"Suzanne takes you down, to her place near the river." Pop goes the cork, as I pull it clumsily out of the bottle with my 'Leaping Frog Corkscrew'. "You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night beside her." Glug, glug, glug, goes the red wine as I pour it out of the bottle and into the tumbler. This is no time for a small wine glass. It's dim in the room, and the only important things right now are Leonard and red wine. "And you know that she's half crazy, but that's why you want to be there." I take my first swig. Damn, it's always at these sorts of times ...  Read the complete review

I grew up with a stereo that seemed to be filled up with Leonard Cohen. I remember my mom doing the dishes in the kitchen, and I remember "Closing time" assisted with the running water from our kitchen tap. But that was many years ago. My mom's taste in music changed, and I put Leonard Cohen behind me. Then, suddenly, in 1998 I opened my ears for him again. As you may have guessed, I am a Leonard Cohen fan. No matter what mood I am in, I can always find a Cohen song to match it. My first Cohen cd was the one that got the prize for being the most depressive cd of the year, and then I totally fell for "I'm your man" and ...  Read the complete review

Leonard Cohen..."Who's he?" some of the younger members reading this may ask. " It's that guy from the 60s and 70s, whose records were always played at the end of a party when the hosts decided it was time for the guests to leave. Nobody could empty a room better than Leonard Cohen." the older members reply with wisdom. And so endeth this opinion for many; but for those who did like Leonard, or who are interested to learn more...read on. Leonard Norman Cohen was born in Montreal, Canada, on the 21st of September 1934. At the age of 17, he formed a Country and Western trio called the Buckskin Boys, but soon realised this was not ...  Read the complete review

Leonard Cohen can't sing, can barely play an instrument and is a very hit an miss artist - BUT when he hits form his music is perfect. He is often described as depressing but that is to miss the words and only hear the noise. His songs are romantic ballads of loves lost and loves past. He also has a sense of humour about himself, summed up in the line "I was born with the gift of a golden voice" from Tower of Song. Cohen is the antidote to sickly sweet love gods such as Barry White with a similar singing style Cohen infuses songs with a warm melancholia which makes one truly feel. I heartily recommend his greatest hits album and if you don't ...  Read the complete review

Bought in HMV for £4.99 a few years back, this is a good collection of melancholy folksy musings by one of the greatest lyricists of the twentieth century and beyond. This collection is a good starting point for those wishing to explore Mr. Cohen's back -catalogue, including the important early works. Beginning with the timeless 'Suzanne', you will be drawn into his brooding and introspective world - a beautiful and haunting a depiction of transient and impermanent love, 'Suzanne' is tangible in it's imagery and nostalgic whims. The man himself... Ever the eccentric, Cohen was encouraged at an early age, by his father, to express himself. By the ...  Read the complete review