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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada's Answer To Bob Dylan, November 2, 2007
In the late 1960s, Leonard Cohen was one of those fabled individuals of whom most serious music lovers had heard but who had not actually been much heard except through the voices of better-known singers who tirelessly promoted his songs. Over the years, Cohen became better known and has since become a cult hero in the world of those who like their music decidedly deep and decidedly dark.
I first became aware of Cohen back in the 1960s when I heard Judy Collins' haunting rendition of Suzanne. I liked that and I liked some other Cohen covers I later heard but never got around to actually buying a Leonard Cohen recording until some ten years ago. Since that time, I have gradually added to my collection of his music but did not acquire his first album until it was recently remastered. And what a piece of work it is!
Many have compared Leonard Cohen to Bob Dylan because both are masters of the English language and both are masters of poetic imagery. And like Dylan, Cohen has a peculiar talent for the blending of the sacred and the profane. You might even say that Leonard Cohen is Canada's answer to Bob Dylan. The last picture of Cohen in the attractive booklet that accompanies the CD even looks like Dylan does today! Despite the flattering comparison, however, Cohen is absolutely an original.
I like the dark, the brooding, and the bittersweet when eloquently and intelligently expressed, so its almost only natural that I am a confirmed Leonard Cohen fan. Every song on this CD, including the bonus cuts, is a winner. Suzanne is obviously the most famous cut closely followed perhaps by Sisters of Mercy. Good as they are they are not my favorites. Mine are Master Song, The Stranger Song, Stories of the Street, Store Room, and finally Teachers which is hugely evocative of the pre-commercial works of fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot.
On the Songs of Leonard Cohen, the listener is presented with an astounding body of work that, to paraphrase the updated liner notes, assures Cohen a place in the pantheon of great twentieth century songwriter/poets. There are precious few artists whose debuts are so auspicious as this. This is a recording that deserves a place in the music library of every serious music lover. Get it while you still can.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Original masterpiece enhanced, May 15, 2007
Cohen's timeless debut has been enhanced by the addition of 2 extra tracks. The lilting poetry of Suzanne lures the listener into his world of romantic despair while introducing the essence of his sound: a deep monotone framed by sublime female backing vocals over simple but engaging melodies.
Master Song, Winter Lady and Stranger Song reinforce the desolate landscape although the melodies are less immediate. Cohen's genius shines brightly on the immortal Sisters Of Mercy, a strange mixture of the spiritual and the sensual that must be one of the most beautiful musical poems in the English language.
This delicate gem is followed by the powerful and evocative So Long Marianne and the understated Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye, both masterpieces of words, melody and arrangement - the female vocals on Goodbye is especially impressive.
Stories of the Street appears as a poem in one of Cohen's 1960s poetry books: Selected Poems 1956-1968 and deals with a visit to Havana during of just after the revolution. Interesting fact: The line "some girls wander by mistake" from Teachers was later used as an album title by the goth band Sisters Of Mercy: Some Girls Wander By Mistake
One Us Cannot Be Wrong addresses the beloved in a series of strange images before moving on to melodic whistling and ending with bitter shouted la la lahs. For those interested in other artists' take on Cohen: Suzanne has been beautifully covered by inter alia Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy and Geoffrey Oryema: I'm Your Fan, while Sting and the Chieftains' celtic version of Sisters Of Mercy is available on the Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen tribute album.
On the I'm Your Fan tribute there are interesting interpretations of Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye by Ian McCulloch, Stories Of The Street by That Petrol Emotion and So Long Marianne by James.
This reissue booklet includes liner notes by Anthony DeCurtis, three black & white photographs of LC and two full-color paintings by the artist. Both extra tracks were originally produced by John Hammond and for reissue by Bruce Dickinson. The second, Blessed Is The Memory, is the more immediately appealing with its lovely organ flourishes.
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Songs from a Room
Flowers for Hitler
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The beginning of the majestic Leonard...., May 7, 2008
This was Leonard Cohen's first album, and it's an amazing album. It's filled with some of his best songs ever, songs that sound new everytime you listen to him. It starts with one of his signature songs, Suzanne. Surprisingly, it's not about a lost love or a current love, but a woman of impeccable taste and hospitality. I especially love The Stranger Song, which grows more brooding and profound every time I listen to it. Sisters of Mercy, So Long, Marianne, and Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye are three other songs that are truly endearing. This is the beginning of the amazing journey for Cohen, as most of his work has been surprisingly consistent and always worth listening to. Many times when an artist has a great debut, he burns out afterwards. Not Leonard. He's aging most gracefully.
An interesting note to cinema buffs. Many of these songs are featured in Robert Altman's masterful McCabe and Mrs. Miller, and the song Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye is featured in Werner Herzog's Fata Morgana.
Essential listening from one of Canada's greatest men.
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~ Leonard Cohen
~ Leonard Cohen
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by Leonard Cohen 
