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Perhaps fate forced Leonard Cohen's hand to stage the tour documented in part on Live in London, but it seems that fate knows just what it's doing, and this album eloquently demonstrates how much Cohen still has to offer, and how clearly his music still speaks to him (and us).
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Live in London is a reminder that Cohen is as gifted a performer as he is a songwriter.
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The wry humour on display even extends to the setlist, with 'I Tried To Leave You' being the first song of the encore. It's little touches like that which make Live In London both the perfect souvenir for those who were there on the night and also a handy introduction to one of the true living legends of the music industry.
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The London performance has yielded one of the finest live albums to come our way in a long while.
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London is by far Cohen's most generous live release, and if it tilts too heavily to the last two decades of his career, it compensates by including virtually all of the classics from the first three.
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An uncommonly thoughtful victory lap, which deserves--and has received--a handsome recorded memorial.
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Between tunes Cohen recites lyrics from the next song to be performed, and these 26 tunes, delivered in his steady rumbling baritone, may have never sounded better, certainly not in one place on one special night.
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MojoApart from the comprehensive compilation aspect and the rich live presence, this double CD also pauses to capture the remarkable way he welcomes 20,000 people to his fireside. [May 2009, p.98]
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OAP releases best live album ever?
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Cohen manages to find the happy (and probably most obvious) middle ground between his spare origins and the sheen of his later work with light, jazzy instrumentation, with the songs stretched out to allow for several solos and interludes.
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The band is on it, the backup singers are solicitous, and Cohen's husk of a voice has been juiced up by the exercise.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 39 out of 45
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Mixed: 2 out of 45
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Negative: 4 out of 45
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Feb 16, 2012
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JackL.Jan 20, 2010In the waste land of contemporary performances Cohen's farewell tour reminds that music is art and can elevate us.
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Pierre-MichelF.Dec 16, 2009