
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
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About this book
An enigma, Leonard Norman Cohen was possibly the most improbable bohemian intellectual singer/songwriter in music history. He was the working-class hero, the people's poet, the suicidal lamenter of doom and a purveyor of popular songs. But the truth is even more complex. Throughout his life, there were juxtapositions of the most unlikely life choices and influences. To have fashioned a mishmash of ideas, styles and influences into a successful, long-lasting musical career is nothing short of amazing.
He blended secular, mystical, sexual and religious themes into ambiguous poetic tapestries and devised an intricate, unique musical style. He possessed a deep baritone voice that, although mesmerising, was sometimes in danger of sounding monotonous. Leonard was able to fuse these elements into a distinctive amalgam that somehow worked on many levels. He did not look the part, play the game or conform to any rules, but Leonard touched hearts and minds all over the world, while writing some remarkable songs, including 'Hallelujah' and 'Suzanne'.
Focusing equally on his popular early albums, the more experimental mid-period and his final, late-career renaissance, this book analyses and interprets every album and every individual song to shed light on the phenomenon of Leonard Cohen.
The Author
Opher Goodwin is the author of many books on rock music and science fiction and taught the first History of Rock Music classes in the UK. He was fortunate to spend the sixties in London, the epicentre for the underground explosion of rock music and culture, where he was able to see everyone from Pink Floyd, Hendrix and Cream to The Doors, Captain Beefheart and Roy Harper. He now lives happily in East Yorkshire, UK.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Contents
- Leonard Cohen on songwriting:
- Introduction
- Full Page Image
- Full Page Image
- 1. Songs Of Leonard Cohen (1967)
- 2. Songs From A Room (1969)
- Full Page Image
- Full Page Image
- 3. Songs Of Love And Hate (1971)
- 4. New Skin For The Old Ceremony (1974)
- Full Page Image
- Full Page Image
- 5. Death Of A Ladies’ Man (1977)
- 6. Recent Songs (1979)
- Full Page Image
- Full Page Image
- 7. Various Positions (1985)
- 8. I’m Your Man (1988)
- Full Page Image
- Full Page Image
- 9. The Future (1992)
- 10. Ten New Songs (2001)
- Full Page Image
- Full Page Image
- 11. Dear Heather (2004)
- 12. Old Ideas (2012)
- Full Page Image
- Full Page Image
- 13. Popular Problems (2014)
- 14. You Want It Darker (2016)
- 15. Thanks For The Dance (2019)
- Full Page Image
- Full Page Image
- 16. The Live Albums
- 17. Compilations
- Bibliography