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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No hate, only love for this album, February 18, 2008
All of Leonard Cohen's early albums are truly masterpieces unto themselves, and a few of his later releases are also contenders. I would unabashedly endorse "Songs of Leonard Cohen", "Songs from a Room", "New Skin for the Old Ceremony", and this album, quite possibly the finest of them all. Each of these albums features a perfect combination of rich and poetic lyrics, understated and masterful musical accompaniment, and excellent production values (now highlighted by an excellent remastering).
"Songs of Love and Hate" is definitely the darkest of the aforementioned albums, which means it is not to be played casually, and that one must be in the right mood to give it their whole-hearted attention. When these circumstances arise, this album can be totally devastating and have a hold on the listener like few others ever do.
The lyrics continue to reveal new levels of depth and detail with each listening, proving that there was good reason for Cohen to be a successful poet/author prior to his music career. One would be hard pressed to find such literate and affecting lyrics elsewhere within the lexicon of "popular music".
As mentioned before, the accompanying music ebbs and flows in all the right places: It is at times stark and spare, but also adds flourishes and character to the lyrics at all the right times. There is also a unique stylistic variety to the music, from the chamber strings of "Avalanche", to the reggae feel of "Diamonds in the Mine", to the Cabaret torch song style of "Sing Another Song Boys". Special mention must be made of female background singers: Cohen is not the most accomplished technical singer, but conveys his lyrics and the mood behind them very well. The background singers provide an exquisite contrast to his rough around the edges voice, with their almost angelic qualities.
The album works very well as a cohesive whole, which builds in intensity and attains a totally sublime feeling by the end. That said, personal favourite songs are "Love Calls You by Your Name", "Sing Another Song Boys", "Diamonds in the Mine", and "Joan of Arc".
A last word about this newly remastered/expanded version. The remastering does bring Cohen's voice to the front of the mix a little more, almost as if he's whispering in your ear on the quieter cuts. That said, many of the subtle nuances of the instrumental parts are now clearer as well. In all, the remastering definitely improves upon the original cd version, and the bonus track is a very interesting and much less sparse version of "Dress Rehearsal Rag" performed quite heavily with a full band.
This is a dark and somewhat depressing album, make no mistake. That said, it is also one of Cohen's strongest and most emotionally affecting albums. If you're interested in something by Cohen which is slightly less depressing, I would highly recommend his debut "Songs of Leonard Cohen". Even if you go that route though, you'll probably come back to this album once your interest is piqued. Highly recommended to the emotionally stable who need a little darkness once in a while.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bitter, apocalyptic folk, August 18, 2007
The title of Leonard Cohen's third album is a pretty accurate description of the music found therein. These songs deal with human relationships at their most polarized and extreme, gushing with emotion and boiling over with intensity. The twist is, there are no love songs here, or hate songs either. For on Songs of Love and Hate, the two titular emotions are so tightly intertwined that they haunt each song with equal force, each one feeding the other, forming a musical cycle that explores human relationships at their most intense and unsparing. It's an album full of bitterness and longing, full of unforgiving regrets and ungranted wishes. Cohen's musical constructions are brilliant, a collection of quiet acoustic compositions that are laced with tension and raw emotion. Combined with the sharp, flat, take-it-or-leave-it sneer of Cohen's voice and some brilliantly understated instrumentation, and you've got yourself an emotionally ravaged masterpiece. Highlights include "Avalanche," which combines a bitter, defiant, and subtly self-deprecating lyric with a rush of dark, flamenco-tinged guitars. There's also the cynically rocking "Diamonds In The Mine," and the moody, quietly beautiful family tragedy of "Famous Blue Raincoat," as well as "Last Year's Man," an apocalyptic masterpiece that combines a haunting melody with lyrical imagery both nightmarish and Biblical. My personal favorite song here is "Dress Rehearsal Rag," a harrowing epic whose lyrics depict a washed-up playboy's contemplation of suicide. The sense of desperation and self-loathing shine through with crystal clarity here, while the music slowly builds in intensity, culminating in a final verse that simply explodes with cathartic anguish. Make no mistake about it, this is a dark, bitter classic.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bitter, harsher Leonard, August 22, 2008
Like all Cohen's early albums, Songs of Love & Hate has grown in stature down the years. Other singers seem to like the songs more than Cohen does; for the collection that he compiled, Essential Leonard Cohen, he selected only one track from this album, Famous Blue Raincoat. Among those who highly esteem Songs of Love and Hate is Jennifer Warnes who covers Famous Blue Raincoat on her album of the same name which also contains a duet with Cohen on a longer version of Joan of Arc.
The Handsome Family interprets the same song on the soundtrack album Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man whilst Tori Amos performs it on Tower of Song:The Songs of Leonard Cohen. Famous Blue Raincoat is a great favorite, as Judy Collins included it on her Cohen tribute album along with Dress Rehearsal Rag and Joan of Arc. And on the appealing 1991 tribute I'm Your Fan, there is a French version of Avalanche by Jean-Louis Murat.
Sing Another Song Boys is Cohen at his bitter best, its harsh chorus atypical of the image of the poetic folkie but pointing to later songs like Lover Lover Lover on 1974's New Skin for the Old Ceremony. The fierce and uptempo Diamonds in the Mine is in the same vein, where the celestial female vocals are particularly effective in balancing Cohen's raw voice on this tale with its striking imagery. In tone, theme and delivery Diamonds in the Mine and Sing Another Song Boys are not too far removed from tracks like Iodine, Paper-Thin Hotel or Don't Go Home with your Hardhat on his much-criticized Death of a Ladies' Man (1978) that was produced by Phil Spector.
Besides the second more vibrant version of Dress Rehearsal Rag with full instrumentation & a denser sound, the original tracks are typical early Cohen. With astonishing elegance and simplicity, the haunting melodies, melancholy lyrics and ragged voice have a way of establishing themselves in the consciousness of the listener. Few other musicians touch the strings of the soul in the way that Cohen does. Dylan can do it; Nick Cave does, as do Nick Drake, Lou Reed, Richard Thompson and definitely Swans on their more gentle songs. Songs of Love and Hate is another jewel in Cohen's crown of ageless music.
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~ Leonard Cohen
~ Leonard Cohen
~ Leonard Cohen
~ Leonard Cohen
~ Leonard Cohen
by Leonard Cohen 
