Van Morrison - Album by Album discussion - PART THREE

we're liking side four as well....the vinyl is worthy of purchase...I am enjoying this album overall, will it stand the test of time for me? we'll know by the time this thread ends and we revisit this one in a couple of months from now....or years, depending on Toms van-cation length....

 

I picked it up after work yesterday. My only listening has been in the car, but overall, it's a decent, constitent sounding album... the second half is appealing more to me upon early listening.

To a certain degree, I agree, but he's been revisiting similar themes since the beginning though.

There are some gems on Magic Time, Down the Road, and Back on Top...

I just assumed it didn't exist anymore. I mean the guy is a lot older now.
The casual person wouldn't even guess that the singer of Brown Eyed Girl (or the other early ones you mentioned) is the same guy singing on any album of the past couple decades.

 

I've been enjoying the sound and the arrangements and the feel of the music.
Listened to it a couple times last night.

 

Ha! I've been around here a while and have posted a fair bit about Van over the years.

I'm one of the "old" fans who strongly favours the early years (basically everything from Astral Weeks through to the dissolution of the Caledonia Soul Orchestra). That band was full of great musos but also had a wonderful looseness about it that was never recaptured. That's what I found sadly missing from Wavelength and everything that followed and that is also why I think Into the Music is over-rated.

Top 5? The obvious ones I guess (AW through to St Dominic's), but I have a real soft spot for His Band and Street Choir because that's the first Van album I heard, the first one to bring him back to my attention since the Them hits. They're the albums, in my late teens that I fell in love with and fell in love to (several times!)

Whenever I need a Van fix it's invariably one of those 5 albums I reach for......or It's Too Late To Stop Now.

Oh and by the way, I might be the only person on this forum who prefers the first series of Polydor remasters over the original CDs which I found to be disappointing after growing up with the vinyl.

 

I think you are going to find you are the only one...hahaha...people in here seem to prefer the first issues...its pretty unanimous...

 

Yes I know, but I also think that the power of persuasion has had an effect.

That's not unusual on this forum!

 

Sadly, our radio show got cancelled to~night, before we could do our Van special... I'm really bummed as I was all researched up and amped to do it...
Easy come, easy go, we are still going to do it in another way... stray luned...

 

On this forum? No way

 

side four of Keep it Simple vinyl live stuff is quite nice IMO...soundwise and performance wise....

anyone else had a chance to hear this one yet????


we'd love your thoughts....

 

I've had a chance to play "Keep It Simple" a few times and have heard the live side 4 on vinyl.

The album lives up to the title, no frills, no horns, very basic instrumentation.
The only element that might be a little over the top are the background vocals.

This is Van as a realist, he's not weaving a dreamscape or singing of TIr Na Nog. The themes are more about his everday worries and issues. Giving up drinking is sung about in a few songs. I like the honesty and simplicity of this approach. Van isn't trying to live up to the myth but singing from the perspective of a 62 year old musician who has survived over 40 years in the industry. Themes from old songs pop up from time to time. "That's Entrainment" includes a "ballerina dance". The lyrics of "Song Of Home" include lines that remind me of "Into The Mystic" ("hear the foghorns in the night").

"School Of Hard Knocks" reminds me of the Band with Robbie Robertson-like guitar licks played by Mick Green.

"End Of The Land" could be a metaphor for the later years in life. He sings of the setting sun, driving all night to the sea.

The sea show up in a few songs - the place of healing and clarity away from the daily struggles.

This isn't essential Van Morrison, has anything really been in the last twenty years? But for those of us who have followed him on the journey, it's a warm listening experience.

There isn't a lot of variety in the music, most of the songs are slow to mid-tempo without any major surprises. Van's voice is mellow, conversational and really well recorded, reminding me of some of his early 70's work.

So not an essential album - but by no means dissapointing to me.

Side 4 of the vinyl features "Blue & Green", "Little Village" and "When The Healing Has Begun" recorded from January of this year. Great band with John Platania on guitar. I really like the first two. "Healing" for me lacks the fire of other live versions I've heard in the last couple of years but it's nice to have an official live version of it.

 

Just wanted to add to the above that John Allair really shines on organ, especially on the opening track.

 

I'm back in Van heaven tonight.

I found a video torrent of Van's 1973 Rainbow concert in London.

Oh man, this is so great. It's like opening the gatefold cover of the It's Too Late to Stop Now LP and watching the photos come to life!

 

wow, I did not know there was footage from this time...what songs is he doing?

 

Living with Simple... Keeping the Faith...

After a couple of spins of Keep It Simple on double Lp, may favorite songs right now are: That's Entrainment, Keep It Simple, Song For Home (my #1 fave) and Behind The Ritual, though I could do without its blahblahblah section~him playing a sax solo with those notes would have sounded better...

Again, I can't emphasis how good those live tracks are. I concur with Drew that the last one isn't the best live version of Healing, it lacks the passion and committment of the first two cuts. But Blue and Green and Little Village are some of the best live Van I've ever heard, and that is encouraging as they were recorded just over two months ago... Ironically, Blue and Green has a blueblueblue scat vocal section that sounds fine to me... hum....

cheers,

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Here's the back cover. I only downloaded the video portion.

 

I agree with PeterC about Keep It Simple.
Nice, but it doesn't break any new ground.

Blahblahblahblah is actually pretty fitting.

 

The last few spins, my Simple listening experience has concluded with Soul. It really does sound to me as if Van is indeed drinking that wine in Ritual, and trying to sing at the same time. . Anyway, by that time of hearing Soul, I've become a satisfied listener of the whole. , and am in agreement with the specific positive comments posted by other listeners, regarding Simple.

 

I've been out of this thread, and any posts requiring any real thought, for quite awhile. It's a long story... I guess I'll do some short catch-up blurbs:

Irish Heartbeat: A wonderful piece of work. Taking it out of sequence made me sad, though, as it took me back to the time when the Lion was still in Van's throat, back to when he was still feeling it.

A Night In San Francisco: I find this album quite listenable, but disappointing. Van is in good voice. The band is quite tight. But I don't like the cheesy Vegas medleys with the rushed tempos. I disliked them in the last live outing as well. Brian Kennedy should sing backup only, and for someone else. Shana too. Georgie Fame? A great organ player who should have changed his name when he was...I dunno...12? In spite of all that and all my crankiness right now, this album is a pretty good listen.

Days Like This. I listened to this one a few times a few weeks ago. I was surprised. I though I didn't like it and actually, it's a good one. There are a couple of clunkers, but I'll probably listen to this a lot more going forward. Van's girlfriend is hot.

After this it seems like you good folks have jumped forward to Keep It Simple, which I haven't picked up yet. Soon, perhaps.

Tim

 

Much enjoyment listening to this one for me. I think this one followed No Guru and Poetic Champions? A great time for the man's music. I listened to Irish Heartbeat a few months ago, and still felt connected to it.

 

you were missed....we're just yaking about Keep it Simple, but we'll get to it at the end for real. we're taking a Van-cation...more soon when Tom kicks his bad a ss flu....

 

I'm almost back. I don't know whether I'll be able to post about the two Blue Note albums until about mid week, if that's all right. Maybe we could just continue this holding pattern for a little while longer.

As far as Keep It Simple goes, I had a very pleasant listen to that today. I think my review is going to be much more favourable than others I've seen posted here so far.

Nice to see Tim back. And thanks to everyone for keeping this thread going while I've been down with the flu (I simultaneously underwent a de-Vanitization procedure).
The doc says I should be up and listening to the r a d d i o again in a couple of days.

 

i'm digging it and several others in here seemed to be as well, maybe I missed something? ....i think based on the reviews i've read in here, we have a consensus that this one is worth owning for sure....

a couple don't feel it, but i think with any post 90s van album we're gonna find people who don't feel something....i'm digging this one and his best lyrics are the blah blah blah's....man i actually love that song and that bit. show's he's still got it...a perfect "hook" from a man who's tossed them out like rice at a wedding....bravo if you ask me....

nice to know Tim and Tom are getting back on their horses.... mid week, next week...take your time...im' enjoying the van-cation...more time to hear Beach House and The Clientele and The Cardinal...

 

Could be I misread some of the posts. Anyway, I like the sound of this record. I still need to absorb it and organize my thoughts, but I'm happy for Van. Nice job. I like the understated, austere, just-the-facts-ma'am feeling of it all.

 

My sincere thanks to the two-headed Vantastic combo of DJ Wilbur and Tom B as the dynamic threadbearers of all Van-ness and also the Morrison soul orchestra/choir of curbach and tfarney and the many you-know-who-you are contributors. Only because of this thread have I finally picked up Magic Time and Back On Top, just this past weekend during the Borders 3 cd 40% off sale for those of us card-carrying members. And with that, I'm looking ahead to be adding What's Wrong With This Picture and Down the Road. Thanks guys!