I’ve loved Leonard Cohen’s work for about 20 years now. His poetry, books, and music.
However:
is spot on.
Just…gawd!
I’ll grant you that it was unpredictable 
I’ve heard her version of Bird on a Wire, and while most of her covers aren’t nearly as good as the original this one was pretty good, I might check that out, thanks!
Though I still think “The Partisan” deserved a higher placement, the old SDMB 6@6 poll results are a fairly decent indicator of his essentials…[ol][li]Suzanne[/li][li]Bird On a Wire[/li][li]Hallelujah[/li][li]Everybody Knows[/li][li]First We Take Manhattan[/li][li]Famous Blue Raincoat[/li][li]Who By Fire[/li][li]The Partisan[/li][li]I’m Your Man[/li][li]Sister Of Mercy[/li][li]Closing Time[/li][li]Avalanche[/li][*]Joan of Arc[/ol]
The gravelly and growly comments make me wonder if some people might be judging Cohen’s voice based on his more recent recordings. Some of his earlier songs sound like a completely different person (still no Caruso, just different).
His delivery on Famous Blue Raincoat is simple and straightforward - no fancy American Idol vocalese - but I find it incredibly effective, whereas Tori Amos’ cover version sounds affected, even though she has a “better” voice. Somehow I feel like he’s singing about my life, until the song ends and I realize that my life is nothing like that.
ETA: I’m sorry, any poll that doesn’t put “Famous Blue Raincoat” at the top is automatically null and void. (I know, it’s not even one of L. Cohen’s favorite Cohen songs, but what does he know?)
“Leonard Cohen can’t sing.” How many times have I heard that? If you listen to him from about 1970, I’d agree – but try him in the '90s, four hundred thousand cigarettes later, and his voice has aged to match the lyrics. He sounds like a man who’s been through it all.
The only thing worthwhile about sitting through Natural Born Killers was being introduced to Leonard Cohen via the song at the end (“The Future”; I’ve seen the future, Brother: it is murder.)
My favorite Cohen album is Leonard Cohen Live; second favorite is The Future.
That’s an awesome thread. I guess they stopped right before I joined …? I’m doing a search to see what other artists are covered. Thanks.
thwartme
Y’know, Leonard Cohen can’t sing the same way Bob Dylan and Tom Waits can’t sing. Sure wish I couldn’t sing like that!
Sorry to open up that can of worms! Never having heard Tom Waits, I’d have to say that Bob Dylan has a voice that suits many of his songs, (such as Like a Rolling Stone,) but is inappropriate for most of his others. Cohen, while his voice does suit his songs, it’s so bad in my particular opinion that it cannot possibly redeem itself (and that’s from listening to excerpts from his greatest hits compilation.)
One year, Leonard Cohen won a best male vocalist Juno (like a Canadian version of the Grammies) award. During his acceptance speech, he observed, “only in Canada could somebody with a voice like mine win Vocalist of the Year.”
duplicate.
The most painfully beautiful video ever made.
Jeff Buckley’s Grace, while a wonderful CD in it’s own right, is worth having for his cover of Hallelujah. It is truly a beautiful piece of music.
I came to be aware of him via The Pogues Thousands are Sailing:
“Tipped our hats to Mister Cohen
Dear old Times Square’s favorite bard”
But then I learned that the person referred to in the song may not be Leonard Cohen, but George Cohan. shrug No matter, I like Leonard’s stuff far better.
I was going to point out that “Cohan” and “Cohen” are not pronounced the same, but then I remembered you’re talking about the Pogues, so I’ll just point out that Leonard Cohen is not Irish.
I agree with this comment. The roughness his voice has picked up over the years transforms him into a singer, to me.
Other faves, not yet listed
-Everybody Knows (immortalized to a certain generation in “Pump Up the Volume”)
-Take This Waltz
-Alexandra Leaving
-Who By Fire
I also wanted to second the recommendation for the “The Essential Leonard Cohen.” LC picked the songs himself, and he is the rare artist who knows his best work. There are literally no duds in the collection, and no major omissions.
As a longtime Leonard Cohen fan, I was really disappointed in almost all of these covers. I thought I’m Your Man was going to be more of a documentary about LC, not crappy musicians doing bad covers of his work. It would have been far better if they had just filmed him doing his own songs.
I just discovered him a bit ago-- love it. Obvious favorites, plus guilty pleasures like “So Long Marianne” which I love.
I also recall the (recent) first time I hear The Partisan and thought “OMG, it’s the basis of Eliott Smith’s whole career!” (I mean that in a nice, loving way)
Oh, and Who By Fire, which I knew, strangely, very well via COIL’s Horserotorvator.