Songs of Love and Hate

Ugh

His voice is bad. This is my 2nd album of his and I'm shocked that he made this list not once - but twice at least

The smokers cough type of screaming on "Diamonds in the mine" was enough to drive anyone to insanity

This album really should be a 1 but some of the songs could have been really nice if sung by literally anyone else. The backing vocals also helped bump the rating up a tiny bit

2 ⭐️

Mindless wallpaper drivel. Other than some nice guitar, this seriously lacks substance. 2/5.

When I first heard Cohen's music, I thought it was great, but for some reason I've never really felt the need to re-listen to the albums I have in my library.

This album has some great moments for sure, but there is also some stuff that is like, what? Why?

Also, I'm here for the music and don't particularly care about the "poetry."

Well, it's better than the last Cohen album I listened to... but not by a hell of a lot. This feels like outsider art, in all the wrong ways. Songs are drawn out MUCH longer than they should be, and it's tough to tolerate. HIs voice is terrible and he prefers to talk sing, which sucks. Music is so... "skim-milk", for lack of a better analogy. After a single song, it all seems to simply drone on endlessly. Similar tempos, similar keys, similar vocal style; the repetitious feeling is like I'm going crazy. I can barely tell where one song ends and the next begins. Is that his point?

Lyrical poetry about love and hate... and not a harmonica in sight!

Contrary to its name, Songs Of Love And Hate is an album i neither love nor hate. It is an okay album that does what it sets out to do well enough. The long length of the songs does get a bit tiring but overall i don't think it hurts the album too much. Also, Diamonds In the Mine was a bit off-putting at first but i began to appreciate it as it went on. The album is fine and was a rather harmless listen for me.
Best Song: Avalanche
Worst Song: Love Calls You By Your Name

He's kindda sad, right?

Great lyrics, great melodies, back when Cohen could actually sing. The album with Avalanche, Last year's man, Diamonds in the mine & Sing another song boys. This was always going to be an easy 5/5

I can certainly feel the hate on Diamonds in the Mine. I liked this a little less than his self-titled. Favorites were Sing Another Song Boys and Last Years Man

WTF is going on with "Diamonds in the Mine"? Avalanche is the best song on here, but maybe that's because I'm familiar with Aimee Mann's version (which I prefer). Still prefer his later stuff. Low 3.

Music to listen to while curled up in the fetal position in that closet under the stairs, rocking back and forth...

Someone gave the guy mumbling at the back of the bus a classical guitar. Turns out he can play a bit and has a lot to say. It's bitter, glum and acrimonious in an undirected kind of way - lot's of ambiguous 'yous' have wronged him. The country-rock adjacent Diamonds in the Mine is a bit of surprise but works really well - soaring lap steel sounds against the dark brooding strum.

As simple and intricate and delicate and lovely as a spider's web. A bit terse and rough at points as well, but overall enchanting. Definitely much more accessible than most of Cohen's albums.

Eh, I found this album pretty boring. The lyrics sounded like someone trying really hard to be deep (with a couple of songs that too clearly invoke slitting wrists - man, don't listen to this album if you're depressed). His voice is monotonous and the songs drag out without a lot of change. At least most of the songs are based on a nice riff, especially Avalanche, Love Calls You By Your Name, Joan of Arc, and Famous Blue Raincoat (which had the nicest vocal tune - less monotonous). Not terrible as background sound, I suppose, so I'll go with a 2.

Just can't do Leonard Cohen. 1.5/5

Moody AF.

This one didn’t do anything for me. Can see why it’s on the list. But it was very dull.

I was about to write a similar blurb I've done with the other Leonard Cohen albums I've heard on this list. That, even though I appreciate his earlier 60's and 70's work, I'm personally a bigger fan of his later work, from the 80's onwards, and that I find 2010's songs like "You Want It Darker" and "Almost Like The Blues" the best he's made. Where it all lyrically became a bit darker and his voice got that low timbre.

But then I listened to this album a few times over. The first set of songs (Avalanche, Last Year's Man & Dress Rehearsel Rag) are the musical equivalent of pure beauty in a successful white / black photo. And where in previous two albums I found the added choirs and female vocals taking away from the beauty, on songs like Last Year's Man they add to the atmosphere.

Not all songs are as good as the rest. Diamonds in the Mine feels like a angry country song that with a burst of cynicism feels out of place.
Love calls you by your name is a lesser rendition of what was already established on Avalanche.

But then we get Famous Blue Raincoat, which is absolute beautiful. It just pours emotion without getting tacky.

After that, the album doesn't get to these heights anymore. But for his early period, this is his best

The lyrics are pure poetry. The voice takes a bit to get used to. It's striped down production. I thinik the second half is stronger than the first, which is strange. I like this album, but it's not something I want to listent o all the time.

I like this, it's a really good moody mix. I guess it's just as well it's not too long, because it is a bit hard-going in one sitting, especially the bits where he's singing with a kind of mania. I love the first track in particular. What a voice.

I think I really like how distinctive Cohen’s voice is, but that alone didn’t really sell me on this. Honestly has me reconsidering the reasons I like Tom Waits so much, like it’s clearly not just about being won over by interesting vocals. The music backing Cohen’s voice was just kind of boring to me