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Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979

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I admit to having collected a few bootleg tapes of Leonard Cohen in concert. Though he is not known to be prolific, his 30-year music career has produced a nice trunk of smuggled concert cassettes circulated among die-hard fans. So when I heard about this live album from the 1979 European tour, I had mixed feelings. What could it offer that I did not already have? Well, not only was I not disappointed, I suspect my bootlegs will be gathering dust for many months to come. Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979 sounds so clear, so alive, so strong, so breathtakingly real, you had better check out your window several times to remind yourself you have not been transported back to a concert hall in England and the year is not 1979.

Cohen has always been known for a lyrical precision that is unmatched in music and the songs chosen for this album are a celebration of his greatest talents: "Oh bless the continuous stutter of the word being made into flesh" ("The Window"); "Long ago we agreed to keep it light. So let's be married one more night." ("The Smokey Life"); "I locked you in this body, I meant it as a kind of trial. You can use itto make some woman smile." ("Lover Lover Lover"); and"Do you need his labour for your baby? Do you need his beast forthe bone? Do you need to hold a leash to be a lady? I know that youcan make, make it on your own." ("Why Don't You Try").These are the lyrics that send your jaw dropping and the mind graspingfor the meaning of the meaning. But no man can survive on gloriouslyrics alone and it is the music of this album that makes you remember each song long after the CD has stopped spinning. The violin solos by Raffi Hakopian, especially on "The Gypsy Wife," touch you to near tears. John Bilezikjian's magic from the little known oud is stunning. Paul Ostermayer's saxophone solo on "Memories" adds so much fun and spirit (yes, let's make all those who ever labeled Cohen's music depressing hear this one!). Add to the musicians' talents, the haunting and gentle voices of Jennifer Warnes and Sharon Robinson and you are simply swept away.

Finally, Cohen's own voice really is a golden voice. He has never sounded better, a mix of that deep, rich, sensual quality with the buoyancy and exuberance of the young Cohen. Were this not enough, Cohen brings something else to the table: a love of the song, a simple desire to perform at his best, and a genuine appreciate of his audience. You will hear it clearly on every song on this album.

Leonard Cohen sings for the broken hearts. He sings for the losers, the cast aways, the rejected lovers and the renegades. His record are not the stuff of parties and bars; rather they must be played in dark rooms, in dark nights, when you are alone with your memories.

All this is to say that a Leonard Cohen live album seems remarkably strange as a concept. Concerts are happy celebration of popular music, not dark meditations on poetry.

Furthermore, the Leonard Cohen live album I have heard (Cohen Live), is interesting but often weak. While some old song are reinterpreted in interesting ways (most noticably 'There Is A War'), there are far too many overly grand, Kitchy and Las Vegas style renditions of otherwise great songs.

But 'Field Commander Cohen' is the stuff of legends. Cohen is backed up by an amazing band of musicians, who really draw out the greatness of these tunes. Every song here is better then the original versions, and some are remarkably so. Passanger manages to transform songs which, on Cohen's albums, are often little more then poetry with music, into real epic songs.

The album opens with the title track, a song from Cohen's 74 classic, New Skin for the Old Ceremony. FIELD COMMANDER COHEN has been a favourite of mine in the old version. In this new one, it is just stunning. The gentle drumming, the sublime back up vocals in the chorus, and the wierd but cool insertion of 'Rum and Coca Cola' into the song makes Cohen's meditation on a retired soldier (comes back to nothing special, like waiting rooms, and ticket lines, silver buillet suicides, messianic ocean tides, racial roller coaster rides, and other forms of bordom advertises as poetry) into a classic.

Next follow three songs from Cohen's then recent RECENT SONGS. of these THE SMOKY LIFE sounds almost like something out of Cohen's THE FUTURE, complete with low vocals. THE WINDOW is a slow poem song, while THE GYPSY WIFE, probably the best of these, is a great poem about a betrayed husband (but where... where is my gypsy wife tonight?), complete with wonderful violins.

LOVER, LOVER, LOVER, another great song from New Skin, is another highlight. The strong rythem of the song is a base for improvised guitars and ood solos. Cohen's voice is strong and passionate, and the rewritten lyric, especially in the new final verse, is truly powerful, and is an improvement on the already good song.

Next follows HEY, THAT'S NO WAY TO SAY GOODBYE. The version is solid rock good, better than the original (from SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN). Good violin solo comes in this song, which also has some truly great lyrics (Many loved before us, I know we are not new/ in city and in forest, they loved like me and you).

Possibly the single highlight of the album THE STRANGER SONG from Cohen's debut album is next. While the song is not bad in its original version, this version is simply stunning, although it is also sparse (I wonder if it is Cohen on the guitar here - if it is, he has certainly improved in the dozen or so years since 'Songs of') The lyrics of this song are so wonderful that it is useless to quote some - you must look them up yourself. Cohen's voice here is perfect too: dark, sympathetic, all-knowing.

From Recent Songs we get THE GUESTS, a solid song in which Cohen reflects on his relationship with his lover by looking at the party as a metaphor for his own experience.

Memories is a song from Cohen's collaboration with Phil Spector 'Death of a Ladies' Men'. Ilbegotten is the word for this song, which features simply dreadful lyrics, which make Cohen seem like an old, rather pathetic womaniser. Cohen wisely chose to retitle his song collection 'Death of a Lady's Man'. Memories does have a strong if rather straightforward melody, and great Sax playing.

'Why Don't You Try' is the third song from Old Skin. While I didn't care for the song in the album, this version is wonderful, the instruments really drawing out the song, and Cohen's vocals strong enough to deliver this challanging piece. The only draw back is the irritating back up vocals which seriously damage the enjoyment.

Honest to god, I fail to see why 'Bird on the Wire' has to appear on EVERY SINGLE LEONARD COHEN LIVE ALBUM. I mean, it's a good, popular song, but so is 'Suzanne' for instance. The version here is again weaker then the original, because 'Bird' is a simple song, requiring no guitar solos or any complicated instruments. However, this is a much better version then the one in Cohen Live.

Finally, the album ends with one of Cohen's best songs, SO LONG MARIANNE. The direct song has a wonderful melody, is vastly aided by great playing by all, great vocals (probably the best use of backup vocalists in the album), and of course, wonderful lyrics (You know I'd love to live with you. But you make me forget about so much. I forgot to pray for the angels, and the angels forgot to pray for us).

I was noy yet born when cohen performed these songs in concert. But I truly wish I could have attended. Until someone builds a time machine (and even after), this is a truly great record.

Having actually attended one of the shows Leonard Cohen gave during his 1979 Fall tour, I was thrilled to find that some of the shows had been recorded. 21 years later Sony Music - lacking new material from Mr. Cohen - decided to release these treasures from the vaults, and this is probably the best (at least legally available) Cohen collection you could ever obtain.

Back in late 1979, Leonard Cohen toured the world with a stellar assembly of musicians, including famous singer Jennifer Warnes and the exotic art of Armenian violin player Raffi Hafkopian, some magical oud/mandolin by John Bilezijkian plus a solid band. These combined talents add wonderful texture and unforgettable arrangements to the originally sparse and dark songs.

The sound quality of this recording is excellent, and Cohen classics like "Bird on the Wire" or "Hey That's No Way to Say Goodbye" never sounded better on record. This collection is so much better than the bestselling "Greatest Hits" release; all that's missing is Mr. Cohen's most famous tune "Suzanne".

Recorded live in London & Brighton in December 1979, this wonderful live album was released only in 2000. Cohen's vocals & guitar are supported by the voices of Jennifer Warnes & Sharon Robinson, John Bilezikjian on lute & mandolin, Raffi Hakopian on violin and the band Passenger with bass, keyboards, drums, electric guitar, saxophone & flute. Field Commander is far removed from Live Songs (1974) with its almost unbearably distressing tracks like Please Don't Pass Me By.

Most of the tracks come from Recent Songs (1979) and New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974) whilst Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967) is represented by three songs, Songs from a Room (1968) by Bird on a Wire and the controversial Death of a Ladies' Man (1978) by Memories. Some of these live versions have more depth, flow and sensitivity than the original studio recordings, especially those from New Skin.

One of those is the title track which has a segment of the old song Rum & Coka-Cola made famous by the Andrews Sisters, which adds a touch of humor. The masterpiece The Window, one of Cohen's most exquisitely esoteric songs with its arresting symbolism, also takes on a new dimension here. The backing vocals & the violin playing of Hakopian are sublime and Leonard deservedly acknowledges him at the end. This version is different, not better, than the original on Recent Songs.

The tender slow songs The Smokey Life & The Gypsy's Wife follow, the last rendered especially beautiful by the lute of Bilezikjian. I prefer this interpretation of Lover Lover Lover over the studio version by far; it flows beautifully, the texture is enhanced by the lute and there are new words comprising a final verse. The 1960s classic Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye with its stirring violin, is another highlight whilst The Stranger Song seems to exude more personality than the original.

The graceful vocal arrangements, oblique lyrics, violin & lute all contribute to make The Guests ache with a beauty beyond words. And how great to have a different rendition of at least one of the songs from Ladies' Man in the form of Memories. Needless to say, this rendition is less strained but retains a measure of intensity whilst the doo-wop backing vocals & wailing sax are ever so charming. At the conclusion, Leonard cites all the instrumentalists over enthusiastic applause.

Why Don't You Try gets a jazzy treatment with soulful female vocals - a bit like the track Always on The Future. Then two of Cohen's most famous songs follow to conclude the album. They may both be somewhat over-familiar by now, but this version of Bird on the Wire is genuinely soulful and the awesome performance of So Long, Marianne with its lilting rhythm and elegant instrumentation is worth it. As a matter of interest, Perla Batalla has a live version of Bird On A Wire on the soundtrack album Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man.

Cohen's voice still sounds young here whilst the consummate playing of the band Passenger fits his music like a glove. Those trademark female vocals delicately enhance the music with subtle shades of meaning & feeling; in this regard, Jennifer Warnes performs a live version of Joan of Arc on the 20th anniversary edition of Famous Blue Raincoat. Bilezikjian & Hakopian add the final strokes of excellence that turn the album into a triumph & treasure. Field Commander Cohen ought to be in every fan's collection.

Before listening to this record, I approached it with skepticism because of the ostensibly inept song selection. I found myself pining to see tracks like Suzanne or anything from Songs of Love and Hate. However, after just one whirl of this album I realized that this is an opportunity to re-examine some unfortunately forgotten efforts from Cohen's career.

Field Commander Cohen and Why Don't You Try are a couple of quietly memorable tunes from 1974's awkwardly pleasurable folk outing, "New Skin For The Old Ceremony." of course, this album documents Cohen's 1979 tour, so the song set is drenched with tunes from his then new album, Recent Songs, released on the tails of Cohen's abominable pop experiment with Phil Specter, "Death of A Ladies Man."

Recent Songs is a respectively raw album that offered a reprisal to his folk days of the late 60's and early 70's, before Cohen "Orbisized' his music with "Various Positions," the brilliant "I'm Your Man" of 1988 and "The Future," his best-selling album to date. Recent Songs is a comparatively unimpressive effort, but the crispness and precision of these live renditions brushes listeners against the hidden beauty and enduring lyrical power of Cohen's music. The Guests, The Smokey Life, The Gypsy's Wife and The Window are all tracks from Recent Songs, and all transcend the studio versions because of this album's stellar sound, partly attributed to the digital remastering of the original tapes, but also thanks to the massively talented lot of musicians Cohen assembled for this tour.

Jennifer Warnes's contribution to Cohen's musical achievement is quite well documented by now, but accompanying her velvet croon and Cohen ever-deepening baritone is a chiming, impassioned and exact group of players. You'll hear some of the most gorgeous violin and mandolin work of your life on many of these lives songs, acoustic guitars that blast through the speakers as though they were 60 feet tall, and vocal performances that sound almost unworthy of the biggest cathedral in Manhattan.

While Field Commander Cohen is not a resort for nostalgia or a "greatest hits" selection, it allows Cohen's more patient, seasoned fans to reconsider some of his lesser-known material. With Cohen's trademark lyrical prowess and the band's commitment to perfection, there is just no reason not to devote a little patience to Field Commander Cohen.

Leonard Cohen continues to gather major acclaim, and rightfully so, for his recent tour. The tour kicked off last year in Europe, and recently the CD/DVD set "Leonard Cohen Live in London" was issued. It is a great live set, but it made me reach back to an earlier live album of Cohen.

"Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979" (12 tracks; 63 min.; released in 2000) was recorded on Leonard Cohen's European tour in December, 1979, on the heels of the release of his "Recent Songs" album earlier that year. The album rightfully focuses on that album, brining 4 tracks from it, one better than the other: "The Window", "The Smokey Life", The Gypsy's Wife" and "The Guests". The other album that is featured heavily is 1974's "New Skin for Old Ceremony", featuring the hit "Lover Lover Lover" (perhaps the best track on this album), and also "Field Commander Cohen" and "Why Don't You Try". Cohen's classic debut album also get three tracks, and it is when you hear him in particular on these tracks that the 30 year difference between this set and the "Live in London" set becomes clear. On this album Cohen is in his prime (44 years at the time), and in great command of both his guitar playing and his voice, which sounds markedly better than on the "Live in London" set.

In all, of Cohen's four official live albums (1973's "Live Songs", this one, "Cohen Live" from his 1994 tour, and the just released "Live in London" one), this one is, from an artistic perspective, the best one in my book. It is Leonard Cohen at the top of his game, period. While the "Live in London" carries a lot of sentimental weight (and there is nothing wrong with that), any Leonard Cohen fan will want to have "Field Commander Cohen" in his or her collection.

This record has been in my car for months. Yes, a Leonard Cohen album to drive to and no, I am not insane. This set of hightlights from his 1979 tour is the best live document I've ever heard from the Field Commander. Rousing versions of the title track, "Lover Lover Lover", "Memories", and "So Long, Marianne" effectively break up the more familiar, somber Cohen some know and love. He is in great voice, and the band and overall sound is incredible. Leonard sounds genuinely interested in hearing the whereabouts of his gypsy wife. "The Stranger Song" is breathed new life with a huskier, more assured vocal and "The Smokey Life" has added movement, almost a swaying quality not as apparent in the reedy original. Personally, I don't need another rendition of "Bird On The Wire", but "Memories" is normally still bouncing around in my head until we say goodbye to Marianne. Consistenly exciting, this is a great live record and a must have for anyone wanting to hear an American original at his best.

In 1979 Leonard Cohen (45 years at that time) was touring behind the just-released "Recent Songs". 22 years later Columbia released this album, and none too soon, as it proves to be the best live album of Leonard Cohen to date.

"Field Commander Cohen: Tour 0f 1979" (12 tracks, 63 min.) gives us a great mix of Cohen songs old and new. There are 4 tracks of the then-new "Recent Songs" album, including a great "The Guests". Leonard's back-up band is Passenger, a jazz-band which appears also on "Recent Songs, and they are outstanding throughout, perhaps nowhere better than on "Lover Lover Lover" which comes with an extended instrumental intro, just beautiful. The set includes of course old staples like "Hey That's No Way to Say Goodbye", "So Long Marianne" and "The Stranger Song", all from Leonard's 1967 debut album.

The question always has been whether Leonard was a great poet who happened to write some darn good songs, or whether he was a terrific singer-songwriter in his own right. This live album should answer that debate for once and all. "Field Commander Cohen" is a terrific testament to Cohen's songs and live preformances. Strongly recommended!

I have been a Leonard Cohen fan since I was a teenager. I have never seen him perform in concert and this disc has revealed to me how much I have missed!!! This disc is incredible and I'm so grateful it has been released. The musicianship is superb, and Cohen's poetry and vocals never cease to amaze me.

The program is a cross selection of songs from Cohen's recording career up through 1979, with a generous sprinkling of his strongest early songs ("The Stranger Song," "Bird On a Wire," "So Long, Marianne," "Hey That's No Way To Say Goodbye"), as well as a terrific sampling of songs from the mid-to-late 1970s ("Lover, Lover, Lover," "Why Don't You Try," "The Gypsy's Wife," etc.).

Every song is exceptionally performed. The highest high points: Cohen's interspersing Morey Amsterdam's routine in "Field Commander Cohen" is hilarious, especially given Cohen's deadpan delivery; "The Stranger Song" is performed even more hauntingly than the studio version; "Memories" is outstanding and far surpasses the Phil Spector-produced studio version; and the closer, "So Long, Marianne" brings it all back home.

Cohen really put together an outstanding group of musicians on this tour. Special kudos to Raffi Hakopian (on violin) and John Bilezkjian (on oud and mandolin) and to vocalists Jennifer Warnes and Sharon Robinson. (And special thanks to Judy Collins for convincing Cohen that he must perform...)

We had always regarded Cohen more as a poet/writer than a musician. Whoops. Certainly he remains among the most literary of the singer/songwriters, as these songs will attest. But what makes this album a treasure is the amazing music. Recorded live in concert in Great Britain in 1979, Cohen and Columbia Records have bestowed this belated gift upon us. Cohen's voice is more melodic than we remember it, and so evocative. "Back-up singers" Jennifer Warnes and Sharon Robinson are much more than that title implies. And the musicians, particularly Raffi Hakopian on violin and John Bilezikjian on oud and mandolin, create a marvelous, cinematic soundscape for Cohen's rich and thrilling songpoems.