnac interpretacje, tytul dobrze oddaje zawartosc ktora mozna znalezc w srodku, sa piosenki o dwoch bliskich sobie uczuciach milosci i nienawisci, nie tak oczywistej jak na wyjcach panterowych, ale o nienawisci czy tez milosci do samego siebie, swoich slabosci, opowiadanych podczas kontemplacji golenia, ktore jest zaproszeniem do slaszowania swietego mikolaja po kablach, a to tylko jeden osmiu kawalkow, wsrod ktorych brak jakichkolwiek zapychaczy, po zwikowaniu pana Cohena troche sie wyjasnilo skad tak mocno odcisniete sa tutaj motywy biblijne, pomimo obywatelstwa kanadyjskiego jego przodkowie maja mocno litewsko zydowskie korzenie, na tyle mocne zeby byc jednym z ojcow zalozycieli kanadyjskiej rady zydow, wiec czuc tutaj mocny wplyw wychowania wsrod ortodyksyjnego judaizmu, co do strony instrumentalnej plyty, to jak przystalo na muzyke folkowa dominuje akustyk Cohena, na kolejnym planie najmocniejszymi akcentami jest pianino Johnstona, ktory byl takze odpowiedzialy za produkcje materialu, a jest to ta sama osoba ktora nagrywala z Dylanem, Byrdsami, czy chcby ostatnimi Waterboysami, kolejny raz zrobil on swietna robote, bo album oszczednie uzywa zasosbow instrumentalnych, jednoczesnie nie jest ani surowy, ani nie odciaga uwagi od glownego dania plyty czyli kontentu lirycznego, skoro muzyka rokowo folkowa jak u dylana, to nie moglo zabraknac akcentow harpy ustnej, czy okazjonalnego banjo, no i traka z elektrykiem, trzeba jeszcze wspomniec o backujacych wokalach, ktore dobrze zostaly wplecione na produkcji, wiec jesli wokal Cohena leci na obu kanalach, tak zza jednego mozna uslyszec backujace szepty lub nawet cale chorki, w tym jeden dzieciecy chor, wszystko jest, wsrod 8 kawalkow znajdzie sie takze jeden zapisy wystepu live, to jest sing another song, boys, bedacy przedostatnim trakiem, dodajac na plejke kawalki ktore musialy sie tam znalezc dodalem polowe plyty, numery 1, 3, 4, 8, jak na 44 minuty materialu, czyli dosc standardowo album na dwie strony vinylaka to chyba plyta ktora ktora mozna sluchac calkowicie wyrywkowo, a i tak bedzie sluchalna, a jednoczesnie stanowi przemyslana kompozycje biegnaca jak wykres oscylografu z swoimi lowami i nastepujacymi po nich downami, no i jest to kolejny swietny argument za teza, ze narod zydowski wydaje na swiat najlepszych bardow naszych czasow

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.

VERY HIPPY, BUT GOOD

A weird album, but I really liked Diamonds in the Mine. 0RS

I get the criticism. Like many others, I didn't think too highly of the music or the lyrics. But there will come a time—it wasn't today, but it will be some day, maybe even years from now—when I am going to need this album, and only this album will do. On that day... it will be perfect.

No es mi estilo, ni si voz me ha gustado. Se me ha echo un poco pesado escucharlo.

i am probably not smart enough to love this

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.

A drunken affair

A personal favorite.

it's fine. this is fine.

Not really my thing.

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,

FIVE Solid stars. Always a favorite of mine.

This is a strange one. 'Avalanche' is stunning and absolutely a song I need to listen to a few times to maybe work up some inspiration. The rest, though...it's kind of dreary and atonal. Maybe that's the point. It averages out, I suppose.

wasn't feelin the whole thing, but Famous Blue Raincoat man...

Niet heel speciaal. Gewoon niet mijn muziekstijl en vond het daarom niks. Diamonds in the mine was wel een plus puntje.

Melancholy album - not sure I'd listen to it again anytime soon. One line from song that stuck with me - something about not having to use pain as a credential.

First time listening to a Leonard Cohen album and I really enjoyed it. Will be coming back to this one for sure

Better than expected - very easy to listen to. Will come back to it again

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

I don’t know, it’s sounds like open mic to me.

Leonard Cohen simply does not speak to me.

Nice, subtle. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but I still don't really get the lyrics.

Actually really good. Cohen might not have vocal chops, but his songwriting is beautiful and artistic.

Moving and powerful. Don't like 'Diamonds in the Mine' though. Atypical and unhinged.

Melancholy, slow paced. Reflective lyrics. Good for a candlelit dinner/journaling if needing some introspective ambiance.

Avalanche Is pretty cool, I likey the guitar it's kinda hypnotic. I feel like The Album is good so far but some of the lyrical decisions seem questionable, I felt like at times I could've come up with better words top fit a rhyme scheme or theme. First listen was good some of this stuff is V pretty, Velvet Underground Vibes cool. Like a 6.5 its cool but some things feel a bit lazy.

Me pareció interesante

buenas letras

odustah na pola plakyy, ali respect his depressed ass

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

Loved it

Boring

This album fit my mood very nicely today.

Not sad enough to listen to this right now (go me), but I made myself. Maybe Leonard Cohen does tend towards the over wrought :-/ the poetry background was clear here lol. Kept thinking about how case of blue is about this man ?? I feel like Joni Mitchell’s love is the strongest possible recommendation, but.....not feeling this. Still like famous blue raincoat, tho. And what’s with him and Joan of Arc?

It was good?

De Canadá también salen cosas buenas.

На ютубе есть такой музблоггер, Руди Аюб. У него был скетч про то, как играть музыку «с чувством», в конце которого его просто заставляют брать одну ноту и плакать на протяжении всей песни. Это, в принципе, описывает моё отношение ко многим музыкальным попыткам в «душевность». Но здесь ситуация повернулась совсем по-иному. Иногда действительно достаточно только акустической гитары, немного струнных, немного пианинки, немного бэков и полного боли голоса. При абсолютной «немузыкальности» подобного направления иногда оно достигает своей цели — передать сырые, живые эмоции и погрузить слушателя в густую прокуренную атмосферу. Каждая песня выросла во мне с повторными прослушиваниям, создавая этакий мрачный вязкий бэкграунд для углубления в свои мысли. Иногда даже появлялись ассоциации с более поздним периодом творчества Скотта Волкера, что, без сомнения, один из лучших комплиментов для музыканта. Особенно хочется отметить Sing Another Song Boys — концовка просто невероятно волшебная и эмоциональная. Ну и, конечно, Dress Rehearsal Rag — беспросветная суицидальная сюита, отдающая вайбом самых тёмных летовских песен. Ну и интересные гитарные пассажи в Avalanche и Love Calls You By Your Name сразу привлекают внимание. В целом Песни любви и ненависти идут в коллекцию альбомов, к которым я возвращаюсь редко, но когда возвращаюсь — получаю несравнимый балдеж. 5/5

Наконец сразу сразу веет лёгкое дуновение того, что слушаешь что-то подлинно охуенное. Лаконичные атмосферные аранжировки, харизматичный вокал. Вероятно, и тексты дохуя умные, жаль, не понимаю, а читать лень. Вероятно, именно в этом альбоме были подняты темы, что позже получат развитие в альбоме Фэйса "Hate Love", который я также ожидаю увидеть в рамках изучаемого нами списка. По звучанию альбом напоминает лёгкие "неосновные" треки Pink Floyd в альбомах The Wall и The Final Cut. В Diamonds in the Mine вокальная партия интересная, почти что протопанк. Самого напрягает, что ставлю одни тройки и четвёрки. В Famous Blue Raincoat нехило залип, можно уже за неё пятёру ёбнуть.

сразу включаешь 7 трек с 4.45 и все понятно становится про этих еврейских бритосов бля и как всегда самые нормальные треки идут после окончания альбома

3 1/2

Songs of Love and Hate is one of Leonard Cohen's most emotionally intense albums -- which, given the nature of Cohen's body of work, is no small statement. . If Songs of Love and Hate isn't Cohen's best album, it comes close enough to be essential to anyone interested in his work.

Like Nick said, this era of Leonard Cohen is unmatched. Some really beautiful songs on here, Famous Blue Raincoat and Avalanche are both stellar. But there are a few misses here too, like Dress Rehearsal Rag, which sounded like something that should have been left on the cutting room floor. 3.5/5

I really love this era of Leonard Cohen. He's at the top of his game. Favourite track: "Famous Blue Raincoat"

Nobody: Leonard Cohen: THERE AAAARE NOOO DIAMONDS IN THE MIIIIIIINE

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.

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

Será un gran poeta, pero como no lo entiendo , me resuta aburrido.

Don't hate it, don't love it. It's so dreary, almost exhaustingly so, but he has an iconic voice and obviously a very influential style. Enjoyable in doses Saved: Famous Blue Raincoat

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Avalanche; Famous Blue Raincoat; Sing Another Song, Boys Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: At the end of the 4th song, he talk/sings "That's all I got to say". Oh how I wish that was true. And I liked this album more than most of his stuff.

2/5 way too depressing

Ite sadish prob listen more here ***

Though i appreciate the poetry, i was bored out of my mind.

I like Leonard, but some of these are depressing and hard to listen to.

A masterpiece. Lyrical poems, and what a voice.

Ok, not great

Light a candle with Leonard. Stare into the center of the flame, where there is only darkness. Blow out a candle with Leonard. Happy Leonard birthday. Songs of mostly Hate with a few notes of Love. Leonard is hopeless, angry, jealous, and sarcastic. It's still beautiful too. I try to curate my musical diet to enable a life well lived, and rarely put this one on because it just doesn't have the Leonard redemption of the previous two albums. Where are Leonard's Sisters of Mercy? Has he had so many threesomes at this point that he's just over it? B

Avalanche is a beautiful song, interesting vocal deliveries. That goes fit most of this album, beautiful, raw, interesting expressionist vocal delivery. I wonder if his early music was so good and so overwrought and sincere that he had to go into parody mode in later life, a call and response. One critique is that this blurs the line between music and spoken word. Still good, much better than previous Cohen album.

This is the Leonard Cohen we know and love. Moody and brooding, ecstasy and sorrow. It might be a bit one dimensional, but I like that dimension

Not hugely into Cohen

These tracks are soft and warm, but loaded with emotion, as the title may suggest. Each song is filled with this deep passion of love or hate, crafting a very emotional and personal album. I think the only thing I really felt missing from this album was something to help fill out the sound. There were tastes of backing vocals, but i think some orchestral components or piano could have filled this out beyond just the acoustic and his voice

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

Gave up on it ! *

Voice is incredible but album left me a bit cold.

Tykkään Leonardin äänestä, mutta levy oli vähän tylsä. Toisaalta ennakkoon ajattelin että toivottavasti levyllä ei ole kaikkia kovimpia hittejä, vaan jotain muutakin sisältöä. Uusia helmiäsiä ei kuitenkaan tällä kertaa löytynyt. Cohenin juutalaisuus ei ole aiemmin juuri häirinnyt, mutta tällä levyllä oli aika uskonnollinen vire.

Heeft een aantal zeer mooie liedjes maar ook wat minder mooie liedjes

Great!

02/01 - Today I worked on picking up overlapping elements on the drawing sets and cleaning it up for a fresh BB print. This album was not one I would listen to in the future and was more comedic to me then it was an album of musical praise.

Wow this was a nice surprise

Too dreary.

Not my sort of music, but Leonard deserves stars

Varying in quality wildly.

Monótono. Deep

Magnífico álbum

Not my thing.

“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

At times a mesmerizing voice, at others a bit of a dodgy voice. A real mixed bag of an album containing some diamonds in the rough, particularly the first song.

There are some cool elements to this album and his songwriting/lyricism are very interesting. I would imagine that Leonard Cohen had a bit of influence on Kurt Cobain, honestly. Overall, though - not really an album I would just put on to listen to for fun.

amazing lyrics lyrics lyrics just not something i can listen to everyday

Not really for me. I see the appeal of it. Some of the tracks are super haunting.

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

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

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

Pleasantly low-key. 6/10

No conocía este disco. 50 años desde que se grabó. Hay una canción bastante famosa "Famous blue raincoat" que está bastante bien. El resto sin prestar atención a las letras la verdad es que no me ha interesado mucho. La voz me ha recordado a Lou Reed o Bob Dylan.

A sleepy Leonard moans his way through 9 dirges

Meh.

Well... not bad. Very mellow, almost sleepy.

Leonard Cohen sings as if he is in prayer, his poetry lilting somehow from his baritone, like Dylan but less absurd. The orchestration is sparse but his gypsy jazz guitar is what shines. When you open with a song like Avalanche you know you're enraptured. And all of a sudden, I'm with you in the east village, you walking away in your famous blue raincoat. This is beauty and pain. Love and Hate.

Very emotional and unlike current music today

There are a lot of lyrics here but I dont have the time / patience to listen to it properly

Great lyrics but not a fan of the sound of his voice.

My kind of Cohen. The depressive Dylan. How great is the yelling on “Diamonds in the Mine?” I would completely listen to an entire album of that. Anyway, off to watch McCabe & Mrs. Miller…

Too miserable for me.

classic

It was pretty good. A little jarring at times.

It takes a bit to get used to his voice. Prob influenced Bob Dylan.

Atmosphere and story. Need to revisit.

Man this is dark. Not so much enjoyable but it’s really powerful

Aptly titled. Soft and full of emotions, enjoyable ride.

Lyrically beautiful and sad. Folk guitar and a slightly monotonous droney voice (sort of Bob Dylan style). I can see why people enjoy Cohen but honestly felt like quite a depressing album to listen to. I’d have to be in the right mood for this one.

Perfectly fine

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

Some smooth songs

Just sounds like Bob Dylan and Jonny Cash mixed. All the songs have the same sound.

Laaaame

More serious and darker not a bad album just not for me

Depressing, acoustic, its alright. Avalanche is the best song. Fedoras are cool

Would have chosen another one

It's a third Cohen album and it all sounds the same. It starts to get boring.

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.

Wasn’t in a leonard cohen mood today. 3.5

First track surprised me, but the rest was what I expected.

Grated on me after a bit, sorry Leonard

As vezes parece mais literatura que música, não me agrada muito, tem uma conotação religiosa esquisita que também não entendo.

Miellyttävä levy merkittävältä artistilta, joka on itselleni aina jäänyt aika vieraaksi. Sivistävää kuunneltavaa siis. Tämän levyn perusteella Cohen ei nouse kuitenkaan ihan suurimpien suosikkieni joukkoon vaikkei levyssä sinänsä mitään vikaa olekaan. Jotenkin tämä vaan vähän jätti kylmäksi.