Leonard Cohen - recommendations

"I'm your man" is very good and worthy of a listen if you like 10 new songs.

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Brown:
Hi all,

I have just bought Ten New Songs and am just knocked out by it. It is lyrically and musically brilliant, superbly arranged and beatifully recorded. Can anyone recommend anything else by him that I should track down?

You could try either of his first two albums, Leonard Cohen, and Songs from a Room, or the Greatest Hits compliation.

Thanks guys keep 'em coming. I can feel a spending spree coming on!

I'm Your Man is brilliant, and you will love it if you like Ten new Songs.

His early albums are also good but a bit different to these two. Along with Diode's recs Songs of Love and Hate is also one of his best.

The latest album, Dear Heather, is also jolly good.

Nigel

Thanks all for your input, I'll follow up this thread on Monday. Have a good weekend!

Hi Richard,

If you like Judy Collins (who doesn't??), said to help launch Leonard Cohen out of obscurity, you could try the recently released Democracy Despite the contemporary cover photograph of her, most of the cuts were recorded in the LP era, including her beautiful rendition of "Suzanne".

Norman

New skin for the old ceremony.

I'm an old git & have been buying his stuff since he first started recording. I haven't always liked what I experienced on the first listening of a new album but can truly say I now like them all equally.I'm sure that you could buy any of his albums and come back to them at a later stage and enjoy them even if you didn't like them first time round. Isn't this the sign of a good album?
Bob

Hi Richard,

All of the above reccommendations are excellent. Also worth seeking out is 'Famous blue raincoat' by jennifer Warnes, a complete album of Cohen songs interpreted as only JW can, worth price for the sound quality alone.



Mike.

Was disappointed by Dear Heather. Personally, I think the best album is the first 'The Songs of Leonard Cohen'. As has been said 'I'm your man is good' as is 'various positions'. I also like 'The Future' and the various live albums are pretty good too. Actually, I have all his albums (I think) and you can't go far wrong.

regards, Tam

Famous Blue Raincoat.


Jenny sings Lenny...Magnificent record.

For anyone who likes his last but one album (I didn't much-preferred last one)I recommend buying all of his vastly superior poetically/musically albums starting chronologically. They are frequently on sale on CD very cheaply. I seem still thankfully to have my vinyls since cottoning on to him in 60s until buying CD from 'The Future'. Needless to day, the vinyl is converted to CDR.

He once was extremely brilliant.

I have everything he has ever recorded. Sadly, IMHO, his output is deteriorating. The last 2 albums sound like (indeed are) meanderings recorded at home.
I'd still crawl over broken glass to see him one more time though!

Bob

quote:

The last 2 albums sound like (indeed are) meanderings recorded at home.

Bob

I know what you mean, but the combination of his gravelly groaning (one can hardly call it singing any more) and the backing singers is a thing of rare beauty.

Nigel

Thanks for the recommendations folks. I bought I'm Your Man and Songs from a Room over the weekend and they are indeed excellent. I already have Jennifer Warnes' Famous Blue Raincoat on vinyl (bought this years ago) and it is superb. Must check out Judy Collins though.

Thanks again all.

Richard

Another worth listyening to is the compilation Album "I'm Your Fan" with some excellent interpretations by some of the most unlikely people.

Bob

I agree that he stopped really doing his biz etc years before clapped-out/done by the ladies 10 NS (and better 'Heather').

Apart from commercially available stuff I seem to have about 16 or so .mp3 of rarer songs etc often available via e.g. Soulseek.

Some of his books are good/some are vile.

He was probably a great influential poet/performer who occasionally got involved in startling 'audio' releases.

Right, that's it, I'm off to buy "Greatest Hits" on vinyl tomorrow. I confess that my only experience of LC's singing is his groaning contribution on a couple of tracks on Famous Blue Raincoat, which kind of put me off.

Well, just remembered this thread from some time ago:

http://forums.naim-audio.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/380...741965233#5741965233

Some really nice comments and recommendations, some of them my own

Cheers,
Claus