Live in London
Live album by
Leonard Cohen
ReleasedMarch 31, 2009
RecordedJuly 17, 2008
VenueThe O2 Arena (London)
GenreSoft rock, contemporary folk, folk pop
Length151:28
LabelColumbia
ProducerSteven Berkowitz, Edward Sanders
Leonard Cohen chronology
Dear Heather
(2004)		 Live in London
(2009)		 Live at the Isle of Wight 1970
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Billboardfavorable link
Entertainment WeeklyA− link
The Independent link
musicOMH link
PopMatters8/10 link
Robert ChristgauA link
The Sunday Times link
Slant link
Uncut link

Live in London is a (double) live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. It was released on CD by Columbia/Sony March 31, 2009, is his 18th album, and his first live release since Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979 in 2001. A DVD of the performance was simultaneously released by Columbia/Sony.

Background

Part of the reason Cohen, who was 73 at the time, went on tour in 2008 was to rebuild his finances after being swindled by his manager, Kelley Lynch. Sylvie Simmons explains in her 2012 biography on Cohen that Lynch "took care of Leonard's business affairs…[and was] not simply his manager but a close friend, almost part of the family."[1] However, Simmons notes that in late 2004, Cohen's daughter Lorca began to suspect Lynch of financial impropriety, and when Cohen checked his bank accounts, he noticed that he had unknowingly paid a credit card bill of Lynch's for $75,000 and also found that most of the money in his accounts was gone (including money from his retirement accounts and charitable trust funds). Cohen would discover that this theft had actually begun as early as 1996 when Lynch started selling Cohen's music publishing rights despite the fact that Cohen had no financial incentive to do so at the time.[1] Cohen, who was on a five-year retreat at the Zen center Mount Baldy near Los Angeles at the time, remained oblivious.

On 8 October 2005, Cohen sued Kelley Lynch, alleging that she had misappropriated over US$5 million from Cohen's retirement fund leaving only $150,000.[2][3] Cohen was sued in turn by other former business associates.[2] These events placed him in the public spotlight, including a cover feature on him with the headline "Devastated!" in Canada's Maclean's magazine.[3] In March 2006, Cohen won a civil suit and was awarded US$9 million by a Los Angeles County superior court. Lynch, however, ignored the suit and did not respond to a subpoena issued for her financial records.[4] As a result, it was widely reported that Cohen might never be able to collect the awarded amount.[5]

In the meantime, Cohen published a book of poetry, prose and drawings called Book of Longing in 2006 and produced Anjani's 2006 album Blue Alert (he also provided lyrics for the songs). Cohen was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. In his book Leonard Cohen: A Remarkable Life, biographer Anthony Reynolds observes that throughout the ordeal, Cohen remained calm: "In public, at least, Cohen did seem remarkably sanguine about the loss. He was never angry or accusatory, and his stock answer to the calamity was the dry one-liner, 'It's enough to put a dent in your mood' but when pushed he admitted, 'I don't know what helped me deal with it...I guess it just hasn't hit me yet.'" Cohen, who had always professed to interviewers how much he enjoyed the discipline imposed by hard work, recognized the economic necessity of getting back on the road and announced a tour in January 2008. The first show took place at the Fredericton Playhouse in New Brunswick. Cohen played dates in Canada and Europe to enthusiastic crowds who were delighted to see him on stage again.

Live in London is Cohen's first full concert show release as well as his first released DVD. The album was recorded July 17, 2008, at London's O2 Arena,[6] and was released in both DVD and as a two-CD set.[7] The album was long listed for the Polaris Music Prize.[8] Cohen's humility and self-deprecating sense of humor is evident in the between-song banter throughout the London performance, with him telling the audience, "It's been a long time since I stood on a stage in London. It was about 14 or 15 years ago. I was 60 years old, just a kid with a crazy dream. Since then I've taken a lot of Prozac, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Effexor, Ritalin, Focalin. I've also studied deeply in the philosophies of the religions but cheerfulness kept breaking through."

Reception

Mark Deming of AllMusic writes, "Cohen may have a reputation as one of the most dour performers in contemporary music, but his between-song patter is charmingly droll, and he finds a passion and a humanity in his songs that sets them apart from their studio counterparts."

Track listing

Disc 1

All tracks are written by Leonard Cohen except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dance Me to the End of Love" (from Various Positions (1984)) 6:20
2."The Future" (from The Future (1992)) 7:20
3."Ain't No Cure for Love" (from I'm Your Man (1988)) 6:16
4."Bird on the Wire" (from Songs from a Room (1969)) 6:14
5."Everybody Knows" (from I'm Your Man (1988))Cohen, Sharon Robinson5:52
6."In My Secret Life" (from Ten New Songs (2001))Cohen, Robinson5:02
7."Who by Fire" (from New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974)) 6:35
8."Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" (from Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)) 3:47
9."Anthem" (from The Future (1992)) 7:20
10."Introduction" 1:29
11."Tower of Song" (from I'm Your Man (1988)) 7:07
12."Suzanne" (from Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)) 3:46
13."The Gypsy's Wife" (from Recent Songs (1979)) 6:42
Total length:73:50

Disc 2

All tracks are written by Leonard Cohen except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Boogie Street" (featuring Sharon Robinson; from Ten New Songs (2001))Cohen, Robinson6:57
2."Hallelujah" (from Various Positions (1984), with changes on Cohen Live (1994)) 7:20
3."Democracy" (from The Future (1992)) 7:08
4."I'm Your Man" (from I'm Your Man (1988)) 5:41
5."Recitation" (with Neil Larsen)Cohen, Neil Larsen3:53
6."Take This Waltz" (from I'm Your Man (1988))Cohen, Federico García Lorca8:37
7."So Long, Marianne" (from Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)) 5:24
8."First We Take Manhattan" (from I'm Your Man (1988)) 6:15
9."Sisters of Mercy" (from Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)) 4:56
10."If It Be Your Will" (featuring The Webb Sisters; from Various Positions (1984)) 5:22
11."Closing Time" (from The Future (1992)) 6:15
12."I Tried to Leave You" (from New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974)) 8:33
13."Whither Thou Goest"Guy Singer1:27
Total length:77:48

Musicians

  • Leonard Cohen – vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards
  • Bob Metzger – lead guitar, pedal steel guitar, backing vocals
  • Javier Mas – bandurria, laud, archilaud, 12-string acoustic guitar
  • Roscoe Beck – bass, backing vocals, musical director
  • Sharon Robinson – vocals
  • Neil Larsen – keyboards, accordion
  • Dino Soldo – saxophone, clarinet, harmonica, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Rafael Bernardo Gayol – drums, percussion

The Webb Sisters:

  • Charley Webb – backing vocals, guitar
  • Hattie Webb – backing vocals, harp

Charts

Certifications

Album certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[32] Platinum 80,000^
Germany (BVMI)[33] Gold 100,000‡
Hungary (MAHASZ)[34] Gold 3,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[35] Gold 7,500^
Netherlands (NVPI)[36] Gold 30,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[37] Platinum 20,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

DVD certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[38] 5× Platinum 75,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[39] 3× Platinum 30,000^
Germany (BVMI)[40] Gold 25,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[41] Gold 30,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[42] Platinum 5,000^
Portugal (AFP)[43] Gold 4,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Simmons, Sylvie. I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen. NY: HarperCollins, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Glaister, Dan (8 October 2005). "Cohen stays calm as $5m disappears". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 September 2009.
  3. 1 2 Macklem, Katherine; Gillis, Charlie; Johnson, Brian D. (22 August 2005). "Leonard Cohen Goes Broke". Maclean's. Retrieved 19 September 2011,
  4. ↑ "Leonard Cohen awarded $9 million in civil suit". CTV.ca. 2 March 2006. Archived from the original on March 12, 2006. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  5. ↑ "Leonard Cohen 'unlikely' to recover stolen millions: Funds taken by ex-manager going to be hard to recover". NME. 3 March 2006. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
  6. ↑ AEG Live Confirms Leonard Cohen's North American Tour - First U.S. Dates in 15 Years, reuters.com, February 19, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
  7. ↑ Columbia Records to release new album by Canadian legend Leonard Cohen Archived 2009-04-06 at the Wayback Machine, news.jamradio.org, February 19, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-19. Retrieved 2014-01-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Leonard Cohen – Live in London – Austriancharts.at". Austriancharts.at (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Leonard Cohen Album & Song Chart History – Canadian Albums | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  14. ↑ "danishcharts.dk – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". danishcharts.dk. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". GfK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Finnishcharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Charts.de" (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Ελληνικό Chart". IFPI Greece (in Greek). Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  20. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  21. ↑ "charts.nz – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS – Official Retail Sales Chart". Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. July 27, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Portuguesecharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Spanishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Leonard Cohen – Live in London – Swisscharts.com". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  28. ↑ "2009-04-11 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive | Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  29. ↑ "Leonard Cohen Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200 | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Najlepiej sprzedającym się albumem ubiegłego roku była płyta rapera Quebonafide "Egzotyka"" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  31. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Music Canada. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  33. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Leonard Cohen; 'Live in London')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2010" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  35. ↑ "The Irish Charts - 2009 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  36. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Leonard Cohen – Live in London" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 16 August 2018. Enter Live in London in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2010 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  37. ↑ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2018 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  38. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Canadian video certifications – Leonard Cohen – Live in London". Music Canada. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  40. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Leonard Cohen; 'Live in London')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  41. ↑ "Dutch video certifications – Leonard Cohen – Live in London" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 16 August 2018. Enter Live in London in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2009 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  42. ↑ "Latest Gold / Platinum DVDs". Radioscope. 3 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  43. ↑ "Portuguese video certifications – Leonard Cohen – Live in London" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
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