''Tower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen'' is a

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

to Leonard Cohen, released in 1995 on A&M Records. It takes its name from a song by Cohen which originally appeared on Cohen's album '' I'm Your Man.'' However the song "Tower of Song" does not actually appear on this tribute album. Unlike the 1991 Cohen tribute album ''

I'm Your Fan ''I'm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen'' is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1991, produced by the French music magazine ''Les Inrockuptibles''. The album features Cohen's songs interpreted by some of the most respected rock act ...

'', that was recorded by a lineup of

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

groups like The House of Love and the Pixies, ''Tower of Song'' featured relatively well-known, mainstream artists like

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

with the Chieftains,

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

and

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...

of U2.

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

turned down the chance to contribute because he was unavailable. The album was conceived by Cohen's manager, Kelley Lynch, who, a decade later, was found liable for fraud, having drained nearly all of Cohen's life savings. The album received a negative review from critic Roch Parisien at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, who called the album "a total train wreck". However, this view was not shared by Cohen himself, who discussed his generally positive view of the album with

Chris Douridas Chris Douridas (born September 20, 1962) is an American popular DJ and musical tastemaker at Santa Monica, California's radio station KCRW, where he hosts a two-hour program showcasing progressive new music. He is also a filmmaker, actor, televisi ...

KCRW KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...

radio station, citing his personal preference for Billy Joel's version of "Light As the Breeze" over his own version.Douridas, Chris. Interview with Leonard Cohen
on '' Morning Becomes Eclectic''.

FM Studio, Los Angeles. 18, February, 1997.

Track listing

#" Everybody Knows" –

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Despe ...

#"Coming Back to You" – Trisha Yearwood #"Sisters of Mercy" –

with the Chieftains #"

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' ( ; he, ''haləlū-Yāh'', meaning "praise Yah") is an interjection used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four tim ...

" –

#" Famous Blue Raincoat" –

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

Ain't No Cure for Love "Ain't No Cure for Love" is a song written by the Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. It was first released by the American singer Jennifer Warnes on her 1987 Leonard Cohen tribute album ''Famous Blue Raincoat "Famous Blue Raincoat" is a ...

" – Aaron Neville #" I'm Your Man" –

#" Bird on a Wire" –

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

#" Suzanne" –

#"Light as the Breeze" –

#"If It Be Your Will" –

Jann Arden Jann Arden (born Jann Arden Anne Richards; March 27, 1962) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress. She is famous for her signature ballads, "Could I Be Your Girl" and "Insensitive (song), Insensitive", which is her biggest hit to date. Ea ...

#"Story of Isaac" –

Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the ...

#"Coming Back to You" –

Martin Gore Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English songwriter, musician, singer, record producer and DJ. He is one of the founding members of the electronic rock band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist an ...

References

{{Authority control Leonard Cohen tribute albums 1995 compilation albums A&M Records compilation albums Rock compilation albums