KOHUEPT (Concert) (Live in Leningrad) [Enhanced, Live]

Billy Joel | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Live
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000DCHK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,605 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Billy Joel performs live in Russia, June 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Concert (Audio CD)

This album captures the very essence of Billy Joel's concerts.Has some of his best songs including Allentown,Angry Young Man and A Matter of Trust.He does a great job of performing John Lennon and Paul Mc Cartney's Back in the USSR.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Billy Joel introduces The Soviet Union to American rock, January 31, 2003

By 

David Bush (St. Louis, Mo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: KOHUEPT (Concert) (Live in Leningrad) (Audio CD)

The Soviet Union of 1988 was like a ripe fruit, ready to be plucked into the basket of democratic reform. Premier Gorbachev was tossing off the shreds of hard-line communism and introducing his policies of glasnost and perestroika. Reform and democracy was in the air, and could be felt in the winds of Moscow. Due to the increased level of openness with the western nations, American culture began to penetrate the iron curtain into Russia.

Billy Joel took the stage in Leningrad and Moscow in a tour of Russia in the late 80's. The result was KOHUEPT, a live album released against Billy's wishes. The public was delighted, finally a live album was released that delivered live performances of Billy's songs that were recorded from THE STRANGER, to THE BRIDGE. Billy's fans now had live recordings of the songs Bill had been performing in recent years.

KOHUEPT is not as good of an album as SONGS IN THE ATTIC, Bill's other live album. This is the case partially because KOHEUPT was recorded abruptly and unknowingly over one night, and consequently has no sense of refinement. SONGS IN THE ATTIC had one whole year of planning. KOHEUPT is really no different than hearing any other Joel concert live, it is just a regular taped live concert. The Russian translations add uniqueness and intrest to the album. It is, on the whole, an excellent, enjoyable live album.

The first Joel song is a powerful performance of "Angry Young Man". He then slows down with a solo piano/vocal of "Honesty", and goes into "Goodnight Saigon". He cruises along with Jazzy and somewhat improvised performances of "Stiletto", "Big man on Mulberry street", and "Baby Grand"

The beef of the concert begins with a haunting and drawn out version of "An Innocent Man", and a moving "Allentown". Bill then gets the crowd riled up with the rocking "A Matter of Trust", "Only the Good die young", and a brilliant "Sometimes a Fantasy", with a fantastic guitar riff at the end. Bill finishes off with "Uptown Girl", which noticeably changes tempo throught the performance, and a tired, weak, lifeless performance of "Big Shot". To add social relevance and meaning to his concert, he ends with the Beatle's "Back in the U.S.S.R", and Bob Dylan's "The times they are a Changin." The Soviets react well to his concert, and enthusiastically respond to Bill's performance. The Russians clearly accepted American music, and the Iron curtain was ripped once more. It was clearly only a matter of time until the Soviet Union fell.

KOHUEPT is one of Joel's lesser recordings, but a must have for any Joel collecter. Joel proves his skill as an execllent on-stage performer, and he delivers. If you are a new Joel fan, do not buy this album first, buy a compilation of his greatest hits instead.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Songs In The Attic Volume 2, August 5, 2003

By 

andy8047 (Nokomis,Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: KOHUEPT (Concert) (Live in Leningrad) (Audio CD)

The title of this album is the Russian translation of "in concert". Billy Joel was promoting THE BRIDGE while touring the U.S.S.R. where this album was recorded. This is a sequel to SONGS IN THE ATTIC. Four TURNSTILES tracks were on the first live set. On this set is ANGRY YOUNG MAN. It is so amazing how Billy can repeatedly strike that middle C on the piano so fast. ODOYA is the album's introduction sung a cappella by a male Russian choir. From 52ND STREET are STILETTO,BIG SHOT and HONESTY. On this album's version of HONESTY,the only thing heard besides Billy's voice is his piano,no drums or string emsemble like the studio version. From the NYLON CURTAIN are GOODNIGHT SAIGON and ALLENTOWN. Those two songs are storytelling. From AN INNOCENT MAN are the title track and UPTOWN GIRL. From THE STRANGER is ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG. From GLASS HOUSES is SOMETIMES A FANTASY. From THE BRIDGE are A MATTER OF TRUST,BIG MAN ON MULBERRY STREET and BABY GRAND minus Ray Charles. BACK IN THE U.S.S.R. was quite appropriate for this live set. That Lennon-McCartney composition was first recorded by the Beatles. Bob Dylan's THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN' ends the album. In that song,like HONESTY,it's only Billy voice and only one instrument,this one an acoustic guitar. A concert of this tour,but not this very concert was videotaped for broadcast on Cable TV's Home Box Office.