Leonard Cohen

One of those collections they should hand out at university graduation ceremonies, because there will be a point in your life when a Cohen tune is going to be of more service to you than a college diploma. This includes many of the best songs ever written: "Famous Blue Raincoat," "Bird On a Wire," "Chelsea Hotel" and "That's No Way To Say Goodbye."

I've always found "Sisters of Mercy" unnecessarily (and uncharacteristically) icky--you can read their address by the moon, eh? But if like me you admire his records more than you play them, this is the one you'll pull off the shelf. (Grade - A-)