WISH YOU ALL A WELL-SHAKEN XMAS PARTY!

DONOVAN: THE CLASSICS LIVE

Original released on CD Great Northern Arts Lda
(UK, 1991)

This record was orginally released as "Donovan Rising" (label Permanent, 1990) and was recorded live from several concerts from 1982 to 1986, but it was put together so beautifully that you'd never know. It's been released under several different names and on several different labels. But no matter what label, no matter what cover, no matter what they call it, this is still one fine recording. Listening to this CD, and I'm calling this a CD and not a record, because this was the first Donovan recording to come out on CD (everything before was put out on black vinyl first), you remember those big discs that played on turntables, whoops, I'm digressing, like I was saying, when you play this CD you can almost imagine Donovan as that eighteen-year-old teenager who burst upon the scene with "Catch the Wind" back in 1965. He sounds as young on these songs as he did then. And you can tell that whoever put this together really cared, really understood Don's music, really went for quality of not only sound, but performance as well. Boy, what I wouldn't have given to be able to spend the hundreds of hours pouring through all the songs and performances, being there through all of that must have been glorious. Donovan's recording of "Catch the Wind" here sends chills up your spine. His rendition of "Hurdy Gurdy Man" with George Harrison's missing verse is equally chilling. The acoustic versions of "Sunshine Superman" and "Cosmic Wheels" are stunning. The version of "Young Girl Blues" takes me right back to the "Mellow Yellow" period. It has always been one of my favorite songs. I could go on, keep gushing about this fine live record, but I'll stop now. Oh wait! I forget to tell you that this is a must own Donovan disc for anybody who is even remotely interested in his music. You gotta get this one, you really do! (in Amazon)

PINKUMMAGUMMAFLOYD

Original Released on LP EMI-Harvest STBB-388

(UK 1969, October 25)

Primeira parte: frescos minuciosamente reproduzidos, quatro peças monumentais em melhoradas versões ao vivo, relativamente aos originais. "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" é particularmente valiosa: o seu dramatismo, a sua catarse, o seu sangue..., sentem-se claramente. Segunda parte: mais irregular. Wright é vítima de acessos de desmedida grandiloquência; Waters brilha mais, embora as suas vinhetas caiam às vezes no simplesmente anedótico - sem discutir os seus méritos por aparecer no Guiness pelo título mais longo da história ("Several spieces of small furry animals gathered together in a cave and grooving with a pict ") -; Gilmour hesita entre a "síndrome Steve Howe" e uma corrosão mais agradecida; e Mason arrisca mais do que ninguém embrenhando-se em passadiços um tanto claustrofóbicos. Balanço: vence a primeira parte. A capa do disco (feita em Great Shelford, perto de Cambridge, no chamado efeito droste), obra da Hipgnosis, desenhadores gráficos muito na moda durante os anos setenta, mostra a evolução da banda, já distante da figura fantasmagórica de Syd Barrett: já não há caos surrealista nem sonho psicadélico, e no fim, tudo se reduz a quatro individualidades de imagem inatingível. Na contracapa, o roadie Alan Styles e Peter Watts, surgem com o equipamento da banda na pista do aeroporto de Biggin Hill. O conceito foi sugerido por Mason, com a intenção de copiar os desenhos comuns na época de destroços de aeronaves militares.

For many years, this double-LP was one of the most popular albums in Pink Floyd's pre-"Dark Side of the Moon" output, containing a live LP and a studio LP for the price of one. The live set, recorded in Birmingham and Manchester in June 1969, is limited to four numbers, all drawn from the group's first two LPs or their then-recent singles. Featuring the band's second lineup (i.e., no Syd Barrett), the set shows off a very potent group, their sound held together on-stage by Nick Mason's assertive drumming and Roger Waters' powerful bass work, which keep the proceedings moving no matter how spaced out the music gets. They also sound like they've got the amplifiers to make their music count, which is more than the early band had. "Astronomy Domine," "Careful with That Axe Eugene," "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," and "A Saucerful of Secrets" are all superior here to their studio originals, done longer, louder, and harder, with a real edge to the playing. The studio LP was more experimental, each member getting a certain amount of space on the record to make his own music - Richard Wright's "Sysyphus" was a pure keyboard work, featuring various synthesizers, organs, and pianos; David Gilmour's "The Narrow Way" was a three-part instrumental for acoustic and electric guitars and electronic keyboards, and Nick Mason's "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party" made use of a vast range of acoustic and electric percussion devices. Roger Waters' "Grantchester Meadows" was a lyrical folk-like number unlike almost anything else the group ever did. (Bruce Eder in AllMusic)

THE BEAT OF THE POPS - VOLUME 23

OS 2 ALBUNS DOS SECOS & MOLHADOS

Edição Original em LP Continental SLP 10112

(Brasil, Agosto de 1973)

Primeiro album do grupo formado nos inícios da década de 70 por João Ricardo, foi gravado entre Maio e Junho de 1973, em sessões de seis horas diárias, durante apenas 15 dias. Editado em Agosto desse ano, “Secos & Molhados” vendeu mais de 300 mil cópias em apenas dois meses, atingindo rapidamente o milhão de cópias, o que fez do grupo um dos maiores fenómenos da MPB desses anos. João Ricardo nasceu em Portugal, em Arcozelo, Ponte de Lima, no dia 21 de Novembro de 1949. Filho do poeta e crítico teatral João Apolinário, teve uma infância fortemente influenciada pelos sons do rock and roll, desde Elvis Presley até Johnny Hallyday e Les Chats Sauvages (tinha uma predileção muito especial pelo rock francês). Conhece a música brasileira através de Miltinho e Doris Monteiro, através dos discos que o seu pai tinha em casa. Em 1963 a Beatlemania contamina-o como a tantos outros e é aí que decide ser a música o seu futuro. Um ano depois, a 28 de Março de 1964, a família muda-se para o Brasil, onde o movimento Jovem Guarda estava a viver os seus anos de ouro. João Ricardo tem apenas 14 anos, mas depressa aprende a tocar violão, além de começar a escrever alguns dos temas que anos mais tarde seriam grandes sucessos. Estuda e trabalha como jornalista no jornal Diário Popular, na TV Globo e no extinto jornal Última Hora.

Em Setembro de 1970, durante umas férias passadas em Ubatuba com um amigo, João Ricardo viu uma placa de armazém publicitando o estabelecimento onde costumavam comer e beber, “Secos e Molhados”. O nome desperta-lhe a atenção e decide atribuí-lo a um eventual grupo que viesse a formar, o que acaba por acontecer em 1971, quando conhece Fred e Pitoco. Começam por tocar em alguns bares do bairro do Bixiga em São Paulo, mas pouco tempo depois Pitoco decide iniciar uma carreira a solo. Entretanto, a cantora e compositora Luli sugere-lhe um novo vocalista que morava no Rio de Janeiro: Ney de Sousa Pereira, futuro Matogrosso, nascido a 1 de Agosto de 1941, em Bela Vista. Gerson Conrad, vizinho de João Ricardo, é também incorporado no grupo, bem como o baterista Marcelo Frias.

É esta formação (descoberta por Moracy do Val, director do jornal “Curtison” da Continental e um dos responsáveis pelo movimento da bossa-nova em São Paulo) que, depois de um ano de apresentações no Teatro do Meio, em São Paulo, começa a ensaiar para a gravação de um primeiro album. Treze canções compõem esta estreia dos Secos & Molhados, sendo as mais populares “Sangue Latino”, “O Vira” e “Rosa de Hiroshima”. A crítica política à ditadura militar encontra-se também presente em temas como “Primavera nos Dentes” ou “Assim Assado”. A capa do disco foi eleita há alguns anos pela Folha de São Paulo como a melhor de todos os tempos de discos brasileiros. «Ficamos lá a madrugada inteira, sentados em cima de tijolos», lembra João Ricardo, «fazia um frio horroroso debaixo da mesa. Em cima queimava, por causa das luzes», continua Ney Matogrosso....«comprei os mantimentos no supermercado, a toalha foi improvisada com plástico qualquer, a mesa era um compensado fino que nós mesmos serramos para entrarem as cabeças. No final da madrugada, o trabalho terminou. Tinhamos fome e estávamos duríssimos, fomos tomar café com leite. Não sei por quê, mas não me lembro de termos comido os alimentos da mesa» (Folha Ilustrada, SP, 30/03/2001).

O grande sucesso deste primeiro trabalho faz o grupo participar em diversos programas de televisão, destacando-se o “Fantástico” da Rede Globo. Em Fevereiro de 1974 batem todos os recordes de público no Maracanãzinho realizando um concerto inesquecível. Segue-se uma digressão internacional e em Agosto desse mesmo ano é lançado o segundo disco, que tinha em “Flores Astrais” o único tema de sucesso. Pouco depois, e devido a brigas internas, os Secos & Molhados chegam ao fim, seguindo cada um dos membros carreiras a solo. João Ricardo ficou com os direitos de autor do nome do grupo e lança, sempre com formações diferentes, mais três albuns até ao fim da década de oitenta (1978, 1980 e 1988). Em 2003 é editado o disco “Assim Assado: Tributo aos Secos & Molhados”, com versões dos temas deste primeiro album na voz de diversos artistas (Nando Reis, Arnaldo Antunes, Pitty, Tony Garrido, Ritchie, entre outros).

Edição Original em LP Continental SLP 10152

(Brasil, Agosto de 1974)

Está gravado na história da música pop: O segundo álbum é, na maioria das vezes, estilhaços do primeiro, ou seja, quando o trabalho debutante surpreende público e mercado, seja por inovações técnicas, um novo rítmo, vocais não-convencionais, ou um marco na mudança de comportamento pessoal ou político. O segundo álbum prossegue a proposta do primeiro, expondo material deixado de fora por muitas razões, além de acrescentar algo novo. Exemplos não faltam: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors... Vale lembrar que o segundo álbum pode chamar a atenção para um primeiro que passou despercebido, ou quase: Nirvana, por exemplo. Agora estamos no Brasil dos anos 70. O Regime Militar está mais firme do que quando começou, enquanto a esquerda tenta vencer uma luta que já nasceu fadada ao fracasso. Em 1974 a Tropicália já tinha dado seu recado, mas a música pop continuava à base de água com açúcar, e o rock dividia-se entre a ousadia de Raul Seixas e as viagens mutantes, só para ficarmos nesses marcos. E, dentro de toda essa confusão política, artística, social e cultural, Os Secos & Molhados lançaram seu segundo álbum, a exemplo do primeiro, também sem título, o que já serve de base para reforçar a tese registrada no início desta resenha. Afora a semelhança das canções, das performances, do visual glam rock, este 2º álbum é mais avançado tecnicamente, desta vez gravado em oito (!) canais. O petardo disparado por Ney Matogrosso, Gerson Conrad e João Ricardo, em 1973, causou mais estragos do que se poderia imaginar à imagem do macho brasileiro, das instituições conservadoras hipócritas e de, até certo ponto, de uma mesmice cultural, ancorada na música jovem de então.

O Sub-explorado 2º álbum dos S&M tem o mesmo número de canções do primeiro: Treze; e só um hit: "Flores Astrais", tema que sustentou o fenômeno andrógino durante todo aquele ano, que ainda causava furor Brasil afora e no exterior. Um só hit! Reside aí o maior pecado em torno desse disco. Executada à exaustão, "Flores Astrais", embora bela, obscureceu as demais belas canções, como "Tercer Mundo", a soturna "Medo Mulato" (No meio da noite/no meio do medo/dos olhos insones/os fantasmas passeiam/no canto do galo/no uivo do cão/nas vozes do vento/no galope, no relincho/no meio da solidão), "Vôo", "Delírio" e, "O Doce e o Amargo". Ao contrário de seu primeiro álbum, não obstante o evidente avanço técnico deste segundo disco, notamos a ótima qualidade da banda que dá apoio ao trio, além da perfeita sincronia entre os poemas de João Ricardo, a voz contratenor de Ney e o violão de Conrad. Essa sincronia pode ser verificado em "Toada & Rock & Mambo & Tango & Etc." e "O Hierofante", principalmente no ótimo baixo de Willie. Os Secos & Molhados como conhecemos pararam neste segundo e último disco. Lutas internas determinaram o fim da banda e do sonho de vôos mais altos. Mas a semente plantada pelo trio feito de glamour, deboche, ousadia e criatividade floresceu sob outros nomes. Mas aí a história já é outra. (in Rate Your Music)

RICK ASTLEY - "Angels On My Side"

MEGHAN TRAINOR - "Better When I'm Dancing"

COHEN ON THE ROAD

Original released on CD Legacy 88697768392

(2010, September 14)

Given that Leonard Cohen's international concert tours of the late 2000s were prompted by the fact his former manager made off with his life's savings, only a curmudgeon would blame the man for trying to make the enterprise as profitable as possible. Roughly 14 months after releasing "Live in London", which preserved Cohen's July 2008 performance at London's 02 Arena, the venerable singer and songwriter presented "Songs from the Road", featuring 12 tunes from his 2008 and 2009 concert dates. While "Live in London" captured the feel and flow of a single concert and featured most of Cohen's best-known songs, this set includes bits and pieces from 11 different shows, and while this album isn't exactly a collection of rarities, it does feature a number of lesser-known tunes (such as "Heart with No Companion" and "That Don't Make It Junk") and variant versions of some of his more famous numbers (Cohen juggles the order of the verses on "Suzanne" and adds a new verse to "Bird on a Wire"). While "Live in London" was a richly satisfying souvenir of Cohen's inspired comeback shows, "Songs from the Road" is less impressive in its more modest scale and less cohesive atmosphere. But the album still demonstrates that Cohen is a compelling and absorbing performer who brings his soul into every verse he sings, and his band is nothing less that superb; even when Dino Soldo's sax and Bob Metzger's guitar dip into jazz fusion sleepyland, they give Cohen just the musical support he needs, and the interplay between them and the vocalist is a marvel. "Songs from the Road" seems a bit pale compared to the excellence of "Live in London", but both albums are enough to convince anyone that even at the age of 74, Leonard Cohen remains one of the most vital figures in contemporary music, and his gifts as a performer nearly match his abilities as a writer, no small accomplishment. (Mark Demming in AllMusic)

ONE MORE COHEN'S MASTERPIECE

Original released on CD Columbia CK 92891

(US 2004, October 26)

There is an air of finality on Leonard Cohen's "Dear Heather". Cohen, who turned 70 in September of 2004, offers no air of personal mortality - thank God; may this elegant Canadian bard of the holy and profane live forever. It nonetheless looks back - to teachers, lovers, and friends - and celebrates life spent in the process of actually living it. The album's bookend tracks provide some evidence: Lord Byron's bittersweet "Go No More A-Roving," set to music and sung by Cohen and Sharon Robinson (and dedicated to Cohen's ailing mentor, Irving Layton), and a beautifully crafted reading of country music's greatest lost love song, "Tennessee Waltz." Cohen's voice is even quieter, almost whispering, nearly sepulchral. The tone of the album is mellow, hushed, nocturnal. Its instrumentation is drenched in the beat nightclub atmospherics of "Ten New Songs": trippy, skeletal R&B and pop and Casio keyboard and beatbox-propelled rhythm tracks are graced by brushed drums, spectral saxophones, and vibes, along with an all but imperceptible acoustic guitar lilting sleepily through it all. But this doesn't get it, because there's so much more than this, too. That said, "Dear Heather" is Cohen's most upbeat offering. Rather than focus on loss as an end, it looks upon experience as something to be accepted as a portal to wisdom and gratitude. Women permeate these songs both literally and metaphorically. Robinson, who collaborated with Cohen last time, is here, but so is Anjani Thomas. Leanne Ungar also lends production help.

Cohen blatantly sums up his amorous life in "Because Of": "Because of a few songs/Wherein I spoke of their mystery/Women have been exceptionally kind to my old age/They make a secret place/In their busy lives/And they say, 'Look at me, Leonard/Look at me one last time.'" "The Letters," written with Robinson, who sings in duet, is a case in point, reflecting on a past love who has been "Reading them again/The ones you didn't burn/You press them to your lips/My pages of concern...The wounded forms appear/The loss, the full extent/And simple kindness here/The solitude of strength." "On That Day" is a deeply compassionate meditation on the violence of September 11 where he asks the question: "Did you go crazy/Or did you report/On that day...." It is followed by the spoken poem "A Villanelle for Our Time," with words by Cohen's late professor Frank Scott that transform these experiences into hope. "We rise to play a greater part/The lesser loyalties depart/And neither race nor creed remain/From bitter searching of the heart...." On "There for You," with Robinson, Cohen digs even deeper into the well, telling an old lover that no matter the end result of their love, he was indeed there, had shown up, he was accountable and is grateful. Cohen quotes his own first book, "The Spice Box of Earth", to pay tribute to the late poet A.M. Klein. "Tennessee Waltz" is indeed a sad, sad song, but it is given balance in Cohen's elegant, cheerful delivery. If this is indeed his final offering as a songwriter, it is a fine, decent, and moving way to close this chapter of the book of his life. (Thom Jurek in AllMusc)

A LIVE TRIBUTE TO LEONARD COHEN (2006)

As a soundtrack for Lian Lunson's film "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man", Hal Willner's choices from the two overseas evenings of "Came So Far for Beauty: An Evening of Leonard Cohen Songs" recorded in Brighton and Sydney - the original was in Brooklyn - are exceptionally well done. The rest of this program, however, is utterly fine, beautiful, raw, and immediate. It helps when you've got great material, an arranger like Steven Bernstein, and bands that include Charles Burnham, Michael Blake, Kenny Wollesen, Briggan Krauss, Chris Spedding, Marc Anthony Thompson, Smokey Hormel, Don Falzone, and Maxim Moston. Hal Wilner picked the tunes after producing the Brooklyn show. And when you have Julie Christensen and Perla Batalla - longtime Cohen bandmembers - singing backing vocals on most every tune and taking their own leads as well, the performances move to another level and you have a feast. The multi-generational approach features young guns like Jarvis Cocker, Beth Orton, Teddy Thompson, the Handsome Family, and Martha and Rufus Wainwright along with first-generation Cohen countrywomen the McGarrigle Sisters (one of whom is mother to Rufus and Martha) and middle-years admirers like Nick Cave and Antony, not to mention Battala and Christensen.

It begins with Martha's wonderfully overwrought "Tower of Song." She catches the drama and the wryness in it and just pours it all out. Her brother does an acceptable job of "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" in his trademark nasally wheeze and foppish manner, but his version of "Everybody Knows" comes off with more authority. Nick Cave's lounge lizard sneer on "I'm Your Man" contains all the humor, false confidence, and desperate need of the original. The McGarrigles (with Martha) cover "Winter Lady"; it's light, airy, and gorgeously done, as is Martha's other solo, "The Traitor." Beth Orton is simple, from the gut, and completely raw and effective on "Sisters of Mercy." Listeners get Jarvis Cocker and the Handsome Family doing straight reads of "I Can't Forget" and "Famous Blue Raincoat," respectively - complete with attempts at imitating Cohen's low rumble. Cocker is truly great, while the Handsome Family are more than acceptable. Batalla's "Bird on a Wire" lends the song an entirely new dimension with its slipstream country backdrop and Cajun overtones, courtesy of a fine accordion solo. Cave, Christensen, and Batalla collaborate for a stunningly real midtempo "Suzanne" that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Batalla and Christensen's reading of "Anthem" is tender to the point of heartbreak. Teddy Thompson is, judging by his two recorded outings and his performances of "Tonight Will Be Fine" and "The Future" here, on the way to becoming a truly great singer. But it is Antony's performance of "If It Be Your Will" that is the showstopper here. With Bernstein's arrangement creating a gospel feel, Antony's white-hot vocal expressionism and humility tear the surface off every emotion and word in the song for the purpose of finding what they're really made of. If this one doesn't just blow you away, you have sawdust instead of blood running in your veins. It almost feels like the voice of God coming through the grain of his own.

The final cut, by perennial spotlight hogs U2 - of course, they weren't part of the festival - was the exception and was done in a burlesque club. Their version of "Tower of Song" is the last thing on the program and it belongs there; it's a collaboration between them, Cohen, and Anjani Thomas. Their overblown, over-arranged, and over-produced take on the tune almost steals the author's tough lyrical meaning and buries it under dross instrumental crap that sounds like an outtake from one of their albums - they never could cover other people's material well. Cohen and Anjani sound great on it, though. They keep Bono chained up until the very last verse, where he almost wrecks the tune with his undisciplined vamp on the melody, and the seemingly inauthentic (over)emotional ache in his delivery. Other than this blemish, which keeps "I'm Your Man" from being perfect, this is a fine and fitting tribute to an artist whose gifts are so massive that they cannot even be spoken of adequately. (Thom Jurek in AllMusic)

ON THE ROAD AGAIN - VOLUME 23

JETHRO TULL: "Benefit"

Original released on LP Reprise RS 6400

(US 1970, April 20)

"Benefit" was the album on which the Jethro Tull sound solidified around folk music, abandoning blues entirely. Beginning with the opening number, "With You There to Help Me," Anderson adopts his now-familiar, slightly mournful folksinger/sage persona, with a rather sardonic outlook on life and the world; his acoustic guitar carries the melody, joined by Martin Barre's electric instrument for the crescendos. This would be the model for much of the material on "Aqualung" and especially "Thick as a Brick", although the acoustic/electric pairing would be executed more effectively on those albums. Here the acoustic and electric instruments are merged somewhat better than they were on "Stand Up" (on which it sometimes seemed like Barre's solos were being played in a wholly different venue), and as needed, the electric guitars carry the melodies better than on previous albums. 

Most of the songs on "Benefit" display pleasant, delectably folk-like melodies attached to downbeat, slightly gloomy, but dazzlingly complex lyrics, with Barre's guitar adding enough wattage to keep the hard rock listeners very interested. "To Cry You a Song," "Son," and "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me" all defined Tull's future sound: Barre's amp cranked up to ten (especially on "Son"), coming in above Anderson's acoustic strumming, a few unexpected changes in tempo, and Anderson spouting lyrics filled with dense, seemingly profound imagery and statements. As on "Stand Up", the group was still officially a quartet, with future member John Evan (whose John Evan Band had become the nucleus of Jethro Tull two years before) appearing as a guest on keyboards; his classical training proved essential to the expanding of the group's sound on the three albums to come. "Benefit" was reissued twice in remastered editions with bonus tracks at the end of 2001 and in 2013, which greatly improved the clarity of the playing and the richness of the sound - you can find some of those bonus tracks inside the file.

DEMÔNIOS DA GARÔA "Trem das 11"

Edição original em LP Chantecler CMG 2294 (mono)

(BRASIL, 1964)

Os Demônios da Garôa foi um dos conjuntos vocais mais ativos da música brasileira. Nasceu em São Paulo em 1943 com o nome Grupo do Luar, tocando em festas e serenatas. Ganharam o primeiro prêmio de um concurso de rádio, e foram contratados pelas Emissoras Unidas. Ganharam notoriedade ao se consagrarem campeões do carnaval paulista de 1951 e 1952 com dois sambas de Adoniran Barbosa: "Malvina" e "Joga a Chave" (com Osvaldo Molles). Responsáveis pelos maiores sucessos de Adoniran, os Demônios da Garôa fizeram as gravações originais de "Saudosa Maloca", "Samba do Arnesto" e "Trem das Onze". Continuaram produzindo muitas gravações nas décadas de 60, 70, 80 e 90, entrando no Livro Guiness de Recordes e 1994 como o mais antigo grupo em atividade no mundo. (in Cliquemusic)

PAUL SIMON FIRST LIVE ALBUM

Original released on LP Columbia 32855

(US, April 1974)

One thing Simon & Garfunkel never did much of was tour, so a Paul Simon solo tour, following two commercially successful solo albums, was one more way for Simon to distance himself from the duo and, simultaneously, by performing songs like "The Boxer" and "Homeward Bound," to reclaim his songwriting catalog. Reflecting the musical explorations he had pursued since S & G, Simon brought along Brazilian group Urubamba and gospel group the Jessy Dixon Singers. The result wasn't perfect: nobody needed to hear "Jesus Is the Answer" (a Dixons spotlight number) on a Paul Simon album, and if it was inevitable that he would try his own version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," it was also predestined that he wouldn't come near to matching Garfunkel's original. Though the album was, like most live albums, artistically redundant (there was nothing new, and none of the live versions improved upon the studio ones), it served as a career statement and it had a marketing function, buying the relatively slow-working Simon time between new studio releases. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)

LIVE SONGS FROM MR. COHEN

Original released on LP Columbia KC 31724

(US, April 1973)

Difficult to find and seemingly assembled from spare parts, "Live Songs" is the shabby orphan in Leonard Cohen's catalog. It is also one of his most thrilling releases. Culled from a series of 1972 concerts (except for "Tonight Will Be Fine" from the Isle of Wight festival), the album consists of compositions from 1969's "Songs From a Room" and a handful of otherwise unavailable material. Those familiar with "Songs From a Room" will find that the live versions improve upon their studio counterparts, which sound like they were recorded down a well. The spirited hoedown rendition of "Tonight Will Be Fine" includes two extra verses, and the lovely, restrained performance of "Bird on the Wire" may be definitive. As for the oddities, Dick Blakeslee's spry political allegory, "Passing Through," suits Cohen's dry delivery, and the hypnotic instrumental "Improvisation" reveals a rarely seen side of his musical personality. Curiously enough, the haunting prologue and the poem-as-dirge "Queen Victoria" don't seem to have been recorded live at all. The centerpiece of the album, however, is "Please Don't Pass Me By," a monstrous 12-minute rant, both outrageous and deadly serious, apparently half written, half made up on the spot. Cohen dedicates the song to a host of outcasts, including "the cripples, the maimed, the freaks...the burned, the burning...the Jews and the gypsies" killed in the Holocaust, "the children of England," and "a savior with no one to save," then goes on to beg some unspecified addressee (the listener?) to get naked for him. Before the song is over, he declares that he can't stand himself and instructs the members of the audience to "go home with someone else." Only a daredevil artist could freak out so totally and articulately before a crowd of paying customers. Cohen fanatics will know they've hit the jackpot when they hear "Live Songs". Anyone who cares about poetry and raw emotional honesty in popular music should at least find it interesting. (Daniel Browne in AllMusic)