Leonard Cohen’s Jukebox: The Songs That Inspired The Man

RELEASE
March 09, 2010
LABEL
United States of Distribution
GENRES
Spoken Word, Spoken Word, Honky Tonk, Acoustic Blues, Beat Poetry

Album Review

Leonard Cohen has mentioned several songs that shaped his particular musical vision in various interviews over the years, and this interesting 25-track set collects a bunch of those together. The result is a fascinating blueprint for Cohen’s creative template, and all of these selections make a kind of sense in that regard. And it’s a varied group, with songs as different as the traditional “Careless Love” (featured here in a version by Josh White), Frankie Laine’s huge-sounding “Jezebel,” Les Paul & Mary Ford’s elegant “Tennessee Waltz,” and live versions by the Ronettes of “Be My Baby” and by Joni Mitchell of “California” and poetry readings by Allen Ginsberg (of “Supermarket in California”) and Jack Kerouac (the jazz piano-backed “Charlie Parker”). It all has an easy flow to it, and it isn’t too hard to see where each cut here contributed to Cohen’s grand, wounded, romantic, and ultimately hopeful musical vision.
Steve Leggett, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. Solea Por
  2. Careless Love
  3. Jezebel
  4. Which Side Are You On?
  5. La Complainte du Partisan (The Partisan)
  6. Goodnight Irene
  7. Red River Valley
  8. Tennessee Waltz
  9. Be My Baby
  10. Just One More
  11. The Great Pretender
  12. Unchained Melody
  13. What'd I Say
  14. The Twist
  15. Supermarket in California
  16. Turn! Turn! Turn!
  17. Downhearted Blues
  18. Jokerman
  19. Deadbelly
  20. Charlie Parker
  21. California
  22. Get It While You Can
  23. Gloomy Sunday
  24. I Shall Be Released
  25. Your Cheatin' Heart