Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979

Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979
Live album by Leonard Cohen
Released February 20, 2001 (copyrighted 2000)
Recorded December 4, 5, 6, 1979 at the Hammersmith Odeon, London and December 15, 1979 at the Dome Theatre, Brighton
Genre Folk rock
Length 63:03
Leonard Cohen chronology

More Best of Leonard Cohen
(1997)
Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979
(2001)
Ten New Songs
(2001)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic link
Pitchfork Media (8.1/10)
Robert Christgau link
Rolling Stone link

Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979 is a live album by Leonard Cohen released in 2001. Songs were recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, on 4, 5, and December 6, 1979 and at the Dome Theatre, Brighton, on December 15, 1979. Cohen said it was his best tour ever.

Accompanying Cohen was the jazz band Passenger from Austin, Texas, consisting of members Steve Meador on drums, Roscoe Beck on bass, Mitch Watkins on guitar, Bill Ginn on keyboards and Paul Ostermayer on sax and flute. Other tour members included violinist Raffi Hakopian, oudist John Bilezikjian, and backup singers Jennifer Warnes and Sharon Robinson. Beck would become a stalwart of Cohen's studio and live bands for more than a decade afterwards.

Track listing

  1. "Field Commander Cohen" – 4:25
  2. "The Window" – 5:51
    • violin solo by Raffi Hakopian
  3. "The Smokey Life" – 5:34
    • duet with Jennifer Warnes
  4. "The Gypsy's Wife" – 5:20
    • violin solo by Raffi Hakopian
  5. "Lover Lover Lover" – 6:31
    • includes two long oud solos by John Bilezikjian
  6. "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" – 4:04
    • violin solo by Raffi Hakopian
  7. "The Stranger Song" – 4:55
  8. "The Guests" – 6:05
    • violin solo by Raffi Hakopian
  9. "Memories" – (Cohen, Phil Spector) 4:38
    • sax solo by Paul Ostermayer
  10. "Why Don't You Try" – 3:43
    • duet with Sharon Robinson, solo by Paul Ostermayer
  11. "Bird on the Wire" – 5:10
    • guitar solo by Mitch Watkins
  12. "So Long, Marianne" – 6:44

External links