.co.uk Time has been extraordinarily kind to Songs of Leonard Cohen. While it attracted considerable fanfare upon its release in 1968, not everyone was immediately captured by its dusky charms. Randy Newman, for one, couldn't resist the temptation to parody "Suzanne", the album's brooding opener, on his 12 Songs album. (Conversely, director Robert Altman brilliantly drew upon the dirges here for the soundtrack to his classic anti-western, McCabe and Mrs. Miller.) But what some once found to be pretentious and affected has come to feel penetrating and ageless. Seeded with what have become signature songs of the Canadian wordsmith ("Sisters of Mercy", "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye", "So Long, Marianne"), the album has a narcotic quality that owes as much to producer/musical director John Simon's inspired folk-baroque soundscapes as to Cohen's lofty lyrics and earthbound vocals. -- Steven Stolder
M**E
Great album
This was bought as a replacement for my original which went missing somewhere along the line. It is full of fine, thought provoking songs. Some may say it sounds miserable but that is only to those who do not listen to the lyrics. When you listen properly it is relaxing and takes you away from your everyday problems.
I**.
as great as ever
just a replacement of a great classic which I had on vinyl,
M**T
nothing special - cannot remember the Leonard Cohen song I ...
nothing special - cannot remember the Leonard Cohen song I wanted to hear - I have other Leonard Cohen CD's but I had never heard this particular song before - hoped it would be here.
W**D
Five Stars
Fantastic if you like Leonard Cohen
H**Y
Five Stars
Love it
P**N
Five Stars
very nostalgic.
B**N
Five Stars
if you love leonard its beautiful
V**R
Songs Of Leonard Cohen: Leonard Cohen - Master song-writer tells stories of the street
This is a truly great debut from the man who has become the Master of the singer/songwriter genre, Leonard Cohen.Recorded in 1967, when the man was already in his early thirties, there is a maturity to the themes explored that, when combined with the sincere and sparse delivery, gives the record an emotional intelligence and intensity that other similar artists (Dylan, Paul Simon) could not hope to match.From the sublime opening bars of `Suzanne' through to the closing of `One of Us Cannot Be Wrong', Cohen quietly and without any egotistical flourishes draws us along with his tales of love, loss, life and pain. The songs are literate, lyrical. Beautifully crafted tales backed with simple melodies. The album is just a pure joy to listen to.
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