Cerebral yet sensual Canadian poet, novelist, and singer/songwriter who is recognized as one of the greatest lyricists of all time. Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (September 21, 1934 – November 7, 2016) was a songwriter and singer. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality,
isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, social and political conflict, sexual and romantic love, desire, regret, and loss. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Second only to Bob Dylan (and perhaps Paul Simon), he commanded the attention of critics and younger musicians more firmly than any other musical figure from the '60s who continued to work in the 21st century, which is all the more remarkable an achievement for someone who didn't even aspire to a musical career until he was in his thirties.
Cohen pursued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s, and did not begin a music career until 1966. He appeared at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival in England, a post-Woodstock gathering of stars and superstars, including late appearances by such soon-to-die-or-disband legends as Jimi Hendrix
and the Doors. Looking nearly as awkward as his fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell, Cohen strummed his acoustic guitar backed by a pair of female singers in front of an audience of 600,000 ("It's a large nation, but still weak"), comprising equal portions of fans, freaks, and belligerent gatecrashers, but the mere fact that he was there -- sandwiched somewhere between Miles Davis and Emerson, Lake & Palmer -- was a clear statement of the status (if not the popular success) he'd achieved. (Cohen's performance of "Suzanne" was one of the highlights of Murray Lerner's long-delayed 1996 documentary Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival, and his full set was reissued in 2009, both on audio and video formats.)
His first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), was followed by three more albums of folk music: Songs from a Room (1969), Songs of Love and Hate (1971) and New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974). His 1977 record Death of a Ladies' Man, co-written and produced by Phil Spector, was a move away from Cohen's previous minimalist sound. In 1979, Cohen returned with the more traditional Recent Songs, which blended his acoustic style with jazz, East Asian, and Mediterranean influences. Cohen's most
famous song, "Hallelujah", was released on his seventh album, Various Positions (1984). I'm Your Man in 1988 marked Cohen's turn to synthesized productions. In 1992, Cohen released its follow-up, The Future, which had dark lyrics and references to political and social unrest. He rose to the occasion, releasing The Future, an album that dwelt on the many threats facing mankind in the coming years and decades, a year later. Not the stuff of pop charts or MTV heavy rotation, it attracted Cohen's usual coterie of fans, and enough press interest as well as sufficient sales, to justify the release in 1994 of his second concert album, Cohen Live, derived from his two most recent tours. As with I'm Your Man, the lyrics on The Future were dark, and made references to political and social unrest.
Cohen returned to music in 2001 with the release of Ten New Songs, featuring a major influence from producer and co-composer Sharon Robinson. In 2004, the year he turned 70, Cohen released one of the most controversial albums of his career, Dear Heather. It revealed his voice anew, in this phase of his career, as a deep baritone more limited in range than on any previous recording, but it overcame this
change in vocal timbre by facing it head-on, just as Cohen had done with his singing throughout his career. Five decades after he emerged as a public literary figure and then a performer, Cohen remained one of the most compelling and enigmatic musical figures of his era, and one of the very few of that era who commanded as much respect and attention, and probably as large an audience, in the 21st century as he did in the '60s. As much as any survivor of that decade, Cohen held onto his original audience and saw it grow across generations, in keeping with a truly timeless and ageless body of music. In 2006, his enduring influence seemed to be acknowledged in Lions Gate Films' release of Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, director Lian Lunson's concert/portrait of Cohen's work and career.
Cohen released his 13th album, Popular Problems, on September 24, 2014. Cohen's 14th and final album, You Want It Darker, was released on October 21, 2016. Cohen's son Adam Cohen has a production credit on the album. In the spring of 1968, Cohen had a brief relationship with musician Janis Joplin while
staying at the Chelsea Hotel, and the song of the same name references this relationship. Cohen also had well-known relationships with Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and American actress Rebecca De Mornay. Cohen died in his Los Angeles home on November 7, 2016, at the age of 82; leukemia was a contributing cause. According to his manager, Cohen's death was the result of a fall at his home that evening, and he subsequently died in his sleep. His death was announced on November 10, the same day as his funeral, which was held in Montreal.
ALBUMS IN THIS POST:
01. Songs Of Leonard Cohen (1967)
02. Songs From A Room (1969)
03. Songs Of Love And Hate (1971)
04. New Skin For The Old Ceremony (1974)
05. Death Of A Ladies' Man (1977)
06. Recent Songs (1979)
07. Various Positions (1984)
08. I'm Your Man (1988)
09. The Future (1992)
01. LEONARD COHEN - SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN 1967
Songs of Leonard Cohen is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen,
released on December 27, 1967, on Columbia Records. More successful in Europe than in North America, Songs of Leonard Cohen foreshadowed the kind of chart success Cohen would go on to achieve. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart, spending nearly a year and a half on it. In the US, it reached number 83 on the Billboard 200.
Leonard Cohen – Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Label: Columbia – CK 9533
Format: CD, Album, Reissue Oct 17, 1990
Country: US
Released: 1967
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock
TRACKS
01. Suzanne 3:47
02. Master Song 5:54
03. Winter Lady 2:16
04. The Stranger Song 4:59
05. Sisters Of Mercy 3:32
06. So Long, Marianne 5:37
07. Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye 2:54
08. Stories Of The Street 4:34
09. Teachers 3:00
10. One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong 4:24
LINE - UP
Leonard Cohen – vocals, acoustic guitar
Jimmy Lovelace – drums ("So Long, Marianne")
Nancy Priddy – vocals ("Suzanne", "So Long, Marianne", "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye")
Willie Ruff – bass ("So Long, Marianne", "Stories of the Street")
Chester Crill, Chris Darrow, Solomon Feldthouse, David Lindley – flute, mandolin, Jew's harp, violin, various Middle Eastern instruments ("Master Song", "Winter Lady", "Sisters of Mercy", "So Long, Marianne", "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye", "Stories of the Street", "Teachers")
String arrangements by John Simon
Flac Size: 231 MB
02. LEONARD COHEN - SONGS FROM A ROOM 1969
The recording sessions for Songs From a Room began in Hollywood in May 1968 with David Crosby
as producer. That didn't work out, and the album was eventually produced at Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, with producer Bob Johnston (two of the tracks from the Crosby sessions are included as bonus tracks on the 2007 remastered version). Johnston and Cohen had wanted to work together on Cohen's first album, but the studio had assigned Johnston elsewhere.
Leonard Cohen – Songs From A Room
Label: Columbia – 88697 04740 2, Legacy – 88697 04740 2
Format: CD, Album, Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition Apr 23, 2007
Country: Europe
Released: 1969
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk Rock
TRACKS
01. Bird On The Wire 3:29
02. Story Of Isaac 3:39
03. A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes 3:18
04. The Partisan 3:29
Written-By – Anna Marly, Hy Zaret
05. Seems So Long Ago, Nancy 3:41
06. The Old Revolution 4:50
07. The Butcher 3:22
08. You Know Who I Am 3:32
09. Lady Midnight 3:02
10. Tonight Will Be Fine 3:53
BONUS TRACKS
11. Like A Bird (Bird On The Wire) 3:21
12. Nothing To One (You Know Who I Am) 2:18
LINE - UP
Leonard Cohen – vocals, classical guitar, Jew's harp (2, 10)
Ron Cornelius – acoustic and electric guitar
Bubba Fowler – banjo, bass guitar, violin, acoustic guitar
Charlie Daniels – bass guitar, violin, acoustic guitar
uncredited – backing vocals in French (4)
Flac Size: 222 MB
03. LEONARD COHEN - SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE 1971
Cohen reunited with producer Bob Johnston, who was at the helm for the singer's previous album Songs
From a Room, and also brought back guitarist Ron Cornelius, who acted as leader of Cohen's new crew of backing musicians, christened The Army. The album was mainly recorded in Columbia Studio A in Nashville, between September 22 and 26, 1970. "Sing Another Song, Boys" was recorded at the Isle of Wight Festival on August 30, 1970.
Leonard Cohen – Songs Of Love And Hate
Label: CBS – CDCBS 32219
Format: CD, Album, Reissue Mar 4, 1988
Country: Europe
Released: 1971
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock
TRACKS
01. Avalanche 4:59
02. Last Year's Man 5:56
03. Dress Rehearsal Rag 6:03
04. Diamonds In The Mine 3:48
05. Love Calls You By Your Name 5:37
06. Famous Blue Raincoat 5:07
07. Sing Another Song, Boys 6:09
08. Joan Of Arc 6:21
LINE - UP
Leonard Cohen – acoustic guitar, vocals
Ron Cornelius – acoustic and electric guitars
Charlie Daniels – acoustic guitar, bass guitar, fiddle
Elkin "Bubba" Fowler – acoustic guitar, banjo, bass guitar
Bob Johnston – piano, production
Corlynn Hanney – vocals
Susan Mussmano – vocals
The Corona Academy, London – children's voices
Michael Sahl – strings on third verse of "Last Year's Man"
Paul Buckmaster – string and horn arrangements, conductor
Flac Size: 246 MB
04. LEONARD COHEN - NEW SKIN FOR THE OLD CEREMONY 1974
New Skin for the Old Ceremony, is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard
Cohen. On this album, he begins to evolve away from the rawer sound of his earlier albums, with violas, mandolins, banjos, guitars, percussion, and other instruments giving the album a more orchestrated (but nevertheless spare) sound. The album went silver in the UK, but never entered the Billboard Top 200 in the United States.
Leonard Cohen – New Skin For The Old Ceremony
Label: CBS – CDCBS 32660
Series: Nice Price
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1988
Country: Europe
Released: 1974
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock
TRACKS
01. Is This What You Wanted 4:17
02. Chelsea Hotel No. 2 3:07
03. Lover Lover Lover 3:21
04. Field Commander Cohen 4:02
05. Why Don't You Try 3:53
06. There Is A War 3:01
07. A Singer Must Die 3:20
08. I Tried To Leave You 2:42
09. Who By Fire 2:35
10. Take This Longing 4:08
11. Leaving Green Sleeves 2:41
LINE - UP
Leonard Cohen – guitar, Jew's harp, vocals, producer
Ralph Gibson – guitar
Jeff Layton – banjo, mandolin, guitar, trumpet
John Miller,Don Payne – bass
Lewis Furey – viola
John Lissauer – woodwinds, keyboards, backing vocals, producer, arranger
Gerald Chamberlain – trombones
Janis Ian – vocals
Emily Bindiger, Erin Dickins, Gail Kantor – backing vocals
Roy Markowitz – drums
Armen Halburian – percussion
Flac Size: 181 MB
05. LEONARD COHEN - DEATH OF A LADIES' MAN 1977
Death of a Ladies' Man is the fifth studio album by Leonard Cohen, produced and co-written by
Phil Spector. The album was in some ways a departure from Cohen's typical minimalist style by using Spector's Wall of Sound recording method, which included ornate arrangements and multiple tracks of instrument overdubs. The album was originally released in the US by Warner Bros., and on CD and the rest of the world by Cohen's longtime label, Columbia Records.
Leonard Cohen – Death Of A Ladies' Man
Label: Columbia – CK 44286
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1988
Country: US
Released: 1977
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop Rock
TRACKS
01. True Love Leaves No Traces 4:26
02. Iodine 5:04
03. Paper Thin Hotel 5:42
04. Memories 5:59
05. I Left A Woman Waiting 3:28
06. Don't Go Home With Your Hard-On 5:36
07. Fingerprints 2:59
08. Death Of A Ladies' Man 9:19
LINE - UP
Guitar: Jesse Ed Davis, David Isaac, Dan Kessel, David Kessel, Art Munson, Phil Spector
Steel guitar: Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Al Perkins
Bass guitar, double bass: Ray Neapolitan, Ray Pohlman
Keyboards: Barry Goldberg, Tom Hensley, Pete Jolly, Dan Kessel, Michael Lang, Bill Mays, Don Randi, Devra Robitaille, Phil Spector
Drums: Hal Blaine, Jim Keltner
Percussion: Gene Estes, Terry Gibbs, Emil Richards, Bob Zimmitti
Saxophone, flute: Steve Douglas, Don Menza, Jay Migliori
Fiddle, violin: Bobby Bruce
Trumpet: Conte Candoli
Trombone: Charles Loper, Jack Redmond
Backing Vocals: Ronee Blakley, Brenda Bryant, Billy Diez, Oma Drake, Bob Dylan, Venetta Fields,
Gerald Garrett, Allen Ginsberg, Dan Kessel, David Kessel, Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews, Phil Spector,
Bill Thedford, Julia Waters Tillman, Oren Waters, Lorna Willard
Flac Size: 255 MB
06. LEONARD COHEN - RECENT SONGS 1979
After recording Death of a Ladies' Man with Phil Spector, a chaotically recorded album that would garner Cohen the worst reviews of his career, the singer decided to produce his next album himself with
assistance from Henry Lewy, who had previously worked regularly with Joni Mitchell. The album included Gypsy violin player Raffi Hakopian, English string arranger Jeremy Lubbock, Armenian oud player (located in Los Angeles) John Bilezikjian and even a Mexican Mariachi band. Long-time Cohen collaborator Jennifer Warnes appeared prominently in vocal tracks. Members of the band Passenger, whom Cohen also met through Mitchell, played on four of the songs. Garth Hudson of the Band also appeared on the album.
Leonard Cohen – Recent Songs
Label: CBS – CDCBS 86097
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Stereo
Country: Europe
Released: 1979
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock
TRACKS
01. The Guests 6:39
02. Humbled In Love 5:15
03. The Window 5:55
04. Came So Far For Beauty 4:03
05. The Lost Canadian (Un Canadien Errant) 4:41
06. The Traitor 6:14
07. Our Lady Of Solitude 3:13
08. The Gypsy's Wife 5:13
09. The Smokey Life 5:18
10. Ballad Of The Absent Mare 6:23
LINE - UP
Leonard Cohen – vocals, acoustic guitar
Mitch Watkins, Ricardo Gonzalez, Filipe Perez – guitar
Everado Sandoval – guitarrón
Abraham Laboriel, Roscoe Beck, John Miller – bass guitar
John Lissauer – piano, arrangements
Garth Hudson – Yamaha piano, accordion
Bill Ginn – electric piano
Randy Waldman – organ
Steve Meador – drums
John Bilezikjian – oud
Raffi Hakopian, Agostin Cervantes, Armando Quintero, Luiz Briseño, Miguel Sandoval – violin
Paul Ostermayer – saxophone
Edgar Lustgarten – cello
Jose Perez, Pablo Sandoval – trumpet
Earl Dumler – oboe
Jennifer Warnes, Jim Gilstrap, Julia Tillman Waters, Maxine Willard Waters, Roger St. Kenerly, Stephanie Spruill – backing vocals
Jeremy Lubbock – string and horns arrangements and conductor
Luiz Briseño – Mariachi band conductor
Flac Size: 244 MB
07. LEONARD COHEN - VARIOUS POSITIONS 1984
Various Positions is the seventh studio album by Leonard Cohen, released in December 1984 (and
February 1985). It marked not only his turn to a modern sound and use of synthesizers (particularly on the opening track), but also, after the harmonies and backing vocals from Jennifer Warnes on the previous Recent Songs (1979), an even greater contribution from Warnes, who is credited with Cohen as vocalist on all of the tracks.
Leonard Cohen – Various Positions
Label: CBS – 465569 2
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1995
Country: Europe
Released: 1984
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Folk Rock, Ballad
TRACKS
01. Dance Me To The End Of Love 4:40
02. Coming Back To You 3:35
03. The Law 4:28
04. Night Comes On 4:40
05. Hallelujah 4:39
06. The Captain 4:10
07. Hunter's Lullaby 2:26
08. Heart With No Companion 3:04
09. If It Be Your Will 3:43
LINE - UP
Leonard Cohen – lead vocals and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electronic keyboard Casio and photography (Polaroid shot)
John Lissauer – keyboards, synthesizers, orchestrations and backing vocals
Sid McGinnis – electric guitar
John Crowder – bass
Richard Crooks – drums
Kenneth Kosek – fiddle
Jennifer Warnes, Erin Dickins, Chrissy Faith, Ron Getman, Lani Groves, Yvonne Lewis, Merle Miller, Anjani Thomas - backing vocals
David Campbell – string arrangement on "Dance Me to the End of Love"
Flac Size: 197 MB
08. LEONARD COHEN - I'M YOUR MAN 1988
I'm Your Man is the eighth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on
February 2, 1988, by Columbia Records. The album marked Cohen's further move to a more modern sound, with many songs having a synthesizer-oriented production. It soon became the most successful studio album which Cohen had released in the US, and it reached number one in several European countries, transforming Cohen into a best-selling artist.
Leonard Cohen – I'm Your Man
Label: CBS – 460642 2
Format: CD, Album
Country: Europe
Released: 1988
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Folk Rock, Ballad
TRACKS
01. First We Take Manhattan 5:59
02. Ain't No Cure For Love 4:49
03. Everybody Knows 5:33
Written-By – Sharon Robinson
04. I'm Your Man 4:25
05. Take This Waltz 5:57
06. Jazz Police 3:51
Written-By – Jeff Fisher
07. I Can't Forget 4:29
08. Tower Of Song 5:37
LINE - UP
Leonard Cohen – keyboards, vocals
Jude Johnstone, Anjani Thomas, Jennifer Warnes - vocals
Mayel Assouly, Evelyine Hebey, Elisabeth Valletti - backing vocals
Jeff Fisher – arrangements/all music on tracks 1, 6 (with additional drums from Vinnie Colaiuta), and arrangements/keyboards on track 2
Jean-Philippe Rykiel – arrangements and keyboards on track 5
Bob Stanley – guitar
Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar
Peter Kisilenko – bass
Tom Brechtlein – drums
Vinnie Colaiuta – drums
Lenny Castro – percussion
Michel Robidoux – drums, keyboards
John Bilezikjian – oud
Richard Beaudet – saxophone
Raffi Hakopian – violin
Flac Size: 250 MB
09. LEONARD COHEN - THE FUTURE 1992
The Future is the ninth studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released in 1992.
Almost an hour in length, it was Cohen's longest album up to that date. Both the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 1992 Los Angeles riots took place while Cohen was writing and recording the album, which expressed his sense of the world's turbulence. The album was recorded with a large cast of musicians and engineers in several different studios; the credits list almost 30 female singers.
Leonard Cohen – The Future
Label: Columbia – CCK 53226, Columbia – CK 53226
Format: CD, Album, Club Edition
Country: Canada
Released: 1992
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Soft Rock
TRACKS
01. The Future 6:43
02. Waiting For The Miracle 7:42
03. Be For Real 4:32
04. Closing Time 6:00
05. Anthem 6:09
06. Democracy 7:14
07. Light As The Breeze 7:16
08. Always 8:04
09. Tacoma Trailer 5:57
LINE - UP
Leonard Cohen – vocals, programming
Bob Metzger, Paul Jackson Jr., Dean Parks, Dennis Herring – guitar
Freddie Washington, Bob Glaub, Lee Sklar – bass
Steve Lindsey, Greg Phillinganes, Jeff Fisher, Randy Kerber, John Barnes, Jim Cox, Mike Finnigan, Stephen Croes – keyboards
Steve Meador, James Gadson, Vinnie Colaiuta, Ed Greene – drums
Lenny Castro – percussion
David Campbell – orchestra arrangements, conductor
Brandon Fields, Lon Price – tenor saxophone
Greg Smith – baritone saxophone
Lee Thornburg – trumpet, trombone
Bob Furgo – violin
Anjani Thomas, Jacquelyn Gouche-Farris, Tony Warren, Valerie Pinkston-Mayo, Julie Christensen, Perla Batalla, David Morgan, Jennifer Warnes, Edna Wright, Jean Johnson, Peggi Blu – backing vocals
The L.A. Mass Choir – choir; directed by Donald Taylor
Jennifer Warnes – vocals
