Songs of Love and Hate is one of Leonard Cohen's most emotionally intense albums -- which, given the nature of Cohen's body of work, is no small statement. While the title Songs of Love and Hate sums up the album's themes accurately enough, it's hardly as simple as that description might lead you to expect -- in these eight songs, "love" encompasses the physical ("Last Year's Man"), the emotional ("Famous Blue Raincoat"), and the spiritual ("Joan of Arc"), and the contempt in songs like "Dress Rehearsal Rag" and "Avalanche" is the sort of venom that can only come from someone who once cared very deeply. The sound of the album is clean and uncluttered, and for the most part the music stays out of the way of the lyrics, which dominate the songs. Thankfully, Cohen had grown noticeably as a singer since his first two albums, and if he hardly boasts a range to rival Roy Orbison here, he is able to bring out the subtleties of "Joan of Arc" and "Famous Blue Raincoat" in a way his previous work would not have led you to expect. And while Bob Johnston's production is spare, it's spare with a purpose, letting Cohen's voice and guitar tell their stories and using other musicians for intelligent, emotionally resonant punctuation (Paul Buckmaster's unobtrusive string arrangements and the use of a children's chorus are especially inspired). And Songs of Love and Hate captured Cohen in one of his finest hours as a songwriter, and the best selections (especially "Famous Blue Raincoat," "Joan of Arc," and "Love Calls You by Your Name") rank with the most satisfying work of his career. If Songs of Love and Hate isn't Cohen's best album, it comes close enough to be essential to anyone interested in his work. AMG.
listen here
Monday, December 26, 2011
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate 1971 - (Isle of Wight 1970)
Popular Posts
-
Types Of Neckwear: Neckties, Ascots, Bolo Ties And More Although the traditional necktie is the preferred neck wear for most men , it is...
-
WUN has been known as one of the most significant acid folk albums of the 70s. Although his continuous effort during his entire career throu...
-
There's not a youth today that hasn't best for you to read kate moss picture , and if there is one such person, the Fashion of Kate ...
-
Watt had many of the same ingredients as its predecessor, Cricklewood Green , but wasn't nearly as well thought out. The band had obvi...
-
From Home to Home is quite similar to the albums this group had put out in the late '60s as the Kaleidoscope (the British Kaleidoscope...
-
The debut album from the Atlanta-based funk aggregate spawned three singles and a host of soul numbers. The first single from the album was...
-
Back in 1966 when Eric Clapton delivered his heavily overdriven wailing blues licks on the “Beano” album with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, t...
-
Hard/Blues Rock band formed in Memphis in 1968 by Baker, who'd fronted local faves The Blazers, the initial line-up evolved to include d...
-
Current info about twitter Ashley Tisdale and Sarah Hyland party beach is not always the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report ...
-
J.J. Cale 's guitar work manages to be both understated and intense here. The same is true of his seemingly offhand singing, which fin...
0 comments:
Post a Comment