Leonard Cohen albums poll

I've only heard the first three (all pretty great) and I'm Your Man (never really got into, found the production really off-putting). I'd go with the debut without hesitation.

Not being a Leonard Cohen fan, I really enjoy Death of a Ladies' Man.

has anyone bought that complete studio albums box set that came out last year? not complete anymore, i guess. anyway, was wondering if the remastering on death of a ladies man is any good -- don't think that one's been worked on since the beginning of the CD era.

― tylerw, Thursday, February 2, 2012 2:22 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

probably not. i don't think they are doing new masters for any of these box sets. plus, they are ugly.

actually all the albums in that box are remastered versions

really? remastered beyond the recent masters?

also let's be honest this is fucking beautiful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDemnguRYj4

I mean that the first three albums were reissued w/new remasters and bonus tracks in, what, 2007? those neat little hardback book editions. maybe there was a project to do the same for all the back catalogue but it seems to have stalled. and yes, I believe all of them are remastered (even the recent ones) except for the first three (which are the same as the 2007 remasters, but without the bonus tracks).

all of them in the complete studio albums box, I mean

and to complicate matters still further, there is also a "complete columbia albums" box which includes the live albums as well. these are also remastered.

yeah i guess i've never heard cohen demos either -- just seems like with that record, cohen would've had versions of those songs that he gave to spector and then spector went nutso w/ 'em. Maybe I'm wrong?

― tylerw, Monday, 6 February 2012 15:59 (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

there are a few alt versions on the last set of reissues, of the first few recs - a diff dress rehearsal rag, a song called 'in the store room' which shed a little light. & chelsea hotel #1 on the live in israel bootleg, just after he wrote it w/a bunch of extra verses, is crucial.

I don't know about demos for DOALM but they recorded like twice as many songs so there are a half dozen tracks somewhere maybe hidden in a cave beneath Phil Spector's crazy mansion.

those would be fun to hear. there's probably a good screenplay to be based on those sessions. but considering cohen's opinion of the album and spector's um situation, an expanded version of the album is unlikely. guess some bootlegger needs to go digging in phil's backyard!

DOALM outtakes?!? gimme

huh wikipedia sez: 15 songs were written by the two over a course of three weeks, and Spector described it as "some great fuckin' music". Not everyone agreed with this assessment, preferring Cohen's earlier acoustic folk music to the jazz-, rock- and even funk-influenced arrangements. Among the seven unknown outtakes is probably "Do I Have to Dance All Night"

yes Leonard, you do have to dance all night

some great fuckin' music

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I have a good bunch of his albums and haven't listened to any of them as much as they deserve. But on impulse I'm going with Love and Hate.

loooove VP's album tracks: "Coming Back to You," "The Captain," "The Law."

I'm Your Man gets my vote. That'll always be my favourite.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Results OTM, surprisingly.

no votes for ten new songs?!

i should've voted for recent songs b/c i think that one gets slept on.

death of a ladies' man is kind of the dark horse here -- how did that happen?

Ranked ballots might provide an interesting contrast. eg. I wonder how many would actually rank his 1st two records last among his studio albums pre-1979. (Regardless of most rating at least one other more highly.)

yeah DoaLM above the first two is some challopy shite.

I'd put DoaLM above his second but not his first.

no votes for ten new songs?!
i am sure i voted for it. this poll definitely needs a recount! or was my vote eliminated as i am german?

First we took Alex in Manhattan....

rubbish, i voted for the new one, old ideas...

how did that happen?

it's great and I can't make it through any of his other records

Are all the votes for "Death of a Ladies Man" another example of ILM's contrarianism.

glad geir is here to back up you up anagram

sorry, long day, but it's an amazing rec no challop

well it pains me to say it but I do have to agree with Geir.

btw Geir you need to get over to the Ask Geir thread, there are some outstanding questions there.

i love death of a ladies man, but didn't vote for it. as shakey's vote shows, it's the album for people who aren't big fans of cohen's other work -- either the delicate arrangements of the early stuff or the slimy synth pop of the 80s stuff.

I voted for it. It's my favorite. All his other records, while amazing, make me too sad. That one is sort of sad but in a happy, silly, drunken way.

Perhaps we should be asking why the record with "Jazz Police" got 2nd place!

btw Geir you need to get over to the Ask Geir thread, there are some outstanding questions there.

better yet, go there and stay there.

geir has only made one post in this thread which I happen to agree with, should I get out of here as well then

Recent Songs should've done better and I'm Your Man should be wayyy lower.

the right album won imo

as shakey's vote shows, it's the album for people who aren't big fans of cohen's other work

yeah I am not being a contrarian, it is genuinely the work of his I enjoy the most. I find the baritone+acoustic guitar sparseness and general humorlessness of his early records genuinely irritating in their "I AM SERIOUS ARTISTE" presentation. he has tons of wonderful turns of phrase and some striking melodies but, for example, watching early clips from his career of performing these songs he looks like a really sad statue. totally blank/motionless. I find myself waiting for a pigeon to land on him and poop on his shoulder.

The only post-70s stuff I've heard of his are the original version of "Everybody Knows" (don't care for it) and the cassette that my mom bought of "The Future" which I found unbearable.

In general I think he's a good songwriter who is usually not the best presenter/vehicle for his songs. Spector collab really bears that out imho.

The very end of the title track on DOALM is so great, the way it just gets slower and slower and dreamier, the whole thing just evaporating into a fizzing cosmos.

I can't separate his droll, gravelly timbre from the arrangements, especially in the post-'88 songs. His voice started to SOUND like a cheap $15 Casio synth -- a huge plus.

general humorlessness of his early records

gtfo they're full of jokes they just haven't been telegraphed by the production for you

Steven Wright stole his schtick amirite

general humorlessness of his early records

does not compute

He's definitely funny sometimes, but are they really FULL of jokes?

by songs of love and hate i'd say yes. not so much JOKES but lots of wry humor.

Doesn't this man ever rest? A new round of European tour dates for the autumn announced today.

well he's broke so no