leonard cohens 1970 album SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE discussion and poll

the deranged growl he manages on diamonds in the mine particularly leading into "eating up a lady" is a partic highlight but every song on this just str8 kills me

Avalanche is my current go-to song on here because it is the most doom laden, but really they are all great.

I agree that the unhinged singing on Diamonds in the Mine are pretty classic.

As is my grasp of grammar...

I'm a big fan of "last year's man"

pretty brutal record, right? little bit hard to listen to, though obviously brilliant. Dunno what I'd pick here, it all flows together so well.

This makes sense as an all-timer. It might be my second favorite Cohen behind New Skin.

"Avalanche" is def one of his best songs. My favorite part part is during the fourth verse, on the line, "Your pain is no credential here, it's just the shadow, shadow of my wound," and on 'wound' a really low bass note is bowed. When I first noticed it, it made me shiver, and still does.

I also really like that on this album he is beginning to embrace his baritone range, but doesn't use it exclusively like he does on his later albums. Used sparingly it gives special significance to those really low notes he hits.

last year's man vs. famous blue raincoat, but as all above have noted: this record is devastating.

this is a common thing w/ cohen but there are at least two cover versions of famous blue raincoat that i like more than the one on here. its a dope song tho.

as despairing and hopeless as so much of the record i really love who it will bottom out into these really tuneful & almost soothing moments. like the "its almost a long way down" part of dress rehearsal rag the guitar strums stop sounding like stab wounds & its just kinda bemused & resigned...

You can still find a job,
go out and talk to a friend.
On the back of every magazine
there are those coupons you can send.

^^^ otoh everything from here on out is just unrelentingly bleak and terrible

which Blue Raincoat covers do you like better than the original?

marissa nadlers is good & jennifer warnes is (imo) the best possible version. i like that she changes it too give it a little more clarity & force

one time i wrote a fantasy story based on avalanche about a wounded elder god & a world that didnt know how much it still needed him. the whole song has a p amazing sinister, otherwordly quality too it imo

joan of arc.

nick cave's cover of "avalanche" is good in how he amps up the guignol, sounds like he's spitting thru broken teeth

wouldn't call it better than the orig tho

Joan of Arc for the creepy spoken vocal

Perfect album, tho

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Voted "When I Need You".

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

i like that every track got at least one vote!

side A of this record is just so intense and physical. goddam

the winding precipitous staircase that climbs up a cliffside to my girlfriend's neighborhood has this indecipherable, like, arcane glyph graffitied on it, along with big creepy letters saying THERE ARE NO DIAMONDS IN THE MINE. made me love the song even more.

diamonds in the mine is the funniest song
the contrast between his crazed vocal and the straight backing singers gets me every time