Live In London
by Edward Sanders
List Price:
Our Price: $8.48
You Save: $9.50 (53%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.47 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Leonard CohenDirector: Edward Sanders
Brand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 159 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-03-31
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony
Movie Reviews of Live In London
Movie Review: Perfect concert recording
Summary: 5 Stars
An amazing document, recorded mid-July, 2008 in London, when Leonard Cohen was doing a world tour. He was only 73 years old. And so, despite long years of semi-retirement, and many more spent on Mount Baldy becoming a Zen monk, he still came out and gave us his beautiful songs in that great virtuosic touring way where he was a ringmaster of an army of splendid musicians. We see this treatment from godfathers like David Gilmour and David Bowie, but Leonard Cohen has been doing it for many more years than those fellows and it's incredible to behold. Cohen and his band play two sets - the first one is 57 minutes long, the second one is one hour, 40 minutes long (actually, the second set is one hour long, and the encores are another 40 minutes long). Cohen has so many amazing songs that the stream of major classics just goes on and on, until way, deep in the set when he plays "Take This Waltz," which probably not one of his recognised classics. The production is rich and full, making it quite different from the "Field Commander Cohen: Tour Of 1979' release, which is spare by comparison, focussing on acoustic guitar, duets with Jennifer Warnes, violin solos from Raffi Hakopian, and jazzy fretless bass.
His entire set Live in London is spotless, with the only real comparisons his amazing tours of the past. In this case, he starts his London set off with the words "Thank you so much, friends, so very kind of you to come to this...," he's drowned out in applause, and then the band kicks in to "Dance Me To The End Of Love", with its electric clarinet, three backup singers, and the weird motions of 12-string guitarist Javier Mas (who also breaks out the banduria, laud, archilaud and is full of dramatic gestures). Curtains setting the mood onstage. Leonard Cohen sings, passionately gripping the microphone. "Thanks so much, friends. It's wonderful to be gathered here just on the other side of intimacy. I'm so pleased that you're here. I know some of you have undergone financial and geographical inconvenience. We're honoured to play for you tonight." Breaks into "The Future", where he waters down the lyrics "Give me crack and anal sex" to "Give me crack and careless sex". He has fun with the lyrics "white man dancing", when he and the bass player do a little boogie, and when he alters a lyric "white women dancing", the two white backup singers (Charley and Hattie Webb, the Webb Sisters) do a little jig. "It's been a long time since I stood on a stage in London. It was about 14-15 years ago, I was 60 years old, just a kid with a crazy dream. Since then, I've taken a lot of Prozac, Paxol, Wellbuttrin, Exexor, Ritalin; I've also studied TV and the philosophies and the religions, and cheerfulness kept breaking through. But I want to tell you something that will not easily be contradicted - there ain't no cure for love!" Breaks into a great sax intro for a stunning version of "Ain't No Cure For Love," followed by the best version of "Bird on a Wire" ever, toned down but with strong keyboards. This song, although it's vastly famous, has never been a favourite of mine; nevertheless, it's become gospel to the extent that I've met people who want these lyrics on their gravestones. Some drums and bass, swelling female backups, mandolin, great blues solo from Bob Metzger playing a semi-hollow body `72 Fender Telecaster Thinline. Sax solo.
The band plays "Everybody Knows", after which Cohen announces "I wrote that song a long time ago with Sharon Robinson. More recently we wrote this one," and they play "In My Secret Life", a semi-duet between Cohen and Robinson, great blues guitars and organs, mild drums and bass; there's a two-minute Spanish archilaud intro for "Who By Fire", with its cool upright bass (great banging on the body for the outro bass roll), backup singer Hattie Webb on harp, Spanish solo on the larchilaud, a groovy organ solo, and Cohen plays the Godin classical guitar that is featured on the cover. Perfect - this has long been one of my favourite Cohen songs. He continues to play the Godin on "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye." Great harmonica solo. Between-song banter is often a recitation of the vocals of the next song, and when he says "there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in," we know he's going to sing "Anthem." Great lyric - "While the killers in high places say their prayers out loud." It's the last song that they play before the intermission, although before they go offstage, Cohen introduces each of the members (he'd been doing it from time to time throughout the set as well).
After a break, they come out, and Cohen has a bit of an intro. "I was having a drink with my teacher, he's 102 now. He was about 97 at the time. I poured him a drink, he clicked my glass and he said `excuse me for not dying.' (laughter) I kind of feel the same way. I want to think you, not just for this evening but for the many years you've kept my songs alive." Starts up a Technics keyboard, sings "Tower of Song", with female backups. At his age, lyrics like "I ache in the places I used to play" probably have more meaning with each passing year. The song drones on at the end, with the backup singers going on and on with their "da doo dum dum dum, da doo dum dum." Cohen launches into a long spiel: "Don't stop, don't leave me here alone, don't ever stop. Sing me to bed and sing me through the morning, because I'm so grateful to you because tonight it's become clear to me, tonight the great mysteries have unravelled and I've penetrated to the very core of things, and I have stumbled on the answer; and I'm not the sort of chap who would keep this to himself - do you want to hear the answer? Are you truly hungry for the answer? Then you're just the people I want to tell it to. Because it's a rare thing to come upon it, and I'll let you in on it now. The answer to the mysteries..." and he makes a hand gesture towards the backup singers, "...is `da doo dum dum..."
Cohen does a short Spanish intro to "Suzanne" on the Godin and sings that marvelous song. There's a great version of "The Gypsy Wife", with a stunning mandolin freakout, Cohen playing the Godin throughout. Female vocals start, Cohen comes in after one line. There's bass solo, but the camera has a lousy angle and we barely see it. Cohen and Robinson then launch in to "Boogie Street" (which, apparently, is named after a street in Singapore called Bugis Street -the local pronunciation of which sounds like "Boogie Stree"). Robinson takes over several verses, with Cohen doing backup. "Hallelujah" is splendid, with a groovy organ solo. "I'm Your Man" has a cool electric clarinet solo. He then continues with a spoken word segment that becomes a long recital, accompanied by light organ swells, of the lyrics of an alternate version of "A Thousand Kisses Deep" that is titled "Recitation W/N.L.":
You came to me this morning and you handled me like meat
You'd have to be a man to know how good that feels, how sweet
My mirrored twin, my next of kin, I'd know you in my sleep
And who but you would take me in, a thousand kisses deep.
I loved you when you opened, like a lily to the heat
You see, I'm just another snowman standing in the rain and sleet
Who loved you with his frozen love, his second-hand physique
With all he is and all he was, a thousand kisses deep
I know you had to lie to me, I know you had to cheat
To pose all hot and high behind the veils of sheer deceit
Our perfect porn aristocrat, so elegant and cheap
I'm old, but I'm still into that, a thousand kisses deep
I'm good at love, I'm good at hate, it's in between I freeze
I've been working out, but it's too late, it's been too late for years
But you look fine, you really do, they love you on the Street
If you were here I'd kneel for you, a thousand kisses deep
The autumn moved across your skin, got something in my eye
A light that doesn't need to live and doesn't need to die
A riddle in the book of love, obscure and obsolete
`Till witnessed here in time and blood, a thousand kisses deep
And I'm still workin' with the wine, still dancing cheek to cheek
The band is playing `Auld Lang Syne", but the heart will not retreat
I ran with Diz, I sang with Ray, I never had their sweep
But once or twice they let me play, a thousand kisses deep
I loved you when you opened, like a lily to the heat
You see - I'm just another snowman standing in the rain and sleet
Who loved you with his frozen love, his second hand physique
With all he is and all he was, a thousand kisses deep
But you don't need to hear me now, and every word I speak
It counts against me anyhow, a thousand kisses deep.
Incidentally, that is transcribed from the video itself; the lyrics that are provided by the DVD itself are different:
Recitation W/N.L.
You came to me this morning
And you handled me like meat
You'd have to be a man to know
HOw good that feels how sweet
My mirror twin my next of kin
I'd know you in my sleep
And who but you would take me in
A thousand kisses deep
I loved you when you opened
Like a lily to the heat
I'm just another snowman
Standing in the rain and sleet
Who loved you with his frozen love
His second-hand physique
With all he is and all he was
A thousand kisses deep
I know you had to lie to me
I know you had to cheat
To pose all hot and high behind
The veils of sheer deceit
Our perfect porn aristocrat
So elegant and cheap
I'm old but I'm still into that
A thousand kisses deep
And I'm still working with the wine
Still dancind cheek to cheek
The band is plainy Auld Lang Syne
The heart will not retreat
I ran with Diz and Dante
I never had their sweep
But once or twice they let me play
A thousand kisses deep
The autumn slipped across your skin
Got something in my eye
A light that doesn't need to live
And doesn't need to die
A riddle in the book of love
Obscure and obsolete
`Till witnessed here in time and blood
A thousand kisses deep
I'm good at love I'm good at hate
It's in between I freeze
Been working out but it's too late
It's been too late for years
But you look fine you really do
The pride of Boogie Street
Somebody must have died for you
A thousand kisses deep
I loved you when you opened
Like a lily to the heat
I'm just another snowman
Standing in the rain and sleet
But you don't need to hear me now
And every wort I speak
It counts against me anyhow
A thousand kisses deep.
A few changes: other than the order of the sections, he mentions specifically Boogie Street (Singapore's Bugis Street, which the song "Boogie Street" is supposedly named after, was in the past notorious for trans-sexual activity), and instead of "Diz" and "Ray", he talks about Diz and "Dante." Okay.
After that recitation, the most interesting original bit in the concert so far, the band breaks into "Take This Waltz," a minor song from "Various Positions", and not really one of my favourites. But here it sounds lovely, brought out by great accompaniment from Hattie Webb, whose gorgeous voice is heavenly.
Cohen tries to take leave of the stage, and even gets the band off, but is quickly back for an encore that is to last nearly as long as the second half of the concert (providing a full third act, it seems). The band breaks into a jaunty version of "So Long, Marianne", then gets into a funky, waist-swinging "First We Take Manhattan". Starts off with funky bass intro, then gets intense with lots of energy and dancing. The Web Sisters come through again as great, great backups. "Sisters of Mercy" is very good, with a nice opportunity for another archilaud solo (in nearly three hours of live music, you're bound to get a few archilaud solos). To introduce "If It Be Your Will", one of Cohen's most beautiful songs, which he first sang with the sublime Jennifer Warnes, Cohen croaks out a verse or two before turning it over to the Webb Sisters, Charley working the mini-harp while Hattie takes the guitar (I think it's a Gibson acoustic, not sure). The women re-define the concept of vocal harmonies, it's stunning; and just to prove the point, when they finish their set, we get a shot of Cohen looking on, mesmerised. He snaps to it, and introduces "Closing Time", probably the funniest song he's ever written, and things get funky. He tries to make this his closing song (hint-hint), but all he does is run offstage and run back onstage again for a 10:30 version of "I Tried To Leave You" (hint-hint again), a gorgeous, undiscovered gem from "New Skin For The Old Ceremony". This song is littered with solos - a guitar solo immediately followed by a sax solo, then an organ solo, then a Sharon Robertson vocal bit flowering up the first verse of the song. This is followed by more archilaud from Javier Mas, then "the sublime Webb Sisters" doing their mmm mmm mmm, ha ha ha..., gettin' sexy `n' hot `n' heavy (most impressive), then a cool electric bass solo (first of the evening, remarkably), a light drum solo, then Cohen solos/improvs:
Goodnight my darlin'
I hope you're satisfied
The bed is kind of narrow
But my arms are open wide
Yes and here's a man, he's still working for your smile
The song winds down after that... and the guys all ome out from behind the instruments to sing "Whither Thou Goest" as a vocal version - Robinson and Cohen's voices come out clearest. The song lasts less than a minute, and the lyrics are:
Wherever thou lodgest, I will lodge
Thy people shall be my people
Whither thou goest, I will go
At the end of the film, we get a single credit:
"Sincerely, L. Cohen".
Awesome.
Only complaint - Cohen introduces the band members too many times. He's constantly adoring his band, his audience, and humbling himself; you're also dying to hear him say, after he's introduced the band, "... and my name is Leonard Cohen." What applause that would get! Instead, we get "The sweet shepherd of stings, on the laud, Javier Mas; the master of breath on the instrument of wind, Dino Soldo; the signature of steady, on the pedal steel and the electric guitar, Bob Metzger; the prince of precision, our timekeeper - on the drums, Rafel Bernardo Gayol; on the Hammond B3 and the keyboards, the inpeccable Neil Larsen; my collaborator, the incomparable Sharon Robinson; Hattie and Charley Webb, the sublime Webb sisters; our guardian and sentry, the musical director on the upright and the electric bass, Roscoe Beck." This is how he ends the concert (before the many encores), he did the same at the end of the first part.
Okay, maybe a few more complaints: the unnecessary mouth-harp solo in "So Long, Marianne"; the song has become weirdly cheerful, while it was always sort of wistful, this cheapens it a bit. I was also disappointed to not hear "The Story of Isaac" in this concert - was it too much of a downer? But it's such a powerful song...
Summary of Live In London
DVDSimilar DVD Movies
Let Us Compare Mythologiesby Leonard Cohen
Ecco; Published: 2007-05-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.98
Price in other shops:
Book of Longingby Leonard Cohen
PBS; Ecco; Published: 2007-05-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.92
Price in other shops:
Leonard Cohen - Ten New SongsRelease date: 2001-10-09; Music CD
Best price: $4.78
Price in other shops:
Cohen, Leonard - Leonard Cohen's Lonesome HeroesMUSIC VIDEO DISTRIBUTORS; Release date: 2010-10-19; DVD
Best price: $9.37
Price in other shops:
Leonard Cohen - Live At The Isle of Wight (CD/ DVD)Sony; Release date: 2009-10-20; Music CD
Best price: $14.92
Price in other shops:
Leonard Cohen I'm Your ManCOHEN,LEONARD; Release date: 2006-11-14; DVD
Best price: $6.96
Price in other shops:
Leonard Cohen - Songs From The Road (CD/ DVD)Release date: 2010-09-14; Music CD
Best price: $13.20
Price in other shops:
Leonard Cohen - Essential Leonard CohenPBS; Release date: 2002-10-22; Music CD
Best price: $10.45
Price in other shops:
Leonard Cohen - Old IdeasRelease date: 2012-01-31; Music CD
Best price: $8.87
Price in other shops:
Leonard Cohen - Live In LondonPBS; Release date: 2009-03-31; Music CD
Best price: $11.08
Price in other shops: