Van Morrison - Best 80s Album Poll!!

whats the best Van Morrison album from the 80s. I’m going to include everything where Van is a main contributor so this includes the 2 Them albums, the collaboration albums and the live releases.

Come back tomorrow for Best Of The 90s Poll!

 

I couldn't pick a best.
My favourites are
Beautiful vision
Inarticulate speech of the heart
Live in Belfast
Sense of wonder
No guru
Poetic champions
Avalon sunset.

A solid decade for Van in my opinion

 

Am leaning towards No Guru but will have to think about these as nothing jumps out at me.

 

Lots of solid work, but no one big standout for me.

 

It's a coin flip for me - Avalon Sunset & Poetic Champions Compose. Love both of those albums.

 

A fertile period post-transition.

 

for me, this was a great decade for Van. I went for Poetic... but could have went for Common, Inarticulate, Avalon, No Guru, even Beautiful Vision and Sense are great.

In fact I’m listening to Common One right now and I’m wondering if I should change my vote!

 

I haven't heard them all but love Common One......starts off like Miles Davis In A Silent Way.

 

I’ve gone with Irish Heartbeat, but it could easily have been Common One, Sense of Wonder or Poetic Champions Compose. Surely Van must have been the sixties artist with the best eighties, if that makes sense.

 

I voted Beautiful Vision - it has Dweller On The Threshold and She Gives Me Religion - classic 80s Van. Unusual to end with an instrumental, too.

 

Off the top of my head I can’t think of anyone who had a better 80s, so I’d have to agree with you. I’ll have to think on this mind you...

 

Beautiful Vision for me, but lots of great work there.

 

This will be very well distributed. Van had a good 80s

 

Avalon Sunset. But Common One is a close second.

 

Common One would be my second choice. It is an amazing album. Maybe it is a second choice because there is no single killer track that stands out above the others? Much more of an album-in-its-totality.

 

Lots of great material during this very "spiritual" decade (starting with Into The Music in the previous one). I like all of these albums, but went for Common One - an album where you really can feel the silence. Also it has Summertime in England - a song only Van could come up with!

 

Very difficult to choose the one "best" one. Common One is more of a piece with his '70s work. Beautiful Vision, Inarticulate Speech, & Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast sort of form a distinct 'package' of their own. I think A Sense of Wonder is clearly a lesser work but I rate the others I have heard all about equally. I voted for Avalon Sunset.

 

I chose Inarticulate Speech of the Heart—personal favorite

 

I used to subscribe this point of view, but not any more. I can quote umpteen lyrics, know melodies by heart...of Van’s contemporaries (from 80s releases). In real-time, I thought Morrison was setting a high bar. My problem is that I just don’t recall it anymore!

 

A very consistent decade in terms of quality for The Man. There are quite a few fine releases, but none that scale the heights of Moondance or St. Dominic's. That said, Poetic Champions Compose is not only my favorite 80's Van, but it's easily in my top 5 or so Van releases ever.

 

I’m going with Poetic Champions Compose.

 

I think you're right. Avalon Sunset has a couple of obvious singles unlike Common One. Doesn't necessarily make it a lesser album per se, but still...

 

I picked Poetic but it could easily be No Guru, Avalon or Common One. An amazing decade's run.

 

Voted for Common One because of Summertime In England.
No Guru and Live At The Grand Opera House have also seen a fair bit of time on my turntable.
I'm not a huge fan of 80's Van (compared to 60's & 70's Van), but have heard all of the albums.

 

Almost went for No Guru, but even though I always skip that interminable last track, I still enjoy the first 40 minutes of Common One more. (And "Summertime in England" is probably the best track he cut for the '80s.)