Songs of Love and Hate

Songs of Love and Hate is a frustrating album. Not in a bad way, far from it actually, but frustrating in its aura.

Every song on this album brings that depressing and stale air with sarcasm and spitefulness in Leonard's voice. It's a wet dream to those who love to walk the dark side of life, with a bottle of Jack underneath the coat, and with a thought about wanting to end it all at each step. Even with that, highly enjoyable to those not eyeing the rope.

Diamonds in the Mine is weirdly good. Its upbeat instrumentation with an angry Cohen sneering around with the female backing vocals, awakens images of a dysfunctional household, a much different portrait than the rest of the album.

I really like Leonard Cohen. This one has an almost melancholic feel to it, like it is the end of an era for him. Really nicely finishes off his original trilogy, even though he continued to make great albums after. Some of his deepest and most emotional pieces on here. Avalanche is one of his most thrilling songs, Famous Blue Raincoat one of his saddest. It's the most tone setting album of his, which is impressive considering the rest of his catalogue. Diamonds in the Mine is a bit of an oddity with it's more upbeat sound and Leonard Cohen belting, but it makes for a funny variety. It's always been an album that has really stuck with me and I just love it.

I hear a lot about what a great songwriter this guy is, and that may be so, but whoever he hires to do vocals fucking SUCKS.

Seriously, this is fucking torturous. There are supposed to be 4 of this guy's albums on the list, and this is my 5th. I have done some really regrettable things in my life, but I don't think any have risen to the level of bad that I should have to listen to 5 Leonard Cohen albums.

If I'm ever captured by the Viet Cong, they can pull out all my fingernails and electrocute my balls and I'll never talk. However, if they just show me they have a Leonard Cohen album and it looks like they have the means to play it, I'll tell them whatever they want. If there is a hell, this album is on a loop there.

But that's maybe enough griping. Let's try some gratitude practice: today, I am grateful for my health, my wonderful wife, my daughter, the growing group of truly good and honorable humans in my life, and that I'll NEVER HAVE TO LISTEN TO ANOTHER LEONARD FUCKING COHEN ALBUM AGAIN AS LONG AS I LIVE

⭐.49

2 This one (of many!) didn't need to be included on the list. Cohen is already well-represented here.

I simply do not understand the love for this. Some fetish for deep voices? Pretentious lyrics? A desire to hear the same style song repeatedly? Is a song deep and meaningful just because the lyrics sound depressing and the voice is basso? Good lord this couldn’t end soon enough.

Not much more to add based on previous review. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

It's ok. I am not a fan of the slower work.

Better than Coldplay

Liked this more than I thought I would, although it is a bit situational. Not the kind of album you'll bring out on a summer's day, maybe more on a wintry night. But old Leonard definitely has a type, and he sticks to it with dedication that must be admired.

Not a fun album by any means, but I enjoy Cohen’s songwriting. Not my favorite album of his but it’s pretty solid.

I hate Leonard Cohen. What's the point of even trying, when you can never achieve something like this?

5 stars for Famous Blue Raincoat. 5 stars for Last Year's Man. 5 stars for Avalanche. The rest is 5-star icing on the cake.

It's songs of Love and Hate, not Songs of Love, Songs of Hate. And its incredible

What an album! This was a much darker and much more interesting listen compared to Songs of Leonard Cohen. There's more grit to it, it doesn’t feel as clean or polished, and it’s all the better for it. Songs of Love and Hate feels so much more alive and Diamonds in the Mine in particular sounds downright deranged.

Also, From Her to Eternity is one of my all time favourite Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds albums, so I've heard their cover of Avalanche countless times, but never sought out the original. I wasn't expecting to hear so many similarities between an iconic Canadian folk musician and an aggressive and noisy post-punk band from Australia, but here we are.

Going to give it a 3. Definitely wasn't in the appropriate listening setting for this album but did find myself listening which is impressive in itself.

Leonard fortsätter vara melankolisk, det gillar jag.

Zo mooi en moody. Geweldige artiest was Cohen.

The 5th and final cohen album I’ve listened to from this list. He’s in that Bob Dylan tier for me, great songwriter with a voice that I have to be in a specific mood for.

Oh the drama! Leonard Cohen was a true Canadian treasure. His songs are simple without a lot of musical complexity, but they hold massive weight, mostly because of his voice and his ability to deliver his words with the perfect power or tenderness that the moment calls for. Truly one of a kind.

Generator random is wild. Three Cohens in ten days. Guess the generator just wanted to get Cohen over with, because this is the last one I needed.

I would be 100% not surprised in the slightest if this album were the defining influence for Nick Cave. This is such a Nick Cave album.

But yeah, easily the best of the Cohen albums on the list. Ping pongs between dark folk cuts like Avalanche and Dress Rehearsal Rag (the best songs on the album) and stuff that's closer to the first two albums (albeit better).

Really great album.

Grimy, like it