Van Morrison - New Album on RCA early 2015, "Duets: Re-working the Catalogue"

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Dark Horse 77, Dec 16, 2014.

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  1. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
  2. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    Despite the negative reviews and opinions of some, I've enjoyed most of Van Morrison's albums from the 2000s. There comes a point where an artist is competing with a younger version of themselves. Whether true or not, there is a notion that the work of older artists can't match their earlier material. Van deserves respect for the courage of swimming against the stream and continuing to record.

    If this new project is a duets album, I hope and pray that Kid Rock will not be present. However, I know in my heart Van would never let that happen. Of course there are some exceptions, but generally duets albums often feel contrived and created for a specific purpose. When a song features another performer, it usually detracts from the overall listening experience because the spotlight is taken from the artist I'm listening for in the first place.

    Van is only 69 years old and I feel that his potential is much greater than a duets album. It seems like a waste of time and performances, but one good thing is that his music and legacy will be exposed to younger audiences who might not be familiar with his catalog. There are still many great ideas and projects waiting to be recorded by the man.
     
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  3. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    Isn't it out of print because Van decided it was going to be?
     
  4. Maggie

    Maggie like a walking, talking art show

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    All the kids go wild for George Benson!

    I loved Born to Sing: No Plan B so I was actually excited for this record because I'm not against Van revisiting his catalogue, per se. I listen to the 2009 Astral Weeks concert all the time and think it's a very impressive achievement. But his motivation is very hard to understand. He won't let his new music go up on iTunes, YouTube, or Spotify, which is how young people actually listen to music; he has indicated in interviews that he's not interested in winning new fans anyway (or at least that he's resigned to only selling stuff to his existing, old, fans). This is made apparent not just in the way that most of his classic music languishes out of print, but also in how he even lets his recent albums fall out of print (try finding a copy of Keep It Simple these days) after just a couple of years. This leaves me wondering: does Van's existing fan base really line up with Michael Buble's fan base? Does Van think it does? Or is he trying to cultivate a new audience of middle-aged suburban moms?

    Look, I know Buble is a fan of Van's (he has recorded several of his songs already and has performed things like "Jackie Wilson Said" on occasion), but this seems like a miscalculation to me. At least Benson has some jazz/R&B cred.

    Yes, but from Van's perspective, his hand was forced by labels refusing to fulfill his terms (which may or may not have been outrageous, along the lines of "promote No Guru No Method No Teacher as much as you promote Katy Perry's new album"). Not denying he's a vindictive cranky-pants, but on the other hand, it's hard to deny that the music business is as corrupt as he says it is.
     
  5. Schoolmaster Bones

    Schoolmaster Bones Poe's Lawyer

    Location:
    ‎The Midwest
    [​IMG] Hiyyo!
     
  6. Maggie

    Maggie like a walking, talking art show

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Other confirmed guests now include Steve Winwood and Mark Knopfler.

    There are unconfirmed reports the album will include a second subtitle, one-upping 2012's Born to Sing: No Plan B. The full title is reported to be Duets: Re-working the Catalogue: F*** You, Maggie.
     
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  7. Koabac

    Koabac Self-Titled

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Van Morrison is one of my favorite artists of all time and I own everything he ever released and a ton of stuff he didn't release and WOW am I NOT excited for a duets album of his old songs with the likes of George Benson and Michael Buble. At least a few new original songs mixed in there would be preferable.

    If the motivation to do these kinds of albums is to introduce an older artist to a younger generation, does this actually work? Does anyone know if other older artists who made duets albums suddenly had One Direction fans buying their entire back catalogues and not just downloading the one duet song they sang with whatever you'd artist is they like? In this day and age, I can't see a Katy Perry fan buying an entire Van Morrison duets album just to get the Katy Perry duet (not that she's on the album, but I'm using her as a hypothetical), then saying "Holy crap, I'm gonna run out and buy "Common One" now!"

    It seems more likely it would work the other way - that a Van Morrison fan would buy the album and hear a newer/new-to-them artist singing with Van and say, "Hey, they're pretty good. Maybe I'll check out more of their stuff." How that helps Van, I'm not sure.
     
  8. Koabac

    Koabac Self-Titled

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Ha! Or the title could be "Plan B: Born To Duet".
     
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  9. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    They're watching an executive at Warner Bros being water tortured.
     
  10. Maggie

    Maggie like a walking, talking art show

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Katy Perry guesting on a 20-minute version of "Haunts of Ancient Peace": TAKE MY MONEY NOW
     
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  11. Bemagnus

    Bemagnus Music is fun

    Well- it might be a pleasant listening experience for sure
    In my mind Van has not yet come up with a bad album, some might be a bit dull and samey but nothing is really bad
    Hope this one will not be his first
    Don t think it will be either but maybe a bit dull and samey
     
  12. e.s.

    e.s. Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I've always thought "Van Morrissey" would be a great name for a dual-purpose tribute band: Van Morrison songs sung in the style of Morrissey, and Morrissey songs sung in the style of Van Morrison.
     
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  13. APH

    APH Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cambridge, England
    I heard Real Real Gone on radio two while driving today.
    It is ok, I love the song anyway, and Buble isn't really given much space to spoil it.
    But the presence of Buble means it gets played on Radio Two, was trailed before being played as something interesting, and it puts Van back into the mainstream a bit.
    I think this album is perhaps conceived along the lines of a reintroduction to Van to the mainstream?

    By which i mean the older mainstream listener. Not the One Direction fans.
     
  14. Craig

    Craig (unspecified) Staff

    Location:
    North of Seattle
    Good riddance to all of you bandwagoners.
     
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  15. culabula

    culabula Unread author.

    Location:
    Belfast, Ireland
    My heart is both inarticulate and speechless.
     
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  16. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
    Aw Craig, you know I have every Van CD and I'll carry on regardless. It's too late to stop now.
     
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  17. Craig

    Craig (unspecified) Staff

    Location:
    North of Seattle
    But if one of the duets turns out to be with Brian Kennedy then what will you be saying, saying? :whistle:
     
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  18. ruben lopez

    ruben lopez Nunc Est Bibendum

    Location:
    Barcelona Spain
    :bigeek:
    :cry:
    :hurl::hurlleft:













    P.S:I'm speechless
     
  19. pghmusiclover

    pghmusiclover Senior Member

    [​IMG]
    Vinyl Tracklisting from Amazon UK:

    Disc: 1
    1. Some Peace Of Mind - Van Morrison & Bobby Womack
    2. If I Ever Needed Someone - Van Morrison & Mavis Staples
    3. Higher Than The World - Van Morrison & George Benson
    4. Wild Honey - Van Morrison & Joss Stone
    Disc: 2
    1. Whatever Happened to P.J. Proby - Van Morrison & P.J. Proby
    2. Carrying A Torch - Van Morrison & Clare Teal
    3. The Eternal Kansas City - Van Morrison & Gregory Porter
    4. Streets of Arklow - Van Morrison & Mick Hucknall
    Disc: 3
    1. These Are The Days - Van Morrison & Natalie Cole
    2. Get On With The Show - Van Morrison & Georgie Fame
    3. Rough God Goes Riding - Van Morrison & Shana Morrison
    4. Fire In The Belly - Van Morrison & Steve Winwood
    Disc: 4
    1. Born To Sing - Van Morrison & Chris Farlowe
    2. Irish Heartbeat - Van Morrison & Mark Knopfler
    3. Real Real Gone - Van Morrison & Michael Bublé
    4. How Can A Poor Boy? - Van Morrison & Taj Mahal
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2015
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  20. dino77

    dino77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    The man has a sense of humour.
    Warning, broad stereotyping based on experience:
    You meet a 30ish woman who says she's a jazz fan. You get surprised and excited and ask her about it. She says "I love Michael Bublé. He has this great song called "Moondance". Check, please. ;)
     
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  21. beatlebum

    beatlebum Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hannover, Germany
    4. Streets of Arklow - Van Morrison & Mick Hucknall

    The End is near.
     
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  22. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    I imagine it'll be like most of his albums post-Beautiful Vision. I'll like some of it, the rest will be so-so and I'll either moan about the production or the state of his voice - or both.
     
  23. pghmusiclover

    pghmusiclover Senior Member

    ...and don't forget to bitch about his choice of duet partners too! :winkgrin:
     
  24. John Rhett Thomas

    John Rhett Thomas Forum Resident

    Location:
    Macon, GA, USA
    I hear there's going to be a Best Buy exclusive bonus track duet with Kanye West on "Ringworm".
     
    entropyfan, ruben lopez and Craig like this.
  25. tomd

    tomd Senior Member

    Location:
    Brighton,Colorado
    "Only" 69????
     
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