Songs From The Road (CD/DVD) Review

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(More customer reviews)After the release of "Live in London" in March of last year, and "Live at the Isle of Wright 1970" in October of last year, Leonard Cohen has just released another, yes ANOTHER, live album/DVD combo. I have to admit that my first reaction was "money grabbing move!!" I mean, last year's "Live in London" 2CD/DVD combo is a fantastic document from his on-going (never-ending?) world tour.
"Songs From the Road" (12 tracks; 66 min.) brings a collection of tunes recorded all over the world during the 08-09 world tour. Upon reviewing the set list closer, I was pleasantly surprised that there is only a 4 song overlap (Bird on a Wire; Suzanne; Hallelujah; Closing Time) between this and the "Live in London" album. Testament to the depth of Cohen's catalogue, for one. There are some really great songs on here, including "Lover, Lover, Lover" (one of my all-time favorite Cohen songs), but also "Famous Blue Raincoat" and some lesser-known songs like "Heart With No Companhion" and "That Don't Make It Junk". The DVD (91 min.) brings the same 12 songs and some bonus backstage footage filmed by Cohen's daughter. Of course, considering that the capacity of a DVD is about 3 hrs, the DVD is under-used. At the same time, the quality is a step up from the "Live in London" footage.
Incredibly, there is also a track on here ("Hallelujah") from the set I saw Leonard Cohen do at the Coachella music festival last year. Cohen's set, which happened just as the sun was setting, was one of THE highlights of the entire festival for me. So immediately this became a must-have for me, period. So it may be there a hint of "money-grabbing" by releasing this collection, but in the end, who would begrudge the legendary Leonard Cohen?


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Following the celebration of his 40th year as a Columbia artist in 2007 and coinciding with his induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2008, Cohen thrilled his fans by announcing his first tour dates in 15 years. He's gone on to play the most prestigious and beautiful venues in virtually every corner of the globe, mesmerizing and charming audiences with performances that were hailed as some of the best of his career. When legend Cohen takes to the stage, raved Ireland's The Independent (June 2008), it's no less than a cultural event of Biblical dimensions. One dozen of Leonard Cohen's most famous songs from those recent world tour performances at auditorium halls, festivals, arenas, and stadiums from Tel Aviv to London, from across Europe to the California desert and his native Canada are now collected on Songs From the Road. The 12-song program filmed in high definition and recorded in 5.1 surround sound will be issued in three separate packages: CD+DVD in a beautiful softpak with a 12-page book, Blu-ray, and 2-LP 180-gram audiophile vinyl in a gatefold jacket.

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