New to Van Morrison...where do I start?

I love it, although I came late to it.

But St Dominic's Preview is his finest moment.

 

I think that there is no more polarizing artist than VM. I dare say that everyone has their own favorite VM period, albums and songs, and also VM periods, albums and songs that they cannot stand. As someone who has bonded strongly with some of his least appreciated works, I'm reminded constantly that one person's treasured find is another person's self-indulgent dreck. I think that's absolutely remarkable that one artist can speak that strongly and diversely to so many people.

 

I think that Veedon Fleece is too polarizing to recommend without that caviot that is not for everyone. I noted that I find very little that I enjoy on it. Some don't love Astral Weeks. I like it a lot more than Fleece, though I rarely listen to it all the way through.

 

That's exactly what I meant. I don't care for either of those records (even though I have tried to like them on several occasions) and don't own them. But I bet Astral Weeks would rank high on most folk's list of Van's masterpieces.

Conversely, relatively obscure records such as How Long Has This Been Going On and Tell Me Something really speak to me deeply, even though most folks consider them throwaways.

I can't really think of another artist in which folks diverge so much about what his greatest works are. Most folks (I think) generally agree which are the best Beatles records. I think Springsteen fans generally agree which records are his best. But with Van, he appeals so broadly and speaks so deeply to a diverse universe of people. I can't think of another artist that has done that so consistently. I dunno, perhaps Neil Young would be another. But they are pretty rare.

 

Good place to start, that thing plays like a greatest hits in its own right! Did you get the 2013 deluxe edition? I found the sound of it was really well done; that would be cool if that is how you first heard it, I had it on replay for weeks when it came out.

That is the one I go to the most!

 

No, unfortunately not. Honestly didn't even know it existed, which I now know and will seek b/c I'm a sucker for outtakes, demos and alternate versions. I got the recent remaster CD online for cheap on a whim, just to try it out.

 

The "musicality" of it gets a real nice bump up with the DE cd.

 

I'm sort of an anti-demos, outtakes, rarities kind of guy. I'm on the opposite end: highly curated, ditch the filler. But I prefer this latest Deluxe Edition purely for the sound of the original tracks. It really is superb, even though Van is known to disapprove of it (that probably has more to do with him not owning the rights to it than anything else).

 

"Moon Dance" - his most accessible
"Too Late To Stop Now" - One of the greatest live albums ever.
"Into the Music" - "It's All in the Game/You Know What They're Writing About" - Makes me want to cry sometimes. Makes me high sometimes. One of my 2 most listened to Van albums (and I listen to a lot of Van)
"St. Dominic's Preview" - The other most listened to album
"The Healing Game" - 1997 album that proves Van still has it.
"Tupelo Honey" - worth it for just that song.
Any/all of the below four:
"Poetic Champions Compose"
"No Guru, No Method, No Teacher"
"A Sense of Wonder"
"Enlightenment"

 

I'm fairly new to Van Morrison myself, and have and now have his albums through St. Dominic's Preview. Which album should I look for next? Hard Nose and/or Veedon Fleece? Or should I skip ahead? So far I like all of the albums that I have, but I have no idea what the following albums are like.

 

I'd continue on in order. You don't want to skip Veedon Fleece.

Also be sure to get the live album "It's Too Late To Stop Now" that came out between these two. One of the best live albums ever!

 

If I have the albums through Veeden Fleece, what studio album(s) do you guys recommend next?

 

I'd say proceed to Into The Music and Common One. Both of these are still in print and cheap. If you like what you hear then pick up Wavelength if you can find a copy and then on into the 80's.

 

I don't think either of those two titles are still in print.

 

I'd continue on chronologically at least until "Days Like This". A lot of good albums in between and many gems like "Beautiful Vision", "No Guru...", "Poetic Champions Compose" and "Hymns To The Silence".

After "Days Like This" there are a few "specialty" albums like "How Long Has This Been Going On", "Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison", "The Skiffle Sessions – Live In Belfast 1998", and "You Win Again" interspersed with the "regular" recordings.

 

Cheap copies of Wavelength are pretty easy to find in the used bins. It's a great record.

 

"Into The Music", "Common One", "Beautiful Vision" and "Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart" are still available as CDs in the U.S. on Warner Bros.

 

If you are talking about lps, yes. Availability is opposite of cd. Into the Music and especially Common One are much harder to find on lp than Wavelength in my experience.

 

I should have said the 2008 reissues with bonus tracks on UM are no longer in print.

 

I would just go chronologically, it's a fun way to listen and discover the evolution of Van's catalog. As an aside.......After at least 3 noisy copies, I finally found a NM original WB vinyl copy of Veedon Fleece this weekend! Need to clean it and turn it up!

- Buck

 

Whatever happened to the rest of the remastered/expanded catalog we were supposed to get after the batch of early albums? I would LOVE to get St. Dominic's Preview or one of the more obscure 70s albums in a higher fidelity digital version.

 

I had it on repeat just the other day - nothing like Van in the autumn!

 

Continuing in order makes sense if you are enjoying that path. You might also consider The Philosopher's Stone which contains outtakes and other unreleased material from this period you're in. Much of it is as good as what was released, if not better. Based on my experience last year, Hard Nose the Highway, Veedon Fleece, It's Too Late to Stop Now, and A Period of Transition will be pricey on CD on eBay.

 

van morrison....hmmmmm

i have everything he released except the new one (plan B).

his catalog is very mccartney like:

1 - many albums

2 - "moondance" is the best overall, but even on that one side 2 tends to fizzle out.

3 - his early stuff is his better stuff

4 - every album has a couple or three very good songs and quite a lot of filler. his last 4 or 5 albums have been quite forgettable.

i'd recommend the 2 greatest hits first and see what you think, then go from there starting at the beginning.

 

I have everything Van Morrison has officially released (except the Austin City Limits thing) and a few "gray market" titles as well.

I respectfully disagree with #2 and #4 above, especially that notion that "every album" has 2-3 good songs and the rest filler. What exactly is the filler on Saint Dominic's Preview, Into the Music, Astral Weeks, or Veedon Fleece?

I do agree that his earlier stuff is better, but Born to Sing: No Plan B, Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl, and Keep it Simple aren't bad...certainly not "forgettable" in my opinion. What's forgettable is A Period of Transition or that awful Mose Allison thing.