When Cohen moved to the United States in 1967, his song “Suzanne” became a great song generating lots of attention to Columbia records. In 1969, Cohen released his first album “Songs of Leonard Cohen” which became a hit in the UK giving Cohen the attention, the credit he deserved. The debut album marked the beginning of Cohen’s life at the top, with one album after the other “Songs from a Room” (1969), “Songs of Love and Hate” (1971), “Live Songs” (1973) and “New Skin for the Old Ceremony” (1974). This terrific output from Cohen was appreciated with the including of Leonard’s music as a soundtrack to Robert Altman’s film called McCabe and Mrs. Miller.
While these five perfect albums were being promoted, Leonard embarked on a music tour in Europe, Canada and the United States. Check out the videos uploaded by Mahée Ferlini. When on tour, Cohen was accompanied by Jennifer Warne’s together with John Lissauer as the pianist. In 1977, Cohen released “Death of Ladies” with the help of Phil Spector as the producer. Rumors had it that Phil Spector has once threatened Cohen with a crossbow. Other artists that have complained about Phil Spectors volatile behavior include the Ramones and Beatles.
Leonard Cohen's Life In The Arts by Carlos Danger