When it comes to career retrospectives, the entire industry takes a backseat to Columbia records.
1. In the 1990s they compiled every album Frank Sinatra made For Columbia (the height of his creative powers) into a box set to die for. Plus extensive notes, orginal artwork. The full Monty. Pricey? Yup. But worth it.
2. Then they did the same thing for Miles davis/
3. And followed it with box sets of single albums, including outtakes, rehearsals, live performances of his best albums.
4. Next came the classic 1960s Bob Dylan albums in their original mono mixes with the original artwork.
5. And just last week Helen wrote how they were doing the same for Billy Joel.
6. And yesterday? Leonard Cohen gets the treatment. It will be released on October 11th, 2011. Here is the info:
“Some artists come from the Mississippi Delta, some from the South Side of Chicago. But a few, a very few, come from nowhere you can name and you’ll never get to the bottom of them.” — Pico Iyer, from the liner notes for The Complete Columbia Albums Collection
Of all the legendary singer-songwriters who emerged in the 1960s, few loom as large, or carry as much mystique, as Leonard Cohen. His vivid, haunting compositions showcase a unique voice, and his singular body of work has exercised a massive influence over multiple generations of artists.
The Montreal-born Cohen was already established as a respected poet and novelist when he turned his creative attention towards songwriting. After being signed to Columbia Records by fabled A&R man John Hammond, his debut album Songs of Leonard Cohen became an instant classic upon its release in late 1967, thanks to such startlingly original songs as "Suzanne," "Sisters of Mercy" and "So Long, Marianne." The subsequent Songs from a Room and Songs of Love and Hate sealed his status as an artist to be reckoned with.
Cohen continued to conquer new territory with such '70s releases as New Skin for the Old Ceremony, Recent Songs and his controversial 1977 collaboration with Phil Spector, Death of a Ladies' Man, followed by such adventurous works as Various Positions, I'm Your Man and the apocalyptic The Future. More recent releases like Ten New Songs and Dear Heather demonstrate that Cohen continues to make music that's as challenging as anything in his catalog. Meanwhile, the six live albums that he has released over the years—Live Songs, Cohen Live, Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979, Live in London, Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 and Songs from the Road—find the artist revisiting, and often drastically reworking, his remarkable compositions.
The Complete Columbia Albums Collection is the most complete collection to date of Leonard Cohen's seminal body of work, collecting all 17 of his studio and live albums, with each album packaged in an LP-style sleeve duplicating that album's original cover art. This handsomely packaged box set also includes a 36-page booklet with new liner notes by noted author Pico Iyer, vintage photos and session credits.
Albums Included:
- Songs of Leonard Cohen
- Songs From a Room
- Songs of Love and Hate
- Live Songs
- New Skin for the Old Ceremony
- Death of a Ladies' Man
- Recent Songs
- Various Positions
- I'm Your Man
- The Future
- Cohen Live
- Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979
- 10 New Songs
- Dear Heather
- Live in London — 2 CDs
- Live at the Isle of Wight 1970
- Song From the Road