VAN MORRISON Album by Album Discussion: Part 2 (Wavelength 1978 - Enlightenment 1990)

Please do. I was only filling in because I felt some sense of responsibility with Jason MIA. It's hard work

 

Good news: I just ordered the Heylin book, so in the New Year I won't have to bug you guys.

I hope Jason's not avoiding us now because of all the homework assignments William and I were giving him


This is probably a good time to announce that we'll be breaking for the Holidays after discussion of Common One (in two weeks), and then we'll resume in January.

 

or to put it another way, you could just say...

Common One is SO GREAT....that we need three weeks to discuss it!!!

also we can use those down weeks to just rehash all the Vangoodness we've already discussed. There will be a test....

 

It's about time, Tom! I think you'll find it a very interesting read.

 

and thank you for this extra effort you're supplying here.

and Where is Mr. Kruppa I wonder?

 

It was a lot easier when amazon let me pull up the pages online. I could type in one window while viewing the text in another. They cut me off though, so now I'm going to have to hold the book open while typing. Once I dig the book out of whatever box it's in, heh.

Anywho, I have no memories of this album, despite owning it at one point on vinyl. It just never made an impression on me for whatever reason.

If I can find the book tonight I'll try to post something from it about the LP.

 

Yes, thank you, William.

 

Yeah, it was time, and with shipping and all it came to just 20 bucks, so I figured I'd go for it. Besides, the info I've learned from it on this board from Jason and curbach has trumped anything I've read in either Collis or Hinton put together.

 

Wavelength is an album I can't quite put my finger on. The songs themselves aren't bad, but they don't connect with me in the way many of Van's songs do. Whenever I go back for a listen however I do mostly enjoy it. It's certainly a step above his previous effort and a stepping stone to his next album.

 

This sums up my feeling too.

To be perfectly honest, after my weekend play of Into the Music, I'm just chomping at the bit to write about that one, as I know my esteemed colleague is as well. With Into the Music, Van ended the 1970's with yet another triumph.

 

i'm ready when you are. are we ready to move on from Wavelength????

 

Move on from Wavelength? That's like moving from the dark end of the street to the bright side of the road. Sorry, I just had a beer or two with my lunch.

 

the better to get Into The Music!

 

Now we're talkin'.

 

Well......it might be worth a quick drive up Sunset Blvd. to the Roxy......

 

ha, I have this too. needledropped from my friends copy. Thanks for reminding me....

I dont love it, but its worth hearing again.

 

I need more time.
Plus, we can discuss the Roxy ...

 

thats fine, when's the ship sailing anyway? Mr. Tom is cruising soon....

i was half teasing hoping to speed up Wavelength feedback.. but I am surprised after two days such a small turnout for Wavelength.....

 

Now that's the most insightful thing I ever recall reading from a rock critic. Of course Lester never did really fit the ilk; I always liked him. I think he's being a bit hard on Wavelength, though. I've never owned it, but I've heard it, evidently, because when you guys started talking about it, a few of those song titles started playing in my head. I probably dropped the circa '78 radio-ready production and imagined them live, they way they'd play on ITLTSN, but man, they sounded good. It just served to remind me that while it might be fun to dissect the master's weak moments and talk of slick late 70s sound and dated synths, it's really just talk. Van as a commercial late 70s singer/songwriter? Nah. One of his weakest efforts is worth Andrew Gold's entire career. One growl from the Lion would lay Rod Stewart's whole post-"Every Picture" output to rest.

Have your fun Lester; he's still Van Morrison. And his next little piece is gonna wash out your uber-articulate mouth with the soap of the mystic covenant.

Tim

 

I'm leaving on the 6th. I'll try to throw something together for ITM and Common One this weekend.

 

Please let Wavelength hang around a few more days - page one's posts are so articulate and Thoreau! It takes more than one read and a little bit of time time to sink in Plus I still need to buy and listen to Common One, , but at least I know where I can get it!

 

Most of what I wanted to say about Wavelength has been said here already. Van said he wanted another hit, and he made one. I agree with Tom, this production does not sound like Van. It is standard mid-seventies multi-tracked gloss. Van really did listen to those Boston records. He killed the horns, added the noodling synths, tasteful guitar solos and he polished off those rough R&B edges. Van went to the hot photographer, put on his t-shirt and struck a pose. The art director worked on this cover and it was of the moment.

I don't hate this album, because there is nothing to hate. I don't love it either, Lester was correct (and man could he write) it can be used as background music. Lester was also correct about the lyrics, that is the silliest verse ever penned by Van. It is still Van however, and he sings with soul and a little jazz, but he holds back a bit.

Listening to this again after not hearing it in years I enjoyed the slightly swinging tunes the most, Kingdom Hall, Checkin' It Out, and Natalia. The big surprise was Venice USA it has a second line, syncopated groove that really hit me in my monkey bone.

As for side two I don't know where that cowboy is riding to, but I have a feeling it's not Sante Fe. He may have saddle sores when he gets there because it is a long ride. Van does not take us into the mystic but you can see it from here. Van succeeded in creating an FM radio staple, and the hit, Wavelength was still a little different from everything else on the radio. It is still Van.

 

I have that one, too. They spelled Katie's name wrong.

I saw him live near the end of '78 so a lot of the songs are the same.

 

I love Katie, met her a few times when she was on tour in the 90s with Waters and then Clapton. Beautiful, and a great voice that all rock's royalty wishes to sing with. She must be doing something right.

Besides this WB Roxy promo which is not all that common to find in clean condition, Van would also do the same year a King Biscut Flower Hour show recorded live from the Bottom Line in NYC. So we have at least two good live recordings of this chapter in Van's history. While not as firey as Too Late To Stop Now (what is?), I enjoy them. 1975 to 1980 was an era when the official "live bootleg" promo was very fashionable. I love em'.

 

curbach stated my preferences - better, than i could in english.
I bought that LP back when it came out and it was the first Van Morrison LP i owned- okay i had cassettes of Hard Nose The Highway and Too Late To Stop Now. Those motivated to buy that album, it was quite a while since Van released an album before Wavelength. Anyway as a product of it's time it worked quite fine, sure he was an 'alter Knacker', but hey - some of those made the best music out there Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa amo.
Side1 always was a bit Lari Fari (so so), but LP 2 sounded very cool and i listened to it often in my car. Take It Where You Find It and that song following with the line that goes like "Found dreams + lost dreams...In America" sparked up my imagination and were nice material to sing along to in a car (alone). Other than that there was that Reggae influenced Track (a fashion of the times, too), Natalia a schmaltzy ballad, i could digest and then another one about a Beach or somethng that i liked ... Sorry i do not have that LP anymore. Even the artwork seemed fine and that Cover Photo of him smokin' a cigarette gave him that artist's aura - Wavelenth surely rests among my Top 20 VM albums - in my Top 10 ? Hardly..