Reviews (page 8 of 9)
7/10 sometimes creepy, and sometimes the 80s sounds were a bit much, but overall i really enjoyed the atmosphere that this album had.
8/10. I listened to this one before it came up on the list, and on a second listen I think I like it a bit more. I still think that it's a bit over-wrought, and would have been better without some of the backup vocals etc, but I still really like a couple of these songs, which manage to sound good despite the cheesiness of the affair. Everybody Knows and Take This Waltz are probably my favorites from this album, but Jazz Police fits the awkward style better.
Leonard Cohen what the fuck were you thinking? 3/10
Þessi er klassík. Þægileg róandi rödd. Skemmtilega 80s raddanir í viðlögum sums staðar. Poppljóð.
actually found it rlly interesting! liked tower of song, everybody knows and take this waltz. jazz police just made me laugh. his voice is rlly cool & lyrics are good, kinda used to his weirdness bc of my dad. :D
Kinda weird but got some bops.
Just excellent!
A great Cohen album. Very poetic.
I love this album since I ve bought it in Hungaria in 1989 approx. although some of the cheap synthie-sounds were strange. Leonards songs are undestoyable and last forever.
The fourth Leonard Cohen album we've had. I'm always a bit back and forth on his work and find my level of appreciation wavering and influenced by current mood. As a songwriter, I think he's absolutely fantastic. For instance, from this album, I really love Joe Cocker's cover version of First We Take Manhatten and also appreciate Don Henley's cover version of Everybody Knows quite a bit. I'm a lot less certain regarding my feelings on Cohen's own performance of his songs. They often sound like deliberately flatly performed Disney movie songs. 3.5 stars rounded up.
Just don’t love his kind of deep voice. :/
As Leonard Cohen albums go, this one is rather uneven and strange. Lyrically the album is as rich and poetic as anything we might expect from Cohen, but he struggles a little to land on a sound, leaning on a kind of limp, synth backed pop. "Take This Waltz" and "I'm Your Man" are the best songs on the album, with an honorable mention to "Everybody Knows." Bonus points for that album cover. Fave Songs: Take This Waltz, I'm Your Man, Everybody Knows, Tower of Song
Is he eating a banana? wtf
A distinctly dark sound, with Cohen's gravelly voice offering lamentful tales
Oh Leonard. You were better than this. This album is SO disjointed. Waltzes, and synth and crazy high background singers... I'm gonna start making people listen to Jazz Police when the say they like Leonard Cohen but can only name one song. (And you know what song I mean)
Mira, no estuvo tan mal, pero los sintetizadores no han envejecido nada bien.
Kinda weird to me. I welcome the updated sound for Leonard, but he has such an old man voice that it makes a funky contrast. The backing vocals relieve this a bit though. A few songs just lack any sort of interesting elements to them unfortunately. 4/10
Everybody knows this is a great album. My introduction to Leonard Cohen. I'm not a poetry man but this hits a spot All fantastic apart from Jazz Police, not my jam.
Not for me
I'm not a fan of the 80s production, but it is still Leonard Cohen
Vocals are kinda flat & unemotional, and the backing music sounds like those campy demo songs that come preloaded on a Casio keyboard. I don't think Leonard Cohen is for me. Kinda funny reading about how critically successful this was
Not really to my taste, I have to admit it was hard not to bail out early.
I was digging the intro on the first track, and thought I might enjoy this album, however once the vocals started I knew I was in for a rough one. Pretty much every track was ruined by the vocals and I couldn't get past it.
prima
I've listened to this album before, I think when I was going through a 'I should listen to more Leonard Cohen' phase. The album is VERY 80s. But somehow manages to avoid being cheesy. Best song: Everybody knows
I've never heard Leonard Cohen like this before. What a groover.
My therapist: "Funky Leonard Cohen" was just a phase he went through in the 80s, he can't hurt you. Funky Leonard Cohen: Jazz police are talking to my niece A couple of great songs on here, no doubt, but some stinkers too. Fave track - "Tower of Song" - that's epic!
Meh pretty dull
I’m torn, idk if jazz police should get the album 5 stars or 1
Man has a very soothing voice. Especially when he says “then we take Berlin”
I like Leonard Cohen, but I want it darker.
какой-то стремный старый мужик речитативом говорит horny штуки. мне почему-то жалко его и я не особо верю в то, что он поет… кринжулик. музыка приятная, может более ранние его альбомы лучше, хочу послушать.
First we take Manhattan: 9/10 love the vocals Ain’t no cure for love: 9/10 Everybody knows: 8/10 I’m your man: 8.5/10 Take this waltz: 8.5/10 Jazz police: 8/10 I can’t forget: 8/10 Tower song: 8.5/10
Older, rougher, deeper voice that doesn’t stand out to me. Everybody Knows was as far i got and the best song i listened to.
It’s way too long and I don’t care for his half awake half drunk singing style.
Love the dorky 80’s sound.
Nice deal voice, dark and spooky, got a few love songs i could send you girls
He sure is
Is this a joke album?
Well the first track set the tone as being 80s AF. Is Leonard Cohen meant to sound like a dodgy pickup artist? I mean, I'm literally never going to listen to this again. It's like being subject to the boring guy in the pub, except he's crooning at you instead of just talking. The lyrics are a bit "yeah, rightoh mate".
Oh god, what do people see in this guy?! His delivery is so wooden. Thank the lord that this is the last of his albums that I need to suffer through.
Had about enough 80s. No disrespect to Cohen it's a fine production.
The album where every song sounds exactly the same and only one of them, "Everybody Knows", is even listenable. Subtract one star for the cover photo where he's eating a damn banana.
Another long-time favorite. Almost loses a point for "Jazz Police" but the rest is so good I can't be mean. Incredible that so many cheesy elements work so well together. The Cohen album I listen to the most
Hupa.
Love it!!!!
Si tuviera 10⭐ se las daría
Good poetry by Leonard Cohen, music is not bad, tasteful. But it's not an album for all, more for 40+ lonely people
Rock suave de Cohen. Un 4.
Is not my jam
Elvis- 1965 4/5 Classic rock/country, very tame in consideration to modern sensabilities. enjoyed Leonard Cohen - I'm your man 3/5 Not bad by any standard, but not for me. Very spoken word, poetry. Reminds me of some songs from The Wall. Electronic Jazz felt strange to me.
It's brooding in a way that I just don't enjoy. His voice also just is not great
Old
I realize that I'm in the minority on this, but I absolutely despise the quality/tone of Leonard Cohen's voice and this album did nothing to sway me on that fact. I just put this album and it had that 80s sort of synth vibe and I was like, "Oh this is pretty cool." And then the frog croak of "They sentenced me to 20 years of boredom..." came jarring in like Fran Drescher in an otherwise quiet room... and I remembered. A few times a song started and I was like, "Oh, I might like this one, it sounds pret...nope, there he is again." I realize he is a legend, and the lyrics are interesting, but this is 100% not for me.
Love Cohen and mixing his style with this VERY 80s vibe is honestly a match made in heaven. Great stuff that somehow doesn't feel dated while still feeling very of its time.
Leonard Cohen is a better songwriter than performer. I’ve owned this album since the 1980s but really only listen to “Everybody Knows” on a regular basis (shout out to the movie “Pump up the Volume” that introduced me to the song. Note that that the Leonard C version is in the movie, but didn’t make the soundtrack!). “First We Take Manhattan” seems like it could be so much better. I’ll have to see if there is a cover version out there. Rest of this album is mostly depressing.
First we take manhattan, everybody knows standouts. Rest is interesting and a solid modernization, but not much else would make his greatest hits
He’s such a cool guy
I have very mixed feelings about this album. The lyrics are generally pretty great (it's Cohen, of course they are), and he really makes the best use of this unique voice here - whereas some earlier albums have him straining for high notes he can't reach, he gives a commanding gravelly performance throughout this album that really works. The instrumentation has aged very poorly though, and probably was behind the trend at the time as it's quite late in the decade to go all in on that '80s production. Still better sounding than Death of a Ladies' Man, but some of the instrumentals sound like rejected pitches for the Seinfeld theme. Overall, a decent album from a legendary talent
Horrible crap
Voice was super low, first 2 songs sounded like they were ripped off later by Lion King and the Police. Overall not my cup of tea, but it did have interesting sounds which is why I gave it 2 stars
The synths are so out of place here it is really strange
Better than I'd expected
The songwriting here is next level. It's clear that he's a poet. It is also clear that you have to either love or overlook his voice to really love the album--each with its own ceiling. I did my best to ignore the Shatner-esque nature of his voice and spoken lyrics. In the end, I just wished that a bunch of different bands covered these songs to elevate them.
Je m’explique bien mal pourquoi cet homme est un intouchable. Je comprends que certains textes sont très bien ficelés et je suis d’accord qu’il a tout un tone. Par contre la prod de cet album est tellement cheap... On est dans le midi vite fait. Ça sonne comme un démo. De plus, on dirait qu’il n’a pas décidé de la rythmique de son vocal avant d’enregistrer. C’est super aproximatif.
Ouf, je connaissais l'existence et l'importance de cet album, mais je ne m'attendais pas à ce qu'il soit si marqué dans les années 80. Contrairement à d'autres artistes, ça ne lui va pas du tout et ça a vraiment mal vieilli. Ça en est déconcentrant. Everybody Knows est limite, mais tolérable. J'arrive à reconnaître que c'est une de ses grandes chansons. Même chose pour I'm Your Man. Jazz Police en revanche est vraiment insupportable. Je crois qu'il y a que Tower of Song qui ne pousse pas la note trop loin dans son désir d'embrasser les technologies des années 80. C'est subtil et ça aurait passé beaucoup mieux si l'ensemble avait été dans ce genre. Si ce n'était de la production (et de cette terrible chanson qu'est Jazz Police), j'aurais probablement donné une meilleure note. Est-ce qu'on doit écouter cet album? Pour tout amateur de musique, d'histoire de la musique et de culture Montréalaise, oui. Est-ce que je vais y revenir? Nope.
Sigh, another Leonard Cohen spoken word album. This time with shitty synth loops. I swear I remember most of these beats from the drum presets on my 80's Casio toy keyboard. I'm your Man was #7. Wanted to give this a 2 for having the ambition to attempt a song in 3/4, but then Jazz Police came on, and it was a wrap. They sentenced LC to 20 years of boredom, and he tried to do the same to us.
More lively for Cohen, but still cohen
Cohen has a very interesting voice but I felt the lyrics/music on this album didn't match, which were often ridiculous.
I don't think I liked this album but I also didn't dislike it? Vocally it was very flat, with not much variation between songs. There were some interesting lyrics but I don't think I'll ever listen to any of these songs again. 2 stars
This album creeped me out and I don’t really love all of the sing-talking. Some cool lyrics though.
Plodding and not my style.
Everything about this album was pretty good, except for his voice, I just can’t get over it
I love Leonard Cohen, and for me this album ist the absolute high point of his second phase, perhaps even his best overall together with You Want it Darker. The songwrighting is stronger than ever here, with every single song being different, and almost every single song being a masterpiece. (Jazz Police is so-so). The lyrics are unmatchedly deep and witty, with Cohen's dry humor shining through in most of the eight tracks. To the casual listener, it might sound like a typical 80s record, but the arrangements often are even more stripped down than that, and generally fit the lyrics pretty well. The most important instrument, however, is Cohen's voice, which is deeper here than ever. - Could Cohen sing? You can argue about that, but whatever he is doing with it, his voice is more expressive than what most other artists can muster. To quote from Tower of Song, the final song on this album: "I was born like this, I had no choice, I was born with the gift of a golden voice." 5/5
Hey Len. I've got good news and better news. Let's go with the good first. The record company love your new songs. And the better? They feel inside the Laughing Len persona (so passe) there's a modern MTV star just waiting to be unleashed. They do. They do so much they've put it in your new contract. You do want a new record contract don't you? I guess so. Excellent. So sign here for gated drums. Here for over-assertive backing singers. Here for casio tone synths. Here for fretless bass. And here - very exciting this - for what they're calling 'Paul Hardcastle style' for Jazz Police. What's that I hear? It's the sound of MTV Heavy Rotation Baby. You know the wierdest part of the whole thing? Cohen produced the album himself. Listen to Jazz Police and wonder if the whole thing isn't a satire on the 80s music industry. Four stars for the songs, 0 for the production.
Cool as it gets. Cover art: 3/5
The kind of music you'd here walking to an empty dive bar in suburban Australia. One man up front with a karaoke backing track and an old Casio keyboard playing for a room of drunks and exhausted workers. I honestly thought it was a joke at first.
-Oh God, I have not enjoyed Leonard Cohen's albums in the past ("Songs from Leonard Cohen" and "Songs From A Room" (both got 2 stars)) Wikipedia says that this has some of his biggest songs, so I'm hoping for the best -Good start. "First We Take Manhattan" has a cool, creepy vibe with the electronic beat going and the low voice singing. Actually reminds me of David Bowie's "Earthling" album, which I really enjoy. The song creates a cool scene in my head -I don't really like how much the backbeat slowed down for "Ain't No Cure For Love" and "Everybody Knows," but the low voice singing is still nice -The low singing is really helping this album. The drop on the word "man" in "I'm Your Man" is cool -Woah, "Jazz Police" has a crazy driving synth riff. That was pretty cool. It kind of does towards the end? -"First We Take Manhattan" and "Jazz Police" were definitely the standout track with their faster, more interesting instrumental. The rest of the instrumentals were slower and more plain. The best part about the other tracks was his low singing which is always fun. Congrats Leonard Cohen, you got your first 3 star album. A weak 3, but a 3 nonetheless. It was generally tolerable, with two nice tracks.
Općenito kad njega slušam, dobijem tu neku kombinaciju glasa Nick Cave-a i instrumentalno osjećajno early Waitsa (na ovom albumu najviše). Ne znam, Cohen je sam za sebe, to je meni jasno, ali evo morao sam podjeliti na šta me podsjeća. Ne puštam si njega inače, nije mi nužan, ali poštujem.
dull, his voice is so depressing
Loved the first track but overall it was just fine
Old man passed his best some good tracks. Some real shit Jaz one
I LOL'd. Then I tried to give myself a chance to "get" it and never did. When Jazz Police came on, I LOL'd again. The backing tracks are certainly stylized but they are interesting in the way Ween's tracks are interesting. I don't find the lyrics particularly poetic or deep, however. I must be missing something but I won't be back to find it.
LP
This was by far the worst album I’ve received on this list so far. I just don’t understand the hype for Leonard Cohen. Not only are his vocals terrible to listen to. His lyrics are nothing exciting. And the production was the most cheap 80s sound You could imagine. The only song with any redeeming production was “Take This Waltz.” “I’m your man is just a horny man lamenting about love over a cheap rip off of Pink Floyd’s synths from shine on you crazy Diamond. “Jazz Police” is right, because somebody needed to arrest this man for the music he was making. “Tower of Song” was actually alright as a closer, or maybe I was just happy that the album was over.” First we take manhattan - 2 Ain’t no cure for love - 1 Everybody Knows - 2 I’m your man - 1 Take this waltz - 3 Jazz police - 1 I can’t forget - 2 Tower of song - 2 Total 14/40 1.75/5
Favorite track was "First We Take Manhattan"
Sounds like a bootleg 80s synths Johnny Cash.
The 80’s really did ruin everything uh? Wtf is going on with those choruses and keyboards?
Enjoyed forst we take manhatten. After that it went downhill faster than loic bruni. Genuine casio keyboard demo music.
3.8 - I was skeptical but I ended up liking this album. Gone is the flamenco-style guitar picking in favor of a more "updated" synth background, reminiscent of a Casio keyboard. It shouldn't work but this aesthetic switch is applied with artful subtlety so it somehow ends up sounding sophisticated. I'm reminded of soundtracks for adult dramas of the 1980s. Cohen's baritone sounds smokier and more seasoned, which adds even more atmosphere and gravitas to his poetic lyricism. I like also that he's kept the female backing vocals to punctuate certain lines throughout. Standouts: "Everybody Knows", "Take This Waltz", "Tower of Song."
the only song i knew of leonard cohen before this album was "everybody knows". while i was looking forward to that song, i wasn't aware i'd fall in love with the rest of the album. there's a great mixture of topics and cohen touches different genres, but there's a cohesiveness despite that. it isn't easy to create an album with every song being unique! this is a well crafted album. cohen's deep, gravelly voice adds to the album. his voice allows the songs to be lyric driven. you can hear and focus on every single line! you hear his message and thoughts that much clearer. singing with his kind of voice makes for something beautiful. "ain't no cure for love" in particular grabbed me. well, if by "grabbed me" means i mean "listened to on repeat," then yeah. jennifer warnes' vocals paired with cohen's are quite powerful. "first we take manhattan," while catchy, creates such an image for the listener. then there's "take this waltz," which maybe should seem out of place on this album but it isn't. it's a beautiful opening to side two. as mentioned earlier, cohen dabbles in a few genres: classical, country, jazz--perhaps ironically in "jazz police". i like the album cover very much. it's a simple shot, really. this shot being an accident makes me think those might be the best kinds of album covers.
First We Take Manhattan is such a dark song and album opener, made only more bizarre by the juxtaposition of the bubbly backing vocals (which is a continuing juxtaposition throughout the album); it stuck with me the entire time I was listening to this album. It was easily my favorite song on the album and it set the precedence for me going into the rest of the album. Leonard Cohen's singing style sits almost like sultry spoken word over the musical layers of the songs. I never could quite decide if I liked that or not, but it certainly made for an interesting, engaging listen. Leonard Cohen is like no other in that regard.
Quite odd. Was not really expecting.
He really makes the 80's synth thing work for him. His voice is so commanding, it demands that you take it seriously regardless what he's saying or what's happening around it.
I prefer the folky Leonard Cohen to this by far. This sounds like a satire of late 80s production values. Almost painful hearing him trying to reinvent himself. I don't think it's the songs themselves that are bad necessarily, it's the arrangements (and how they were recorded). I take that back, "Jazz Police" is just plain bad all around. Is it intentionally ironically bad? "Guys like me are mad for turtle meat?" WTF? It's like something from Tim and Eric's Awesome Show... If I want to listen to some deep voiced 60s/70s icon reinventing themselves in the 80s, I'd much rather listen to Scott Walker's "Climate of Hunter."
Hoo boy, I am not totally against the concept of electronic Leonard Cohen but I was not expecting it. The 80s cheese is strong with this one. It just feels like an older guy saying "music these days has synths, I need to do this now". Production-wise it's good though. Definitely prefer stripped-down version of Cohen. This is pillow-soft rock.
Same haunting voice, but the music seems dated and a little 80's. 3 stars
I'm not in the cult of Leonard Cohen but I don't dislike him. This album is interesting and weird. I feel like it's from a David Lynch film or something. I feel like I should give it another listen.
Fav Song: Tower of Song
Kinda sucks. I should hope this is not the album that people fell in love with. 1
LC has a fantastic voice. Some real cool instrumentals in this album. Reminds me of a mash of white rabbit (George benson) and some nick cave. Course LC came first but still cool to hear those similarities
One of my favourite Cohen albums (but not his best by any measure). I find the more sophisticated production far superior to his earlier kumbaya albums, even if it’s overtly eighties sounding and the world has moved on since (and we’re better for that). Several really good tracks here!
Felt very 80s and a bit strange for Cohen. Fun though!
I’m all about Leonard Cohen and for me this is the pinnacle of his latter career albums. Lyrically impeccable and musically precise, even the singing (it’s hard to deny that Cohen increasingly was a singer in spite of his voice as he aged) delivers perfectly suited to the material.
Fine record from Leonard Cohen. Probably my favourite of his that I've heard so far.
Didn’t know Leonard Cohen like this existed. Pretty cool. This is how you adapt to a new era of sound while still maintaining what makes you great
Fourth Leonard. At this point I just assume all of them are on here. My favorite one by FAR. Like a skeleton singing you love songs.
Really doesn't do much for me. 80s electronica and comical backing singers.
This one's a bit bizarre, right? Leonard Cohen, famed folk artist, puts out a late 80s album featuring his expected story-telling roots on top of some greatly dated 80s production featuring plenty of keyboard synths and female backing singers. On paper this sounds terrible, but in practice it does pull through with its strong songwriting. If you can get used to the dated style of production, there is a lot to enjoy here. Personally, I still feel a bit juxtaposed by its production, and folk music already isn't my usual thing, so I can't say I'm into this that much. Favourites: "First We Take Manhattan", "Everybody Knows", "I'm Your Man"
Really have to listen to the lyrics. Type of album to impress a date with. His voice is something else.
The casual coolness of an absolute badass posing on his album cover with a half eaten banana perfectly exemplifies what this album is all about: it's a bold new Cohen for a bold new world, it's the juxtaposition of his poetic songwriting with his synth heavy 80's sound. He gives no fucks, takes no shit, and does what he wants. Then he takes Berlin! Everyone went a little synth crazy in the 80's... you were contractually obligated to try it. But you know, we salute a Canadian icon, always. Do your cool different thing with the 80's cheese factor dialled up past 11, it's all good. If you wanted Tom Waits and The The rolled up into a dang tortilla this is a close enough approximation of what you'd get.
Cheeelin
Doesn’t really work. I like the instrumental of the opener and ”Take This Waltz”, but otherwise it’s mostly different flavors of dated with Cohen reciting his lyrics over it all. It has comical value, though
Kinda lit...
A little too much 80s synth.
4.5
Sequencia certeira das composições.
Blijft me fascineren die Leonard. Ditmaal een iets vrolijkere kant van hem.
Hij had zich beter stil kunnen houden in dit decennium!
Nooit veel gehad met de man. Dit kon me ook niet echt bekoren.
Dit was eigenlijk niet te harden. Ik hou echt wel van Cohen's stem, maar die enorm gedateerde 80's pop-synth saus die eroverheen is gegoten is werkelijk abominabel!
Leonard cohen goes bubblegum. Even wennen, maar leuk om eens te horen.
Beautiful and cool
i don't seem to get Leonard Cohen. he's supposed to be some sort of songwriting genius but the only one we all know is hallelujah and that's only cos of jeff buckley. on the basis of this album he's a muppet - he came up with the song title Jazz Police and instead of a tune of equal excellence as the title he creates that monstrosity. i mean, Jazz Police has the potential to be one of the best songs ever written. it has such power yet such elegance. its the man, but also a cool daddio and most importantly its close to jizz police which is funny because, well, jizz.
Fun fact: Leonard Cohen ate 6 packs of sliced ham during every recording session.
Leonard Cohen doing all the 1980s and still managing to sound typically Leonard Cohen.
This asshole is the reason the common man thinks they can go on some TV show and become famous. How the hell does this lack of talent make a list? I wish that banana choked the fucking life out of you Leonard!!!
Was ok, didn’t do much for me though.
I expect a lot of people don't like 80s synth Cohen but I actually think it gives his music a bit more identity beyond his voice. Some of his best lyrics on this album
Never heard of him, but seeing a dapper guy eating a banana at a warehouse is always a great first impression. Actually really like this. Enjoyed the vocals, the slight 80s cheesiness was endearing (I love stupid songs. "Jazz Police" was great). My favorite song though was probably "First We Take Manhattan" - sounded like a Bond villain speech and I'm always a sucker for that kind of evil sound.
Great lyrics, and it draws you in. But not the full package.
No, you’re not. You’re annoying, man. Dieses Album (und alle anderen von ihm im übrigen auch) hat in dieser Liste aber auch gar nichts verloren. Ich betrachte diesen Listenpunkt als einen der absoluten Tiefpunkte in diesem Projekt, schrecklich, eine einzige, unerträgliche Katastrophe. Kaum jemand an diesem Projekt ist so derartig überschätzt wie Leonard Cohen.
Smooth, always
Backing music hasn’t aged well, but brilliance comes through
I came into this project already a big Leonard Cohen fan, so it was nice to see him being recognized with several albums. This album is right up there with the others. First We Take Manhattan is a great song that many already know, or recognize. It makes a great introduction to an amazing album. Standouts: First We Take Manhattan, The Tower Song, I'm Your Man, Take This Waltz, Everybody Knows 4.5/5
He has a good voice. Not all the songs were my favorite but he’s unique.
A true classic, very 80’s vibe
Very different from his early work. I wasn't expecting this sound at all. I kinda like it more, actually.
p586. 1988. 2 stars. This has not aged well - it sounds like every bad drum machine, synth and mid-80s cocktail bar musical cringeworthy cliche you can imagine. In particular the female backing vocalists and whoever did their arrangements need to be taken outside and shot. Twice. Shame, as there are some cracking tunes here, and lyrically he is still light years of the game.
A quinessential case of an exceptionally talented, middle-aged artist hitting 80s production styles in the same way a roast dinner hits the floor: you can salvage quite a tasty bit, but some will need to be thrown away, and you'll ultimately be left disappointed. The alum's strength is obvious: here are some of Leonard Cohen's best, sharpest lyrics, blades dipped in lemon juice. Oft wry, indeed comical, the whole album has a slightly sleazy overtone; one is much reminded of Serge Gainsbourg in its erotomanic cynicism, especially on Everybody Knows' bitter rationalization that everyone is in on life's big con. The album's end, Tower of Song, is Cohen's great apologia to the craft of songwriting, a monumental track that still holds the power to make listener shiver. However, the album has a critical flaw: the music (which seems rather an important flaw for an album to have). Cohen employs his synths and drum machines almost recklessly (and Jazz Police can be considered a fully reckless employment), and thus the album becomes stuck in such an archaic aesthetic that often the nod a top-notch couplet inspires is married to an involuntary wince at the Casio beat (and trust me, I'm not at all averse to synthpop). The best songs on this transcend that limitation, and maybe a more acceptive listener could relish the musical direction Cohen takes, but I found appreciating the greatness on this album required recognising a few caveats.
Pas le meilleur de Cohen. S'écoute bien mais je préfère de loin son style plus folk.
Ha! Gaaaaaaayyyy!
wow, a good album from leonard... I gotta say, im impressed
The songs aren’t bad but his voice is. If these songs were written for other people they’d be better.
Never been a Leonard Cohen fan and this album didn't change that. Although some of these songs were more upbeat than I expected, I just don't care for his vocal style. I really don't get what people see in him. Still, not the worst record I've ever heard.
This was a slog. I did not like this 1 bit. I’m sure the lyrics are good if you pay close attention but the music sucked. At least with Dylan you get some nice acoustic guitar sounds for the most part. I’m truly baffled at how this could be a comeback album. Who heard this and thought “wow this is what I missed!”? I’ll pass.
Don't let the peeled banana fool you, this is a divine collection of songs that do not guarantee spoiling upon neglect. Leonard works surprisingly well with the synth sounds, rather bending it to his will as opposed to the other way around. Is he our man? With this album, he sure is. Favorites: First We Take Manhattan, Ain't No Cure for Love, Everybody Knows, Jazz Police, Tower of Song.
Lots of the songs talk about girls objectively :///
This one was super weird. Love the imagery and turn of phrase in the songwriting; absolutely hate the backing vocals and the corny string arrangements. A baffling album. Best track: Tower of Song
I’m a big fan of Leonard Cohen’s warm, cozy style and this album stood out to me for using more retro instruments I wouldn’t have expected but still super cozy sound; like if Nick Cave made the Runescape soundtrack overall amazing album, 10/10
Awful. Cohen's worst album? ((Probably not, and I'm a fan!)
Me gustó más de lo que esperaba. Sólo conocía Everybody Knows así que el resto fue sorpresa. Muy ochentero por el uso de los sintetizadores y el tipo de coros, pero sin llegar al pop tipo Our House (in the Middle of the Street). Letras medio crípticas, que siempre le caracterizan. 3.5 que sube.
Es muy raro escuchar a Cohen haciendo algo que suena tan a Pop, pero que de todos modos no pierde su sello. La verdad no me encantó y en especial algunas partes de la instrumentación me sonaron demasiado a organito de bar. Rescata la tercera Estrella por Jazz Police que me gustó más que el resto.
I really enjoyed this album. Fantastic lyrics, and I don't understand the criticisms of his voice and delivery which are perfect. I also think the production adds an interesting layer as well.
A deep voice eighties Keyboards with falsetto girls An artist’s artist
It was good
Too much creepy cheese.
C'est journée chill aujourd'hui.
mon chien n'a pas aimé du tout
This guys voice is like being lowering into a steaming hot bath.
Te zwoel en niet mijn ding
Un dels grans clàssics de la década. Tots temes inoblidables amb algunes de les millors lletres de cançons dels 80, musicades amb un estil molt del moment però que en el seu cas no ha passat de moda. Fins i tot els dos únics talls que no han sonat fins a l'extenuació des d'aleshores, 'Jazz Police' i 'I Can't Forget' mereixen ser revisitats cada poc temps
Leonard Cohen discovers a casio.
You know how Bob Dylan does Bob Dylan stuff like record a Christmas album when he's a non-practicing borderline atheistic Jew, records Sinatra cover albums, etc, because he's Bob Dylan? I'm Your Man is like that, only not as good. Cohen's lyrics are good here, but my gawd. The music has to be a joke, otherwise the thought of using a 1987 Compaq Presario to generate the tones was a serious artistic oversight. 3.5/5.
Can’t get past the voice.
Randomly had 2 Leonard records in a row! What are the chances of that! This one from the end period of his first career, (Before his manager nicked all his money!) This is a bit like Leonards "Highway 61 Revisited" His (over)use of synths on this was a shock to some. A great album with some classic Cohen Tracks "First We Take Manhattan" "Everybody Knows" "I'm Your Man" and the wry, humourous "Tower Of Song" (I was born with the Gift Of A Golden Voice!) Love this album and some of the classics on it, my second favourite LC album after "Death Of A Ladies Man". Rightfully on this list and in my collection.
Very interesting switch up, not sure if I like it or not
Dunno. It didn't really do it for me. I just found it a bit odd.
Ritmo pausado, elegante, tranquilizante. Toda una voz grandiosa
Generally decent songs (maybe not "Jazz Police") offered up in a production that generally serves them poorly (especially "Jazz Police").
I can see why some people would like this album, interesting lyrics, but not for me.
Odd. But not unpleasant.
Cohen is always good, but here is not at his best
A voz abençoada de Cohen! Ótimo álbum! Melhores músicas: I'm your man e Ain't no cure for love.
I'm a bit cooler on Leonard Cohen than most, but I still think he has some amazing moments. This album, isn't one of them. The opening track starts out all right albeit with thin, weak production, but the instrumentation could be improved with some remastering. But once the back-up singers take center stage, it goes way downhill. The entry in the book says that some moments on this album are now dated, but that's selling things remarkably short. The sax opening on the second track is a sad little salvo for the 80s. That pretty much sums up the album - awkward, cringey production choices backing up otherwise good songs.
kind of strange 80s sound. Cool. Everybody knows.
Didn't enjoy. Maybe later albums better.
extremely corny but i still found myself dancing a little!
… c’mon
I'm not fully sure why we are taking Manhattan or Berlin but I'm pumped to do it! "Everybody Knows" is an all time great track. "Take this Waltz" is a beautiful song. "Jazz Police" however is a terrible track in the midst of beauty. Ironically I first found this album through a video of the worst songs on great albums (shoutout to Alfo Media). The album recovers in the last two songs though. As a big fan of folk I know and love a lot of Cohen's early work. I do forget just how good Cohen's mid career was. Some of the songs are a little long and "Jazz Police" is what it is. I would give it a 4.5/5.
Listened to on 2/24/22 2/5 Favorite song: Take this Waltz I found his voice/tone kinda creepy
I refuse to listen to any more Leonard Cohen. I hate his music.
Leonard Cohen is a poet, not a musician. This really needs to be a spoken word album and strip out all that shitty 80's broken synthesizer crap. Love his voice, and 'hate' is not strong enough a word to describe how I fell about the music that's underneath.
This is bad music. This guy is a revered singer-songwriter!? How do I go back to only knowing about "Hallelujah?" There were a couple of mildly tolerable songs in the middle, but the rest was so objectionable that it should be stricken from musical existence, not celebrated as one of the 1001 albums you must listen to. Maybe you don't know brilliance unless you see/hear its opposite?
This album feels like the musical equivalent of walking into a modern art exhibition and being told that a wadded up gum wrapper is the hottest new art piece. I don’t get it, which makes me angry because I feel like I have been conned. How is this the same man that wrote Hallelujah?! This album is a con job, it has to be. I was sold a bill of goods when I saw the name pop up and what I got was a saxophone laden eighties dumpster fire in which Cohen doesn’t sing so much as recite bad spoken word poetry.
The atonal vocals were painful. Extra star for that “Fuck-the-Man” jazz police song.
Leonard’s voice is simultaneously intriguing and awful at the same time, which makes it more intriguing. His deep talking voice is sublime. Unfortunately he tries to sing which is not pleasant. I’m convinced from listening that he is the spoken word source in Michael Jackson’s Thriller. …searches Wikipedia … No! Alas it was Vincent Price not Leonard Cohen.
couple good ones
Leonard never was the most photogenic guy around but his banana photo sure does work. This album was a continuation of Leonard trying to freshen up his sound. This and Various Positions are the two original studio albums of his that I played the most. So I guess that means the fresh sound worked for me although I never really liked First We Take Manhattan and Jazz Police which are the most freshened up. There are some monster songs on here. Everybody Knows, I’m Your Man and Tower of Song are classics and showcase his sense of humour. The best lyrics from a purely artistic sense are in Take This Waltz. It’s the masterpiece on this album.
Six times Platinum in Norway! I have fond memories of “Manhattan” from the winter of 88. I was in France and it was being played all day long in the cafes and bars. There are some great songs here, like “Everybody Knows” & “Tower of Song”. There are also some borderline-muzak stinkers, but as always, the lyrics save the day. He's still relevant 25 years after his first release. I usually think that back-up vocalists are a great addition, especially if the lead singer is as flat-line as LC, but here they could have been used more discreetly, like on “Songs of Love & Hate”.
I previously complained that the earlier Cohen material sounded so bloody gloomy. He must have heard me so he tried to update his sound and make it more upbeat. Unfortunately this sounds like what middle-aged suburban housewives would listen to. So campy that I was cringing. Some of my esteemed friends love Leonard Cohen but I, for the life of me cannot understand the appeal.
Solid album, really enjoyed the singer songwriter aspect of the album. However the musical aspect seemed a bit of an odd choice to me and prevents the album being a 5 star for me at least. "First We Take Manhattan" probably my favourite song, but all songs were enjoyable.
Meia bomba, mas a voz dele é maneira
Eu esperava algo completamente diferente pela capa. O veio é bao, gostei
Leonard Cohen proves he isn't just a miserabilist. Brilliant album.
Enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Was hooked right from the start when Cohen intoned "first we take Manhattan.....then we take Berlin". I really didn't expect this to feature synths at all, let alone have them as prominent as they are.
This is the polar opposite of the cheesy crooner I'd (very wrongly) imagined Leonard Cohen to be. Dark, brooding, enigmatic music which is often synth-led. Dark, interesting, menacing and sad lyrics, all sung in a distinctive baritone voice. An interesting and emotive album. 4/5
02/11/22
Last week I said 'you want it darker' was perhaps Cohen's best album but I had obviously forgotten about this masterpiece. Cohen's razor sharp lyricism is matched with a rocking synth based sound. Every song is a classic.
Love it! Dreaming away with that voice
Still don't like him very much. This one felt a little more interesting than the other one.
Defrinitiely a bit more going on than Songs Of Love And Hate, the last Cohen album I tried. I still don't think Lenny's ever going to be a favourite of mine, but at least here there's some actual music to accompany the poetry.
I think everyone has a gap in their musical knowledge, someone big/famous/influential that they don't really know that well, if at all. I think Mess+Noise might have had a thread on this back in the day. Leonard Cohen is one of those blindspots for me (as is Tom Waits (don't hate me!). I have heard songs by both so could probably identify the performer by their voices without knowing the song or whether it was a big song for them. I think I remember 'First We Take Manhattan' from when we got satellite tv and MTV in the family home in the late 1990s (Recommended read: 'I Want My MTV' by Marks/Tannenbaum, which brought back so many memories of those times). But thing about the song at the time was just how weirdly campy, Euro Pop it sounded. And in the late 80s, I wasn't in a campy, Euro Pop space. The album is the same. It might be lyrically rich and you can't deny the voice but it sounds almost dated by the time it was released in 1988. There's something about it that reminds me of Roger Water's 'Radio Kaos', not sure why. Possibly just how stuck in the 80s it sounds.
Band: Let's score this like an upbeat '80s film! Leonard: Here's some lyrics about the AIDS crisis.
Solid album!
Stacked! Some of my favourite Leonard tunes here Fav tracks: "First We Take Manhattan", "Tower of Song" "I'm Your Man"
Middle-period Cohen: masterful songcraft dressed in the tackiest 80s production. I can see why it took a Jeff Buckley to get Hallelujah the credit it deserves. But you know what, I'm charmed. It adds a (deliberate?) layer of absurd humour to the whole thing. And anyway, there are a handful of 24-carat classics on this album (Everybody Knows, I'm Your Man, Tower of Song etc). Leonard you horny devil, you've done it again.
There's a lot to like with this album. Groovy music really complimented by Cohen's deep voice. It does stray into the cheesy a couple of times though. Jazz Police is a low point for me High points: First We Take Manhatten and Tower of Song
Meesterlijk…
I'm into Leonard Cohen, this album got the 80s going on. I personally, especially want to take Berlin! Everybody Knows is classic! I hate you Jazz Police.
not very interesting
Some all time great songs on this. But, off, that 80s production. The synths, the saxophone solos, the stacked backing vocals. His singing is not bad, probably amongst the best he has ever sounded. But is it a coincidence that I love many of these songs in cover versions? The production really distracts me. Five stars for the songs, one off for the sound.
The last chance department at JCP. Appliance shopping at Sears. A graphic T display at Dillards. ‘If you want a lover I’ll do anything you ask me to. And if you want another kind of love I’ll wear a mask for you. If you want a partner, take my hand, or if you want to strike me down in anger here I stand. I’m your man.’ I believe this lyric sums up pretty much everything I don’t like about Leonard Cohen. I find his whole approach toward women and sex to be juvenile, and his unhealthy obsession with the end times and divine judgment tiresome. Unless this is all satire, and I’m missing the whole point. Any of which I might be willing to work past if the music was good. But the tunes on this LP mostly sound like department store muzak crossed with bad 80s new wave dance music. All that and a drab album cover, too. I don’t mind ugly art when its serving a higher purpose, conveying some deeper, heretofore illusive truth. I do mind dumb art, though. Look, I know that Cohen is the darling of the critics, as much as I’m aware of the devotion of his peculiar fans. I’ve just never quite figured out why, nor does this LP make me want to. ‘And I can’t forget,’ Cohen sings on the second to last song of this interminable recording, ‘but I don’t remember what.’ I can, Leonard. And I do.
Music and lyrics are ok, not a fan of the vocals
What an odd little album, perfectly summed up by the album cover. Cool kinda dark but still somehow a little absurd. This is the third Cohen album I've been generated. I didn't like it as well as You Want It Darker, but it is hard to rate this voice and these lyrics any lower than 4 stars. The opening track First we Take Manhattan and Everybody Knows are undeniably great songs.
me surpreendi, gostei :D
None more 80's production of synths, sax and sexy backing vocals over some of Laughing Len's most hardcore songs. Best Songs: First We Take Manhattan; Everybody Knows; Tower of Song
I tried reading up on why this man is such a big deal, and it's explained. Kind of. But I don't like how the songs sound and I kind of stopped listening after the third track. This doesn't appeal to me. Sorry.
I can’t wrap my head around Leonard cohen. I want to like him, but can’t seem to.
A welcome return to form after a patchy period. It doesn't quite live up to his first four albums in my opinion, but it's great to hear Cohen being this adventurous at this point in his career, and his longevity and relative consistency such a testament to his skill as a songwriter
It is ok. Nothing noteworthy. Better than the other Leonard Cohen albums that have been on the list so far. I am not sure why there have been 3 Leonard Cohen albums on the list. There are some songs that have the 80s sound, the rest sound like normal Leonard Cohen songs.
Great 80s LC album, even though I usually skip 1-2 songs. The last two songs are very strong have been greatly improved by covers of the Pixies and Nick Cave, respectively. And the same holds for the opening song (by REM)
It is an interesting sound that Cohen is going for on this album, but it does not appeal to me very much.
Interesting album. Very wistful and emotional. The synths have aged better than you'd think. Great vocals.
Cohen tackles synths. This is a lateral move for the singer/songwriter that works oddly well. Features the hauntingly beautiful "Everybody Knows", which stuck with me more than anything else on the album. I enjoy synth Cohen, but not as much as his old stuff which resonated so much more. The exception is the chaotic and perhaps rushed "Jazz Police". What a song.
the 80s were not good for leonard. a couple of simply painful pop overlays. and his voice still has too much clarity. where's the gravel?
Some great songs on here, synth sound is a bit dated. Worth another listen
First song is 5 The rest are 2
boring and slow. Leonard Cohen is a mood.
I wasn't a fan of the sound or his voice.
I didn't enjoy this one at all.
When I saw this was a Leonard Cohen, I was NOT ready for those sequencers in the first few seconds. What a stylistic shift. But overall it's a solid entry. Cohen's vocals are even more raunchy and mature than before. Lyrics are dark, covering themes such as desperation, loneliness, and mid-life crises. I can really get into the more synth-heavy songs. Got pretty weak in the second half but it still had notable ideas, like the unusual techno-waltz theme. Favorites: Everybody Knows, I'm Your Man, Tower of Song
I'm having a hard time taking some of these seriously. This felt like a parody album. I have no idea who would listen to this for enjoyment but that's not me. And I can't even describe the shock when I realized this was the Leonard Cohen of Hallelujah. With synth. Singing about sex.
Enjoyed the album - had kind of this futuristc 80s vibe.
Ugh no. Terrible
Like this
I'm honestly not a fan of Cohen's 80s material. Seems too cheesy to me
2x na elkaar Cohen. Dit album vond ik beter dan dat van gisteren. maar zeker niet het maximum waard
I think, I might actually get it... well a bit more than I used to anyhow. What I'm connecting with on this listening is that Cohen's work is great, for being a phenominal template. Interestingly enough, I was listening to some of the backup vocalists on tracks such as "Ain't No Cure for Love", "Everybody Knows" and "Take This Waltz" when it dawned on me. I still don't care much for Cohen's vocals or his drone delivery, but I can think of plenty of other artists that I would love to hear perform these songs. And that's ok, right? This is the 1001 best _albums_, not 1001 best performers. BTW - What is the world was going on with "Jazz Police"?!
I’m Your Man represents a return to form for Leonard Cohen. The album has a sultry late night feel but is brighter than his previous work. It’s obvious why Tom Waits thinks so highly of this album. My only qualm is the synthesizer based production which grounds the music in a recognizably 80s sound and takes me out of the timelessness of Cohen’s music. Obviously it’s a brilliant album nonetheless
Ok. I'm not a big fan. Still really like Tower of Song
Manchmal ganz hübsche Texte, aber manchmal absolut garnicht. Kein Fan von der Produktion und vom Gesang.
Great poetic lyrics, and the melodies are pretty good, but combined with the deep bass, almost spoken delivery, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Maybe someone else should record his songs instead. Still the occasional gem: First We Take Manhattan being the obvious (which has been successfully recorded by others). Tower of Song could be a great upbeat rock song.
Great Album!!
mid, there was a song I think in the middle that lit the mood up a bit but that's it
26th November 2021 Listened on my headphones while working on Friday before meeting ebbs and Charlie for duckpin bowling and jen's fam coming for the weekend. Loved it - cohen's most accessible album. Big, brash, but still with lyrical intricacies.
Smooth, but I feel everything is a little overdone. May I mourn the amount of Cohen on this list? Yep, he’s pretty cool, but come on.
Did Steve Branson have a mid-life crisis and cut a sad 80s country blues album? This is terrible! - 1 star
My grandma liked Leonard Cohen. Described him as "a gypsy singer" and asked me if I could get her a couple CDs. Thought to myself "sure egrandma, I can get you some of this grandma music." Went to New Moon Records in Mt. Pleasant and asked for a couple CDs. The guy behind the counter was super impressed that my grandma liked Leonoard Cohen. Was probably the first time I asked a question about music and got a positive reaction from the Jack Black-esque characters in that store. In hindsight, no wonder they were more interested in requests for Leonard Cohen than the latest Tool/Weezer release. Thanks for making me look cool, Grandma! This record is from the 80s. Sounds cool. The deadpan delivery of singers like Cohen has grown on me in the recent few years. Since seeing Nick Cave live. Sort of an extension of Bob Dylan's approach to barking/speaking important information atop interesting music. This delivers in that regard. But will I listen again? Not likely. At least this record. That's why this is getting a 3 and it seems charitable...
Without knowing what I already know about Cohen - or looking at WikiPedia or something - it's really hard to tell what decade he was recording in or what type of genre this is. That's to his credit. He's unique; timeless. Also, kinda boring.
One of the classics I've never heard of that is so good
Mediocre music. With added dreary voice. And then it's all just the dreary voice
Sounding dated due to the very 80's style. Still enjoyable and amusing in its own right due to ridiculous bass lines and overly depressing lyrics and delivery.
smooth, chill music, manhattan is a bop
Prima, zware kost, jazz police is heel raar
Cohen fucks man. The writing on this is solid, followed with a fucking sultry ass voice. It's good, I am vaguely familiar with him but not enough to say I am a fan or anything like that.
First we take Manhattan was nicely retro futuristic, rest was quite Bob Dylan-y.
Not a huge fan of this sound. First time I have listened to Leonard Cohen in earnest. It is interesting but nothing I would choose to listen to again. 2/5
on the first song I swore I was listening to some German industrial... and that's before he was talking about taking Berlin. and I didn't think I was going to like this album, then it surprised me. not something I'd put on a lot but I dig it.
Very good. I’ve never delved into Leonard Cohen before but I think I’ll rectify that error.
Grating. Not added.
Generatorn ÖSER Cohen-album över mig. Jag tackar och tar emot. I'm Your Man är ett av hans mest hyllade album, men når för mig personligen inte upp till Leonard Cohens högsta nivåer. Det åttiotaliga synthiga soundet lirar inte riktigt med Cohens röst och stil, tbh. Även om det finns många hits här. First We Take Manhattan är kraftfull och catchy, men om jag veeeerkligen rannsakar mig själv, så är den nog ändå inte så bra. Känns som albumet är ett mellanting av akustiska 60-tals-Cohen och mörka 2000-tals-Cohen. Det blir också bäst när han går hela vägen; åt något av hållen. Som i den mörkare Everybody Knows, och i den melodiösa, vemodiga Take This Waltz. I'm Your Man (låten) är bra. Ain't No Cure for Love och de tre sista låtarna är förglömliga. Bästa låt: Take This Waltz.
Rock suave de Cohen.
One of my favourite albums
Hard to believe this is the same artist who put together ‘Songs.’ Arrangements are one-note, instrumentals are cheesy, and the overall product is just disappointing
I know your supposed to dump on 80ies Leonard Cohen, but tbh this was the Leonard Cohen I got to know first - Manhattan was a bit of a radio hit if I remember correctly, Everybody Knows was on the Pump Up The Volume soundtrack - so it's got a special place in my heart. Yes, it's got lots of synths but it works with these songs. I wouldn't know how else you'd produce them. 8/10
Not a fan of Leonard Cohen.
I wish I could be a fan of Leonard Cohen, but it just doesn't work for me. This is better than the previous, more folk based Cohen album that I got before, but just not my cup of tea. After about halfway through, I thought I'd give it a 3, but then I listened to the cringey "I'm Your Man". 2.
The synths surprised me although I was already familiar with First We Take Manhattan. Interesting and intimate - as with other Cohen LP's. Good.
Good Album, enjoyed.
Didnt remember "First we take..." went on for so long They all seem to run kinda long tbf
Lovely.
Lento pero atrayente
This is not bad at all, something to relax to, but too wordy for my tastes to give it 5 stars.
I had heard some of Leonard Cohen's music before, but always as stand-alone songs, and even though I was always so drawn in and intrigued by his music, I don't know why but I never really listened to whole albums or watched concert videos or anything like that. Now, after having listened to this album all the way through, I most certainly will. What a fascinating artist. A wonderful dark yet somehow quite light meandering, layers and textures, lyrically poetic, so many things evoked. LOVE his voice; reminds me of espresso. Wish I had seen him perform live. I need to learn more. PS -- not sure if the nod to The Police's 'Every Breath You Take' in 'Ain't No Cure For Love' via the arpeggiating guitar underneath the verses (my ear isn't good enough to tell you if the chord progression is the same, but it sounds similar) is intentional, but it's cool (not being snarky...so many songs sound like each other that I don't too hung up on requiring artists to be "original" -- heck, no doubt if we really want to we could probably find a bunch of older songs that sound like 'Every Breath You Take' and then a bunch of even older songs that sound like those, etc.
Too much "talking" / avantgarde stuff.
Not heard before. I do like LC, but this is absolutely drowned in awful plastic 80s production.
“I’m Your Man” by Leonard Cohen (1988) This album does not disappoint on any level. Leonard Cohen’s strong poetic lyrics on this record are, as always, deeply immersive. With scrappy and sometimes scattered allusions that successfully beg for the listener’s thoughtful reflection, his songs are always perfectly cadenced and well synthesized, each one tied together by unifying (and frequently quite dark) themes. From the understated horror of the pretense of normality in the midst of a plague (AIDS, in “Everybody Knows”) to the tortured feelings of a man who still loves a woman he knows he’ll never get back (“I’m Your Man”), to the insidious insertions of jazz riffs into pop fusion compositions (“Jazz Police”), Cohen is consistently intriguing. The musical settings all sustain interest (although “Take This Waltz” struggles in this department). And all are capably performed by Cohen, with his signature croaky baritone, and his excellent backing musicians. But the song that commands all the attention on this album is the opening track “First We Take Manhattan”. Cohen himself called it “a terrorist song”—a ballsy response to the (anti-Semitic/anti-Israel) terrorism that was growing in the 1980’s. From the 1970 Munich bus attack to the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre to the 1980 Munich Oktoberfest bombing to the 1982 bombing attack at Berlin’s Mifgash-Israel restaurant to the 1985 Frankfurt Airport bombing, Jews in the West had understandably had enough. In response to that physically violent terrorism (for which he had a qualified respect), Cohen offered this song as an act of retaliatory ‘psychic terrorism’: “First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin”. In an interview, Cohen explained the song with an analogy to a poem by his friend and mentor Irving Layton (“Terrorists” in The Pole-Vaulter, Toronto, 1974) which he paraphrased: “Well, you guys blow up an occasional airline and kill a few children here and there, But our terrorists, Jesus, Freud, Marx, Einstein. The whole world is still quaking...”. The references to “you guys” and “our” should be obvious. The sentiment that Cohen inherits and alters (from Layton’s poem: “Jewish terrorists, ah: Maimonides, Spinoza, Freud, Marx”) is that while anti-Semitic terrorism kills the body, Jewish ‘terrorism’ changes the cultural soul (cf. Matthew 10:28). [Hat tip to Prof. Louis Schwartz of the University of Richmond for the Irving Layton poem connection]. Now whatever one thinks of this hyper-volitional notion of cultural “Jewish terrorism” Leonard Cohen delivers it both vocally and musically with shudderingly haunting power. Cosmic, apocalyptic, militaristic, and almost gleefully anticipatory of the moment of vengeance, Cohen’s lyric calls us to take stock of the world soul in the midst of this conflict. You don’t want to go there. But maybe you have no choice. This one track, “First We Take Manhattan”, is reason enough to listen to I’m Your Man, not just for entertainment, but for insight, no matter whose ‘side’ you’re on. 5/5
I like Cohen, this isn't one of my favorites though. First we take Manhattan is a great one on this album. 3.5
I feel a bit guilty about giving this a 3. It's Leonard Cohen! The man's in that upper pantheon of songwriters and is often mentioned in the same breath as some of my all time favourites (Dylan, Waits, Cave...) The 80s production caught me offguard. This is a timeless voice delivering timeless scriptures as songs, but the production slaps a big neon "Made in the 80s" sticker on it. My first thought was that I'd love to hear these songs with different instrumentation (though the backing vocals were lovely). Still, "Everybody Knows", "First We Take Manhattan" and "Tower of Song" were highlights here- "Ain't No Cure For Love" felt relatively cheap and corny and not what I'd expect to hear on a Cohen album. My overall impression might change with time as I get more familiar, but for now it's sitting in the middle.
I'm not really in the mood for Leonard Cohen today, but this lil' project really doesn't discriminate there... or rather, it ALWAYS discriminates haha. I never really feel like whatever is presented, today's no different. Maybe this will be a nice surprise, being 1988 and all. Maybe it sounds like Guns n Roses. Fingers crossed eh? Ok it's not gunners... but I wasn't expecting this. It's like synthy, dark kinda pop? it sounds like the soundtrack to a leisure suit larry game. I can see what he was going for, but it doesn't really work imo. The music is a bit too muzak-ey, a bit too upbeat even in its kinda hushed way, for his vocals. No comment on the lyrics. And Jazz Police.... what in the fuck? hahah. this is just shit. complete, utter shit. I think my biggest gripe though is that Cohen honestly can't sing. He struggles to stay in tune even within the limited kinda baritone range he has. Most of the time it sounds like he's too insecure to even try singing, just opts to kinda half-speak, half-sing instead. Kinda like Mark Knopfler did, but nowhere near as well. Soon as Cohen goes for it the bum notes hit you like a ton of bricks. 2/5.
Interesting to see Leonerd Cohen try something very different. I still prefer his folk albums, but this is pretty good.
The first track was a little 80s and synth-y for me... but then as Cohen's deep, gruff voice took over the dark, cynical lyrics really hit me... I really enjoy this. Probably more like a 3.5 but let's give it a 4.
Cultura general
Cohen has a great voice, but this album suffers from some cheesy synthesizers, and his voice is too upfront in the mix for my taste.
Surprisingly dull vocal
Didn't think the music worked with his presentation style. Lyrically rich with many opportunities for others to cover.
Good old Cohen, stubborn and unbending in a new synth entourage.
Very Noir, light simple instrumentation and a smooth deep voice singing poetry. The whole album reminds of me that "Nick's Cafe" song. I dug it, added Everybody Knows to the playlist. Probably not an album I would go out of my way to put on but I appreciated it. Edged it to a 4 over a 3 but it was close.
Such a curiosity. What to make of this poetry over synths from the man with the bassiest bass voice in music? I didn’t fall in love at first listen but I think this might be a grower that rewards repeat listening. Three stars for now whilst I work this out.
Ok so I really love 4 of these songs, 3 of them are very good and 'Jazz Police' really belongs on a completely different album? Really threw off the vibes with that one Leonard. Still though, great album
very foundational music!
i cannot listen to this
Favoriete nummers: - First We Take Manhattan - Take This Waltz - Jazz Police
Cohen's strenth was always in his songwriting, not his performance and this album is far from his best performance. Even when this was released in '88, the instrumentation and arrangements were outdated and cheesy. About two-thirds of the songs on the album are really well written, even so (as you would expect from a Cohen record). The other third, however, are ... well, they're not Lenny's best work. (I'm looking at you, "Jazz Police") The duds are bad enough to tank this down to a middling grade.
L'ascolto di questo album l'ho trovato abbastanza faticoso. In primis il sound '80 che come ormai sapete, eccetto alcuni casi, a me non piace. I testi non mi hanno trasmesso molto (forse perché qui non era in fin di vita), anzi li ho trovati anche abbastanza banali. La voce monotona si è accollata. Ho trovato interessante il fatto che su "I'm your man" il pezzo finisca con un fade out mentre ancora canta, come se sapesse che l'ascoltatore, ormai stanco di sentire la sua voce, voglia abbassare il volume . Oggi mi sento cattivo! 1
Con questo album ho capito una cosa: Leonard Cohen non fa per me. E' innegabile che il suo stile è molto personale, che c'è una certa cura e raffinatezza nei pezzi e nei testi, ma artisticamente l'insieme mi arriva molto narcisista e auto-celebrativo. Il suo modo di cantare mi stanca molto rapidamente e lo trovo parecchio monocorde e qui non aveva scuse. La produzione è molto '80 coi gli slap bass alla Seinfeld. Non m'ha convinto. Direi un 2.5 che non merita il 3.
Questo album non era quello che mi aspettavo. Sono riuscito ad ascoltarlo una sola volta e mi ha lasciato l'esigenza di sentirlo ancora. L'impressione è positiva, l'utilizzo di strumenti elettronici ricorda per certi versi anche i Kraftwerk e lo stile canoro, in linea al trend degli anni 80, nonostante tutto mi piace e non risulta eccessivo. Il voto per me è 3.5 ma che premio con qualcosa in più.
4/5. Classic Cohen, even with the 80s vibe, he still is amazing. Standouts: First We Take Manhattan, Everybody Knows, I'm Your Man, Tower of Song,
This soft rock album from the late 80's is Leonard Cohen's 8th album, and it represents his evolution into "modern sound". The album went on to be his best-selling. Cohen had his singing voice spot-on for this album and he brought in a lot more instruments to modernize the music. This album - like his others - is moody; it can be dark or sad at one point, and funny or upbeat at another. Not my go-to music choice, but I'm glad I got a chance to listen to this album!