Leonard Cohen - Live Songs (1973)

Tracks
01 Minute Prologue Cohen 1:14
02 Passing Through Blakeslee 4:08
03 You Know Who I Am Cohen 5:24
04 Bird on a Wire Cohen 4:30
05 Nancy Cohen 3:50
06 Improvisation Cohen 3:19
07 Story of Isaac Cohen 3:59
08 Please Don't Pass Me by (A Disgrace) Cohen 13:02
09 Tonight Will Be Fine Cohen 6:11
10 Queen Victoria Cohen 3:27

Review by Gautam Baksi
Although never released in the U.S. (except on vinyl), Live Songs is an integral part of the early Cohen chronicles. The CD contains ten live recordings, largely from a handful of European concerts between 1970 and 1972, through which time Cohen had effectively made his transition from brooding poet to brooding poet with guitar. By 1973, Cohen's cult following had swelled to a peak and already began a slight decline. The release includes several new songs, including "Passing Through," "You Know Who I Am," and "Tonight Will Be Fine," all of which skillfully combine heavy doses of erotica, love, and depression. Live Songs also includes a handful of his most popular tracks from the 1969 release, Songs From a Room. "Bird on a Wire" and "Story of Isaac" are both played admirably live, though neither adds significantly to their studio versions. The album's unmistakable climax lies in the 13-minute epic, "Please Don't Pass Me By," a tale of his personal descent into hell baring such pain and suffering that Cohen rarely sang the song again. The less moving, but still powerful "Queen Victoria" finishes off the CD and went on to become a fan favorite. Live Songs is certainly not an introductory CD, but for those who've formed a friendship with the words and wisdom of Leonard Cohen, this album finds him raw and naked in one of his finest hours.