Leonard Cohen ‎– I'm Your Man

* Please Note: I fully endorse this incredibly unfathomable album! The following "review" was posted on a message board as a response to a new Leonard Cohen fan's questions about which albums to start with... "You might wanna stay away from "I'm Your Man". This gets my vote for one of the strangest albums ever. It has the original version of "Everybody Knows" -which is amazing -maybe you would know better from the Concrete Blonde cover version, which is found on the 'Pump Up the Volume' soundtrack? (cough)... but it also has some just messed up production and these real doped up background singers who do not sound into it at all. But I think they're supposed to sound that way. There is this kind of cheap, 80's feel to the instrumentation; like they used bad presets from a keyboard from Radio Shack or something. Jazz Police is just WTF? But hell if I don't just keep putting it back on the turntable. Think I am gonna listen to it right now. Oh yeah! And he is eating a banana on the front cover. What?"

I’m Your Man or, notably, First We Take Manhattan was the key that introduced me to LC’s world of passion. I’ve gotten to know his early works later but it’s this album I keep coming back to. Musicwise I think he was never better. It’s grand but never over the top. It’s breathtaking and never clichéed. It’s splendor and massive. From the late eighties I can’t find another album moving me this much. To me clearly one of the most obvious masterpieces of the late eighties.

And lyricwise ..? Don’t even get started. There’s enough to dwell in for a lifetime. I’m still finding out things about people I didn’t know it was possible to put in words.

Add to this LC being the ladies man of the world you needn’t worry if your date doesn’t swing to Take This Waltz. There is nothing to come for. Or if I’m Your Man doesn’t humble her the slightest. Bite her lips, kick her out, and worry about the next bird in the net. Love was never more honest.

For me, though, I Can’t Forget is the one that sends the most profound shivers down my spine. I’ll join that car ride anytime.

On my all time top ten. Honest to God.