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:: Track list & details
Forty years ago, critics were trying to make a case for rock lyrics as poetry, hailing the work of Dylan, Paul Simon and Jim Morrison, to name three, to make their point. While those artists were undoubtedly breaking new lyrical ground, few of their songs could stand as their own as poems. With a snappy melody and a driving rhythm to support them, even the lamest lyric can pass muster; "Leopard-skin Pill-box Hat," "A Simple Desultory Philippic" or "Love Me Two Times"for example, wouldn't make it at even the saddest poetry reading. Then came Leonard Cohen.
Cohen was already a published poet and novelist when he started writing songs—inspired by the work of Dylan, many say. He was also Canadian, and perhaps slightly removed from the American pop music mainstream, and 33 years old, a bit long in the tooth for a new recording artist. But several of his songs including "Priests," "Sisters of Mercy," "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" and "Suzanne" (one of his greatest hits), had already been recorded by Judy Collins, so he was a known entity when Columbia released Songs of Leonard Cohen in 1967.
Finally, there was a songwriter whose lyrics could pass muster as poetry. Cohen's images were intricate, multi-layered and nuanced, so rich they could actually be recited as poems without loosing any of their power. Coupled with his rolling, linear melodies and graced by his gift for crafting pop hooks, the songs exploded (albeit quietly) off of the record, and resonated profoundly in the psyche. Cohen's themes—love, loss, sex, religion and the impossibility of ever knowing anything in this life for certain—were deeper than the usual pop fare, tightly constructed marvels of words and melody that sound as timely and timeless today as they did when they were first unleashed.
Songs of Leonard Cohen could be a Greatest Hits compilation. "Sisters of Mercy," "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" and "Suzanne" were complimented by "The Stranger Song" and "Master Song" two of the darkest, most mysterious love songs ever penned... "So Long, Marianne" a song of jealousy and loss that's still painful to listen to, despite its jaunty melody... and "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong," full of the understated wit that Cohen does so well (a humor that's often overlooked when listeners discuss his work).
At the time, critics praised the songwriter, even as they dismissed the singer's allegedly monotonous delivery. In retrospect, Cohen's voice hadn't yet reached the gravelly depths that still make his singing so compelling. He sounds strong, youthful and tuneful, with a hint of sadness and desperation in his tone that makes every song sound like a note from the edge of the abyss.
Cohen isn't particularly prolific, so the two bonus tracks here, cut at the same sessions, offer a bit of insight into his creative process. "Store Room" is driven by the sound of a Hammond B3 and a jittery percussion track, a bit more folk rock than you'd expect, with a slight R&B feel. Cohen sounds like he's stretching on his vocals and the lyric isn't particularly memorable. "Blessed Is the Memory" is stronger, another tune with a hint of R&B in the arrangement. It could be an anti-war song, a regretful meditation on lost love, or a prayer for the dead, with beautiful lyrics and a vocal full of longing and remorse.
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