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Leonard Cohen - Live Songs Audio CD

A fair review of the Leonard Cohen "Live Songs" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Leonard Cohen reviews here, or go back to the Leonard Cohen tabs.

Leonard Cohen Band: Leonard Cohen
Title: Live Songs
Rating:
Release Date: 2001-10-08
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Minute Prologue 2: Passing Through 3: You Know Who I Am 4: Bird on a Wire 5: Nancy 6: Improvisation 7: Story of Isaac 8: Please Don't Pass Me by (A Disgrace) 9: Tonight Will Be Fine 10: Queen Victoria

Best & Worst of...


The introduction song "Minute Prologue" is lovely in its' lyrical simplicity:

"I've been listening to all the dissension/I've been listening to all the pain/And it seems no matter what I do/It all comes back again/But I'm a fool because I think I can heal it/I'm a fool because I think I can heal it/Yes, I'm a fool because I think I can heal it with this song. I call this Leonard Cohen CD "Best & Worst Of" because that's exactly what it is. "

Unfortunately the singer follows up the Prologue with "Passing Through", a sort of Salvation Army like, Jesus-clapping call to arms. The background singers & instrumentals are very good, but unfortunately the performer teeters close to a parody in this live selection.

Song 3, "You Know Who I am" is very nice--and, again, the background vocals & instrumentals are particularly good.

Everybody's probably heard #4 "Bird on a Wire" somewhere or other. It's never been one of my personal favorites, but nonetheless has been a popular mega hit. It has been performed by countless singers & quoted in many dramatic productions.

The next selection "Nancy" LC definitely IS one of my favorites. I always think of Marilyn Monroe when I listen to this tune. It's about a woman who was in the foreground of the sexual liberation scene, but who eventually dies alone. This doesn't sound like a "live" song.

"Improvisation" is an instrumental live performance and is only marred slightly by Cohen's' unnecessary verbal interjections.

Tune #7 "Story of Isaac" is classic Cohen at his best. It is about "one generation sacrificing another. "

#8 "Please Don't Pass Me By" is live & dreadful. It causes one to wonder if LC would have been happier joining the Salvation Army. His voice is strident to screaming & the lyrics rather lame.

"Tonight Will Be fine" is a hoh-hum.

The concluding composition "Queen Victoria" is stripped down to a single guitar stroking backing up Cohen's singing. It's a surreal song dripping with repressed sexuality (a hallmark of the Victorian Age)& personal "incomparable sense of loss. " This song never received airtime, but it is oddly engaging. It is one of my personal favorites--and again, it does not sound live & probably was a studio recording.


Essential Leonard Cohen
Songs of Leonard Cohen
Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy
.


Leonard Cohen Live Songs
Only recently did I fully explore So long Marianne and the earlier songs grew so much on me that I started acquiring all the original albums. I have been a Leonard Cohen fan for many years, but my collection was limited to I'm your man, The Future and the compilation album So long Marianne.

Live Songs is my first "live" album. The sound quality and musical refinement is of course not comparable to the studio recorded albums, but that is not really the point. To me the recording presents the familiar songs (previously released) in entirely new ways. Instrumentation is more bare, with lyrics mostly true to the original. Where it is different, it is different in interesting ways - really adding to the effect of the song and the emotional experience.

The familiar songs that I particularly like is Bird on the wire and Nancy - both to me almost beautiful beyond description.

Songs I like and did not know from other original albums include Passing through which I would have loved as a studio recorded song as well.

I am not very fond of Please don't pass me by (too long and sentimental for my tastes), but I imagine that the song at the live event itself may have been special.

All in all I would recommend the album as it forms part of the overall Leonard Cohen collection, presents well-known songs in interesting new ways and includes enough previously unreleased material (?). I am of the opinion therefore that the album has a place of its own.


His First Live Album
His voice is still young; his deep voiced talking style of singing was still in front of him, for the most part. The performance is classic. And -- best of all for fans -- there are songs here that never surfaced on his studio records. I'd buy it again.


His other live CDs are even greater.
So if you can't afford to buy them all, I wouldn't start with this one. This is a great Cd, but not as great as is other live CDs. .


Great Early 1970's Live Cohen...
There are 3 Live Cd's in Cohen's catalogue. . each with it's own strengths (I don't find weakness in Cohen, he is an unfinished project)
This is the 1st one, an import (bought mine in London) showcases Cohen touring about his Songs From A Room album. . . on 2 separate occasions in 1970 and in 1972. . a couple of unreleased poems and the traditional country Passing Through are found besides such classics as The Story of Isaac, Bird On The Wire with laid back minor accompaniment coming from the likes of Charlie Daniels on fiddle and bass. . .


You can see a complete list of all Leonard Cohen discography, or go back to the Leonard Cohen tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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