Leonard Cohen albums
	1968                                                        Songs of Leonard Cohen -   8/8     It is hard to say things sometimes about an album that is so good, it defies explanation. Basically, this is the most poetic album ever made. Nearly every folk oriented song has some kind of beautiful statement: "He was just some Joseph looking for a manger," "If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn," "I forget to pray for the angels, then the angels forget to pray for us." The first five songs form a string of words that could be interpreted in many ways, and there is not a dull moment among them; they are all classic songs. "So Long Marianne" is the most conventional "rock" song on here, but it is still my favorite with its crescendoing choruses; it truly never get old. Where it is often said that Cohen is better with words than music, that is not true at all, even though sometimes on his debut the lyrics do outdo the music ("Stories of the Street", "One of Us Cannot be Wrong"). But ever song on here is elegantly crafted and musical: the aforementioned "So Long, Marianne", the Dylan influenced "Teachers", the sweetness of "Sisters of Mercy", the tense "Master Song". A truly mysterious atmosphere haunts every song on here, which Cohen created himself (many do not notice this), and that is undoubtedly part of the "music". So whatever anyone can say about this album - it is depressing, it is poetry, it all sounds the same - there is no denying it is a masterpiece. It's consistency and truthfulness will last forever. - Trevor e.y. 1.suzanne- 4 2.master song- 4 3.winter lady- 4 4.the stranger song- 4 5.sisters of mercy- 4 6.so long, marianne- 4 7.hey, that's no way to say goodbye- 4 8.stories of the street- 3 9.teachers- 4 10.one of us cannot be wrong- 3                                                        1969                                                        Songs from a Room -  7/8    The second album is definitely more of the same but that is a great thing. "Bird on a Wire", "The Partisan", "Tonight Will Be Fine", and "The Story of Issac" match anything from the first record. There are some times where you can see repetition like on the "So Long, Marianne" rip off "A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes", "The Old Revolution", "You Know Who I Am", but Cohen does a really good job of balancing everything out with well thought out ideas. The lyrics, as usual, are always a joy to behold - I mean, just pick any song! What is great about this record, which is a record people hate to love if you know what I mean, is that you can revisit it and always find something new. Songs from a Room is more subtle than the debut and requires more listens to assimilate. Take the two closing songs "Lady Midnight" and "Tonight Will Be Fine" for example: both are really great but almost need to be looked at out of context to be appreciated. Sometimes singer/songwriters are just like that - they lay the ground work, other bands come in and bring out what they are trying to (often quietly) say. "I found a silver needle, I put it into my arm. It did some good, and it did some harm." - Trevor e.y. 1.bird on a wire- 4 * 2.story of issac- 4 3.a bunch of lonesome heroes- 2 4.the partisan- 4 5.seems so long ago, nancy- 3 6.the old revolution- 2 7.the butcher- 4 8.you know who i am- 3 9.lady midnight- 4 10.tonight will be fine- 4                                                        1971                                                        Songs of Love and Hate -  7/8    The third great Cohen record in a row but it shows more growth in songwriting than the second album did. The songs are longer, the lyrics are more cynical, the sound is more apocalyptic. Sounds like fun right? Well, songs like "Diamonds in the Mine" show a new fun side of Cohen, though the humor is blacker than black. The three classic songs stand out kind of obviously: "Dress Rehearsal Rag" is a harsh acoustic track that could go on forever; "Famous Blue Raincoat" gives "haunting" a new meaning; "Avalanche" opens the album with lines like, "It is your turn beloved, it is your flesh that I wear". Somehow, it is all very accessible, which is an amazing feat on its own. Only a genius like Cohen could wed poetry so dark to music so good to create something so meaningful. The man does not seem stuck in a rut at all on his third album, and in many ways this is as good as the debut - other highlights are the "ladeda" ending of "Sing Another Song Boys" and the timeless lyrics of "Joan of Arc" 1.avalanche- 4 2.last years man- 3 3.dress rehearsal rag- 4 4.diamonds in the mine- 4 5.love you by your name- 2 6.famous blue raincoat- 4 7.sing another song boys- 4 8.joan of arc- 3                                                        1974                                                        New Skin for the Old Ceremony -  6/8   This album has much to offer, though it is his least consistent so far. It is also his most laid back. You may have to search for the great songs but it is worth searching. "Chelsea Hotel no. 2" is my favorite song of his, a beautiful ballad going out to a long lost love (Janis Joplin, I believe). I could quote all the lyrics here but I'll leave that to you to find. Other highlights include "Who By Fire", the rousing "Lover Lover Lover", and the sarcastic ballad "A Singer Must Die". Again, the words in "There is a War" and "Take this Longing" are endlessly poetic. For the first time about half the album is kind of lame though, beginning with the weak opener "IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED" and spreading to all those other songs I didn't mention. There is still plenty of good here, but I would advice novices to get the first three records, then if they want more, continue here because much of this is essential L Cohen. - Trevor e.y. 1.IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED- 2 2.chelsea hotel no. 2- 4 * 3.lover lover lover- 4 4.field comander cohen- 2 5.why don't you try- 2 6.there is a war- 3 7.a singer must die- 4 8.i tried to leave you- 2 9.who by fire- 4 10.take this longing- 3 11.leaving green sleeves- 2                                                        1977                                                        Death of a Ladies Man - 6/8    This album was a huge gamble for Cohen: combining the legendary Phil Spector's "wall of sound" production with Cohen's unique folk flavor. The results are hated throughout the land by most people (including Cohen in some interviews) but I freakin love it! Well, most of it. The first half is all good and sometimes great, the production provides a great contrast I think and no one ever points this out, but this is Cohen's first real Rock n' Roll record. "True Love Leaves No Traces" is the perfect opener and one of his best, right up there with "Suzanne"; "Memories" is the best song, taking Cohen to Broadway while lusting after big, busty blondes;"Paper Thin Hotel" is the typical lost lover ballad except with thin walls...of sound; "Death of a Ladies Man" is Cohen's longest song at nine and a half minutes and it earns every minute of it - it's his stab at Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". There are some clunkers that are actually pretty humorous if your in the mood: "Don't Go Home with Your Hard On" is his stab at disco (featuring the immortal line "Don't go home with your hard-on, it will only drive you insane!") and "Fingerprints" and "I Left A Woman Waiting" have elements of 70's country. God save us all right? Actually, Death of a Ladies Man is one of Cohen's most important albums because it marks the TURNING POINT where he started sounding...fun. That's right, the king of doom laden lyrics has a lighthearted side that really began to shine on this record though it had flashes before in his work ("Diamonds in the Mine", "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong"). Also, he is more direct in his lyrics (more naked women and open politics). If you want to get into Cohen you should at least give this one a listen - you just might fall in love with a side you didn't know he had.   -Trevor e.y 1.true love leaves no traces- 4 2.iodine- 3 3.paper thin hotel- 4 4.memories- 4 5.i left a woman waiting- 2 6.don't go home with your hard on- 2 7.fingerprints- 2 8.death of a ladies man- 4
		1979                                                          Recent Songs - 4/8   The "return to form" after the commercial failure of the last record is the actual failure musically. There are a couple of great songs in the multi-chorused "The Guests" and the usual Cohen charm in "Our Lady of Solitude". I would say that "The Traitor" tells a great story but the music is boring, "Humbled in Love" shows how his voice has dropped significantly, and "The Smoky Life" portrays just that. Everything else is very so-so, like New Skin without the good songs. It sounds kind of like an album he wrote very fast to compensate for the previous record, but in reality he shouldn't have bothered. Every song just sort of trudges by slowly and it is his worst album by far. - Trevor e.y. 1.the guests- 4 2.humbled in love- 2 3.the window- 1 4.came so far for- 2 5.the lost canadian- 1 6.the traitor- 3 7.our lady of solitude- 4 8.the gypsy's wife- 1 9.the smoky life- 3 10.the balladof the absebt mare- 2                                                          1984                                                          Various Positions -  6/8    After a much needed 5 year wait, Cohen returns revitalized with Various Positions, his seventh studio record. The first six songs show his new self, which is pretty much like his old self, except there is more of a gospel tone surrounding the songs. "Night Comes On" could have been a b-side to Songs of LC; "Coming Back to You" is a lovely gospel ballad; "The Law" is one of Cohen's best songs to date, a tale of drug decay and corruption; "The Captain" is upbeat music to downbeat lyrics, "Whatever makes a soldier sad will make a killer smile." Of course the main force and centerpiece of the record is the now classic "Hallelujah", covered by every folksinger and band that is "cool" from 1985 after. Truly, this is one of the most covered songs imaginable, other versions including Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, Damien Rice, and a zillion others. It deserves all of this praise though being a gospel tinged melody that is less about being Christian than about religion itself, and the way Cohen interprets it all through his magical lyrics is a sound that has to be heard. Because of the shabby quality of the last three songs this album is not a classic but it is his best since New Skin and maybe since Songs of Love and Hate. It is definitely worth getting for the above mentioned tracks. - Trevor e.y. 1.dance me to the end of love- 3 2.coming back to you- 4 3.the law- 4 4.night comes on- 3 5.hallelujah- 4 6.the captain- 3 7.hunter's lullaby- 2 8.heart with no companion- 2 9.if it be your will- 2                                                          1988                                                          I'm Your Man -  8/8    Though Various Positions was a comeback of sorts, I'm Your Man is a masterpiece, bettered only by Cohen's debut (if that). The sound is insanely futuristic with drum machines meeting women gospel choirs in strange ways. A return to the humor of Death of a Ladies Man is welcome after the "heavy" tone of the last couple of records, best evidenced by the hilarious chorus of "First We Take Manhattan" (which has to be some kind of joke) and the clever lyrics of "Everybody Knows" and "I'm Your Man". My personal favorites are the more emotional songs in "Ain't No Cure for Love", "Take This Waltz", the flowing "I Can't Forget", the lyrically perfect "Tower of Song", which all rank among his best songs. With the exception of minor quibbles ("Jazz Police" is like bad Tom Waits, a man Cohen heavily influenced, and the first track is pretty cheesy), everything rules on this album, which is a new career high for Cohen. It is his most lighthearted album, despite being very blunt about romance and politics at times. Cohen has moved from being an introvert alone with "songs in a room" to the prophet of poetry about how to love a woman right. Like all great songwriters he has evolved beautifully and I'm Your Man is a must have for any fan of music. - Trevor e.y. 1.first we take manhattan- 3 2.ain't no cure for love- 4 3.everybody knows- 4 4.i'm your man- 4 5.take this waltz- 4 6.jazz police- 2 7.i can't forget- 4 8.tower of song- 4                                                          1992                                                          The Future - 7/8    The Future is a really good album, though it has the same problem that Various Positions had with a weak closing trilogy of songs. The first six songs might be Cohen's best music ever, and I mean that. Opener "The Future" is my case in point: "You don't know me from the wind, you never will, you never did. I'm the little Jew who wrote The Bible." That is just a sample from one of the best Cohen songs, a futuristic (heh) journey of gospel music from our favorite prophet. Seriously, the title track is so good is threatens to overshadow the rest of the record! But it doesn't because the rest is really good also: "The Anthem" contain some of his best lyrics: "Ring the bells, that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in"; "Be for Real" and "Closing Time" are his best stabs at r&b in his career, the latter throws country in the mix; "Waiting for the Miracle" is a steady march that goes on for about seven and a half minutes but never gets old. "Democracy" is good, but not quite great, because it is a little too long. In fact, length is the main weakness of this record, the average song length is six and a half minutes, and at nine songs it is way too long (an hour in all, still no song passes "Death of a Ladies Man" in length). The last three songs are different in a bad way: "Always" tries to be Sinatra ballad; "Tacoma Trailer" is his first instrumental...electronic instrumental; "Light as the Breeze" is just plain boring. I would still call this a minor masterwork, ranking about the same as Songs from a Room as a low 7/8, because two-thirds of this album is so good. It is Cohen's last really solid work and his most direct album, his final testament on the state of the world: nice, grim, and hopeless. - Trevor e.y. 1.the future- 4 2.waiting for the miracle- 4 3.be for real- 4 4.closing time- 4 5.the anthem- 4 6.democracy- 3.5 7.light as the breeze- 2 8.always- 1.5 9.tacoma trailer- 2 An interruption if you Will: Nine years later in 2001, Cohen decided to start making albums again with Sharon Robinson duetting. So far, Ten New Songs and Dear Heather are not that impressive, ranking somewhere below Recent Songs. Reviewing them would be a waste of time unless he puts out another worthy record.