Any Leonard Cohen fans here? I own his best of album and "Death Of A Lady's Man". For several months I was absolutely mesmerized by the greatest hits. His voice is so clean and emotive, and everything is so simple. He is one of the most poetic lyricists I know of.

Sadly, when I heard "Death Of A Lady's Man" I was more than a little disappointed. Phil Spector's brilliant wall of sound that created such lovely girl-group harmonies and Cohen's mystique and smooth subtlety just don't belong. And not only that, Leonard's lyrics aren't too good on it. I've meant to get "Songs Of Love And Hate" for some time now.

Quoted from andersonCouncill

Any Leonard Cohen fans here? I own his best of album and "Death Of A Lady's Man". For several months I was absolutely mesmerized by the greatest hits. His voice is so clean and emotive, and everything is so simple. He is one of the most poetic lyricists I know of.

Sadly, when I heard "Death Of A Lady's Man" I was more than a little disappointed. Phil Spector's brilliant wall of sound that created such lovely girl-group harmonies and Cohen's mystique and smooth subtlety just don't belong. And not only that, Leonard's lyrics aren't too good on it. I've meant to get "Songs Of Love And Hate" for some time now.

Wasn't that album the one produced by Phil Spector just before he produced The Ramones' End Of The Century?

I've read a book about Phil Spector and the session for those albums ... I'm not a Cohen fan, but I've always been interestied in that album ... does it sound good at least?

Quoted from raxo

Wasn't that album the one produced by Phil Spector just before he produced The Ramones' End Of The Century?

I've read a book about Phil Spector and the session for those albums ... I'm not a Cohen fan, but I've always
been interestied on that album ... does it sound good at least?

It sounds good in some respects. Cohen called it "a failed expieriment". It's got some very complex pop-balladery, typical of Spector, but it seems to me kind of the antithesis of Leonard Cohen.

I think "Songs of Leonard Cohen" (67) is a masterpiece. Superb songwriting, haunting minimal production. It blew me away when I first heard it. "Hey that's no way to say goodye" has got to be one of the greatest, quirkiest love songs ever.
I'm not normally a big fan of lyrics-as-poetry (they're both designed for different jobs) but the words from this album are beautiful and stand alone. His simple but pleasing melodies are the icing on the cake.
I've heard some of his other stuff, but nothing got close to matching this imo.

Sorry - the song is "One of us can't be wrong." I always called it the Eskimo Song.  
That verse - untouchable genius. So simple but so evocative:

"An Eskimo showed me a movie
He'd recently taken of you
The poor man could hardly stop shivering,
His lips and his fingers were blue
I suppose that he froze when the wind took your clothes
And I guess he just never got warm
But you stand there so nice in your blizzard of ice
O please let me come into the storm."

I'd have to say the songs I particularly like are

"Suzanne"
"Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye"
"Famous Blue Raincoat"
"Chelsea Hotel No. 2"
"Take This Longing"

I love the way in Marianne the instruments just drift in and out.
I read Joe Boyds book recently - he managed and produced Nick Drake. Cohen had gained great success with the album without ever playing live, and Drake, who was terrible on stage, always wanted to know why he wasn't as famous as Cohen. One of the things that knocked him over the edge.

Drake's story is so heartwrenching. It's up their with Syd Barrett.

This book, how much did it cost you?

Quoted from andersonCouncill

Drake's story is so heartwrenching. It's up their with Syd Barrett.

This book, how much did it cost you?

5p. I got it from the library and was a day late returning it.
I'm trying to be debt free by the end of the year (I might be marrying) and that means no more buying books. And that is breaking my heart. I HATE giving a good book back.

Quoted from andersonCouncill

[...]Phil Spector's brilliant wall of sound that created such lovely girl-group harmonies and Cohen's mystique and smooth subtlety just don't belong. [...]

Phil Spector Biography Set for June

"I was crippled inside," Spector told Brown during their interview. "Insane is a hard word, but it's manic-depressive, bipolar. I take medication for schizophrenia, but I wouldn't say I'm schizophrenic. But I have a bipolar personality, which is strange. I've been a very tortured soul. I have not been happy. I have devils inside that fight me. And I'm my own worst enemy."

from here: http://www.thebookstandard.com.....ontent_id=1003569880