Leonard Cohen - Essential Leonard Cohen
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Free Music Notes for Essential Leonard Cohen
Free Music Review: He never said he made music for parties
Hit: 5 Stars
The electronic drum is set slow. The synthesizer is a dirge. And the singer's voice --- imagine a three-pack-a-day man at four in the morning with his dog recently dead. His voice is a whispered croak, a tragic monotone.
Well, Leonard Cohen never said he made music for parties. He did say --- not in so many words, but this was the implicit promise --- that he'd stare the mirror down and make his secret life public. That he'd go "a thousand kisses deep" and report back. That, for the women who are his most passionate admirers, "I'm your man."
It's easy to see through Leonard Cohen --- at least that's what his critics say. To them, he's "the poet laureate of pessimism," "the grocer of despair," "the godfather of gloom," "the prince of bummers." His songs: "music to slit your wrists to."
His fans know different. I have been one since 1968, when I read his two novels, The Favorite Game and Beautiful Losers, and heard his first record. That album was like no other. It took itself seriously. And it took you seriously. That was the heart of the transaction --- a search for truth in a world where "even damnation is poisoned with rainbows" and God is always both present and mystifyingly silent.
That world view sounds off-putting. Dark. Unrewarding. In fact, Cohen is --- for some of us --- immensely musical. Even inspiring. But that's hidden. He's sardonic: "I was born like this, I had no choice/I was born with the gift of a golden voice." The quest is the thing, always: "Like a bird on a wire/ Like a drunk in a midnight choir/ I have tried, in my way, to be free."
Early on, that quest led him to Zen Buddhism, the ideal choice for smarties who need to be quiet and listen. Cohen went further. He sought his teachers' advice on his music:
"Roshi came to the studio one night when I was recording 'New Skin for the Old Ceremony.' That was in the seventies. In those days I was being written off as a morbid old depressive drone peddling suicide notes. (Still am, in some circles). Roshi slept through most, but not all, of the session. The next morning I asked him what he thought. He said, 'Leonard, you should sing more sad.' That was the best advice I ever got. Took a while to put it into practice."
In recent years, that quest has taken him deeper --- he spent a decade in a Buddhist monastery, serving his teacher. He emerged in 2001 with Ten New Songs. Of his recent work, it's a standout --- every song takes you under, wrings you out, shows you something new. And for a guy who has sometime been content to stand on two or three chords, it's musically rich. Sadder? Hard to say.
If you are unfamiliar with Cohen and want to make a smart start --- well, that's a problem. Maybe, although I generally oppose anthologies, The Essential Leonard Cohen.
Why is Cohen such a talisman for me? Because of the remarkable consistency of his vision. Others have detoured into politics, been fooled by chimera. Cohen, from the beginning, insisted on love as his topic. We're made in love. We disappear into love. We fail, often and gloriously. But the aspiration alone, however doomed, is triumphant. "There's a blaze of light/In every word."
Cohen is not the voice of acceptance. He does better: Hallelujah. But of course. "The holy or the broken Hallelujah" --- they're the same. In our imperfection lies our glory: "There's a crack in the world. That's how the light gets in."
Wherever you look, Cohen's been there. And moved on. To a place that looks almost exactly like the old one. Just a bit...lighter. Which, though odd, seems correct --- the king of bummers brightens the world.
Free Music Review: Not a perfect collection, but will do till that comes along
Hit: 5 Stars
Hopefully this won't be the last attempt at the "essential" Leonard Cohen, but this will serve as a superb interim introduction. I have been a big Leonard Cohen fan for years, ever since hearing "Suzanne" on the radio and then hearing a bevy of his songs in the superb and profoundly underrated Robert Altman film McCABE AND MRS. MILLER, which uses several of his songs on the soundtrack (back when songs were included to enhance the movie rather than provide an excuse for a soundtrack album). I have striven over the years to introduce Cohen to as many of my friends as possible, and early on played him to my daughter. Happily most (including my daughter) have become fans as well.For some friends, I would make compilation tapes, and here is where one becomes aware of the problem with Cohen. Apart, perhaps, for his first album, Cohen is not at all well served by albums. He is far more of a singles artist, and some of his best individual songs can be found on otherwise miserable albums. A compilation can, in addition, mask how many really bad songs Cohen has recorded over the years. Luckily, at his best, he is very, very good. An anthology, therefore, is by far the best way to present Cohen's work, in comparison to other performers like The Clash or Van Morrison, who are better discovered in their original albums. It is even true of artists sometimes compared to Cohen, like Nick Cave.
So, how does this anthology rate? Actually, pretty good. In the compilations I have made either for myself or for friends, this contains nearly every song that I have found most essential. The only significant omission that I can find is "Joan of Arc," which I dearly wish had been included. I would have liked to have seen the live version of that song, featuring Jennifer Warnes singing the part of the "Joan" lines with Leonard singing the "Fire" ones. But any Cohen fan will find a song or two that they would like to have seen included in lieu of one of the ones that made the final cut. What is striking is how few of my own got left off.
Nonetheless, we really need a good, deluxe box set of Leonard Cohen's work, with detailed information about the musicians, which would be especially interesting on much of the earlier work. A disc of outtakes and rarities would be great, if for no other reason than to confirm my suspicion that Cohen has already placed his best work in the public eye. My gut feeling is that Cohen is a careful crafter of a few good songs, instead of a prolific writer of a spate like Bob Dylan. But I would at least like to see what there is in the way of alternate takes and unreleased songs.
Anyone wanting to learn about Leonard Cohen could hardly do better than this album. In fact, only the hardest of diehard fans will want to go very far beyond this disc. Anyone discovering that they really loved this music would be best served next by digging up a copy of Jennifer Warnes's (who has often appeared as a back up singer on Cohen albums) extraordinary album of Leonard Cohen covers, FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT. But I can't imagine many music fans not being stunned by this collection. Cohen isn't a prolific writer, but he has produced a small but spectacular collection of songs that need to be in the music library of any serious music fan.
Free Music Review: a mere sampling of the work of Leonard Cohen
Hit: 5 Stars
The Essential Leonard Cohen has two great CDs with a lot of songs performed with grace and sensitivity by Leonard Cohen. Leonard Cohen gets the recognition he truly deserves but I think he should be rewarded even more; but maybe with this CD set release and the more recent album by him the word will continue to spread and he will attract new fans.
The first of the two CDs starts with Leonard Cohen singing so well on "Suzanne;" this ballad places Leonard squarely front and center and that's quite all right by me! I think Leonard's voice is quite good; it has a certain vulnerability to it that simply must endear him to many people. We also get a fine ballad in "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye;" "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye" has a very well done guitar arrangement and Leonard Cohen never misses a beat! He handles complicated tempo and key changes very well and this impresses me. "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye" is a big highlight of the first CD. "Chelsea Hotel #2" is a very sensitive melody that moves me a lot; and I really like "Who By Fire" which sports a more lush musical arrangement to accompany Leonard's singing. "Who By Fire" is very nicely done and memorable at that! Listen also for "If It Be Your Will" Leonard expands his vocal range a bit to sing this tune with what sounds like a lot of minor keys and chords that are intended to touch people's innermost soles. "I'm Your Man" has an excellent beat; and the first CD closes well with Leonard Cohen performing "Tower of Song." "Tower of Song" has quite an interesting arrangement and it fits in well with Leonard's vocalizing. I think you'll like "Tower of Song."
The second CD has a few less songs but it's every bit as good. Trust me! The CD opens up with Leonard performing "Ain't No Cure For Love;" "Ain't No Cure For Love" has some pretty good harmonizing on backup to bolster Leonard Cohen's singing. "First We Take Manhattan" has a sound that reminds me of a type of `80s beat; and Leonard never sings a superfluous note. The sound effects of the electric musical instruments work very well for "First We Take Manhattan" and Leonard's excellent diction bolsters his singing even further. "Democracy" is another `80s sounding tune that is both catchy and memorable; I like the percussion on" Democracy" as Leonard does this one up right. There's also "Waiting For The Miracle;" and one number I always enjoy is "Closing Time." Great!
"In My Secret Life" is indeed a pensive, introspective ballad; and "A Thousand Kisses Deep" strikes me with its beauty. The second CD even ends strong with Leonard Cohen performing "Love Itself." "Love Itself" is actually quite pretty and moving and it makes a fine ending for this two CD set.
Leonard Cohen is a rather talented artist and this two CD set is chock full of tracks that more than amply prove it. I highly recommend this for his fans if they don't have this already; and people who want a good introduction to the artistry of Leonard Cohen would do well to start with this CD set.
Free Music Review: A Suitable Primer
Hit: 5 Stars
The name Leonard Cohen first came to my attention way back in the day when Suzanne was released. It was a fairly popular and much-covered song, but it never occurred to me to actually buy the album. I was into much musically heavier things at the time and so my awareness of Cohen gradually receded into distant memory.Nowadays, my musical interests are much wider and my pockets deeper, so I took a chance on Cohen's CD Ten New Songs when it was released several years ago. It took a while to get into, but I liked some of the songs immediately. My rule with music is that if I like a CD I've purchased by an unfamiliar artist, I buy something else by that artist also in order to give myself a broader enjoyment and understanding of their work. And so it went with Cohen. I picked up several more CDs and liked them enough to feel confident that I would be pleased with The Essential Leonard Cohen.
I have read all the reviews posted here, both positive and negative, and observe that its a given with any compilation that one will always feel that some songs were included that shouldn't have been and some obvious winners omitted. My candidate for ejection is Alexandra Leaving. I would have much preferred to see Boogie Street included or possibly Joan of Arc in its stead.
I think the CD is nicely divided into two periods because as several reviewers have noted, Cohen seems to have two voices. A lot of songs on the first CD one might classify as neo-folk, for lack of a better term. On this, I like Suzanne, The Partisan, Hallelujah, and I'm Your Man best.
On the second CD, the music is more in the direction of soul tinged rock with the occasional nod to country. And Cohen's deepening voice on the second CD imbues the music with more mystery and even occasional menace. I prefer the second disc with its apocalyptic renderings of First We Take Manhattan and The Future. Cohen's blood-chilling delivery on the latter combined with its scathing lyrics should give everyone a lot to think about. Closing Time wouldn't be out of place in any country dancehall and could probably be an alt-country radio hit. A Thousand Kisses Deep is evocative of the work of Michael Franks during his Objects of Desire period. But next to The Future, you might find the live recording of the dreamy and romantic Dance Me To The End of Love to be the surprise best cut. It is really tremendous. Juxtaposed with the former, it shows Cohen to be a man of huge talent who can literately express the gamut of human emotion through song.
This CD is not really for those who have all of Leonard Cohen's recordings already, but it is a suitable primer for anyone who wants an overview of this underrated musician's work.
Free Music Review: Potrait of An Artist As Both A Sage and Sinner
Hit: 5 Stars
The beauty of Leonard Cohen is he has always followed his own eccentric path and I see no duality between Cohen, the young romantic rake who ages into the embittered sensualist. It was always clear that Field Commander L. Cohen was going to dance us to the end of love, regardless of the consequences. Wheter it's the young revolutionary partisan, or the world weary cynic railing against the excesses of "democracy", Cohen has never been satisfied with the political or moral status quo. His career is based on dissatisfaction with the things as they are. For Cohen, redemption is impossible without wallowing in the mire. I can't imagine living the last 35 years of my life without the music of L. Cohen. It is the autobiography of a man unafraid to be both master and slave to desire. There is no contradiction between Cohen the folk singer and Cohen the post-modern electronic poet, just as it's difficult to draw distinctions between Dylan the folk singer and Dylan the rock and roll star. Two sides of the same man that coexist as complimentary halves of the same man.Cohen may well be the most poetic songwriter of his generation. Well before he ever released "Songs of Leonard Cohen", he was a published poet and a literary icon in Canada. His more recent appeal among younger Bohemians for his existential honesty, differs from first generation hippies who celebrated Cohen as the embodiment of Eros and free love. His minmalist musical approach is a stark counterpoint to his poetic text which is lush with imagery, double meanings and ambivalent wordplay. "Sisters of Mercy" can be read as either a celebration of the good works of, either nuns or prostitutes depending on your viewpoint. "Hallelujah" makes a holy sacrament of uninhibited sexuality. Cohen always challenged the notion of duality in his themes by equating the sacred with the profane. His life's mission his been afflict discomfort on those who see the world in mutally exlusive terms of moral postivism.
Cohen was the reckless romantic who spent several years in a Bhuddist monastary and now he has returned as an aging Siddartha to challenge our conventional wisdom about life, love and morality. "The Essential Leonard Cohen" is the journey of a seeker of the truth beginning with a potrait of an artist as a young man, and ending with jaded musings of a sage and sinner who discovers the more he learns about life, the less he really knows. This is Cohen the zen-master who has nothing left to prove. We are wiser people for Cohen's long jouney into the heart of darkness and if you want the unadulterated truth about love and life, Leonard Cohen will be the first to step forward and fearlessly proclaim, "I'm your man."