Top Tens: Leonard Cohen Albums

So I haven’t done a post for three days now but it’s the first of Oct. today and I might say I’m going to post at least one blog post everyday or at least every couple of days from now on, OK? I’ve been on this WordPress thingy for one year now this month so I’ll see if I can be a bit regular and do something each couple of days or should I even say every day maybe is that just going too far but we will see I guess? There’s so much more music I love which I haven’t written about so I’m going to write a bit more and about everything, OK?

Well, that’s the new Cohen track above and at almost the start this post if you haven’t heard it yet and his new album is out on the 21st of this month which I haven’t pre-ordered it yet but I will most likely get it straight away. You Want It Darker is the title and opening track does sound pretty cool, looks to continue his latest run of really good albums. I’m really did enjoyed the last two studio album, Popular Problems was a bit better than Old Ideas so hopeful this next one will be just as good as those or maybe better again. Anyway I’m going another one of my Top Tens to start this month now, rating all my fave Cohen albums in order of my preferences.

1. The Future (1992) is my all-time fave Cohen album with no questions marks asked at all? Oh I can’t tell you how much I love this album. Is it the 90’s thing again? Maybe or maybe not? I think I need to write about this album so much more, I’m biting my tongue right now so I don’t get carried away about it here. I do promise a future post about The Future album, OK? I would have to write out all the track listing because I can’t possible pick my fave tracks or highlights for it so stay turned for a Classic Album post about it real soon, fingers-crossed!

2. Songs Of Love And Hate (1971) comes in second place for me and is awarded silver medal today by me. It’s his third album overall and once would be very hard for me to pick out any songs maybe yet another Classic Albums post need to be written about it too, L C can have two albums in that list. Only eight tracks anyway and all so masterclass in songwriting too, he’s just one of the greatest songwriters of all-time I would rated his above any and all of those other 60’s/70’s bands/singers/artists/songwriters. So yes I most definitely need to write more about it and him here!

3. I’m Your Man (1988) is third place for me. It’s the one with Leo eating a banana on the cover, should be more album covers with songwriters and/or singers eating bananas, hey? Some fans of his hate these or his 80’s albums because of the music because it’s so dated but I totally love the music and wish he did more synth music albums. His lyrics are just so great he could sing with any style of music backing him and I would still listen to it.This is the one with the video/single First We Take Manhattan plus fan faves Tower Of Song and title track but my highlights are Jazz Police, I Can’t Forget, Ain’t No Cure For Love and Everybody Knows.

4. Songs Of Leonard Cohen (1967) is in fourth place for me, this is the album everyone talks about as his greatest album but it come after these other three above. Not saying it’s not a great album, it is a great album but I enjoy those three much more OK? It’s his debut album and is most definitely a classic too. Suzanne, Sisters Of Mercy, So Long Marianne and Hey That’s No Way To Say are the tracks everyone rave about but please do check out One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong, Teachers, Stories Of The Street and The Stranger Song which my personal faves for it.

5. Death Of A Ladies’ Man (1977) is ten years after his debut and his fifth overall and fifth in my ratings too. The album some people/fans love to hate it because of Phil Spector terrible producing it but once again I enjoy maybe a little more because of it, it’s so very late 70’s sound. It’s most famous for just having Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg singing backing vocals on Don’t Go Home With Your Hard-On but it’s better than that, you know? My picks are Memories, Paper-Thin Hotel, True Love Leaves No Traces and I Left A Woman Waiting.

6. Recent Songs (1979) is an album with none of his really big songs so people miss it out but it really is a great one, all the track are just amazing. It stands up against all his other album and any other singer-songwriter it would be the greatest album but here’s it’s number seven on my list. The opening track The Guests is one of my fave all-time tracks of his, then after that the highlights for me are The Traitor, Came So Far For Beauty, Our Lady Of Solitude and Humbled In Love

7. Ten New Songs (2001) came almost ten years after The Future album and was very different album to that one. Sharon Robinson who’s on the album cover with Lenny, co-wrote all song, co-sung the whole album with him too and also produced, arranged and performed all the tracks. You could call it her album really with him just appearing on it with Robinson. My faves are Boogie Street, Alexandra Leaving, That Don’t Make It Junk, the singles In My Secret Life and A Thousand Kisses Deep

8. New Skin For The Old Ceremony (1974) was his fourth album and is the last of his acoustic guitar music albums or folkie styled early ones after this comes that Phil Spector produced album from above and he never really goes back to that sound. It’s one with Chelsea Hotel #2 and Lover Lover Lover but I recommend to check out There Is A War, A Singer Must Die, Is This What You Wanted and Field Commander Cohen.

9. Various Positions (1984) is the album with Hallelujah on it, most likely his most well known song of all-time. This is the first one he starts to use synths in his music and some dislike the sound on this and next two or three albums but they’re some of my faves but this is the lower rated album from those ones but still great. It opens with Dance Me To The End Of Love then closest with If It Be Your Way plus you got to listen to Night Comes On and Coming Back To You.

10. Popular Problems (2014) is his very last album from only a couple of years ago but it’s surprising it’s only number ten because I really loved this and still do. Maybe it just shows how strong his back catalog is but some fans don’t seem to like his new albums. It was released just after I seen him live on his every last tour which was Australia, he hasn’t tour since then. Nevermind was used in the opening credits for the second season of True Detective and highlights are A Street, Almost Like The Blues, Slow and My Oh My.

BTW some of the dates on his website are wrong, you know?

Image is Leonard Cohen in 1992, photo by Paul Harris.