Five Fave Van Morrison Albums

[Des]

1 Astral Weeks (of course)
2 Moondance
3 Common One (yes it's weird I know but I love this album)
4 His Band and the Street Choir
5 St Dominic's Preview

Bubbling under: Beautiful Vision/Into the Music

[Gordon Neill]

I know that it's just me, I'm not seeking to influence anyone (not that I could), but I find Astral Weeks tedious. I know that it always pops up on lists of best ever albums in the history of the universe. I've tried hard to like it, even when I was young and impressionable. But, for me, it's just dull. And I speak as someone who likes loads of Van Morrison's stuff. So definitely not an 'of course' as far as I'm concerned!

I'd nominate Tupelo Honey as a worthy replacement, more soulful and much better songs (Wild Night, Straight To Your Heart Like a Cannonball, Tupelo Honey..)

Also from his 'later' period, Poetic Champions is another favourite(Motherless Child, Alan Watts Blues, Queen of the Slipstream..).

Moondance - definitely. Probably his best.

St Dominic's Preview. Patchy, but does have some truly great songs (Jackie Wilson Said, Listen To the Lion..)..

And... um... my 5th one would be Into the Music.

[Con Murphy]

I know that it's just me, I'm not seeking to influence anyone (not that I could), but I find Astral Weeks tedious. I know that it always pops up on lists of best ever albums in the history of the universe. I've tried hard to like it, even when I was young and impressionable. But, for me, it's just dull. And I speak as someone who likes loads of Van Morrison's stuff. So definitely not an 'of course' as far as I'm concerned!

I'd nominate Tupelo Honey as a worthy replacement

What he said.


I'm afraid Astral Weeks goes alongside Sgt Pepper, Dark Side of The Moon, Heroes/Low, Marquee Moon and a few others too controversial to mention, as albums that I can appreciate the worth, influence and ground-breaking wonderfulness of, but which in all honesty leave me completely and utterly cold.

[Gordon Neill]

I've been determined for ages to disagree with Con about something. Can I change my mind? I think Astral Weeks is a superb, ground-breaking album that stands up well even after all these years. I think it's so clever to include songs which even after 35 years since I bought it I still can't remember the tunes. Oh shit.... I've lapsed into honesty again.

[Rob Hall]

I have no problem disagreeing with both of you on this: "Astral Weeks" is a great album, entirely worthy of it's place in the canon. I don't find it dull in the least, after listening to it for many years. Over and above any groundbreaking considerations, it's a work of passion and poetry; and it's no better or worse than what he did immediately afterwards, it's just different.

[Peter Culshaw]

astral weeks for me was one of the best pop records ever made - and yes, better than anything else Ive heard him do - that maybe was his tragedy - it was downhill from there

2nd best - Hard Nose The Highway

moondance - um...ok..a bit too bland for me

[garth cartwright]

Not wanting to sound too precious but i tend to listen to Van with Them thesedays more than i listen to him solo. Both of the Them albums rank amongst the best rock albums of the 60s - great dynamics, ferocious singing, a real sense of controlled rage . . . what a band! If Van hadn't got so famous with his solo stuff i imagine Them would be much more laudered. I know Julian Cope says he likes best the Them albums cut after Van left but i've never heard these and imagine he's just teasing!

Solo Van: Astral Weeks has great moments. Moondance has some wonderful songs - Stoned Me, Mystic - but lots of fluff. Veedon Fleece is pretty nice and St Dom definitely has some of his best singing. The last decent album of Van I can recall was the early 80s one with Cleaning Windows and something Stairway - fine songs, well sung. After that he just seemed either away with fairies or very grumpy. Or both. Singing and songwriting in severe decline. Tho i do recall the collaboration with The Chieftans having some nice moments. I used to listen to Van a lot as a teen but rarely feel the need to today. Odd as i don't tend to think of him as a teen favourite. That said, i still listen to Them and think they sound as good as the mid60s Stones!

[NormanD]

Them's version of Dylan's "Baby Blue" has a lovely hypnotic guitar riff going through it, which was sampled by Beck on his Odelay album. The sleeve credits Dylan as writer, who presumably gets the royalty skim.

Them were produced by Bert Berns who I think was on an extended stay in the UK (did he give them "Here Comes The Night" to cover?), and he later gave Van his solo deal on Bang Records. Or helped him to starve in New York, depending on how you look at it.

Norman

[Charlie]

Moondance....

...beginning and end of story....

....why do you need five?

I liked Them's singles, and agree with all of Garth's adjectives on the subject, but it never occurred to me to think that their albums would be worth paying attention to. Must investigate sometime. But when?

[Charlie]

Them were produced by Bert Berns - did he give them "Here Comes The Night" to cover?

Imagine the dialogue in the studio:

BB. Hey, Van, I've got this song I think would suit you.

VM: Yeah? How does it go?

BB: Well I've got this version I did before.
[plays the tape]

VM: Who's the chick singing on the demo?

BB: It's Lulu. And it's not a demo, it's a record.

VM: Well if Lulu recorded it, why d'ya want me to do it?
[editor's note, Van says 'me', not 'us', even though it's a Them recording session]

BB: Well, because it didn't do anything.

VM: You're asking me to cover a Lulu flop?

BB: Well you could put it like that. But that's not the way to look at it, Van. It's a great song, I just made a mistake offering it to her when I should've saved it for you.

VM: Well as long as it doesn't take more than thirty minutes. After that, I'm off the pub and fuck the lot of you.

[Them's version of 'Here Comes the Night' made number 2 on the UK chart in the early summer of 1965.
PS. Jimmy Page played guitar on Them's recordings.]

[c hristian]

if I have to play Moondance one more time when I do a wedding, I think I'm going to go CRAZY!

(Stay tuned, craziness sure to follow.)

[Neil Foxlee]

Three points:

1. Moondance is best appreciated if you play Side 2 of the original LP before side 1 - that way you end with Into the Mystic (inspired by the river that flows through Boston, Mass?)

2. How come nobody mentioned It's Too Late To Stop Now, one of the great live albums? Live in Belfast ain't bad either.

3. Time for a Bert Berns Top Ten.

[ian russell]

Tedious?! I'm always disappointed it ends so soon.

Why five indeed. There was something someone wrote in a paper - could have been Rod Liddle - who said (paraphrased), you never really need to own more than one album from any artist (and it's usually their first). a few artists may require two, and only the rare genius would require you to own three. any more than three is nonsense.

I've thought about this on and off, and I think he's got a point (whether I follow his advice or not).

[Chris P]

I was looking through the Cds that tend to stay near the Cd player, and I'd say that Don Van Vliet + Magic Band is the only music act or artist in the history of the known (to us) universe that I know of who has made 8 essential albums * (+ 2 other good ones and one other great one -the original Bat Chain Puller- unreleased officially).

But clumsily leaping back to the thread, I've always had a bit of time for the Celtic pretentiousness and grandeur that is "Sense of Wonder".

* ok ok Miles Davis, Charlie Mingus, John Coltrane yadda yadda -I'm talking about song/vocal based music I guess

[Phil Abel]

First, a declaration of interest. I first heard Van Morrison’s ‘solo’ output at about the same time that Honky Tonk was enlivening my weekend and expanding my education. I have been entranced ever since. There are what I regard as some truths and half-truths here that I would like to address.

A truth. It certainly seems that Van’s song writing is not what it was thirty years ago. Whereas in the seventies a cover version on an album was unusual (Green on Hard Nose the Highway) more recent recordings contain more of other peoples songs and many of Van’s own are preoccupied with the hard time he has had at the hands of the music business. He still writes some great ones, though. Just Like Greta and Celtic New Year from Magic Time, for example, stand with the best. He has also written some really fine country songs like What Makes the Irish Heart Beat and Playhouse.

A half truth. His singing is not what it was. His voice is pitched lower now, and the falsetto hasn’t been heard for years so far as I know. I would say that his diction is better now. But for me his voice has been one of the main points of Van’s music. His words have never mattered as much as the way he has sung them, which has been nothing short of miraculous. This is as true today as it ever was, even if the extraordinary stretched out performances are now a thing of the past. That power is not unique, but he has sustained it for a remarkably long period. Greil Marcus discussed it coherently and with insight in The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Another one. It’s too Late To Stop Now is one of the greatest live albums ever made. Unquestionably so, but Live In San Francisco, released in 1994, as at least as good, this year’s Live at Austin City Limits Festival is pretty fine, and The Skiffle Sessions is a good listen too. These matter, because live performance is one of the things that his music is all about. On a good day he can transport an audience to another place. On a less good one he is an able performer with a remarkably good band. Sometimes he is a shadow of what he can do.

Charlie said

....why do you need five?

For many years my reaction on first hearing a new Van Morrison album was that it was the same old thing but not as good as it used to be. I’d keep listening to it and eventually it would find its way into my soul along with the rest of them. At the time of its release Common One sounded derivative and uninteresting. Replaying it now I hear an truly great live performance captured in the studio.

The ultimate one. Van is grumpy. Yes, he appears to have little time for half-baked journalists and inane DJs. (In the distant past when I used to listen to Capital Radio the whole station was in uproar because he was rude to Nicky Horne.) It is clear from what he has said on the record that he wants to keep his private life private. Give me that attitude over a matey chat with Jonathan Ross any time. That said, it’s clear that he can be difficult to be with and to work with. Dr John has said that he wanted to punch Van out when they were recording A Period of Transition. There are three points here. One is that Van is not my friend, he is someone who makes music that has affected me profoundly, and that is more than enough. The second is that this ‘criticism’ is selective: there is precious little said about Miles Davis as a person, and rightly so. He is one of the greatest musicians of the last century, but I wouldn’t have wanted to spend time in his company. And lastly and most importantly, his music is life-enhancing and it is quite obvious that he enjoys making it.

I’m sorry, this is probably much too long , and Van certainly doesn’t need defending by me. I have been asking myself why I wanted to post this. I think it’s because it has always seemed that Charlie has never really got it with Van and I wanted to put across another point of view. His view matters because he has introduced me to so much great music. Thanks Charlie.