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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stirring and extraordinary, May 30 2009
Live In London is a stirring celebration of Cohen's music and poetry. The sound is sublime but what makes the album so extraordinary is the interaction between the singer, musicians and audience. There's mutual appreciation between the master, the players and the fans which in the case of the latter is expressed through hearty laughter, silent reverence or rapturous applause. This affectionate atmosphere refreshes the familiar songs whilst some of them reveal new angles through effective re-arrangements, unexpected instrumental flourishes or additional/personalized lyrics. Instruments like the archilaud, banduria and laud add a spacious dimension to the sound.
From the outset the wry wit of Cohen's between-song banter establishes an intimate rapport, ameliorating the mournful or disturbing qualities in his work. His funny introduction to The Future, for example, counterbalances the song's frightening apocalyptic imagery. Leavened with humor, the concert ensures a listening experience filled with variety and emotional resonance. A Thousand Kisses Deep is performed as a spoken poem and includes more than the lyrics of the original song. Those that appear to benefit most from tweaked arrangements include Aint No Cure For Love, Bird On A Wire, Anthem with its introductory recital, Who By Fire with its long instrumental intro, the lilting Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye, In My Secret Life, Sisters of Mercy with its tender treatment and above all Hallelujah which gains new meaning and power.
The angelic female backing vocals - a Cohen trademark - are provided by Charley and Hattie Webb and Sharon Robinson who duets with Cohen on the aforementioned In My Secret Life and takes lead on the smoky Boogie Street with its eloquent sax. Exquisite throughout, these vocals bring significant depth to Take This Waltz, Tower of Song, Anthem and the prayer If It Be Your Will. The greater number of songs come from Cohen's post-1970s work, from albums like I'm Your Man, Various Positions, The Future and Ten New Songs. The latest studio album Dear Heather and the 1970s recordings Songs of Love & Hate and Death Of A Ladies Man are not represented at all whilst 1979's Recent Songs contributes only The Gypsy's Wife.
New fans and Cohen completists might wish to investigate 1979 Field Commander Cohen, recorded in 1979 and released in 2000, which contains excellent live versions of compositions from Recent Songs and New Skin for the Old Ceremony as well as the track Memories from Death of a Ladies' Man. For an artist with such a long career, relatively few live albums were released; tribute albums seem to outnumber the live ones! In its warmth and humanity, this album couldn't be more different from 1973's Live Songs, an impressive but overall cold and often harrowing recording. Live In London concludes with Whither Thou Goest, a moving blessing from the Book of Ruth. This extraordinary recording is a perfect blend of presence, voices and playing of the highest caliber. Besides the track listing, musicians, instruments and credits, the CD booklet provides full-color photographs and notes by John Aizlewood.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First we take London, April 28 2009
Let's be clear: there's no such thing as the definitive Leonard Cohen concert recording. No concert recording - audio or video or otherwise - will come to close to the experience of seeing Cohen and his band of musicians live. With that said, this album is certainly a solid attempt at trying to capture that experience. You would be hard pressed to argue that age has not served Mr. Cohen well. His singing has certainly dropped to a lower sound than before but his passion and dedication seem high as ever - the end result is that some of these recordings outdo their original studio versions decades ago because the voice suites the songs better than before. As it were, I would argue that the definitive recording of some of these songs is on this album. The song selection itself for 'Live In London' is not surprising and is familiar territory for casual and dedicated fans alike but Mr. Cohen and his band of musicians shine throughout and make this live album a solid experience nonetheless. Production wise, the album even makes a decent attempt to balance out the sound and instruments on this recording. The audience's applause is certainly active and audible but it, like Mr. Cohen's modest and appreciative speaking to the audience between songs, is well-timed and rarely intrusive. Having recently experienced the actual concert personally I find it difficult to ever fully appreciate a mere recording, but you can't go wrong with 'Live In London.'
Stand-out tracks: Tower of Song, Hallelujah, Suzanne, The Future
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SUPERB!!!, May 4 2009
Some things imnprove with age, like fine wine, cheese and me! Leonard Cohen is no exception to this adage. His voice, often derided in his youth, has matured into a sensual, vocally orgasmic gift. Every well known and well loved song that he sings on this album is a winner. The musicians and back up singers enhance rather than obscure the velvet joy of his poetry. His humour and obvious love of what he is doing shine through. This is an album not to be missed by anyone.....a keeper to be played again and again.
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