Live In London

A great selection of songs from Cohen I purchased 5. Of what I think is the best of Cohen,, perfect thanks 🙏

Brilliant cd. Very good price . Good seller

"I was born like this, I had no choice / I was born with the gift of a golden voice", 73-year-old Leonard Cohen sings sarcastically in his cracked, rumbling, ever-deepening bass, and the audience at the O2 arena erupts into deafening applause. One of the greatest, most intelligent and charismatic songwriters and composers popular music has ever seen, the old Canadian has made one of the finest and probably the most accssible albums of his entire star-studded career with 2008's "Live in London". Some hardcore fans would probably have preferred a few more rarities, but everybody else should be delighted by these two discs, a wonderful document from Leonard Cohen's first, warily undertaken concert tour in almost a decade and a half. Excellent sound, wonderful organic arrangements which frequently surpass the originals, and warm, precise, even passionate vocals by Mr Cohen makes this a must-have purchase for even the most casual fan. Dense, powerful renditions of almost every must-hear Leonard Cohen-number, from "Suzanne" and "Everybody Knows" to "Hallelujah" and "Dance Me To The End Of Love". It's a bit of a shame that songs like "Waiting For The Miracle" and "That Don't Make It Junk", which were played during the 2008-2009 tour, aren't included, sure, but there are so many other treasures here that all is forgiven, really. Newcomers will perhaps be best served by the two-disc compilation "The Essential Leonard Cohen", which was compiled by Cohen himself, but this one would be a pretty great starting point also. And no fan of the great man should be without it, not even the most casual fan. Even if you only know "Bird on a Wire" and "Dance Me to the End of Love", this may very well turn you on to the music of Mr Cohen for real. It is one of the finest CDs in my much too large colletion.

I was never a Leonard Cohen fan - he was someone who was just "there" but who I considered, with his, um, idiosyncratic vocals and his downbeat style, as something of a joke when I was growing up. You know, the whole "Laughing Lenny" bit. My sister had one of his early albums and I'd hear it through my ceiling when she'd play it at night, in her bedroom above mine. I never understood the appeal; even though in later years when I heard (and quite liked) "First We Take Manhattan", I wasn't interested enough - or brave enough - to take the plunge with an entire album. Then he went away, and then he came back. He'd already done a round of concerts in London, and I'd heard they were great. Another round was announced and I asked my partner,almost jokingly, if she wanted to go. We both laughed at the idea, but we went. And it was....revelatory. It was, without a doubt, one of the best concerts I'd ever seen, and this double live album captures this very special experience beautifully. Now, bear in mind the context: Cohen returned to touring because his business manager waltzed off with $5 million of his money and he needed to put something back in the bank and fast. He could have easily have knocked together a "Greatest Hits" tour: an hour and a half of the familiar, "Thank you and goodnight" and take the money. But he didn't - these concerts were over two hours long, pushing nearly three hours, and the dapper and urbane Cohen, backed by an eclectic mix of World and Jazz musicians, presented a more-than-generous overview of his career, unfolding with warmth, with love and with intelligence. As this 74 year-old man rushed on and off stage, doffed his hat to the audience, joked drolly in between songs and acknowledged the contribution of each and every one of his band members, I was in awe at his energy and his obvious, radiant enthusiasm for what he was doing and who he was doing it for. It was a thrilling, magical night and the music was rapture-style uplifting. I became a fan that night and treasure this album and the pleasure it gives me and the memories it evokes. And the songs? They remain articulate, intelligent expressions of the passion and pain of being a human being, riveting dissections of the human psyche and the soul performed with melancholic,barbed humour and slow-burning passion. If you care about music and you care about anything, you should have this album. I not only went back and dusted off the CDs in my partner's collection, but went ahead and ordered the box set of everything he'd done up until then and now buy every new release since. Look, I'm no spring chicken, and have seen many of my idols fade or fall by the wayside. I feel lucky, however, to have lived in a time when Leonard Cohen is making music as good as this. Now, when I hear his songs I laugh - but it's a joyous laughter.

gift but appreciated it seems

As a latecomer to Leonard, I thought I had all I needed with The Essential Leonard Cohen - a truly superb compilation. I'm surprised that CD hasn't worn out, it has been played so much. I had heard some of the older songs such as 'Suzanne' and 'So Long, Marianne' but was not prepared for how amazing his later work is. (I have since bought The Complete Studio Albums Collection which is a fantastic bargain and am slowly discovering the wonders of his back catalogue.) I bought 'Live in London' on impulse after reading some very enthusiastic reviews - perhaps expecting it to remain on the shelf after a few interesting listens. What can I say? Wow. It is stunning. It is hard to pin down what is so good about this collection - sound quality, musicianship, arrangements all faultless - it adds up to more than the sum of its parts. 5 stars without reservation and - I didn't think I would ever say this - more essential than The Essential. P.S. I can think of only one other artist where I rate a live collection as highly as studio recordings - Live In Concert 1975 - 85 Bruce Springsteen & The Street Band

Overall a very enjoyable album

So says the master minstrel and bard, humble and clearly enjoying himself at age 73 as he stands before a crowd of thousands at the O2 arena in London. What follows demonstrates that these are not idle words - the ensuing three hours of exquisite music, poetry, and song achieves a level of excellence that evidences a deep and abiding respect for the audience. Superlatives can't begin to do it justice. Scintillating. Outstanding. Remarkable. Unbelievable. Amazing. Stupendous. Utterly, totally, fabulous. Unprecedented. Beyond all expectations... I guess you're getting the idea that I highly recommend this CD. Cohen's work needs no introduction. His range as represented in the songs of this concert is remarkable. Alternately his is the voice of the prophet, the muse, the lecher, the lover, the poet, the madman and the priest. For this show he chose an eclectic retrospective including master performances of some outstanding but less well-known works such as Who by Fire, The Gypsy's Wife, and If It Be Your Will. These stand alongside the more familiar pantheon including Suzanne, Halleluiah, So Long Marianne, The Future, and I'm Your Man. To help deliver this rarified material, Cohen has assembled an amazing band. The level of musicianship is beyond any I have ever experienced in a concert of popular music. In every way it exceeds expectations. How the show comes to a conclusion provides a glimpse of what I'm talking about. After apparently getting ready to leave with a raunchy rendition of "Closing Time" the band breaks into "I Tried to Leave You". It takes over eight minutes of trying (to leave) with each band member doing a remarkable solo and being introduced for the umpteenth time by Cohen. Bob Metzger starts it off, coaxing a medley of mellifluous notes from his maple wood Telecaster. Dino Soldo follows, putting down the mouth harp (just how many instruments does this guy play?) and lighting into a dusky moan of deep desire on the sax. Then comes Neil Larson commanding the Hammond B3 with an authority akin to that of E. Power Biggs at the pedals of the pipe organ in some gigantic gothic cathedral. Next is Sharon Robinson singing with a voice so sultry as to appear to tremble with an uncontrolled and not to be satisfied longing. Then the fingers of Javier Mas attack the strings of the archilaud with an abandon reminiscent of Zorba the Greek losing himself in dance. And then the sublime Webb sisters (as Cohen constantly refers to them) warble and pant together in an almost ravenous and hungry harmony. They are followed by musical director (if he directed this music he is an absolute genius) Roscoe Beck as he hits all the highest registers on the bass guitar, eliciting a series of sounds like nothing you've ever heard produced by this instrument before. To top it all off, Rafael Bernardo Gayol unleashes a drum solo of tightly coiled and precisely controlled fury. And Cohen sings "Good night my darling, I hope you're satisfied. The bed is kind of narrow, but my arms are opened wide. Yes and here's a man he's still working for your smile". The crowd goes berserk. So again, I guess no one will be surprised that I highly recommend this CD.

Outstanding singing in the gruff old voice which is LEONARD COHEN. Entertainment heaven....drive along music

Nickel !!!

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