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100 of 103 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful concert presentation with excellent sound quality, March 31, 2009
Leonard Cohen is still a magnificent performer, even at 73-years old, and this concert captures that fact wonderfully. This two-disc cd set was recorded live at the concert in London at the O2 Arena on July 17th, 2008. Sony has done a marvelous job in putting this package together. Both cds are filled to maximum capacity and Amazon's tracklisting above is correct. There are several nice photographs of the event in the included booklet with liner notes by John Aizlewood.
The performance is spectacular on this set and very typical of the level of quality the current world tour has been regularly achieving at various venues. The backing singers and band members are all in top form and Leonard himself sounds in good voice. Sharon Robinson and the Webb sisters provide background vocals, while Roscoe Beck, Neil Larsen, Javier Mas, Bob Metzger, Dino Soldo, and Rafael Bernando Gayol comprise the band. Leonard throws out some light banter at times and probably is too gracious in the regular and profuse compliments he gives out to his supporting players.
On a technical level the recording is very good and sounds better than most live cds. The cds are mastered by Bob Ludwig, a well-known and respected mastering engineer. He did a fine job here as the music shows no signs of overcompression or clipping. The audience is well-behaved and generally can not be heard during the songs, though vigorous applause greets each song and Leonard's sly jokes.
The set captures the live magic of Leonard Cohen's current tour with many fine performances. While not every song on here is the definitive live version, many are great like "Tower Of Song" and "Who By Fire". Anyone with a marginal interest in the music of Leonard Cohen needs to pick up this cd set. It is essential in my estimation as a document of Leonard Cohen's current live performances. Hopefully more dates from this tour will be officially released.
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70 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A joyous, triumphant return of Leonard Cohen to live performance, April 11, 2009
Many people are aware that this album was made as part of the attempt to repair Leonard Cohen's seriously damaged finances. After living in a Buddhist monastery for several years Cohen discovered that his business manager had embezzled most of his money. Cohen reluctantly went back on the road over a decade after he imagined that he had left his musical career behind him. One might therefore not be surprised if there were some signs of reluctance or regret hanging about this performance. There is not. In fact, this is one of the most delightful live performances I've heard in a while. Perhaps it is the result of his time in the monastery, but Cohen seems genuinely at ease and happy performing. Maybe it is like the old saying that if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. From beginning to end Cohen gives the impression that there is nowhere he would rather be than before these friends in London and that performing for them is one of the greatest honors that has come his way. So far from despair or regret, the concert radiates a sense of joy.
Cohen's sense of humor and deep graciousness permeates every number. The spoken intros to his songs and the verbal asides are among the highlights of the album. Not that the music isn't exceptionally fine. Although 73 at the time of the performance, Cohen is in very fine voice. His voice has deepened greatly over the years. If you listen to THE SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN, released in 1968, and then to this recording, the change in his voice is almost shocking. He is backed by a large and crack group of players. As always he has a talented group of women backing him, in this case his sometimes writing partner Sharon Robinson and the Webb Sisters.
The paradox with Leonard Cohen is that while he has not been a very prolific songwriter, he has produced as many as truly great songs over the past forty years as anyone this side of Bob Dylan. I usually recommend to friend interested in Cohen getting his first album, THE SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN, and the flawed but still excellent THE ESSENTIAL LEONARD COHEN (flawed because too much emphasis is placed on Cohen's later career, to the neglect of his early songs). And most of his albums, even the very good ones, have several weak songs. This live album is actually an excellent place for someone coming to Cohen for the first time to experience his music, though like with THE ESSENTIAL, his earlier songs are neglected for his later.
Any live concert is going to leave aside some of any Cohen fan's favorites, and I'm no exception. I regretted the absence of "The Stranger Song" and the extraordinary "Famous Blue Raincoat," not to mention some personal favorites like "Joan of Arc." But unfortunately there is no single album that collects all of Cohen's best songs. We very much need a three-CD box set that does this (there was a foreign box set that came close, but it is no longer available).
All in all, this is one of the most delightful albums that I have listened to in a long time and I enthusiastically recommend it to both longtime fans of Leonard Cohen as well as newcomers who would like to get to know better the music of one of the finest songwriters of our time.
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39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best ever...., April 1, 2009
The year 2008 goes into my personal history, as the year I saw Leonard Cohen live in Vienna. What a performance! This "new" old Cohen is full of spirit, vivacious and with a twinkle in the eye. The music has been completely re-arranged and sounds better than ever. The way he interacted with the audience can only be described as lovely. Everybody was in awe of the great master. I highly recommend this CD which is a wonderful example of everything done right. All that's left to say is - I hope this was not the last recording of this wonderful man.
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