Van Morrison discussion thread

[LemonMelon]

Went through the search just now and, surprisingly (or perhaps not-so-surprisingly, depending on your opinion of Interference's search function), there were no threads at all for the man. So yeah, figured there would be a few people here who could help guide me through his discography a bit and, you know, take active interest in discussing it.

Thus far, I've only heard two albums, Astral Weeks and Moondance. That and, you know, Brown Eyed Girl on the radio 25,000 times (fucking love that song, btw). Personally, I prefer Astral Weeks of the two, and the title track is one of my favorites of his. The album is sublime, splendidly cohesive, lovingly produced (sorry you missed out on this, Lance), with some of the best performances you'll likely hear on any rock album of the era. I probably won't listen to it for another 8 months or so, as it's one of my all-time favorite spring records, and I tend to save it for that purpose, but I love it just the same. Heard Moondance for the first time today. The first half kicked my ass, possibly surpassing Astral Weeks every now and again. The rest? Well, it's more of a singles collection than its predecessor, and that becomes abundantly clear over the course of the album. Just the same, I dug it. So, based on the above, should I continue chronologically or jump over to Tupelo Honey? I've heard a lot of wonderful things about that album.

Oh, and for those who just want to talk about the man, make yourselves comfortable.

 

[phanan]

I personally really dig Tupelo Honey, but I see no reason why you can't just continue chronologically, as there is only His Band And The Street Choir before it, which is still a solid album.

While I love them both, I like Moondance a bit more than Astral Weeks, but you certainly can't go wrong with either.

 

[LemonMelon]

Any specific latter-career highlights I shouldn't miss out on? I know basically everything through Veedon Fleece is considered essential, but after that the path becomes a bit less clear.

 

[phanan]

His later output, while still decent, tends to be too spotty for me, and admittedly I haven't listened to several of his newer releases as they became a bit too standard for my tastes.

The album he did with the Chieftains was good though, but that was still 20 years ago, so not exactly latter day output there.

 

[lazarus]

I actually love most of his modern work, even his very slick 90's material; Days Like This is a very pleasant listen and has a lot of memorable tunes, esp. "Raincheck" and "Ancient Highways". And his voice is still fantastic. Personally, I feel his last album, Keep it Simple, is one of the best he's released in AGES. The final track "Behind the Ritual" is a career highlight. Down the Road, also from this decade, is another great one.

So many noteworthy albums it's hard to make a list in any kind of order, but lately I've really been digging Saint Dominic's Preview, which has Jackie Wilson Said, as well as the title track, and two side-enders that both run over 10 minutes. Great shit. Another one that's been one of my favs for a long time is the double album Hymns to the Silence from 1991, which was a bit of a segue out of a pretty spiritual/Christian period, and is a fairly "Irish" album.

If you wanna hear some live Van, definitely check out the double It's Too Late To Stop Now, which is from the mid or late 70's. Out of this world.

Another seriously great purchase is The Philosopher Stone, an album of outtakes that spans most of his career, up through the early 90's. It's up there with Dylan's Bootleg Series 1-3 in terms of quality, I shit you not.

For what it's worth, Adam Claycourt highly recommends No Guru, No Method, No Teacher.

 

[corianderstem]

I never really paid attention to him until a few years ago, when I finally picked up Moondance and Tupelo Honey. Oh man, that's some great stuff. I have Astral Weeks as well, but it's harder for me to get into that one. I want to keep trying though, as I just keep hearing about how much of a masterpiece it is. I mean, I like it, it's just not as accessible to me.

Jackie Wilson Says is a wonderful song - it makes me happy.

 

[LemonMelon]

I have Astral Weeks as well, but it's harder for me to get into that one. I want to keep trying though, as I just keep hearing about how much of a masterpiece it is. I mean, I like it, it's just not as accessible to me.

Astral Weeks is best heard on a quiet, dreary day. Considering your area of residence, it shouldn't be terribly difficult to find one of those. I would be a hypocrite if I told you to devote complete attention to it, but it does help. The professionalism and nuance of the performances will be the first thing that grabs you; the songs reveal themselves gradually, but those melodies do eventually worm their way into your head. The album has been a good friend to me over the years.

 

[phanan]

Now if only those first four albums could get a proper remastering treatment like the others.

 

[corianderstem]

I would be a hypocrite if I told you to devote complete attention to it, but it does help.

I'll give it a shot, but I am not very good at just sitting quietly and listening to music.

As for the dreary days, fall's a-comin', so I think I'll have lots of opportunities for that!

 

[SeattleVertigo]

Van Morrison is one of my favorites.

I'm not very album-oriented, but I would say that Moondance is one of my favorite albums of all time. Tremendous songwriting. And It Stoned Me is one of my favorite songs.

I also love St. Dominic's Preview -- the title song, Jackie Wilson Said and Redwood Tree are amazing songs.

I like Astral Weeks well enough, but couldn't put it on the same level at Moondance or St. Dominic's Preview. I'm happy enough when the songs show up on iTunes, but I don't seek them out.

I like Healing Game, Back On Top and Days Like This from the 1990s a lot (though they aren't anywhere near Moondance), and Real Real Gone is a great song.

And I also have a number of his live albums as well as concert bootlegs, and I really enjoy the live music.

Definitely one of my favorite songwriters, even though I've heard from time to time that he's not the nicest person.

 

[cobl04]

Legend. My favourite song is Dweller on the Threshold.