CD-Charts Position 1
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The Essential Leonard Cohen

CD-Charts > Music > Folk Rock
by: Leonard Cohen

Release Date April 25, 2005
This is as fine an introduction to the works of Leonard Cohen as could be imagined. The track list, selected by the man himself, covers almost every period of his recorded output (Cohen is not prolific in the way, say, Bob Dylan is, or Neil Young), but I do feel some truly great stuff has been overlooked, i.e. the hushed, but haunting version of 'Story Of Isaac' from 1973's LIVE SONGS, which is one of the most profound things that anyone has ever written, the great live recordings from FIELD COMMANDER COHEN: Tour Of 1979, which admittedly was not released until after THE ESSENTIAL LEONARD COHEN appeared. Of those songs, I feel the title track is as good and epic a song as any he's recorded, and the version from NEW SKIN FOR THE OLD CEREMONY ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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Sparks of Ancient Light

CD-Charts > Music > Folk Rock
by: Al Stewart

Release Date September 15, 2008
Let's be blunt here. I love Al's music and have just spent the last few days listening to 24 of his CD's on the bounce in the car. If anyone is inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, it's me. I really wanted to like this album and I do - but not a lot.

We shouldn't criticise Al at 63 for not writing the sort of songs he wrote when he was thirty but his historical folk songs -Roads to Moscow, Palace of Versailles, Lord Grenville, Old Admirals etc - were what he did best, in my opinion. He seemed to find his stride in a 6-8 minute song and developed his ideas better in such a format. He has, since Famous Last Words in 1993, favoured a shorter, more mainstream pop-type format and although his ear for a good tune and Laurence's ear ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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I'm Your Man

CD-Charts > Music > Folk Rock
by: Leonard Cohen

Release Date July 02, 1990
As an album that you hear when your parents play it and come back to later to realise it's simply amazing, you can't get much better than this. Leonard Cohen is an amazing man, who has created an amazing number of amazing songs over the year. For me, though, this is his essential album. Partly it's because my parents played it over and over when it first came out, and when I was too young to understand music like this for all its depth. I came back to it about five years ago to find that not only does it contain breathtaking songs, but I didn't have to wait a while to gain familiarity with them.

There isn't really time or space to go into detail about why each song is great, but suffice it to say that from the brooding Everybody Knows, to ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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Greatest Hits

CD-Charts > Music > Folk Rock
by: Simon & Garfunkel

Release Date December 13, 2004
It would be churlish to criticize "Greatest Hits", as it's the classic compilation, and the best possible 40-odd minute introduction to the duo's work. On the face of it, everything's here. Plus this is an of-the-time release, one you or your parents probably owned way-back-when, and even the cover can bring on pangs of nostalgia. It's still a superb listen and, even if like me you own all the original albums, it's something that is always first to get in the player. Sometimes I don't even stop it before "Cecilia" -- and not just because I'm not quick enough having been lulled into a pleasurable stupor by the "Bookends" coda.

BUT this is what you must know. A number of these songs are NOT the original studio versions, they're live recordings. This ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Basket Of Light

CD-Charts > Music > Folk Rock
by: Pentangle

Release Date February 26, 2008
I've just been listening to my (previous release) copy of this album and it's excellent!. It gave me the opportunity to compare House Carpenter with Joan Baez (and Sweeney's Men) and it stands up magnificently. You have 6 days left to download their performance on Later via BBC iPlayer!

CD-Charts Position 6
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Various Positions

CD-Charts > Music > Folk Rock
by: Leonard Cohen

Release Date November 01, 1989
Cohen made three classic albums with John Lissaeur at the helm: 1974's New Skin For The Old Ceremony, 1979's Recent Songs, but at the apex of these achievements stands 1984's Various Positions, in that it paved the way for a new audience to discover Leonard Cohen afresh. This wasn't done by just adding the odd synthesised drone here and there, for there is the same continuity of themes and musical genres threaded consistently through the works (compare New Skin's 'Why Don't You Try?' or 'I Tried To Leave You' alongside Recent Songs' 'Came So Far For Beauty' or 'The Smokey Life', i.e., and you'll find they sit naturally next to tracks like 'Hallelujah' or 'Coming Back To You', whereas 'Night Comes On' and 'If It Be Your Will' would not have sounded out of place on Songs From ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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The Garden of Jane Delawney: Remastered & Expanded

CD-Charts > Music > Folk Rock
by: Trees

Release Date September 22, 2008
Cohen made three classic albums with John Lissaeur at the helm: 1974's New Skin For The Old Ceremony, 1979's Recent Songs, but at the apex of these achievements stands 1984's Various Positions, in that it paved the way for a new audience to discover Leonard Cohen afresh. This wasn't done by just adding the odd synthesised drone here and there, for there is the same continuity of themes and musical genres threaded consistently through the works (compare New Skin's 'Why Don't You Try?' or 'I Tried To Leave You' alongside Recent Songs' 'Came So Far For Beauty' or 'The Smokey Life', i.e., and you'll find they sit naturally next to tracks like 'Hallelujah' or 'Coming Back To You', whereas 'Night Comes On' and 'If It Be Your Will' would not have sounded out of place on Songs From ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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Led Zeppelin III

CD-Charts > Music > Folk Rock
by: Led Zeppelin

Release Date August 25, 1997
I bought this album as a teenager in the 70's and never felt it was one of zeps greatest albums compared to Physical Graffiti and vol4 so unfortunately it was the last of the remasters that I bought. Having listened to it a couple of times it has quickly become one of my favourates. Its understated beauty really hit me and touched me particularly "tangerine" and the really beautiful "thats the way". Pity the packaging doesnt reflect the curiosity of the original LP cover. Buy it and enjoy!

CD-Charts Position 9
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The Essential Bob Dylan

CD-Charts > Music > Folk Rock
by: Bob Dylan

Release Date June 07, 2004
In the beginning the way into Dylan was via Peter Paul & Mary,the Turtles,the Byrds and Johnny Cash.
And commercially electric Dylan was just right.
This CD is just a sampler and introduction to the Art of Dylan.If you want more you get the original albums on CD.All but one have been on catalog since CDs began.
My favorite Dylan song is Can you please crawl out your window.
Thus this double CD would only be of interest if there was a booklet with it and its by no means the only one of its kind as the most recent-titled DYLAN and in 3 different editions -comes with a picture book.
Today's Dylan collector needs plenty of money and plenty of room

CD-Charts Position 10
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Unhalfbricking

CD-Charts > Music > Folk Rock
by: Fairport Convention

Release Date March 03, 2003
Much of this album serves for me as a testimony to the wonderful drumming of Martin Lamble, that feathery touch and those rolls, often playing underneath the music, or just riding the beat. There was something shimmering (and almost held-back) in the music of their live gigs, with the texture lying between the drums and the bass playing. Lamble was an extraordinary player for a 19 year old. This album is also a melancholy listen: I still remember hearing them shortly afterwards with Dave Mattacks's embarassing drumming, and the music suddenly sounded so crude and so unlovely.