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To my ears DOALM and Dear Heather are very similar.

thank you God that someone noticed!
they both are influenced to a great deal in their sound by the second person. both are a collaboration rather than solo effort. both are overproduced. both are 'trendy' (DOALM in its own time).

and what's the most important - both feature some great lyrics and tunes!

Ten New Songs was more influenced by another person: it had co-author (Sharon). But it seems Anjani's more influential in terms of music (Sharon found the way to sound just like Leonard's alter ego:-)
Dear Heather is trendy

I find it hard to listen to DOALM.

I find it hard to listen to the title song "Dear Heather" and "Nightingale".

And that's where the similarity between them ends.

I thought that Nightingale is only nice folkish tune for months... Now, I think it's most uplifting Cohen's song. Despite the lyrics.

DOALM, on another side, is an old story mush discussed here previously. It is strange, but mostly we like it very much. It's a gem for listening, the first three songs are killing me... But you start to like it only if you become much involved with all Leonard's albums and books; I know it's very hard if you know Leonard from his highlighted, prominent oeuvre.

In fact DOALM was the first LC album I listened to in full length. I immediately liked it, and I still do. From the previous albums I knew only a couple of songs at that time, and most of his songs I knew as sheet music only.

At the time DOALM came out it was exactly the right album to produce. Leonard must have sensed that. The old time fans didn't like it because it was different from what they had expected.

The album really is "like a visit to the moon or to that other star". But you wouldn't "go for nothing if you really wanna go that far."

And the only similarities with DH I detect are: DH is different from what many had expected, and it was the right album at the right time.

Cheers
tom

Both DOALM and DH , honestly speaking are not LC best.

My friend and I listened to DOALM and DH one evening, and we both thought the same as you Decline.

tom.d.stiller wrote:

At the time DOALM came out it was exactly the right album to produce. Leonard must have sensed that. The old time fans didn't like it because it was different from what they had expected.

tom

I'm not an 'old time fan', tom. I'm new. First heard him last year. And I don't care for DOALM at all, despite the songs being good in themselves.

Dear Heather... well, it's not one of my favourites... but I've already been into that somewhere, so I won't repeat.

A lot of people have trouble with DOALM. Spector, I guess. I've only heard a few tunes off it, not the whole thing at once. But, just for being LC, it sounds like 'one must have it'. There are some great tracks on it, but it's almost like buying a whole record for the single. Except, of course, it's Leonard. That's the difference. By the time I get around getting it, it'll be out of print. Or I'll be dead.

Linda.

the problem with doalm is quite simple cohen did not finish the album and always felt his vocals to be rough guides for the musicians to work off. spector took the masters and finished the albums mastering himself. it is a good album and given that cohen has so few proper albums is worth buying. i love the title track and for that alone i would get it.