Leonard Cohen - I’m Your Man
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On this episode, we discuss the 1988 LP by Leonard Cohen, I’m Your Man. Cohen gained fame as a writer of poetry and novels before he gained fame as a musician. He writes some of the most compelling (and often covered) songs in popular music (including the ubiquitous “Hallelujah”). His early albums fit more into the folk idiom, but on later albums, he began to experimenting with synthesizers and incorporating them into the mix culminating with this album.
I'm Your Man is an album filled with technology that may sound straight out of the 80s, but it also contains with lyrics that touch on timeless themes such as age (Cohen was in his 50s when this album was released), love, and religion. This critically acclaimed LP is an unusual mix of techno-soundscapes and thought provoking lyrics stands out in Cohen’s long and storied career.
THINGS WE DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Leonard Cohen made his mark initially as a poet. Let Us Compare Mythologies is his first book of poems. Published in 1956, and consisting largely of poems Cohen wrote as a student at McGill University, it was the inaugural volume of the McGill Poetry Series.
A year or two after entering McGill University, Cohen formed a country band called the Buckskin Boys, named for the fact that the members of said band all owne buckskin jackets.
(Pictured Bottom to Top) Leonard Cohen (vocals, lead guitar), Mike Doddman (rhythm guitar harmonica), and Terry Davis (bucket bass).
While Cohen’s song “Suzanne” was brought to the public’s attention by Judy Collins, the first band to record the song was the Canadian Band the Stormy Clovers. Listen to their version below.
Here is Cohen's first TV appearance as a musician from a 1966 performance on the Canadian Broadcast Company. He performs “the Stranger Song.”
Roy Buchanan, and American blues guitarist went into the studio to record his debut The Prophet, however, the LP was never officially released. The album included a version of Cohen’s “the Story of Isaac.” Charlie Daniels sings the lead vocals. You can listen to the song below.
Because Cohen was having trouble gaining success in the US, Columbia Records teamed him up with famed (and infamous) producer, Phil Specter. The result was the album Death of a Ladies' Man. It was released to universal confusion and largely bad reviews, leaving many die-hard Cohen fans stunned.
Leonard Cohen appeared on Austin City Limits for the first time in1989. He opened his performance with "First We Take Manhattan."
