The Essential Leonard Cohen

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.

I loved Leonard Cohen's first album but lost touch with most of his middle-to-later work. Then a friend gave me a copy of this CD and I was blown away. The copy had a few glitches so I had to have the original and bought it. This double CD contains all the essential tracks (Suzanne, Bird On The Wire, Hallelujah of course) and showcases the entire career of this brilliant songwriter and performer. This CD inspired me to go out of town to see him live on his 2008-10 tour. The 11-piece band is superb. Excellent musicianship. Every song they performed sounded like the record, and of course the Webb sisters (plus 1) backing vocals are otherworldly. Leonard was warm and loving and appreciative of the audience, and we responded in kind. He's in his 70s but he pranced around the stage like a teenager. See him live if you can, and buy his records - but if you only buy one, this is the one to buy.

About the Company: Great service! The product was delivered on time and in perfect condition. Additionally, I had the luxury of the Amazon cloud player, so that I could listen to most of the tracks in mp3 format while waiting for my purchase to arrive. The CD quality is better than the mp3's (due to audio compression and data loss in mp3 format), and there are two additional tracks on the CDs, which did not appear in the cloud player, which is fair. I am very satisfied with the accuracy and professional service that I received from Amazon. About the Product: Wonderful and haunting production! A very impressive collection. This production of Leonard Cohen's music, which spans over three decades, is mixed beautifully for a consistent sound overall. The songs are infused with a myriad of very creative vocal and string arrangements, and the mix-down is crystal clear with a very pleasing effect. I have listened to this entire album dozens of times, already, and have not grown the least bit weary of it. There is simply something new, which greets the ears each time it is played. I highly recommend this collection for those who are Leonard Cohen curious, because it is such a quality representation of his work, For those who are already fans, I strongly suggest that this should be part of your collection for the sake of the remixed tracks. I am very satisfied with this and am purchasing another copy as a gift for a friend.

The prose, the lyrics, the poetry! Incredible. I never bothered to listen to any of his pieces, other than Hallelujah (played and overplayed by practically everyone) because his infamous reputation as a depressing rambler preceded him. I, for one, saw no reason to pursue a depressing and anxiety-inducing medium; I have quite enough of that in the daily news, thank you very much. But good fortune (ok, nudging from a fan) got me to listen to a track on a night where I was in the right frame of mind (focused, relaxed, and ready for immersion). Phenomenal stuff. I can’t quite provide an academic description, I’m not a scholar of any sort (fellow plebeians: This here is a review for you), but the intricate layers of metaphors, parallels, allusions and symbols all intertwining to form this disorganized but poetic and somehow comprehensible theme, all set to appropriate (and generally haunting) music... Aaah. What a trip. Go for it!

The CD is terrific. Unfortunately, it was shipped in a lightweight plastic envelope lined with bubble wrap via USPS and one of the hinged corners of the jewel case was broken off. Had a spare single case and will manage, but it would not be a bad thing to ship a CD in a more protective package... like an actual box.

Can't go wrong with good ol' Leonard!

Like his music.

Just discovered Leonard Cohen recently even though I had heard Hallelujah many times. BUT, along came Dance Me to the End of Love, So long, Marianne, Suzanne, and more. The addiction has begun! The guy is a poet! His orchestration is wonderful but the lyrics capture the listener. Gorgeous to behold! Many on this first CD of mine are new to me but Cohen’s delivery is clear and delightful. Love it! Will enjoy it-and you will, too. Guarantee! Dance on . . . with a smile!

Sehr gute und preiswerte Zusammenstellung. Lohnt sich absolut.

どの曲も美しく、また、コーエンの声の変遷も楽しめます。 吟遊詩人です。 リリックを少しずつ翻訳しながら、コーエン独特の言霊に感応しています。

Buen disco . Cuando más lo escucho me gusta más. Tiene dos cds que por el precio que vale no esta mal. He visto un pack de música de él a muy buen precio que no he dudado a comprar y que estoy esperando que venga con muchas ganas de disfrutarlo.

This is a great double CD. They both have many of Leonard's standard songs on them, and from different eras of his career. On one CD his older songs and his voice is more of a high bass or baritone. Very nice and youthful sounding. The other CD must have been recorded later, his voice is lower and huskier, more emotional and almost breathless at times. so more of a lower bass. Still very beautiful. The CD include some songs i hadn't heard before so I've been listening a lot. Among my favourites is Anthem - that's the one where he says, "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's where the light gets in." My new mantra for my life.

Una excelente recopilación de temas.