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

Oh I know what you mean, but It IS an opener for the second side of the record, the rest of which is mostly very mellow. I think when sequencing this one, he probably wanted a bit of a pulse and a track that could land him on the radio, he's pretty business savy at this point and knows radio is key to selling some albums, so a classic sounding van song that fits well next to Cul de Sac, but not so good following Punches, so its modern technology marring this listening experience in the middle of this cd listen.

I for one always love when "Bulbs" pops on, cause it does give the album a bit of a punch, where he's not really pullin no punches and not pushin the river...

You don't pull no punches, and you don't push the river, no
You don't pull no punches, but you don't push the river, no
You don't pull no punches, but you don't push the river, no
You don't pull no punches, but you don't push the river


(can you all sense I'm eager to discuss Veeden already?)....

 

Yes. Yes, I can sense that, William.

 

Bulbs is one of my favorites on Veedon Fleece. One of many. I love his guttaral noises on that one.

 

I've felt it too. Veedon Fleece must be on of those records I got when I wasn't doing much listening, because when you brought it up, I realized I wasn't very familiar with it. I dug it out and have listened to it a half dozen times in the last couple of weeks. It is wonderful.

Tim

 

Well Tim, I'll expect your five page dissertation on this one by next class on monday.

 

Luckily, my upstairs neighbors were not home when I got there last night. So, I put on ITLTSN and cranked it way up. Holy hell that was yet another awesome experience!
Right out of the gate, as I went to the kitchen to mix another screwdriver, in the first song there was a piano fourish that sounded so good I freaked out and looked at my piano in the room to make sure no one was fugging with me and actually playing it. I was alone.

And, as has been mentioned plenty here, on Cypress Ave. that part where he replies, "It's already turned on," or something to that effect, I don't recall really taking note of that little transaction of words before. I was waiting for it this time and laughed my loaded head off.

 

A great live show and a nice sounding CD. I like the bluesy covers most on disc one. The band is great and Morrison is in fine vocal form.

 

Thank you.

 

Great observation.

 

Is there a specific list of the songs that were recorded at each concert, that were released on ITLTSN? The strings were used at the U.K. show, and not in the U.S.?

 

Wow! I'm enjoying this album more than I ever have! (Adios National Geographic hommage).

*****

 

Not a bad selection of tunes either! (Oh dear, I misspelled one of the song titles )

*****

 

Great short story there. I found myself snapping my fingers to the rhythm as I walked across the room to the kitchen while "Ain't Nothing You Can Do" was pouring out of those speakers. My fingers would not stop snappin' and I knew then I was hooked on that newish remastered CD set.

 

Good question. I was wondering this myself.
And how on earth did they manage to get a such seamless, uniform sounds from two different venues on different sides of the pond? It's not obvious to me which songs were recorded where.

And speaking of the "No overdubs allowed"/"Van Morrison as Nature intended" approach on this album, did anyone notice Van's voice kind of cracking at the end of "Warm Love." Kind of endearing in its way.

 

Just giving the thread a bump to inform any newcomers that we're currently discussing Van's double-live It's Too Late To Stop Now album.

We'll be moving on to the one with the Irish Wolfhounds on Monday...subject to William's ability to restrain himself until then.

 

I've locked William up and sedated him, so carry on discussing ITLTSN.

 

Nice cover, Guy. Did you do that yourself?

 

Thank you, Jason. I've tried to reason with him.
I've tried begging and pleading...

Solitary confinement would seem to be our only alternative.


(It should be noted that William has been working on his review since last weekend. Just thought I should warn everyone).

 

The tranquilizer gun really did the trick. Out like a light.

 

see, I'm right, there isn't much to say about this live one, so you're pickin on me to keep yourselves amused...while the irish wolfhounds guard my confinement.......i could use tranquilization today, lemme tell ya.

 

I thought ITLTSN got two weeks since it's a double album.

 

i'm alright with that....whatever you guys want and need, we are here to serve....

 

Nah, I was just kidding. One a week is fine.

 

Yes... fun with Photoshop. I have the album on CD, but also had the LP to do the scan. I cropped and flipped the cover image, then "painted over" the visual clutter using the clone stamp tool. The type is in a well-spaced Book Antiqua font (one of my favorites).

I get carried away doing artwork for custom edition CDR’s, but it's an amusing passtime and to my eyes that original album cover was a mess… sheesh, where’s the kitchen sink? In "edited" form you have a pensive Van gazing down at the quay with Tommy-esque seagulls circling overhead as the celestial heavens go bonkers! Not brilliant perhaps, but it's much better than; pensive Van gazing down at the quay with Tommy-esque seagulls circling overhead as the celestial heavens go bonkers AND Ireland is being invaded by Vietnamese fishermen and Muslim shepherds whilst colliding with a fiery urban blight of drug dealers, prostitution and abandoned elderly through a muddled (and very-poorly executed) geometric warp in the space-time continuum!

I left most of Van’s sequencing intact with this hypothetical double-album rejigging and I’ve enjoyed listening to it a couple of times already. I had bought a used copy of HNTH on CD and hadn't played it more than once... this is a nice rediscovery for me.

 

The side effects of William's sedation brings some curious dreams to him...