In chronological order: Astral Weeks Veedon Fleece Inarticulate Speech of the Heart No Guru No Method No Teacher The Healing Game
If you pretend Hard Nose The Highway never happened, as you should, then you get 7 classic albums in a row -- one of the greatest runs anybody ever had.
This is tough. It's Too Late to Stop Now Moondance Astral Weeks St. Dominic's Preview Hard Nose the Highway Tupelo Honey, Veedon Fleece, and Common One could easily mingle into my top five depending on the day.
I'm going to be predictable and say: Veedon Fleece Astral Weeks Moondance Tupelo Honey St. Dominic's Preview
Astral Weeks Moondance Veedon Fleece Beautiful Vision Avalon Sunset And I like the Bang sessions a lot.
With Van its relatively straight forward for because the 1st 3 are going to be - Astral Weeks Moondance St Dominic's Preview Then there would be any two choices from - No Guru Veedon Fleece Into the Music Wavelength Its Too Late to Stop Now Irish Heartbeat Live at Belfast City Hall Common One Inarticulate Speech. (as I write "Moondance" has just come on the radio!)
ASTRAL WEEKS MOONDANCE ST. DOMINIC'S PREVIEW IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW HYMNS TO THE SILENCE I might drop MOONDANCE, which is a bit overplayed, in favor of TOO LONG IN EXILE or HEALING GAME.
Veedon Fleece (a desert island disc for me) Astral Weeks Moondance St Dominic's Preview Tupelo Honey Honourable mention; No Guru No Method No Teacher
1) Astral Weeks 2) Veedon Fleece 3) Moondance 4) His Band and the Street Choir 5) And, I know it's not an album -- so I'm sorry I'm not quite following the rules -- but Van "the Man" ripping through "Caravan" in the Band's "The Last Waltz" is quite possibly the greatest 6 minutes and 2 seconds of his career, and probably the Band's as well.
Astral Weeks St. Dominic's Preview Veedon Fleece Common One No Guru No Method No Teacher Favorite post 1995: Keep Me Singing (but many others I love). Also: The Philosopher's Stone is a great compilation of outtakes.
Astral Weeks Moondance His Band and the Street Choir It's Too Late to Stop Now Poetic Champions Compose -- Poetic Champions Compose is the only one on my list that's not one of the super-obvious Van classics. I'd definitely recommend that one if you don't have it.
Also, I think Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast tends to get overlooked. It's not on the level of 'It's Too Late To Stop Now' but it's pretty fantastic.
That's a close call, but currently it looks like that: Veedon Fleece Astral Weeks Saint Dominic's Preview Common One Tupelo Honey
My current favourites are below, restricting it to 5 is obviously artificial (nothing wrong with causing people pain as there are a whole raft of Van albums that are almost impossible for me to separate (Poetic Champions Compose and The Healing Game both miss out on this 5 and I love those records). Veedon Fleece No Guru No Method No Teacher Into The Music Beautiful Vision Common One Of Van's most recent releases Keep Me Singing is my favourite. Van is far and away my favourite artist of all time and seeing him live is still a magical experience.
1. Veedon Fleece 2. " .. It's Too Late To Stop Now ..." 3. His Band And The Street Choir 4. Tupelo Honey 5. Saint Dominic's Preview
