Live Songs (Remastered)

For years, this 1973 live album was either out of print or not available domestically in the U.S. However, it represents a time in Leonard Cohen’s career when his popularity was largely in Europe and other parts of the world. Only “Queen Victoria,” one of several previously unreleased songs, was recorded in the U.S., alone by Cohen in his Tennessee hotel room. The remainder were recorded in Europe—London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels, or the Isle of Wight—with all being from either 1970 or the 1972 tours. Cohen’s live approach was free-spirited and open to his whims. “Bird on the Wire” from Paris includes Cohen’s recitation of the song’s first verse in French, while “Improvisation” is a guitar instrumental, said to be part of “You Know Who I Am,” a song presented here in an extended version as well. “Minute Prologue,” “Please Don’t Pass Me By (A Disgrace),” and a cover of Dick Blakeslee’s “Passing Through” have never seen studio releases. The version here of “Seems So Long Ago, Nancy” is particularly affecting.