Songs From A Room

Dylan and Cohen both never fail to impress me as songwriters. As recording artists... I don't know, I can't love this. It's so sleepy.

Man likes god

I'm trying to imagine living in 1969 or maybe 1970 and going to the record store, like actually going out and going to Tower records or Bleeker Bobs. And when I get there, the thing that I'm going to buy is this. A Leonard Cohen album. And not just any Leonard Cohen album, but one that is so dull and terrible that its impossible to actually listen to it. Why would this happen? Who would do this? 1/5

Pretty boring.Same old Same old with Leonard Cohen.I guess hes consistent.Hes just not really my thing.It wasn’t bad tho,just a bit boring.

This was decent, I have a hard time getting into old stuff that is based in poetry. That being said he had a lot of good things to say and did it well.

I could do without the Jaw Harp on EVERY BLOODY SONG. And is that a Swanee Whistle on "Tonight Will Be Fine" ? (If it's not, there's no excuse for how out of tune it is). I also think I prefer gravelly old Leonard Cohen to this younger version. But the songwriting is pretty great (check out kd lang's version of Bird On the Wire).

First 4/5 of this activity. I loved the melancholy lyrics, and the sound. Just a thoroughly enjoyable listen

Not my thing

My second Cohen this week! This one is a bit more varied than "Songs of," but it does get a little bit corny in the more Western-influenced tracks.

This is by far the worst of Leonard Cohen's albums, not that im a fan of his work, but i do know he produced ither stuff that was better, but still nothing i would be into. There are some glimmers of contempory folk that appear in the album, but I find his monotone narration with many of them hard to listen too, and they are essentially very same tracks.

This is where I draw the line between lyricism and something that actually sounds nice to my ears. Cohen needs a pedal board or something.

Boredomcore

Die stem was een stuk hoger dan ik verwacht had. Verder qua muziek wel de Leonard Cohen zoals ik die ken, en dat is gewoon heel goed. Heel fijn album dit, alleen ik voel dat het net niet genoeg is voor 5 sterren. Misschien als je hem nog 6x zou luisteren wel.

Feels like the ancestor of the music I like to listen to now.

Good songs in general, but I’m not sure I’m really into the singer songwriter vibe. I was kinda bored listening to it

Masterpiece of an album.

It’s cool that the generator keeps recommending these bleak-ass Leonard Cohen records on Saturdays. Really great way to kick off the weekend…super cool.

I have a few favorite Leonard Cohen songs like Suzanne. Everybody knows. I was not a big fan of this album three decades ago, and I’m still not. I don’t like the slam poetry, observational, situational, songwriting that goes into a Leonard Cohen song. I did, however, like Joan of arc very much.

Beautiful and haunting!

Not bad. Folky and skilled but not my vibe.

Alittle slow for me, but I can still appreciate Leonard's lyrics and voice

Def going to listen again

Really chill rainy day album

Cohen was an artist who could paint vivid images through spoken word. However, this album was slow and depressing. I couldn’t wait for it to be over…

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One thing that this challenge has taught me is that I don't like this man's voice

This was the first Leonard Cohen album I really liked. The stripped down sound works well, and the lyrics are genuine and affecting

Favourite songs: A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes, Bird on a Wire, Story of Isaac, Tonight Will Be Fine Least favourite songs: The Partisan 4/5

Meh

Nice easy listening

Another good one for mornings and backyards I like this one slightly better. 3.4

I mean… c’mon. Favorite tracks: a bunch of lonesome heroes, the partisan, seems so long ago, nancy; the old revolution! The butcher (beautiful). All of them… DAMN… Lady Midnight MEEE! Etc etc. 5 stars. Anyone surprised?

Too slow

Solid album. I don't think I've listened to him singing his own songs. I've heard lots of people doing his songs. Good music and lyrics, vocals are just ok.

Já Curtia o som, baita energia

Nice easy listening.

- Boring to listen to but at least it wasn't too long - Lyrics were good, instrumentals were basic

- Bob Dylan but somehow better - enjoyed it more than that other album from him

Una hermosa e íntima colección de canciones. Leonard Cohen interpreta con pasión sus complejas letras con una voz potente, sobre una interesante instrumentación que decora hermosas líneas de guitarra. Un infaltable en el catálogo de todo melómano.

Pleasant enough gentle listening without being truly ground-breaking for me.

I only know "Hallelujah" by this guy His voice is kind of Dylan-esqe... eh The lyrics are good so I get why he has songwriting accolades... but his voice... can't carry a tune. Skipping through this album.

Bit boring

1) с таким же трудом послушала как и всего остального Коэна, 2) великолепное соло на флейте в финальной песне, не хуже флейтового вступления заставки 20 век фокс

Pfewww

Shows that simple can be effective. Took some time to adjust to the album, wasn't enjoying his voice or the extra stripped down instrumentation to start but a few songs in was able to enjoy. I know Cohen has some very strong output and this feels a bit below average for his body of work. That said, managed to still be a good listen and I'll give it an extra point for ending on a recorder solo.

My problem, as always, with Leonard Cohen, is how difficult it is to put instrumentals behind him. The sparser, the better, but still. They're not the main draw here: the words and Leonard's voice are. Favorite tracks: "Bird On the Wire", "The Partisan"

I have to be in a specific mood for Cohen and to be honest, I’d rather just read the lyrics.

The lyrics are good but my *god* these songs are fucking bland and he cannot sing.

He can write songs, but doesn't have the best voice

Depressing as owt this, Leonard was the OG emo ey. Was class though, his voice lends itself to these sort of songs so well. Sailed through it and I knew straight away once Amazon music started playing tracks off other albums so this one must be very cohesive. If I was going to nitpick I'd say he could have mixed it up slightly, there are a few songs with almost identical picking and tempo. As it is, well worth a listen.

Pretty reasonable although not my favourite album of his. I really enjoyed the production - simple and elegant, doesn't feel wasteful. Excellent songwriting as always.

Another melancholy album from Cohen, seems that's his bread and butter. At first I didn't enjoy it as much as the other two albums we've had, but his poetic lyrics kept me coming back. On a second listen it grew on me, just so simple and beautiful. Highlights: Bird On A Wire The Partisan The Butcher

Don't think this was as good as his other albums we've had so far but still really enjoyed it. Kinda sounded like he hadn't quite found his singing style in this album yet... Particularly in that opening track. I do think Leonard Cohen is one of the most interesting artists which I'd never listened to from this list

Classic Folk music, not very appealing to me

Not quite the undeniable triumph of Cohen’s debut. However, it’s still packed full of heart-rending poetry.

kind of a boring album but i think it's probably just because i dont have enough emotional depth to care about the topics in the way theyre presented to me. it's weird to hear these kinds of topics sung about in his voice with these instrumentals. i think this guy is the one who sang halleleujah but i can't be sure... 2/5

Slow, hypnotic, story like songs

It's very simple, but saturated with lyrical prose. Acoustic guitar with a folksy vocal component. But not really there for me.

This is more of a spoken word with music that is hard to distinguish from each other. The Partisan and Story of Isaac are most interesting to me, but I feel like Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Dylan are two different better takes on the same song-writer focused content.

I don't really know many songs of this type but I really liked this album ! And in bonus, a song with some french... It's a hit !

Not my favorite Cohen, but it's still Cohen. What are ya gonna do?

I still can't quite get over the notion that there's something of the spoofer about Cohen. A poet not quite as good as he might think, and no great shakes as either a songwriter or performer. It can't be denied that there's an irreducible core of Cohen-ness to proceedings, however. It possesses a peculiar charm of its own, a wonky, unconvincing charm but present nonetheless. It's almost fun to try to anticipate what kinda corn-pone line he comes out with next. Almost.

I’m a 4 star guy on this one. “Bird on a Wire” is right up there as maybe my fave Cohen song, and I have a strong suspicion we will not have another album on this list with anywhere near this much mouth harp. That’s gotta be acknowledged and rewarded.

Good tunes! A quiet album that I will take time to listen to again.

I am sure there may be some deep meaning in the lyrics. I don’t think I could listen to it more than once or twice.

There were a few songs I enjoyed but overall not that into it.

One of the greatest records in my collection. Deep and thoughtful and dark.

I do like Leonard Cohen. First heard of him on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. His style is definitely unique. I like his deep voice. I always think he looked like Al Pacino. I enjoyed it. I'll give it a 4

Another dreary album. If someone tried to come out with this, nowadays, I don’t think it would be looked at twice. Out of tune singing, no melody, basically reading to guitar. Another artist that I can appreciate in some way, but do they really deserve multiple albums on this list? I think not. Listen again: no Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song: no

Loved

I'm not a songwriter, but Leonard Cohen almost makes me wish I was. There are some all-timers on this one. Best track: Bird on the Wire

I didn't love this actually. It's fine but there wasn't a lot for me to hold on to. It was enjoyable to listen to and Cohen's guitar work (I think that was him?) was actually very impressive and squeaks this up to 3 stars.

Premier storyteller of the early rock age!

Fine.

Cannot deal. I really don't get the appeal of Leonard Cohen. Any other kind of arrangement to his lyrics, and even different artist singing them might make his song writing more palatable, but as it is, I would never again, willingly, listen to this album. Best: The Partisan Worst: Seems So Long Ago, Nancy

Not the best vocal performance, surprisingly. But the songwriting is excellent. The Partisan could have been the title track for “What We Do In The Shadows”

Goddamn it, Leonard Cohen! You've stolen my heart.

Needs the lush instruments

Strong A Side and a very emotional singing although the lyrics could have been better.

This has no musical worth whatsoever. This guy obviously is a 'talented' poet? possibly author, given his imagery and storytelling.

With respect, this album is a 2, some of the other albums I've rated as 2s could've been 1s. The lyrics are nice enough, and the melodies are sweet enough, but everything sounds very similar. BT - A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes - The Old Revolution

This is one of my favorite Leonard Cohen albums I've heard. I think it's much more dynamic than his debut and he seems to have a bit more humor in his lyrics than on other albums. I really enjoyed this one and went back to listen to it multiple times throughout the day. Standout Tracks: Bird On a Wire, Story of Isaac, A Bunch of Lonesome Heros, The Partisan, The Old Revolution, Tonight Will Be Fine

First things first, I prefer Leonard's voice later in his career. His reedy voice and the sparse, lo-fi production here should be a real turn off, but there's something that draws me to it regardless. Maybe it's the haunting melancholy that permeates the minor key tunes? Maybe it's the fuzzy, old-man-on-his-porch-reminiscing-about-the-good-old-days-over-a-Scotch melancholy that permeates the major key tunes? Maybe it's the promise that Cohen's lyrics must surely contain nuggets of wisdom, even though I haven't paid them full attention yet? Maybe it's the Jew's harp that buzzes happily away, seemingly out of place, on nearly every song? Well whatever it is, I'm dangerously close to being charmed by Leonard Cohen again.

This was fine. Nothing stood out either way for me.

I cringed when I saw Leonard Cohan… like Dylan, I think his songs are better when someone else sings them. This was better than I thought. Slow ballads. Poetic lyrics with stark music. Very country-like. The Partisan and Bird on a Wire

Leonard Cohen is just Bob Dylan but without the horrible harmonica and a better voice. Not the best album of his that I've heard, but it's still nice and chill.

Amazing album. Just great slow folk songs.

Naishurmuri lauluntekijä.. soundi ei vituta kuitenkaan...

Pas un autre chansonnier dans mes oreilles!

He's just too sad sack for me.

Finally, my first Leonard Cohen album. I quite liked the atmosphere of this album, and I liked how bare it sounded. Nothing was too long either, which was nice. I'm excited for his other albums. My favourite songs were The Partisan and Story of Isaac.

Decent album, Cohen certainly has a distinctive voice and the songwriting is excellent

Me ha gustado "The Partisan" pero el resto aunque no sonaba mal no me ha interesado. Supongo que la única forma de disfrutar es con las letras en la mano leyendo las historias.

Fantastic songwriting. I wish it was a bit less produced tho. I could do without the bass. I wish it was just his voice and a guitar.

I’ve never been hugely into this Cohen album, and much prefer the records either side (as well as a few others later in his illustrious career). Bird on the Wire is a great opener though and its pretty strong throughout, just pales a bit in comparison

It's just a mellow but almost weird vibe. Not unpleasant but certainly not my jam either.

Some stand outs (Story of Isaac, The Partisan), but overall has the typical Cohen problem of being poems with a bit of bgm, rather than songs.

5/5 Love his voice. Huge fan of Leonard

I continue to find the lyrics themselves to be nice, but Cohen's actual music still doesn't engage me

Simple yet deep. Definitely the kind of album that benefits from additional listens. Nothing to complain about. It’s my favorite album that prominent incorporates a jaw harp.

the best lyricist of his or any generation. the instrumentation is unobtrusive, letting you really revel in the poetry. the partisan is one of my favorite songs ever written, and bird on the wire is also up there. i can’t name other highlights here because every song brings something new and tragic and beautiful.

This list doesn’t need more than one Leonard cohen album, utterly bland

i almost fell asleep is it good or bad

Didn't love it. I'm sure it was cool at the time but it sounded like a less fun Velvet Underground

Cool

Hard to bear a whole album of whining

Cohen wrote many great albums and this is definitely one of them. While other albums might contain better and more famous songs this one here really shows why he's such a great song writer. He doesn't need cheap rhymes or a great singing voice to lure you into his musical world.

begynne å få sansen for han karen her

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Every once in a while I like to feel treated to lyrics that read like poetry. The opening songs “Bird on the Wire” and “Story of Isaac” have that feel. I love lyrics that give you some imagery to roll around your head, even if the meaning of every line isn’t always immediately clear. Those two stood out to me the most, though “A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes” has a nice dramatic and full band sound, and the closer “Tonight Will Be Fine” is sweetly romantic. The songs definitely have a Dylanesque style but Leonard Cohen has a style of his own that comes through too. (And it may well be that Dylan and Cohen are just drawing from the same folk influences.)

Leonard Cohen is best known for "Hallelujah", which I think is one of the best songs to ever be written, but he has so many other songs that are really incredible too (hard to compare to "Hallelujah" though). I always think of him as "your favorite songwriter's favorite songwriter". He's so universally loved by songwriters, poets, artists but unfortunately I think his sound hasn't translated to a fresh enough sound for younger generations to fully embrace. Similar to Bob Dylan. I really love when he goes into an upper voice register. He has such an emotive upper chest voice that takes your attention and rips it out from whatever you were doing and forces you into the music that is playing. It's one of many impressive things that he does that elevate his music from being very one-emotion folk. His lyrics are so poetic and span a lot of different emotions. This area is a big plus and makes his music more timeless and re-listenable. This is a 3/5 for me. Unfortunately he has so many albums that I've always found it hard to find some that really stand out; there's simply so many tracks that sometimes I can listen to one of his records and between his great songs will be a few that are forgettable.

As someone who's never heard a Leonard Cohen song, this is an interesting one. He's obviously a talented lyricist, with some legitimately piercing images. A couple songs achieved a cold atmosphere that really matched the lyrical content. But when I look at the product as a whole, I have to admit that this is pushing pretty far against the barriers of what I consider listenable music. Half or more is a guy mumbling in monotone over a five-second guitar line repeated to death. Fascinating, good as poetry, but not something I liked much as music. Best song: A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes

Listened to it in 3 attempts so can’t really remember but think it was alright

Poetry

Not my fave by Leonard but great nonetheless.

Somehow in nearly 37 years, I had avoided hearing anything by Leonard Cohen. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I didn’t think I’d like it. I was pleasantly surprised. He reminds me of a much more pleasant Bob Dylan.

Well this was an odd one. I don’t my head was in the right place for a singer songwriter on Monday morning. I could have done with some proper BANGERS instead. Leonard doesn’t bang very well. I failed to keep up with the ideas and lyrics. I'm sure it has its place and time. But that wasn't Monday morning for me. I also prefer how his voice scaled down in later years. This is a little busy.

One of the best records ever recorded.

I found it interesting that this album felt different and distinct from Songs of Leonard Cohen and Songs of Love and Hate, which were previous listening assignments in this project. While those two albums hit me immediately, these seemed to be songs to savor, and I was happy that I was able to listen to them a few times, finding new things each time and growing deeply in my appreciation for them. The songwriting really shone through this one, where the instrumentation and the vocals were quite simple. I probably shouldn't say it quite like that, as the classical guitar work is masterful, but it gets to shine through brightly here with the occasional Jew's harp accompaniment. Just as an example, each time I listened to "Story of Isaac" I was knocked over at a new bit of the message it gave, using the Biblical story in a way that blew my mind. There's a good reason so many artists have performed these wonderful songs.

Hmmmm...I think that if this were the first Leonard Cohen album for me that I may not have been so anxious to explore more of his library. A couple of tracks really grabbed me, but some others really did not. Also, to me it is even more noticeable that he is not the strongest singer here...but I think that might be part of the draw.

Some nice Leonard Cohen with a lot of mouth harp. Boing-boing-boing.

Mouth harp driven backing music with some read Leonard Cohen-y Leonard Cohen songs… I mostly liked this. Doesn’t unseat You Want It Darker as my favorite Cohen album so far, but I dig it!

Songs From A Room is calming, simple and soothing yet never quite moves beyond good. And that's okay, I liked it enough for a 3.

This is not as good as the previous Cohen album we had - it's weaker lyrically and musically just as simple and relatively empty. There's not a song there that really captures me, Bird On A Wire is good but nor great and there's nothing else that really comes close. 2/5.

Good songwriting his voice is meh

A musicalidade presente na construção dos versos cria uma sensação que ritmo que se apresenta para manter a atenção. Assim, escutar as músicas é sentir fortemente a mistura de tristeza, alegria e euforia.

Becoming a big fan of Cohen because of this website. Liked every song on this album and love listening to the melancholy stories he tells

Incredibly tedious boring and uninteresting. Longest 35 minutes of my life. If it wasn't for the Watchmen movie no one would know who Leonard Cohen is.

Not interested.

Good album, not my thing

Leagues better than “I’m Your Man”. I’m not going to put this into the rotation but it’s totally fine and helps me get it re: Cohen.

A solid follow-up to Songs of Leonard Cohen. I don't think it holds up quite as high as a whole album, but it does happen to kick off with one of Leonard's finest and best-known songs. Decidedly more stripped back in its production, the album continues to show Cohen's strength as a writer, though one of my favourite moments on it happens to be Leonard's cover of Anna Marly's anti-fascist anthem "La Complainte du partisan" - a gorgeous and powerful song. The back half of the album doesn't feel as strong as the front but it's still quality.

i never gave much to say about these 90s rap albums. most of them have a couple good songs and overall good listens

Maybe slightly more tuneful than the later work, but not quite as interesting, more stripped down without the subtle and stylish flourishes as on the debut record or the later ones. One exception, “The Partisan,” is a highlight, as is the mournful organ on “Nancy So Long Ago."

I like what I've heard of his before, so with that in mind I probably enjoyed this less than I'd expected to. A little spartan for my preferences.

Leonard made a few questionable decisions in putting his teams together over the years. It's not a surprise that he didn't get along with David Crosby and he fortunately pulled the plug before it was too late. A few albums later Leonard hired Phil Spector as producer to give his Wall of Sound a shot on Death of a Ladies Man. Phil was a whack job and that album really didn't work. Without the right team to bring the additional layers, we end up with a very stripped down album. There are a few classics like Bird on a Wire, The Partisan and Lady Midnight but this, his second album, is not to the same standard as his first and third albums.

Compared to Leonard Cohen's debut album, Songs From a Room isn't as chock full of "hits" as his debut. Also, he felt the production was too lush on the debut and wanted sparser arrangements on this one, and that's what he got. This puts the lyrics and his voice center stage, it's a bit like listening to an old time folk singer, like Woodie Guthrie. This is fine except for the instances when LC really belts out the tunes and his voice is strained, as in Bird on the Wire, which is still a great song. My favourite is the one song LC didn't compose: The Partisan

Yet another album by Cohen, I was starting to think that its me, that I just don't get him, but then again I counted 41 one-star ratings, so maybe its not just me. This album was morbidly morose, maudlin and a real chore to listen to. Stick to writing poetry Lenny.

I can't find it within myself to appreciate this album.

Tylsä

Perus-Cohen

Least favorite of the several Leonard cohen albums we’ve gotten. Not his best sounding vocals pretty boring musically kind of sound like demos to me. Depressing.

Hahahah another one! Really interesting and intentional use of sounds and textures. the tap dancing and fuzz guitar on a bunch of lonesome heroes. the french voices and the harmonica on the partisan. Similar triplet guitar parts to his other record. Organ on seems so long. Lots of jaw harp throughout I like his voice more later on in his career. I really enjoyed this and was going to give it a 4 but but by the end I was pretty irritated by all the jaw harp. It would’ve been an ok texture on one song but it got pretty out of hand lol.

There were some good ones and some duds. This was my second favorite we have listened to. I most liked The Partisan and You Know Who I Am.

I was sceptical at first but this one is really beautiful

Leonard Cohen est surprenamment vivant dans cet album, et c'est plus ou moins tout ce qu'on lui demande, quand on voit ce qu'il nous a proposé dans sa version empaillée.

Album très sympathique, la version empaillée de Leonard Cohen est bien supérieure à sa version cadavérique.

“Partisan” & “Bird” are top-tier Cohen Next favourites are “Nancy”, “Tonight”, and “The Old Revolution” At L.C. album #4 I confess, I somehow get irritated hearing him say “your/her body”. Because there’s at least one example on all those albums- including some of my favourite songs, like “Suzanne” and “Manhattan” March 29, 2023

Likes: Gripping hook lyrics, calm and easy-to-listen vibe, feels like there’s a world waiting to be uncovered in the lyrics Dislikes: Kinda monotonous/droning, not a lot going on musically, boing-ing spring reverb Not something I’d listen to for the music, but something I’d deep dive for the lyrics

Probably an album that needs to be heard. I am not a Leonard Cohen fan, as I haven't gotten into it as many times as I have tried.

Rating: 7/10 2nd album by Canadian Leonard Cohen, released in 1969. 1) Bird on the Wire - Beautiful song 2) Story of Isaac - Song retelling a story from the bible from Isaac’s perspective 3) A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes - A song about a soldier in the Vietnam war 4) The Partisan - An adaptation of “La Complainte du Partisan”, a song about a Frenchman fighting as a partisan after the French surrendered to the Nazis 5) Seems So Long Ago, Nancy - A song about someone Leonard knew, who committed suicide due to mental health. 6) The Old Revolution - Seems to be about religion. 7) The Butcher - About religion again? God? Evil? Leonard asking why he should praise God who hasn’t seemed to bring him any goodness. 8) You Know Who I Am - A song about someone who Leonard loves but he can’t let them love him? 9) Lady Midnight - An older woman? 10) Tonight Will Be Fine - In a relationship that where he knows he can no longer love the other person, but wishes to spend one. more night with them. Review: I can see why it’s a good album, lyrically in particular. But for personal enjoyment, I can’t see myself ever going back and listening to it again, nor can I see myself listening to any song from it again. Poor replay value for me personally. However, with that being said it is still a very well put together album and was an enjoyable listen.

Ich find das Album ziemlich cool und ich mag seine Stimme echt gerne. Ich hätte mich aber gefreut wenn noch ein paar schnellere Songs dabei gewesen wären, dann wär das Album mehr in Kopf geblieben und es gäbe mehr Abwechslung. 3,9/5

Schöne Stimme 7/10

This is a mood. I want to sit in the dark smoking cigarettes and making comparisons and metaphors to the Old Testament. I wrote off other albums for being too story-driven with not much musical background (ahem Kendrick Lamar and Little Sims) but this doesn't offend quite as much. The guy in the corner with the mouth harp is the glue holding all of this together.

Not a fan of this one. Took some time to get through it.

Makes use of some interesting instruments that you don’t hear enough of.

Enjoyed most of this album very much. Simple yet beautiful music under pure poetry.

Godlike.

Honestly not for me, at least not atm. Was listening at work and probably couldn't appreciate the lyrics enough, and the melancholic folky spoken poetry thing just didn't work for me. Having just listened to an amazing Dylan album earlier in the week it felt like a similar (albeit much sadder) vibe but without any of the energy or spark

An okay album that I feel gets better the more you listen. Cohen doesn’t have the best singing voice but he focuses on the story and lyrics. If not given the right attention his music seems uninspiring and not approachable. Overall it’s not something I would revisit but it seems like you have to, to really enjoy what he was trying to make. 4.4/10

Songs from a room, a small room with a seemingly uninterested man plodding his way through my life wasting my time with beige music. Thank you for showing the lows so I may at a later time experience the highs by contrast. I'm sure someone out there loves this, I'm happy for them but I'm just counting down the time till this is done.

Better Bob Dylan

das soldaten thema ist ganz cool, aber im großen und ganzen nicht meins

Leonard always sounds best in the winter time :,)

Didn't really do it for me.

Poesía de Cohen. Sólo por The Patisan ya se merece un 5.

LP

It's a good album but I couldn't really get into it. 3,5/5

Another day. Another Leonard Cohen album. You can gauge how good the albums are by how many recognised hits are on them and this has less than other albums.

Full , boring

I listened to most of I'm Your Man before realizing I was supposed to be listening to Songs From a Room. It gave me some interesting perspective... I didn't really like the sound of I'm Your Man as an album, though I have enjoyed a song or two off of it. The songs seemed too dirge-like for me to listen to for a while album. But!! Going back almost 20 years prior to Songs From a Room, I liked it. It's folksy, the lyrics seem hopeful but also wistful and bummed out at times. It was musically more interesting to me than I'm Your Man. Would listen again!

Top

so wonderfully flawed, out of tune and even more intimate for it. maybe I am alone in this, there is something playuful & humourous, even hilarious, as well as a soothing. Its not melancholy - more a lugubrious tone, hence playfyully sleepy, lulling. and then, at times, its like a Nick Cave lyric pops up... original. I need MORE COHEN, not less. adding nhim to my new listening pile, alone with Serge Gauinsbourg.

I've shared variations of this point before re: Cohen, but, like... One of my partner's favorite genres is like acoustic singer-songwriter stuff. "Sad man with a guitar" music, as she calls it. And I cannot stand sad man with a guitar. What I need when I'm down is "Sad lady with a piano." Any case, I'm not Leonard Cohen's audience, and that's ok (I can sometimes work with "sad man with piano" though, like I really like Warren Zevon a lot)

I left this album understanding better why people loved Cohen.

What an album. Definitely has a nostalgic feel to it which I love.

Shocked that yet another Cohen album was on here, but this was slightly innocuous at 4am.

Dobar album

Great!

This became a personal favourite of mine

Enjoyed listening to a younger Cohen, but felt very bland. The guitar work was nice, I enjoyed it on the Partisan, but his voice felt very monotone. Like a duller Bob Dylan. Pretty crazy, too, that this album and the prior one both came out the same year.

Yeah, buddy, I'm not at all surprised that you recorded these songs in a room. Jokes aside, this was pretty solid. Nothing too crazy, he honestly sounds like a sobered up version of Bob Dylan (not that Dylan was a drunk, but Cohen sounds like his straight-laced, serious brother). A few gems though, can't deny that. Favorite tracks: Story of Isaac, The Partisan, Tonight Will Be Fine. Album art: Damn, he even looks like Bob Dylan here. Just a vague black and white portrait shot, not much to this cover at all. 3.5/5

Unique

စကားပြောသော သီချင်းများ

Meh, not a fan.

Super solid.

i appreciate how some songs kind of just feel like sitting alone, strumming and letting the music come to him, venting out his experiences in an artistic way that lets you sit and reflect. It's exposing raw and vulnerable aspects of life. Other songs are a lot more captivating instrumentally, though still in a simple way, a steady rhythm with other instruments creating the variation and interest. The singing is gentle and constant enough that it's easy to let it fade to the background, an album that can keep you company. But when you take the time to listen there's a deeper story to follow. I'm glad this was the first album i got, leonard cohen is one of those artists that people who inspire me boast about, but i haven't gotten to his music until now

Better than his first album

I'm not the biggest Leonard Cohen fan, but I played this while driving my 4-year-old daughter to school; she didn't say a word the whole ride, and then when we got there she announced she wanted to listen to this album every day on the way to school. So that counts for something.

I like Leonard Cohen but not this album

I didn't like it as much as the prior albums I listened to the past few days, but it was pretty good and deserves 4 stars

Listened to this while on a snow walk and disappeared into Cohen's story telling. Hauntingly beautiful.

An interesting album. He sounds unsure of his vocals creating a unique vulnerability in his body of work.

Bob Dylanesque

The vocals are a little rough at times, but the songwriting makes up for a lot of that. It's enjoyable, really enjoyable. Simplistic, but there's something comforting about that. Reminds me a little bit of John Prine, but not quite as entertaining.

Hauntingly beautiful poetry and understated instrumentation combine to produce a deeply emotional and poignant album. Every song is a piece of Cohen's soul triple distilled, served to your ears in its most refined and perfect state for your hearing pleasure.

Leonard Cohen is a genius.

That's good, not so varied tho

"Songs from a Room" is the second studio album from Canadian musician Leonard Cohen. The album began with David Crosby as producer which didn't work and was eventually produced by Bob Johnston and recorded in Nashville. As a response to critics and friends for his arrangements and production on his first album, Cohen stripped this album down. Boy, did he ever. The music is very stripped down...no drums used. The music and the lyrics are very stark. Where his other early albums have songs about romantic relationships, here, we have a few about relationships but also about war, God, his father and drugs. Maybe, it was the 1969 timeframe??? Or just Lenny? The album begins with a song he frequently began his concerts with, "Bird on a Wire." Acoustic guitar, strings. More of a country song. He said the song was written after a woman helped him though a depressive state. He swears to redeem everything that's gone wrong. That might be the most upbeat song on the album as he goes dark on the second song "Story of Isaac." An anti-war song but ends with a peace branch. Sacrificing for others. "Seems so Long Ago, Nancy" was inspired by a woman. Everyone knew her but she ends up killing herself in the end. I'm not sure I want to know any more about Nancy. "The Old Revolution" continues with the acoustic guitar lead but also has a funky background noise which I couldn't quite place the instrument. The stanzas switch between describing war and living life. Both don't end well as he repeats going into a furnace. The album ends with "Tonight Will Be Fine." A thumping bass and whistles. Dreaming about being with a woman and that's fine for tonight. Well, Leonard Cohen is tied at second with The Beatles and David Bowie with albums the challenge has given me at four. The Smiths/Morrissey lead at five. I have to admit I struggled with this Cohen the most. Not that any Cohen album is joyous, laughter and giggles but this one goes to a dark place and there more than the others. That in itself is an accomplishment. It is, however, always worth listening to Cohen for his brilliant, poetic lyrics and stories.

Very similar to his first album. It's a vibe.

I'm bummed so it does what's intended.

Precursor to even greater things, but still very good

This is the second album by Leonard Cohen on this list and coincidentally it is also his second album in discography. After quite exciting "Songs of Leonard Cohen" I am greeted by "Songs From a Room", a weaker and less attractive record, without any outstanding, or even above average songs. Leonard Cohen recorded another ten folk songs, showing off his singing skills, which are surprisingly average or just uninteresting early in his musical career. If you compare those first two albums with his later work, from 80s onward, it's like a completely different person, style and feeling. I have trouble pointing out any song on this record to discuss or give example of his style. Slow, melancholic melody and Leonards voice on top of it. Real disappointment.

Kan inte riktigt bedöma det här. The Butcher är fortfarande en skitlåt och en del andra håller inte riktigt måttet, men plattan har ju varit med mig sen tonåren. Och så är bästa versionen av La complainte du partisan med vilket förlåter det mesta.

Min knippa har alltid saknat nyckeln till Cohen.

Funkar inte att dansa till.

Liked this more than I expected to. It's poetry to music but LCs voice cracks and whispers and points towards the suggestion of great melody. Easy to see why he's been covered so much.

I have spent a lot of time with this album in my life. Like others we’ve heard so far, this is good but only hints at how good his later work becomes.

There's a lot of what I like about outlaw country in here.

good shit

Great folk album, but I guess that the beauty reveals itself more in the lyrics, which I rarely give much attention on first listen. Will definitely listen another time and read the lyrics. Some songs here are classic and beautiful, like "Bird on the Wire". Overall, I liked this one. 7,4/10

Ikke hans beste, men i kjent stil

Bird on the Wire - 4 stars Story of Isaac - 3.5 stars A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes - 4.5 stars The Partisan - 3 stars Seems So Long Ago, Nancy - 3 stars The Old Revolution - 3 stars The Butcher - 3 stars You Know Who I Am - 3.5 stars Lady Midnight - 3.5 stars Tonight Will Be Fine - 3 stars

Excellent lyrics. The voice wasn’t yet there.

I'm stealing the imagery from the producer and saying that to me, this album is a painting. The simplicity and starkness is done beautifully without a hint of arrogance. I love the unusual voice and poetry and composition of LC's music always. This second album is no exception. I love all of his music equally so every LC review will be extremely positive but one great thing that comes from still reviewing them for this is all of the Wikipedia research... Cohen's albums always have the best background stories about where the inspo came from and his comments etc. Honestly always better than any other artists Wikipedia pages. I'm learning lots of fun and interesting facts but also getting inspo for how to go about song writing for myself.

I definitely preferred this to previous LC albums, more upbeat and some lovely songs in there. A bunch of lonesome heroes sounded so like So Long Marianne it was confusing. But I loved both songs!

Just another excellent Leonard Cohen albumbumbumbum

Decent but not his best album

A third album by Leonard Cohen and third distinct style. Classical guitar and bass are the only instruments on most songs. With Cohen's talk singing vocals this creates a very sparse and intimate record. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: The Partisan Date listened: 25/12/22

Eh, not what I was wanting to hear this morning. He was a poet first and his lyrics reflect that. The music is soft and quiet and usual downtrodden. I'm sure it is good, but I needed something more uplifting today.

Noice

I never really listened to Cohen before this project. This is album number 3? 4? now. I don't really like him as much as others must. This was pleasant enough but I don't know that I'm planning to listen to it again. Thus far I like his final album the best. I feel oddly guilty about that. A 2.5 bumped to a 3

Sleeper 😴😴😴😴

Enjoyed the composition but didn’t really pop.

Ok

I fucking hate this album so much

I love Leonard Cohens first album, but nothing he did afterword really resonates that much with me. I respect him, but I can’t really bring myself to enjoy this.

Tié beau Leonard

étrangement j'aime bien les lamentations de leonard cohen

I don't necessarily like musicians just because they are well loved which I know Leonard Cohen is. My belief is that Everybody Knows is his only palatable song in spite of the cheesy keyboard. But we're not here for that. We are starting off with Bird on a Wire..I have to admit I've never heard this version of a song I associate strongly with Johnny Cash. Immediate reaction is that Cohen must've been extraordinarily young on this album as he hasn't attained the deep raspy voice of his later songs. The Story of Isaac.. this old Biblical tale. The story is old and tired and the song isn't much better. That's a hearty 'meh' from me. The Partisan is better, mostly owing to the accompanying French female vocalist. When people who hate Bob Dylan (not me) describe his voice, it reminds me of how I feel about all the vocals on this album which easily overpower the music and don't show much talent. This is maybe worse than that. Depressing. Underwhelming. I could've done without it and I still don't get Leaonard Cohen.

blah, blah, blah, poetry, poetry, poetry... This is just more suck from the voice of LC. Is it true that Leonard Cohen has risen from beyond the grave to create 1001 as a way of promoting ALL of his albums? In other words, 'why do these albums keep showing up?'

This completes my catch-up, out-of-order listen of the first three albums by Leonard Cohen. As it turns out, these folk albums are not as horrible as the other two Cohen albums on the list. They’re still not for me, though. A poor man’s Bob Dylan, and I’m not a Dylan fan. Cohen may very well be a terrific writer of lyrics, but the arrangements are too dull to hold my attention long enough to appreciate his wordplay or storytelling. These three albums all feel very similar, begging the need for all three to be on the list. Then again, they are better than the other two although those are more unique. Further driving the discussion of the contents of the list, which I have found to be one of the more interesting aspects of this grand experiment.

After three albums of complaining, rightfully I might add, that Leonard Cohen’s voice is bad, boring, not terrible, and the most uninteresting in music, my opinion hasn’t changed after the fourth. Thank goodness we only have one more Cohen album left! The one slight distinction this time is his voice isn’t grating on me as much. It fits better with these songs. Cohen has finally broken the Jeff Buckley barrier.

Lekker album. Mooie stem en rustige muziek op de achtergrond. favs: Partisan story of isaac

Vond dit echt doodsaai en kreeg vietnamoorlog protestnummer vibe

Z’n stem klinkt raar, verveeld soms, maar ondanks dat komt het hier en daar wel over. Klassieke songwriter muziek goed uitgevoerd, maar zou hier niet zo snel naar teruggaan

Ok

Очень странный альбом. Было не очень приятно его слушать.

Poetry that sometimes becomes music.

Slow paced, decent sounding but didn't really do much for me

Songs From a Room that should have left there. Deur dicht, op slot en nooit meer openmaken.

Niet geluisterd, maar weet nu al dat ik er een hekel aan heb

Ik ontkom niet aan de indruk dat Leonard hier en daar toch tegen het valse aan zingt. Maar het was best een aardige plaat voor een donkere druilerige avond.

Past uitstekend bij m'n algehele stemming en de tijd van het jaar. Los daarvan ook gewoon mooi.

What an album for today I am passive towards life rn

I was kinda in a rush listening to this album and skipped a couple of the songs but I pretty much got the gist from the first 3 or 4 songs. This isn't nearly as good as his more modern, deep, and haunting stuff. This was just boring folk.

hadn't heard this album before, and unfortunately with good reason. Best bits are on Greatest Hits, rest is unremarkable. I love me some Lenny but not this so much

This shit is too sad for me to listen rn

A miserable effort, LH can't sing and the music is boring and dreary

Really liked this one but had to deduct a star for the annoying cartoon boinging noise. What the fuck Len

Cheer up Len

Unpopular opinion: Leonard Cohen is much better than Bob Dylan in every sense. He is a poet and there is no fucking harmonica.

not bad

4.5 Love me some Leonard Cohen!

Folk rock, not a fan

Love his voice and his songs. Poetic and calming and still tension in the air

I enjoy Leonard Cohen if I'm in the right mood. Nothing breathtaking here but nothing terrible either.

2.5/5 good lyrics and instrumentals but often whiny and annoying vocals

i luv leonard cohen

Seriously why are there so many Leonard Cohen albums on this list? The man cannot sing. Speaking the words in a dramatic fashion or just speaking them is not singing. I get why he does it - he cannot sing. He can write a song just not perform it. I will round up to a 2 but it is a close call.

FUCK! Why his this SOB on the list so much. Before I even listen guess review - Terrible After I listened. - God this sucked.

Highlights: The Partisan, the butcher, the old revolution

Leonard Cohen mi fa sempre scendere la lacrimuccia.

Simple music and easy to listen to, but I'm not sure he's actually singing though - mostly sounds like he's just talking and perhaps trying to sing. I think the closest he gets to actually singing is in track 5 "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy". I've heard that he does better in some of his later albums - but I'm not going to rush and find out.

Slow singer songwriter, all acoustic guitar, no real accompaniment to speak of. It was ok

Stark and stunning

Country Bears suicide music.

Like a turd on a wire.

bored on a wire

Wow. Such a good album. I know many see it as not as good as his first album (Songs of Leonard Cohen), I would take a sophomore effort by Leonard Cohen over the vast majority of albums out there. Powerful, austere, spiritual, melancholy. It's hard to date by its sound because the production is so minimal and therefore always feels fresh and relevant to me. 5/5

Sorry Leonard I just can't get into it

It sounds a lot like earlier Leonard Cohen, but it still sounds really good and is pleasant to have on.

As usual the lyricism in Leonard Cohen's ballads is unmatched. His voice is amazing and yes it's half spoken but that somehow makes it better? Favourite songs: A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes, The Partisan, Seems So Long Ago, Nancy

Enough with the fuckin Cohen already. I get it. He was important. It still doesn’t change the fact that the dude speaks words over music as opposed to singing. Boring and not good.

Another inexplicable hole in YT Music’s catalog. Honestly I wouldn’t mind it as much if there was just some website I could go to and find out what arcane IP infighting was responsible for the situation. I know that has nothing to do with the music but you know, it’s early career Leonard Cohen. If you like that you’ll like this. It’s not his strongest album in this era, there is some relative filler and it takes the austere sound to a fault, but there are some absolute essentials on it too.

Chill Montreal cafe vibes.

Strang to hear Cohen sounding so young.

As boring as I’m your man

1/5. I’m sure these songs would have been more powerful back in the day but I do not want to listen to this more than I have to.

"hmm after i take another hit of this crack pipe maybe i should pick another album for the list" 1

Wow this is beautiful. I know Cohen for somewhat rougher music

Un peu trop triste et monotone mais beau sur l'ensemble.

listened to before truly a great poet and songwriter

Reminds me of Bob Dylan, but slightly less iconic. Decent album but not mind blowing. Best Songs: Bird on the Wire, The Partisan, Worst Songs: Story of Isaac, You Know Who I Am

It was a decent album, instrumentally sound and was easy to create an image in ur head through the lyrics

Dog shit

Folk music just isn't for me, I'm afraid. He sounds like he's bored while singing the songs. No favorite tracks.

Was an okay listen. Fav song: Tonight Will Be Fine

Only album so far I've listened to twice. Very good.

Bird on the Wire is great, Tonight Will be Fine was pretty good. Seems like a bit of a sophmore slump between two better albums though. They blew their production budget on Jew’s harps. And the lyrics are a little uninspired sometimes.

It was a pretty short album but I liked the first and last song. Feels like an album where if I gave it time I’d learn to like it a lot.

Not a fan. I listened to 2 songs.

Meh

I grew up with "Songs of Leonard Cohen", his first album (followed by this one). I learned to play fingerstyle guitar for several of those songs, and they're etched in my heart. I did always wonder about some of the more extravagant arrangement/production choices on that album, and it seems LC did too, insisting that this album would be more simple, even stark. But having pulled that off, I'm listening to it and missing something. Or is it just that the songs themselves aren't as good?

There are ten songs here. For me, six of them are worth 5-stars, so I rate the album similarly. I love his poetry and there’s plenty to enjoy here. Opening with Bird On The Wire sets a pretty high bar. On the surface, it’s addressed to a lover that he’s not treating well, but it’s so much more than that. As is the other great love song - You Know Who I Am. He loves using the word naked, as he does here and also in the more light-hearted Tonight Will Be Fine. Then there are the songs addressing war and the youth. I assume he wrote a lot of these songs in 1968, when the anti-war movement in the U.S. was at it’s peak. The biblical Story Of Isaac and The Butcher fit in here. The Partisan, which he didn’t write, was an unofficial anthem of the Free French in WW2. I only saw him once, in early 1980, at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. It was his first tour to Australia. And the only other concert I’ve attended where emotions were so high was the first Brian Wilson concert at the State Theatre early this century. The love for the performer was palpable. I remember that people were constantly screaming requests, and I remember that a lot of them were for Nancy. For me it is one of his greatest compositions. Love this album.

Production is spare but still pretty. Personally, I would like a little bit more grit in it, but you can't have everything. It is mostly simple acoustic guitar and bass arrangements, augmented with occasional strings, distant organ, even a little bit of fuzz guitar. And Jew's harp, for that extra bit of spice. Leonard's voice is not great, but he can (usually) sell the damn song. I think the weakest vocal performance is Bird on a Wire. I think he was intimidated by the song (and a really world-class standard song it is), and it took him another 10 or more years to settle into it. The songs are so great. They are so evocative. I realize that he almost never talks in generalities or abstract concepts. He tells the story through vivid and concrete images. I love that approach to lyric writing.

Songs from a bedroom more like it. Ik viel gelijk weer in slaap toen ik ernaar luisterde :/

Mycket fin platta med många fina spår. Inte hört denna platta förut.

Absolutely loved the first album but this sounds like the same tunes with different words. Maybe you're supposed to see the songs as musical poems and the tunes don't matter, just the words? Then I read the reviews and even the high score reviews admit it's this way. It's pleasant, and there are high points but a lot of it can be left on in the background.

Day 2!! Loved loved loved Songs from a Room by Leonard Cohen. I played it in the car and my mom immediately recognized and loved the album. I can definitely see how this 1969 work of art influenced future artists.