It is a sequel to the 1975 album The Best of Leonard Cohen and was released during a period of inactivity for the singer, who had retreated to the Mt.

Baldy Zen Center near Los Angeles in 1994.

Tracks are drawn from albums I'm Your Man (1988) and The Future (1992), as well as the live album Cohen Live (1994).

The collection features two unique tracks: "Never Any Good" (recorded 1995 in Los Angeles) and "The Great Event".

During an interview with Paul Zollo that appears in the book Songwriters on Songwriting, Cohen speaks about composing "Never Any Good" and a verse not included in the final recording: All songs written by Leonard Cohen except as noted.