Assembling Albums in the Tower of Song

It is true that Cohen is more known for his songs than for his albums. There is nothing in his oeuvre that has the reputation of Sergeant Pepper’s , Exile on Main Street , or Blood on the Tracks. For much of Cohen’s career, his best-selling albums were compilations. Yet Cohen’s albums define his career more clearly than does his songwriting. From 1967’s Songs of Leonard Cohen through the posthumous Thanks for the Dance (2019), Cohen released fifteen studio albums of new material. They are arguably his most important artistic legacy, representing a different kind of art from the songs. Each album is a cooperative effort, involving at a minimum a producer, musicians, and backup vocalists. While the songs are available to be recorded and performed by anyone in a potentially infinite number of versions, the albums themselves are finished works of art, where the selection and arrangement of the tracks combine to produce something more than the sum of the parts. This chapter analyzes these works of art, while also discussing their cultural impact and historical significance.