If you are looking for a gift for Leonard Cohen fans who already own the records, the books and the tour t-shirt, this is the one I designed for exactly that person: my Leonard Cohen discography map art print. It plots all 15 studio albums, from Songs of Leonard Cohen in 1967 to Thanks for the Dance in 2019, as stations on a tube-style map, with every credited musician drawn as a named line calling at the albums they played on. It is hand researched, printed as a Giclée on 230gsm archival fine art paper, and starts at £42 in A2 or A1, unframed or in a black wood frame.
Why a Discography Map Makes a Considered Gift for Leonard Cohen Fans
Cohen fans tend to be readers. They know the albums as chapters, and they notice details. A poster of his face tells them nothing they do not already know, but a map built from the actual session credits gives them something to stand in front of and trace.
When I researched this map, I worked album by album through the credited musicians, session players and guests, and drew each one as a line connecting the records they appear on. One-off contributors branch off as short spurs. The stories below are all things the person you are buying for can find on the print itself.
Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg Share a Backing Vocal Credit
Death of a Ladies' Man, the 1977 record produced by Phil Spector, carries the strangest pair of credits in the whole discography: Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg, both on backing vocals. A songwriting giant and a Beat poet, singing behind Cohen on the same album. Both appear on the map as short branch lines that call at that one station and nowhere else.
Spector himself raises a rule I apply to every map: producers do not get a line unless they are also credited playing something. Spector qualifies here, because the credits list him on guitar and keyboards as well as production. Bob Johnston, by contrast, produced Cohen's Nashville era records, but his line calls only at Songs of Love and Hate, where he is credited at the piano.
Famous Names That Call at Only One or Two Stations
Some of the best conversations this print starts come from the cameos. Charlie Daniels, later a country star in his own right, plays on the two Nashville-era albums. Alison Krauss arrives four decades later on You Want It Darker. The final record has a small crowd of guests helping finish the journey.
| Guest | Album (year) | Credited role |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Daniels | Songs from a Room (1969), Songs of Love and Hate (1971) | Session musician |
| Bob Dylan | Death of a Ladies' Man (1977) | Backing vocals |
| Allen Ginsberg | Death of a Ladies' Man (1977) | Backing vocals |
| Alison Krauss | You Want It Darker (2016) | Backing vocals on "Steer Your Way" |
| Beck | Thanks for the Dance (2019) | Jew's harp, acoustic guitar |
| Damien Rice | Thanks for the Dance (2019) | Vocals |
Jennifer Warnes, the Line That Keeps Coming Back
The longest running voice on the map besides Cohen's own belongs to Jennifer Warnes. Her line first calls at Recent Songs in 1979, runs through Various Positions, I'm Your Man and The Future, drops away, then reappears on Old Ideas in 2012 and again on Thanks for the Dance in 2019. That is a forty-year span on a single backing vocal line.
Fans will know she also recorded Famous Blue Raincoat, her 1986 album of Cohen songs. On this print you can follow the working relationship behind it, gap by gap and return by return.
All 15 studio albums and every credited musician, 1967 to 2019, as a tube-style map. Giclée on 230gsm archival paper.
John Lissauer Disappears for a Decade, Then Returns With Hallelujah
John Lissauer's line is one of the map's best gaps and returns. He appears on New Skin for the Old Ceremony in 1974, credited on woodwinds, keyboards and backing vocals as well as producing and arranging. He earns his line for the playing, not the production chair.
Then he returns for Various Positions in 1984, on piano, keyboard orchestrations and backing vocals. That is the album carrying Hallelujah, so the decade-long gap in his line sits right next to one of the most covered songs ever written.
Ten New Songs Is the Quietest Station on the Map
Not every station is a crowd. Ten New Songs, from 2001, is essentially Cohen and Sharon Robinson, who co-wrote and produced the record and sang across it. Around them the credits are sparse: Bob Metzger's guitar appears on "In My Secret Life", and David Campbell arranged strings on "A Thousand Kisses Deep".
On the print that thinness is visible at a glance, especially next to a busy interchange like Death of a Ladies' Man. You can see the sound narrowing to two people, then widening again on the albums that follow.
The Final Stations Belong Partly to Adam Cohen
The last stretch of the map carries its most poignant credit. Adam Cohen appears playing classical guitar, and he later helped complete his father's final recordings, including Thanks for the Dance, released posthumously in 2019.
That closing station is busier than you might expect: Jennifer Warnes returns, and Beck, Damien Rice and Daniel Lanois all arrive as guests to help finish the line. For the fan who found Cohen through You Want It Darker, this end of the map is the way in.
"Brilliant idea... really like what you've done, Mike."
Sizes, Framing and Prices
Every print is a Giclée on 230gsm premium acid-free matte fine art paper, so the colours hold for years. The Leonard Cohen map is landscape, in two sizes, unframed or in a black wood frame, from £42.
| Size | UK | US / CAN / AUS | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2 | 594 x 420 mm | 24 x 18 in | Studies, hallways, smaller walls |
| A1 | 841 x 594 mm | 36 x 24 in | Feature walls, reading the small credits |
If the fan you are buying for is the kind who will want to read every branch line, go A1. The A2 suits a first Cohen print or a smaller room.
Related Music Maps
If the person you are buying for loves Cohen for the writing, two companion prints sit naturally alongside this one: the Nick Cave Discography Map Art Print and the Billy Bragg Discography Map Art Print. The full range is in my Gifts for Music Fans collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Leonard Cohen albums does the map cover?
All 15 studio albums, running chronologically from Songs of Leonard Cohen in 1967 to Thanks for the Dance in 2019. Live albums and compilations are not stations on this map.
Did Bob Dylan really sing on a Leonard Cohen record?
Yes. Dylan is credited on backing vocals on Death of a Ladies' Man in 1977, alongside Allen Ginsberg on the same album. Both appear on the print as one-off branch lines.
Is the posthumous album Thanks for the Dance included?
Yes. It is the final station, released in 2019 after Cohen's death, with his son Adam Cohen helping complete the recordings. Its guest credits, including Beck and Damien Rice, are all drawn on the map.
What sizes and framing options are there?
A2 (594 x 420 mm, 24 x 18 in US) or A1 (841 x 594 mm, 36 x 24 in US), landscape, from £42. Each is available unframed or in a black wood frame, ready to hang.
Give Them the Whole Journey
Fifteen albums, over fifty years of credited musicians, one hand-researched map. Giclée on archival paper, from £42.
Get the Leonard Cohen map →Not sure which map they would choose? An art print gift card lets them pick.
