Death of a Ladies' Man
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| Death of a Ladies' Man | ||
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| Studio album by Leonard Cohen | ||
| Released | November 1977 (CD 1990) | |
| Recorded | June and July 1977 | |
| Genre | Folk-Rock | |
| Length | 42:34 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Producer(s) | Phil Spector | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Leonard Cohen chronology | ||
| New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974) |
Death of a Ladies' Man (1977) |
Recent Songs (1979) |
Death of a Ladies' Man was the fifth and most controversial of Leonard Cohen's albums.[1] Produced by the storied Phil Spector, it was a surprise to some fans when the typically minimalist Cohen was surrounded completely by Spector's Wall of Sound.
15 songs were written by the two over a course of three weeks, and Spector described it as "some great fuckin' music". Not everyone agreed with this assessment, preferring Cohen's earlier acoustic folk music to the jazz-, rock- and even funk-influenced arrangements. Among the seven unknown outtakes is probably "Do I Have to Dance All Night". A live recording was released in France as a single in 1976.
Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg sang backup vocals on the chorus of "Don't Go Home with Your Hard-on".
Death of a Ladies' Man was recorded in Los Angeles, California. Before Cohen had completed his vocals, Spector barred him from the studio (supposedly under armed guard) and mixed the album by himself. For this reason some of the songs only have "guiding vocals" originally meant to be redone later.
The album was originally released by Warner Bros. but was later picked up by Cohen's label, Columbia Records.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Leonard Cohen (words) and Phil Spector (music).
[edit] Side one
- "True Love Leaves No Traces"
- "Iodine"
- "Paper Thin Hotel"
- "Memories"
[edit] Side two
- "I Left a Woman Waiting"
- "Don't Go Home with Your Hard-On"
- "Fingerprints"
- "Death of a Ladies Man"
[edit] Cover recordings and live performances
Death of a Ladies' Man has inspired fewer cover versions than any preceding Cohen album, but both "True Love Leaves No Traces" and "Don't Go Home with Your Hard-on" were covered on the Cohen tribute album I'm Your Fan. The songs were performed by Dead Famous People and a duet from David McComb & Adam Peters, respectively.
Of the album's eight selections, "Memories" is the only track Cohen regularly performed in concert (on tours in 1979, 1980 and 1985). Cohen apparently liked the song enough that he included it in his 1983 experimental art film, "I Am a Hotel," as the sole non-acoustic piece alongside four other songs which have generally enjoyed more positive fan response, "Suzanne," "Chealsea Hotel #2," "The Guests," and "The Gypsy's Wife." A "de-Spectorized" version of "Memories" ended up being released when Cohen's album, "Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979" was issued in 2001. This version eliminated much of the harmonizing and included a saxophone solo. "Memories" has also been covered at least five times by other artists, including John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats. "Iodine" earned three known performances in the European tour of 1979.
Early versions of "Iodine" (then called "Guerrero") and "Don't Go Home with Your Hard-on" were performed in concert already in 1975, then with music by John Lissauer.
[edit] References
- ^ Thompson, Dave. "Death of a Ladies' Man", All Music Guide.
[edit] External links
- Album lyrics, from The Leonard Cohen Files
