Van Morrison Album by Album Discussion: Part 1 (1968-1977)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by DJ WILBUR, Sep 25, 2007.

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  1. DJ WILBUR

    DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid Thread Starter

    arent white label promo copies a beautiful thing :love: ?
     
  2. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
    "Van Jan Music"

    :laugh:
     
  3. DJ WILBUR

    DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid Thread Starter

    OMG, i missed that. She sure was Yoko'ing her way in his world at this period wasnt she?
     
  4. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    I think that's the first time I've ever seen "yoko" used as a verb. :laugh:
     
  5. DJ WILBUR

    DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid Thread Starter

    :D oh? its not in the dictionary? Certainly it works...hahahaha...now the beatvanatics will crucify me....:angel:
     
  6. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
    Van reflecting on His Band and the Street Choir:

     
  7. DJ WILBUR

    DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid Thread Starter

    oh man, what a burn this all is for that album, such a dig on Janet and that cover.

    though I find it hard to believe even during this year, he'd allow so much "wrong" to go out with his name on it.

    distancing himself yes, but me thinks he still signed off on this one.
     
  8. elborak

    elborak Forum Resident

    One other thing which jumps out at me as holding this album back from greatness is the background singers. Nothing wrong with background singers (I count some of Elvis' work with The Jordanaires as pure magic), but here they just sound... well... amateurish. Where used sparsely (and down in the mix), as in "Domino", it's fine. When prominent, it's distracting. "Call Me Up In Dreamland" and "Blue Money", in particular, suffer for this.

    And lest I be lumped into some HB&TSC-hater group, far from it. It's a very good album. It's only disappointing because from Van we expect great albums.
     
  9. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
    Absolutely. I mean, he can say whatever he wants, but it's still a Van Morrison record, y'know? Van doesn't strike me as the kind of individual who would give anyone else control over him that he didn't sign off on.
    In case anyone is wondering, I didn't print this for the reason of supporting my review. (Personally, I think Van was wa-a-a-ay too hard on the album.) I'm only passing it on for info purposes; a glimpse into the mind of the Curmudgeonly One, His Vannishness.
     
  10. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    A bit from Can You Feel the Silence:

    "If the album Morrison was recording had an overriding theme, it was of the great personal debt he owned to his muse [i.e. Janet], especially in those songs he now forced himself to finish to fill out the collection….Before the New York sessions had really begun to flow he was telling the Jazz & Pop man, 'I don’t think you should throw together an album, go in there and say, "This is gonna be an album we’re gonna have to make some money with, and get something commercial and throw it together and put it out"…[because] it is something that you’re gonna have to listen to in ten years.' And yet that is precisely what he proceeded to do."
     
  11. elborak

    elborak Forum Resident

    Especially after his experience with Bert Berns & Bang.

    On the other hand, love makes people do strange things. He was apparently happy with her at the time and may have felt he could trust her to make creative decisions, something he then regretted. Just a thought...
     
  12. pig whisperer

    pig whisperer CD Member

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    I don't mind "Ivory Tower". It isn't my favorite, but it was still good to hear Van on the radio back then - it was a song on the radio that first made me go out and buy a Van Morrison album. If "Ivory Tower" was released on one of his recent albums it would be a stand out track (I'll bet if some "Common One" tracks were released today they would be better received, but I am getting ahead of the thread). It seems like they needed a single and tacked "Ivory Tower" on the end of the album, which is a good idea since it wouldn't really fit in the mix with the rest of the tracks.
     
  13. DJ WILBUR

    DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid Thread Starter

    Van, in his Mercury tenure was always itching for radio airplay, not sure if this was conjured up and tagged on for that purpose.
     
  14. dgstrat

    dgstrat Senior Member

    Location:
    West Islip, NY
    I'm chiming in a bit late on Moondance. Definitely one of my fav Van albums. Actually, probably one of my fav albums, period. Side 1 is where it's at for me on this one. Musical perfection as far as I'm concerned. Great songs....... great feel, passionate vocals, great melody, etc, etc..........Nice diversity of style. i have to say i never tire of hearing these songs, and I've heard them a lot. The "turn it up" portion of Caravan is one of my favorite vocal deliveries. So mush passion and enthusiasm....."Into the Mystic" is a gourgeous song. I love the melodic guitar lines and the horn parts. ...What can you say about the song "Moondance". One of the best combinations of pop and jazz I've heard. I think this song appeals to everyone. ..Side 2, is great, too, with "These Dreams" probably being my favorite. I really can't say enough about this album. I am anxiously awaiting the Hoffman/Gray LP!! OK Carry on with the Street Choir now...........
     
  15. elborak

    elborak Forum Resident

    And yet another on my random musings on HB&TSC (weird how I'm commenting on this album more than the classics that came before it)...

    Just finished a listen-through for the first time in probably a year or so. My opinion is still about the same (good, maybe very good, not great). But when listening I came to another realization of why it falls short for me.

    I find myself thinking, when listening, "Gee, this song would be killer if done in the style of (insert appropriate Van album)!" For example, "I'll Be Your Lover, Too" could be an awesome piece if done ala Astral Weeks.

    So it comes back again to, for me, the performances/arrangements lagging the best material. Combine that with the filler (such as "Gypsy Queen") and you have an album that misses its potential.
     
  16. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
    I think this is what I meant in my post re "Ivory Tower." It's a fine song, all right, but NG,NM,NT feels complete without it, if you know what I mean. "One Irish Rover" shoulda been the last song; it has that feel to it.
    It's just a sequencing problem, in my view.

    Does anyone think the sequencing on Street Choir could have been improved?
     
  17. DJ WILBUR

    DJ WILBUR The Cappuccino Kid Thread Starter

    well they coulda put the 6 i like on side one and problem solved....:laugh:
     
  18. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
    I like the closing track, a lot. I think it's appropriate, Somehow, especially with the "Why Did You Leave America?" lyric. I think the lyric is actually quite revealing, especailly in its vocal delivery, in that in some ways I think it speaks to a Van philosophy of thought, and/or feeling. The whole "I just can't free you now, that's not my job at all" vibe and the bitter "Why did you let me down" and "Now that things seems better off, why do you come around?"

    Sweet Jannie and If I Ever are my least favorite pair of songs on the record, and they appear one after the other, and as such, imo, the whole might be better served without them, if that helps at all, I dunno.
     
  19. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
    True. I often wonder if he came to cringe at some of the hippie-dippier elements of her involvement. But, as we'll see with Tupelo Honey next week, Ms. Planet would also inspire some pretty stirring material from the Van-tankerous Mr. Morrison.
     
  20. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
    :p :p :p
     
  21. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
    Aw, geez, I shoulda seen that one coming.
     
  22. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
    Re: Track Order: We all posted around the same time, and moved on from there, so I'm indulging myself here, Tom - and my apologies for this :) - and reposting my jibberish :p .
     
  23. pig whisperer

    pig whisperer CD Member

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    Next week? Is there anything left to be said about this album? :)
     
  24. Clarkophile

    Clarkophile Through the Morning, Through the Night

    Location:
    Oakville, ON
    We just want to make sure everyone gets a chance to post on the album at hand. I, for one, like to sit down and live with the album in question for a few days, even if it's one I'm very familiar with, just to refamiliarize myself with it.

    Some of the A-by-A threads go way too fast for my liking.
    My thinking is: "What's the hurry?"
     
  25. dee

    dee Senior Member

    Location:
    ft. lauderdale, fl
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