I saw this on the BBC

Canadian singer Leonard Cohen dies aged 82 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37946654

2016 strikes again.

RIP Leonard
One of the finest songwriters to have ever put pen to paper

So Long Leonard

sad...

but i never got him...

he has been the soundtrack to so much of my life, There was always a song to fit my mood , His latest Album is fabulous and I feel a bit like all the people who lost David Bowie did earlier this year.

I have to agree I bought the greatest hits because I absolutely loved Suzanne but the rest was a hard slog, just listened to one of his last songs 'you want it darker' which was bloody good to be honest.

It's like Bob Dylan, love the hits but soon found myself struggling, just like Pink Floyd I think I will eventually appreciate them, some artists require some patience to appreciate.

RIP mate.

So true, a poet for a generation. Dance Me to the End of Love is one of my favourites.

When starting out on Listening to Leonard, I'd avoid Greatest Hits
Start at Various Positions and work forward, then go back to the earlier works
When I mentioned his Death at work this morning, all I got want 'doom,gloom, slash your wrists' comments!
They only know the old acoustic songs that can be hard work
They've never heard his uplifting later works

I know he went along with it but all this doom and gloom has always been overplayed. He was one of the most beautiful and melodic songwriters, right up there with the very best. It is really quite sad that he was only discovered by many via the X-Factor cover. His music couldn't be further removed from glorified karaoke.

The fact that he didn't have a great voice didn't matter. He surrounded himself with great musicians and some exceptional backing singers. I only saw him live fairly recently and would have loved to have seen him in the Christensen/Batalla days.

So many great songs but if forced to pick a favourite it would be 'If It Be Your Will'.

Hopefully, someone will produce a fitting tribute.

I said to Hank Williams how lonely does it get?
Hank Williams hasn't answered yet
But I hear him coughing all night long.

- Tower of Song

Farewell, Leonard.

Yes, I agree.

RIP Leonard.

Totally agree, a true genius.

R.I.P

R.I.P.

Incredible songwriter (like Dylan), terrible singer (like Dylan). Put one of his creations into the lungs of a truly gifted singer/'emoter' and the results could be spectacular (K D Lang's live version of Hallelujah at the Juno Awards springs to mind here).

Canada's finest.

RIP.

Sorry to hear he's gone. Strange to think that he was 33 when he released his first studio album.

I bought his 1967 debut The Songs of Leonard Cohen (favourite track was Suzanne) and we played it endlessly at parties during the late hours, once the mood had softened. I have lovely memories of those times.

I went on to buy his next two albums, Songs from a Room (1969) and Songs of Love and Hate (1971), but I stopped then as I didn't want him to change, the moment was perfect right there.

His most covered song, Hallelujah, is my least favourite of all (I'm an atheist, so all that religious stuff left me cold) but I know a lot of people think of that track first when they hear his name.

RIP Leonard, you've left us with some beautiful material to revisit time and again.

Some might say that's Joni Mitchell.

Anyway it is sad news. He was a bit too melancholy for many, some even said suicidal. I also have fond memories of his first album 'Songs of Leonard Cohen' from the tail end of parties all those years when it had a sort of cult status.

Then this is probably the wrong thread for you. Bye Bye.

Yes...not my cup of tea....but, my wife loves him

Totally agree with this. I'll miss his presence in the world, but his beautiful soul will live on forever in his words.

The photographic archive www.vintag.es has published two photosets today showing him as a child and as a younger man - hopefully these will be of interest to yourselves :

http://www.vintag.es/2016/11/a-very-...is-sister.html

http://www.vintag.es/2016/11/goodbye...re-are-20.html


Incidentally, this website www.vintag.es does contain many photosets of musicians, singers, and performers, so may be worth you looking for your favourites by using the search facility "search this blog" at the top left.

Regards

'The future' is one of my favourite songs.

Ah, Christensen/Batalla, what amazing harmonising with him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz1-mTcm3hY

4:04 onwards, just perfection

I loved his work with Sharon Robinson too. The Webb sisters just never had enough 'je ne sais quoi' for the gravitas of his lyrics

Sad to hear the death of Leonard Cohen. Loved many of his songs, but not so much Hallelujah. I don't know why that one was so successful as he wrote a lot of better ones than that.

RIP Leonard Cohen

Devastted by this news.,

May he rest in peace. I saw him on stage back in the late 1980s, in San Francisco, it was a fantastic time.