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

Great review, William!

 

thats all you have to say....

 

Sorry, sir.
I'll have my homework done in the morning. See, what happened was, the dog ate it ...

 

I've pegged Into The Music as my favorite Van Morrison album as often as not.

I love the counterpoint between Side One and Side Two on this one... Side Two really stretches out.

For an artist who produces his own records, assembling the ensemble is key and he really conjured a magic formula here. In recent decades he's often taken the easy way out and and gathered the old gang for another one... I admire loyalty to employees, but it's the players who inspire him.

Meet me down by the pylons! Down by the PYLONS! My punk rock listening buddies and I loved that ongoing moment. It may be my favorite Van moment.

I never purged my record collection during The Punk Revolution and Into The Mystic is one of the reasons why... Van reminded me that passion and tradition and invention were not mutually exclusive.

Into The Music is a truly joyful album and a joyful listening experience.

 

Conventional wisdom often says that misery is the poet's greatest muse, that simple contentment sucks the creativity from the dark heart of the artist. It's often true. But the great irony of Van Morrison is that so much of this legendarily grumpy man's best art is an expression of pure joy. Into The Music was my introduction to that. Yeah, there is some domestic bliss on Moondance and Tupelo Honey. There are great mystic workouts on ITLTSN and St. Dominic's Preview. But the first deep dive into the great spiritual joy that is at the heart of so much of Van's work is, IMO, Into The Music. I think it is his God that he put into the music here. I'm not so sure it's just Jesus, though. I see Van as more universalist than Christian - No Guru, No Method, No Teacher, baby - but maybe that's just me projecting.

No matter. I'm a universalist whether Van is or not, and I can get my spiritual mojo working as well being lifted up again by the Lord as I can in the garden all wet with rain.

I have, quite literally, been driven to tears of joy by Into The Music. Granted, at the time I was on a treadmill, finding the upper limits of my personal heart rate, carving new capillaries into the tissues of my brain, stoned out of my mind on my own endorphins. But nonetheless, they were tears, not sweat. This is a damn moving album. One of the best in my collection.

Ignore the date on the cover. This is Van's first album of the 80s. And maybe this is the one that should have been called A Period of Transition. It has one foot in St. Dominic's Preview, It's Too Late To Stop Now and Veedon Fleece, and the other in Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, Poetic Champions Compose and Avalon Sunset. And yet it is as cohesive and complete as Moondance. An absolutely stunning piece of work.

Tim

 

The most obvious difference between Into the Music and the two albums which preceded it is the palpable sense of urgency–--the hit-upside-the-head immediacy of creative overflow---which suffuses every track. Indeed, there is not a dog to be found on the album. Everything here is top-shelf Van. Whatever creative spark had been dimmed, resulting in the flaccid A Period of Transition and the faceless sheen of Wavelength, had now been vigorously reignited. The (sexual?) healing had well and truly begun.

It occurred to me that the seduction scene drama that plays out during the spoken-word section of “And the Healing Has Begun” is really a metaphor for the whole album. Just as Van uses Muddy Waters, sherry—or a drop of port--and smooth talking to get some backstreet jellyroll, he seduces the listener with the first half of the album: one killer song after another lures us in, gets our defences down, with at least four potential singles to my ear. (I haven’t checked what the official singles were, but I can guess “Bright Side of the Road” and “Full Force Gale”; I would also think either “Stepping Out Queen” or “You Make Me Feel So Free” would be the others—in any event, Warners could not complain about a dearth of potential hit singles on this offering.)

Having enticed us with joyful, spirited and energized performances---grunting, howling and ad libbing all the way---Van goes in for the kill: the side-long Extended Mystical Workout (TM) . The section of the album from “Angeliou”/”And The Healing Has Begun”/”It’s All in the Game”/”You Know What They’re Writing About” is some of the most trance-inducing, sexually charged music in Van’s canon.
I love how Van sings the first line of “Angeliou” then gives the instruction “I want to try that again,” and sings it again. He wants it to be absolutely perfect...even though it was perfect the first time.
The repeated phrase “Will you be my baby?” begins as Angeliou’s query about the veracity of her suitor’s romantic intentions, but slowly builds, metamorphosing into the howling, unbridled wail of sexual climax. By the time she gets the hushed, slightly out-of-breath answer “Yes, I will,” the context is clearly post-coital.

Having ravished his lady in “Angeliou,” Van moves on to conquer the listener. The edginess of the performance in “And the Healing Has Begun” manages to be simultaneously raucous and entrancing. As mystical workouts go, it is the most aggressively performed one thus far. “I can’t stand myself!” Van shouts at one point. He needs healing, whether it’s sexual, spiritual, artistic--or a combination of all three---the promise of such rejuvenation is found in the healing power of music.
By the time those powerfully climactic, utterly gorgeous horn lines are repeated in the latter stages of “You Know What They’re Writing About,” it’s safe to assume that everyone---Van, Angeliou and listener---has been ravished and rejuvenated through the cleansing spirit of music.

So, did ye get healed?

 

WOW, the double whammy of The Tim and Tom show, what a one-two punch of analysis. Many things new for me to think about in the grooves of this album for me now.

I really appreciate all the time you both obviously took to get into the music.

if these two posts don't sell a boatload of copies, then the persuasion of the written word is obviously dead. Well done

 

Well, well, well . it's beeen a lot of Van Glorious Music that's been pumped thru my speakers recently... . After i reviewed Wavelength i played it another 5 times in a row and it sounded better each time...Fact is , Wavelength is different to other VM albums and those Studio Musicians gave some remarkable performances. Lots of Synthesizers, a Top Notch Rhythm Section and fantastic arrangements make this the best Pop/Rock album in his career, sometmes it s on par with Steely Dan. But enough of that LP; this time i prepared myself for 'Into The Music', i played that half a dozen times in the last few days. The music is nearly as on point as on Wavelength, but it is a complete different Sound. Mark Isham and Pee Wee Ellis add their input and the arrangements are great. You have a stylistic unique record here, the typical R'nB influenced Irish Folk, Van is known for and where he is best at. Van is in Top form and in a relaxed good mood. The Songs are all pretty strong, the best is (2 me) Troubadours, closely followed by And The Healing Has Begun (you can feel that too) and It's all In The Game.
The opener Bright Side Of The Road hints at what is following - a record that shows Van doing what he likes and what he's best at .
Another song i really like is Angelou... Music and Vocals, Arrangements and Topics make a Perfect Fit on Into The Music. Definitely one of Van's stronger albums.. in my Top 10 ? We'll see when this thread is done

 

I did, sir. Indeed I did.

Tim

 

What can be said of Into the Music after the wonderful previous reviews? About all I can add is that it's one of my favorite albums, by anybody. Van is at top form throughout the entire album, taking you to places only he can.

First time I heard it was on a cassette in my car on the way home from work one evening. By the time And the Healing Has Begun rolled around I had to pull my car over to a quiet place and just stop and absorb it all. By the end of the final whispered "I want you to meet meee..." I actually had tears in my eyes. Into the Music indeed.

 

You fellas are like a wild pack of vicious dogs chomping at the bit, roaring like the lion and feasting on the next Van Mo recording! It's inspiring! Into The Music, alright. You are all challenging my self-imposed ADD, with these razor sharp infomative reviews!
"Gotta keep movin' on up...gotta keep movin' on up!"
Me, I gotta get some "heavy rest."

 

OK, just an observation: Has anyone noticed that I found God at the heart of the joy that is Into the Music and Tom found sex? I can only guess that he's the younger man.

Tim

 

That's what I'm talking about.

Tim

 

I can't say enough good stuff about what I think and how I feel about side one of Into the Music. The opening trifecta is Pure Pleasure. It's a blast of good times and real joy, and I can't wait to listen to it again this weekend, due to this Thread. Troubadors might foreshadow the kind of arrangements and songwriting I love most that Van will use some of for No Guru and Poetic Champions. Rolling Hills indeed!

 

side two is one of Morrison's great sides. He was generous with six songs on side one, but it is quite different from side two and doesn't do very much for me these days. Peter Van Hooke is back on drums, I'm glad to see David Hayes is back on bass, and the introduction of Pee Wee Ellis on sax.

 

I feel very much the same regarding those opening numbers. Well said.

 

Well, it's tough to add on to what has been said that so articulately sums it up. I will add that, on some of his albums he closes with some long winded songs that I feel could be shorter. I feel like he succeeds better on this album. Partly due to the quality of the songs, but also it's not just incoherent grunting this time, it's very passionate (whether we're talking about God or sex doesn't matter - he is very much into the music).

I also agree that it's a transition. It seems much of the 80's he digs deeper into the nostalgia and spiritual themes that dominate this album. The difference here though than a lot of the 80's recordings, is the soulful and almost folk acoustic sound. He would enter a very smooth "adult contemporary" (and new age) phase. The themes would continue, but the style/sound would be different.

 

Well, that's one aspect of what I said. However, I meant to say more than that with lines like this:

 

He would also begin to put some annoying reverb on his vocals, but I'll reserve my griping about that until we get there.

So you guys just couldn't wait I haven't even had a chance to give Into The Music it's requisite relistening yet, but let me just say I believe side 2 is probably the greatest tour de force performance in Van's entire catalog

 

well, you still have just about a week to join on in...if we all posted on the first day, there'd be 6 days of nothing...we await your ruminations and i'm sure they will be the highlight of my Monday, or Tuesday....whenever you find the time...we'll be here.

besides, I couldnt help myself, the Wavelength non chatter was bumming me out.

 

BTW my eye-rolling was intended with good humor. Probably should have followed it with the smiley emoticon in case it wasn't clear!

 

Very good.
It's been my experience that William's posts are always written in good humour as well, except for those rare occasions when he employs the smiley. Then he's all business...

 

Oh you said quite a bit more, but let it never be said that I passed on an opportunity for a cheap laugh.

Tim

 

i know i know....still I couldnt myself and started this one early.