Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love And Hate (1971)

"Songs Of Love And Hate" is Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen's third album. It was mainly recorded in Columbia Studio A in Nashville. "Sing Another Song, Boys" was recorded at the Isle of Wight Festival on August 30, 1970. Further recording took place at Trident Studios in London.

It 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).

Tracklist

01.  Avalanche  - 5:07

02.  Last Year's Man  - 6:02

03.  Dress Rehearsal Rag  - 6:12

04.  Diamonds in the Mine  - 3:52

05.  Love Calls You by Your Name  - 5:44

06.  Famous Blue Raincoat  - 5:15

07.  Sing Another Song, Boys (Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, August 31, 1970)  - 6:17

08.  Joan of Arc  - 6:29

Personnel

Leonard Cohen - acoustic guitar, vocals

Ron Cornelius - acoustic and electric guitars

Charlie Daniels - acoustic guitar, bass guitar, fiddle

Elkin "Bubba" Fowler - acoustic guitar, banjo, bass guitar

Bob Johnston - piano

Corlynn Hanney - vocals

Susan Mussmano - vocals

The Corona Academy, London - children's voices

Michael Sahl - strings on third verse of "Last Year's Man"

Paul Buckmaster - string and horn arrangements, conductor

Notes
Released:  March 1971

Recorded at:  Columbia Studio A, Nashville

Genre:  Folk, Rock

Length:  44:21

Label:  Columbia

Produced:  Bob Johnston

All songs written by:  Leonard Cohen