Leonard Cohen live in his prime
Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 05/03/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
A Great Place To Start...
phillyfan329 | 03/03/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Leonard Cohen is one of my favorite artists. Sharing his work with the uninitiated can be a bit tricky. Some people may be initially turned off by his distinctive voice or the stark production of his solo records. I found this record is a great introduction to Mr. Cohen's work. It is very musical and Mr. Cohen creates a warm performance. The backing group (Passenger) fleshes out the songs in many interesting ways not present in the solo recordings. My wife loves the violin work on the record. That being said I would not call any performance here my "favorite" version of a song. Mr. Cohen's solo records offer the strongest emotional impact, but as far as being able to throw a Leonard Cohen record on in the car without the rest of the occupants mutinying this record fits the bill."
Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979
Bjorn Viberg | European Union | 10/15/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979 is a live album by Leonard Cohen and has songs from his shows at the Hammersmith Odeon in London and Dome Theatre in Brighton. It is strange to think that it was just released (2000), when the concerts where like almost 3 decades prior. Cohen himself has said that this was his best tour to date. The book-let is a work of art with many nice photographs and all the lyrics are included. Here we have so many gems, but to mention a few would be the following, i.e., Hey,that's no way to say goodbye, The stranger song and so long, Marianne. 5/5.
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