Songs From The Road

This is a superb blu-ray, though initially I had some reservations about it. I saw Leonard Cohen in concert in Sligo, Ireland, in July 2010, and the show was incredible - magical, inspirational - he was so gracious, giving and responsive to the audience and he seemed in very good form. When I first watched this production, he seemed more exhausted and worn-out and less participatory that he seemed on that night in Sligo. This took some of the magic out of watching him. I understand he did collapse during this tour of 2008-2009 and his physical state, as well as the physical state of the backing singers, doesn't seem so good. Admittedly this was a very long tour and must have taken a lot out of them, and that night in Sligo in 2010 was the very start of a new tour. He played for over 3.5 hours and danced on and off the stage for the encores. The backing singers were all upbeat, energetic and engaged with the crowd. The crowd were alive with enthusiasm, unlike some of the crowds shown in this video which look more sedate (though none-the-less still very appreciative). So this video is lacking some of the energy which I experienced at the live gig. The other reservation I first had was that most of the tracks selected in this production are down-tempo and not the most well-known or initially striking. However I have come to love this production, despite those reservations. The music is sublime, the performances from all the musicians are excellent, the production and sound quality is very good, and there are moments which still move me to tears here. So without a doubt it gets 5 stars from me. I would very much like to see the release of some of those moments from Lissadell house in Sligo on July 31st though - now that would be a great treat!

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I have to agree with another reviewer that I thought a second live set from one (seemingly endless) tour was rather hubristic but I have changed my mind. This is not just an outstanding selection of songs (arguably, I would suggest, the best versions that you will ever hear of most of them)but the actual musical presentation is so good. These musicians are all absolutely brilliant and they seem to do more than just play: their talents lift the whole concert onto a higher plane where virtuoso playing, improvised dashes of brilliance, complete mutual understanding and flawless execution meld into one glorious, all-enveloping sound. We should be grateful that Great Uncle Leonard has hit his stride so effortlessly in his 70's as his more recent works (since `I'm Your Man` in 1988) have revealed better tunes, stronger songs and none of the slightly dreary stuff that beset his work in the early 1970's. One other point. `Live in London` was a superb album for me in all but one respect. The relentless name checking of the band (and most of the musicians were thanked about four times, some more than that)combined with the frequent humble homilies (`we're so grateful to be playing for you tonight` etc)really irked me. On this album, all such asides have been omitted or edited out so you get twelve brilliant songs, brilliantly performed. That's all, but it's a lot. Long live Leonard, I say, the man's a genius.

I already have the O2 Arena DVD from Leonard Cohen. I read the reviews of others about this Blue Ray DVD of "Extras" from various concerts most of which were good. Both the sound and vision are far superior to the tracks from the O2 DVD as you would expect from Blue Ray. My hope now is that Columbia will re-release the O2 concert in Blue Ray, hopefully soon and not to wait for Leonard's demise, he is after all 79. I certainly will be at the front of the queue to upgrade my standard DVD to Blue Ray.

If you have "Live in London", you might wonder whether you should be buying this. Don't think for too long - just go and buy it. There are 12 songs on the CD; these 12 songs are also on the DVD and there is a 20 minute documentary devoted to LC and filmed by his daughter Lorca, but from the viewpoints of his backing band members, the tour management and technicians. The 12 songs are beautifully sung and played, the DVD highlights the gentle intensity of the musicians and their remarkable skill at transforming each of LC's masterpieces into something even better, more special. No track is better than any other - each is just fantastic. LC's vocals, for someone in his mid-70's, are exceptional - he is in great form - and the musicians add panache. He is humble, gentle, generous and obviously enjoying himself - and the musicians are given the opportunity to shine, as each do. If this was an album of a single concert, all of us fans would be commenting on what a scintillating show we had just witnessed. Also, a word for the three lady backing singers - the excellent British sisters Charley and Hattie Webb and, the incomparable; Sharon Robinson. Ms Robinson has been working with LC off and on for 30-odd years, has co-written and co-produced a lot of his more recent music, and is an understated and wonderful individual. The Financial Times did a piece on her and her collaboration with LC which you can find if you either read her Wikipedia bio or go straight to her website - a very interesting read. I have to admit to being biased about LC. I love his work. As someone says in the little film, he is neither selling anything nor promoting a new album; he is just touring and giving his fans a chance to see him. I know that LC was swindled out of millions by his long-time manager (a figure of $50m has been bandied around), so maybe he was trying to make a little money. Frankly, I don't care what the reasons for touring and releasing live albums are, I'm just glad he did - because they are wonderful and I'm actually waiting for the next release ....

After listening to the album twice I can only give it the highest possible rating. What a privilege to hear this artist in his mid 70's sing his classic songs with such passion, tenderness and in an atmosphere of graciousness, always humble and grateful for the overwhelming love he receives from his audience wherever he performs. Yes, the voice isn't that of thirty years ago, but we have the warmth of his personality, the wisdom of the lyrics, the extraordinary band and female background singers, each song lovingly hand picked from different shows by producer Ed Sanders and cleverly put together to give us this beautiful album. My favourites are Lover,Lover,Lover, Famous Blue Raincoat and Hallelujah. The inclusion of That Don't Make It Junk and Waiting For The Miracle came as a surprise; I would've loved to hear Alexandra Leaving live. Most songs were performed slightly different from the studio versions, even the lyrics differ from the original, which I find interesting. All Leonard Cohen fans should own this album together with the DVD to enjoy and to complete their collection. While listening to these well-known, beloved songs and watching him perform, I experienced a feeling of loss, of someone very precious who is now leaving us. Hopefully this is not his last live album; I guess quite a few more could come out of his 247 shows from the past three years.

When I first heard about this album, my reaction was probably the same as yours: 2 live albums from the same tour is milking it a bit. And then I listened to it: wow. For starters, most of the material on here is different from that on Live in London. And second, there are some really terrific versions on here, including some surprises. It's great to hear Avalanche again, for example; and the full band version of Chelsea hotel works surprisingly well. Other old favourites such as Lover Lover and the Partisan are really beautifully interpreted, too - there is no going through the motions here: this is a band at the top of its game. This, then, it not a money-making exercise; but a really carefully compiled and wonderfully performed recording. If you saw the shows or heard Live in London, you know how good Leonard and his band are live. But this album will still surprise and delight you. The DVD is great, and includes some backstage snippets; but some of Leonard backstage would have been nice. This is Len's 6th live album by my reckoning, and it's up there with the best.

12 songs cobbled together. I bought it a long time ago but have not been able to play Leonard Cohen at all. Am I mourning for his death. I think that is what it has been. But I stumbled on Marianne and Leonard on bbc catchup and that has brought me back to this particular dvd. 12 songs sung in different locations throughout the world. This longlived extraordinary intelligence - powerful profound intimate complex intimate so many many adjectives - and so visually a bit of a mess because these songs were not planned to be put together. Not quite right visually but the musical craftsmanship once one has jumped from one song to the next is totally acceptable. I like the fact that it is Leonard in his seventies because there is also the sense of an extraordinary varied life time of experiences being shared with us his audience - his students ... how much we learn from him when we open our minds to these amazing performances.

Incisione eccellenti di uno dei mostri sacri del panorama mondiale sonorità raffinatissime unite alla voce roca ed accattivante di Leonard cohen trasportano l’ascoltatore in un magnifico viaggio musicale ed emozionale consigliato a chi ama la grande musica ps per chi gradisse una testimonianza video cerchi lo stesso cd in versione Deluxe con abbinato il dvd consegna Amazon come sempre eccellente

Składanka hitów Cohena, spokojny wyważony album koncertowy,dobrze nagrany , techniczne bez zarzutu. Amazon szybko i sprawnie działa.

This disc is a compilation of the best versions of some of Cohen's best and most beloved songs, as sung during a round-the-world tour. The side men and women are wonderful; it's hard to single anyone out, but Javier Mas on Banduria, 12-string guitar and other instruments gives old songs a new excitement and depth. Mas is particularly moving on The Partisan. Dino Soldo sings background and plays keyboard and harmonica and makes every song deeper and more lovely. Recorded between May 2008 ad November 2009, the album caught Cohen in fine voice. This may turn out to be my favourite Leonard Cohen album.

Une détente, un plaisir d’écouter ce vinyl

感動。魔法。奇跡。３０年来のコーエン・ファンにはそんな言葉しか浮かんで来ない。ＣＤから流れて来るお馴染みの曲のいまだに失われない瑞々しさと増していく説得力、バックのメンバーの素晴らしい演奏、ＤＶＤでの素晴らしいステージ・パフォーマンスと観客の興奮。ツアースタッフの一人が語っていたが、コーエンは若い頃でさえ滅多にツアーを行わず、ここ２０年くらいは全くしていなかったらしいので、本当に奇跡のワールドツアーだと思う。 ７５歳の老人が呟く様に歌う姿を見てもう一つ浮かんでくるのが「吟遊詩人」と言う言葉。年老いてなお盛んな吟遊詩人とその仲間が放浪の旅に出て、２年間かけてアメリカは西海岸からイングランド、スコットランド、ドイツ、スウェーデン、フィンランド、そしてはるばるイスラエルまでを周遊している感じ。 彼は詩人。だから詩を朗読するように、慈しむように歌う。キーも下がり声も枯れているがその説得力は健在。そしてバックの演奏が彼の朗読を盛り立てれば完璧なステージとなる。メロディを補完する女性バックコーラス（かつてはJeniffer Warnesもその一人だった）と、バンドの演奏は彼に対する愛情に満ち溢れていて、月並みな言葉しか出てこないが「感動的」。 全12曲、何れも彼が愛着を持って歌い続けている曲ばかりだが、ギターとbanduiraの伴奏も素晴らしい代表曲「Bird On The Wire」、Godinのギターでしっとりと歌い上げる「Suzanne」、出だしのマイナーコードのイントロから "it's four in the morning" とコーエンが歌いだすと観客の嵐のような拍手が起こり、最後にアドリブで "sincerely L.Cohen"（本当の歌詞は sincerely A Friend ) と〆る憎い「Famous Blue Raincoat」、そして代表曲にして、野外コンサートの観客の興奮につられるように珍しく派手目のパフォーマンスを繰り広げる「Hallelujah」あたりが聴きどころだろう。 ＣＤの音質はライブにしてはとても良好。ＤＶＤの画質も良好。これでこのお値段はファンでなくてもお買い得ではないだろうか？なお、渋い表写真の豪華な紙ジャケットは異型サイズで通常より少し縦長となっている豪華版。レナード・コーエンをジェニファー・ウォーンズ等のカバーでしかご存じない若い方にも是非聴いて頂きたい、観て頂きたい傑作と思う。