I'm one of those hold outs who likes the Them albums best. Also I like the Blowin' Your Mind Bang album and I've heard that's not allowed, you're supposed to prefer the revisited/authorised editions or collections if at all. But Van could sing a recipe for Eggplant Lasagna and make it great. Oops, just recognized I still need to get the 3 disc Authorised Bang Collection!
Veedon Fleece No Guru, No Method, No Teacher/ or Hard Nose Inarticulate Speech of the Heart Astral Weeks Common One
I used to prefer his early albums but recently I've favoured his slightly later work Into The Music Poetic Champions Compose Veedon Fleece Enlightenment Back On Top
Top 5 in order: 1. Astral Weeks 2. Veedon Fleece 3. Moondance 4. Tupelo Honey 5. His Band and the Street Choir
Coulda been I suppose, but only really like three songs and the other songs ruin the 'album' part of it for me. That being said I REALLY like those three songs.
1. Astral Weeks 2. Hard Nose The Highway 3. Moondance 4. Veedon Fleece 5. His Band & The Street Choir
Hard Nose the Highway should get more credit than it does. It's still great but if I can only pick 5, Astral Weeks (skip Moondance just because I heard it too much) His Band and the Street Choir Tupelo Honey St. Dominic's Preview (my favorite) Veedon Fleece
Mine are the same as most of the posts Astral Weeks is number 1, but I pull out the Chieftains album all the time, quite enjoyable
Like others have said, I envy you. Van Morrison is a truly unique artist with a startlingly large range of approaches, feels and material that somehow manage to clearly be coming from the same source - beyond just the sound of that voice (which is one of the best ever). I mean, if you start to really get into Van, then you will eventually be getting a LOT of albums. I think I own everything he ever released now, and apart from a few slightly gimmicky thematic covers and duets albums starting in the late 90's, most of his albums deliver (imo), or, at the very least, contain a couple of magical tracks (surrounded by pretty good other tracks) that make them worthwhile purchases. If you're just starting out, you can't go wrong getting any or all of the albums mentioned in this thread. I'd say simply make a list of the albums in this thread ordered by how many times each is mentioned, then get them in order from highest to lowest. If you're interested in exploring various eras at once, I'd make the same list, divide them into decades, then get the highest one from each decade in order and keep cycling through. Either way, with the suggestions I've seen, you won't be disappointed by any of them. BTW, I think "Hard Nose The Highway" gets a bad rap simply because it's surrounded by some of the best albums ever released by anyone - all in a row. If it had been released in any other context, like between the 1980's and now, it would probably be much more highly rated (early 70's production values aside). I also agree with the post recommending the unreleased tracks compilation "Philosopher's Stone." He (almost) gives Dylan a run for his money for the "How could you have left THAT off an album?" prize. In fact, there's about 9 songs he left off "Hard Nose The Highway" that had he swapped a few out, no one would even consider that there had been a bump in the road between 1968 - 1974. Either way, enjoy!
If you liked... 'It's too late to stop now vol.'s ii-iv,' you may like: Montreux Jazz Festival Soundboard 1997-07-19 Live in Essen 1982 Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast Live at Cannes 01-26-1984 France Live At Austin City Limits Festival
Into the Music Beautiful Vision Moondance Astral Weeks St Dominic's Preview There's always something worth listening to on any Van album, but I think the overall quality tapers off after Beautiful Vision
My god this is difficult for me... as a matter of fact I can't think of a more arduous task. And that includes choosing 5 for Neil Young and Bob Dylan. OK I've been working on this; evaluating, reevaluating... I've eliminated Them recordings although I do think much of their work is "mandatory" especially given the time in which they were recording. To be honest about that; the reason I've taken Them out of contention is solely to make this exercise easier for me. I've also eliminated a 1-5 order of preference. < Weak I know; but that's the only way it's even possible for me to attempt it. Astral Weeks Veedon Fleece St. Dominic's Preview Hard Nose The Highway No Guru, No Method, No Teacher Common One Hymns To The Silence The Philosopher's Stone Into The Music Street Choir It's Too Late To Stop Now Irish Heartbeat Avalon Sunset Tupelo Honey Moondance I feel the above are all essential. However... I'll use a process of elimination and see what I come up with. The first I'll eliminate is It's Too Late because it's a live recording which I can con myself into thinking that's it's in a different category. It is an excellent record... for the record. This again is an act of making it easier for me. OK only 9 more to eliminate. I don't know how I'll be able to do it. The next to go will have to be, I say "have to" because it's regrettable that any should be eliminated from a list of essential Van recordings. I almost feel like I'm committing acts of treason. ...Irish Heartbeat. Although a wonderful album; a statement of cultural heritage and tradtion I'll eliminate it as it's not stylistically classic Van. It's as much a Chieftain's album as it is a Van album. Next I'll eliminate The Philosopher's Stone although it has one of my favorite songs of Van's, one that I can repeatedly listen to over and over. The Street Only Knew Your Name. The song has a great progressive groove. The record also has on it the wonderful, John Henry and Western Plain "Yippie Ki Yi Yo" indeed; the 3 of which make a great 1,2,3 opening salvo on disc 2. These's also a wonderful version of Flamingos Fly on the record. The next elimination will be Hymns To The Silence. A very pastoral recording. Not in the way Common One (the most spiritual and aural In A Silent Way by Miles sort of way) is without question the greatest in that direction; but more looking back; not literally like Astral Weeks but in a literary travelogue kind of way. Yes we have On Hyndford Street; the overall theme of Take Me Back, Green Mansions and Village Idiot; but we also have the themes of spiritual silence in; By His Grace, Be Thou My Vision, See Me Through Part II (Just A Closer Walk With Thee) and of course Hymns To The Silence. Also on this record is the recurring theme; which I think is least successful, the recurring theme of... they're always sticking it to me, leave me alone already is the found on this record in; Professional Jealousy, Why Must I always Explain which yield to I'm Not Feeling It Anymore. For me personally, 2 things; I almost exclusively play this record on Sunday mornings for some reason and the "religious" moments don't resonate with me for reasons that go way way way back. I feel much more comfortable with the spiritual, and the natural world then the religious. I'll attempt to be more brief in going forward... or backward as it were to my goal of 5. The next I'll have to eliminate; have to because I really don't want to eliminate any; this is really agony, will be Avalon Sunset. Actually, possibly this should have been eliminated before Hymns but well there it is. Avalon Sunset is simply a beautiful record. Which has many of Van's common theme's. The record begins with the religious; as opposed to the spiritual of Whenever God Shines His Light and mid record is found in When Will I ever Learn To Live With God. I guess I'm just a heathen but Van's more direct religious songs; as i said; well I can't find a footing in them. While I do appreciate much in the Gospel arena; Swan Silvertones, Marion Williams and others I think Van's reaching to God feels more pushing and pulling as opposed to his spiritual forays which feel as natural as walking in the English countryside in his presumably well worn, "big boots". The absolute beauty through music and lyric on this record can be found in the 3 back to back to back songs: Contacting My Angel, I'd Love To Write Another Love Song and Have I Told You Lately. Orangefield along with Coney Island are another pair of beauties that take you way back to another time, another place... another world. Still in all... sorry I'm calling Sunset on this as one of the 5. Next to be retired for another day, another list will be... what will it be... Moon Dance. Although Moon Dance contains some unquestionable classics, reluctantly it will have to go. Why? How? I'm not sure I can even fake myself out into a good reason. We're now solidly in the area of apologizing for eliminating something rather then explaining it. Reasoning that something is better and can not be removed. Actually I think I was at that point with my first elimination. The title song is the easiest for me to dismiss, but that is 100% because of over exposure. Titles 2, 3 & 4 are 3 of the greatest of all the great songs Van has ever recorded; not written but recorded. Crazy Love is just the most simplistic, pure expression of love on record... along with a number of Sinatra classics... and others of course as love is the primal emotional theme in the history of recorded music; but Crazy Love ranks high in the pantheon for sure. All 3 of the songs I'm mentioning now are different but joined in their yearning and where one can hope to obtain the often unattainable that we all are always searching for; Love in Crazy Love, Freedom in Caravan and The Eternal in Into The Mystic. Caravan is a majestically visual song in which all the senses are peaked. We can smell the campfires burning and are enveloped by the most beautiful sound of 2 guitars. It is also possibly the best preformed song I know of... again with exception of many Sinatra numbers and Jagger's Sympathy taunting and peacocking. But Van's... Radio, Turn It Up, Radio Rockettes Routine and the power and gusto musically behind it is unsurpassed. But even simply musically there's no way not to symbolically at least free oneself from gravity and high kick over and over and over until we're breathless. And then we all drift Into The Mystic (tambourine part and all < wink wink) Did I actually eliminate this record. I guess I did let a pick up truck pass me by. Into The Music... I think I should have eliminated this earlier... only in that it may have been a bit easier to do so then 1 or 2 of the ones that came before it. Needless to say a wonderful record, the highlights of which for me are; Angelou, And The Healing Has Begun, A wonderful reading of It's All In The Game and You Know What They're Writing About. Reflecting on this now; this was a relatively easy elimination... relatively; and I can only say that because I do have a standout tune of this record and it's It's All In The Game. I'm not exactly sure if and if so, how the fact that it wasn't written by Van fits into all this; but there it is. OK so at this point we're left with: Astral Weeks Veedon Fleece St. Dominic's Preview Hard Nose The Highway No Guru, No Method, No Teacher Common One Street Choir Tupelo Honey 3 more to go... now it gets really interesting. ...I've been looking at the 8 remaining titles for some time. I thought of playing them all back to back... but no. OK... OK... OK... No Guru, No Method, No Teacher... No on my final list. Why not? An excellent question. I believe my affection for this record is more personally sentimental then the other remaining titles. That is to say, I don't think the writing is of the absolutely best he's ever done, none of the songs ring out a classics, it's "just simply" a very very good record that has song songs that stir me and bring me somewhere I have either been or want to go. The record opens with one of the tunes that speaks to me in no uncertain terms. As someone who frequently yearns to be transported back to another time, a simpler time Got To Go Back knocks me out every time, knocks me down and makes me wistful and think about all I was going to do and be and haven't. It hits me in the heart and in the gut. Oh The Warm Feeling seems akin to Crazy Love in a way. They speak to me of the same soulful heart filled, rich love. Continuing the story that surrounds that warm feeling is for me the real treasure found on the record; Foreign Window. "I Saw You From A Foreign Window..." the music perfectly tailored to the distant deeply felt yearning. So far but so close. The very specific poetic elements of the vision. A perfectly crafted story of desire. And of that lush oboe. Gorgeous. The song makes me want to get a divorce, get my passport from my safety deposit box, rent a garret in Paris or Brussels and fall in love looking out my window for a vision reading on a couch. ...And then spend eternity with her In The Garden. Did I really eliminate this record? Phew! Where do I go now... another scotch maybe would help. Next elimination will have to be... Street Choir. First my sincerest apologize to John Platania as I love his work on this record. I actually saw him recently with Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez and he was amazing. Street Choir was just one of those magical records rooted in its time. A musical document of a great spirit with a great group of friends making great music and sharing it in a space reserved for anyone open and free enough to take the ride. And it was a beautiful ride. Van wasn't clogged with Record Co. angst. He wasn't trying to keep up with the Stones or The Yardbirds. He was finding out who Van Morrison was and his music this record along with Tupelo Honey I feel reflected this better then any of his other records. Although I find no clear cut theme this is simply a fine collection of songs. Maybe the theme is it's just me and the band playing our music. Maybe I can find a continuance, a thread, from Crazy Face to the gorgeous; the most elementary and beautiful and beautifully arranged of love songs, I'll Be Your Lover, Too; to the pleading to "Sweet Jannie, Gypsy Queen"; to If I Ever Needed Somebody to the down turn of the heart wrenching Street Choir where it all goes adrift. "Why'd you leave... and now..." I don't know; there might be a lot more to this record then I've heard over the years and the 100s of times I've played it. The fact that I can be thinking that shows me the greatness of the record. Did I really eliminate this record? This is unbearable; and now I'm even thinking about the records I didn't put on the original list... It's 6:20AM so I'll blame a lot of my angst on that and the fact that in the back of my head I have to be up in a couple of hours... and Van's Genius. The final cut has to be Tupelo Honey in spite of the fact that on it there is song after song after song that just floors me in their... I'M GOING BACK AND FORTH THINKING NO NO NO MAYBE SAINT DOMINIC'S REVIEW GOES IN THIS SLOT...but no I can't not have that masterpiece on my list. To continue... song after song after song that just floors me in their exuberance, their earthiness, their soul. Tupelo Honey is in some ways a continuation of Street Choir. The more grounded of the 2; Van and his troop are now ensconced in Woodstock. Living, loving, singing about "Women, Women Women", Moonshine Whiskey and Tupelo Honey. The record begins with the the tale of a raucous Wild Night and shoots (Straight To Your Heart) Like A Cannonball. Van sings almost lazily, matter of factly, yet still passionately about his new home in Old Old Woodstock. Not Woodstock... but "Old Old" Woodstock, a wholly different place, one more of the mind then somewhere you'd find on a map; but yes also on a map. He's there to chill, to regroup, to regenerate and Start A New Life with his woman and she's just about the sweet thing you could imagine; "she's as sweet as Tupelo Honey"; no ordinary honey but honey made of the earth; sweetest of all sun drenched honey. I know this woman; I know her from Van's words from his music, from his heart straight to mine... like a cannonball. I know and I want this woman. This record is such a beautiful fable. As the night falls When The Evening Sun Goes Down; it's the time for pitching woo; laughing and dancing; sweet women, my women, I Wanna Roo You. I want to make love to you When The Evening Sun Goes Down.. "Oh She Gives Me Moonshine Whiskey, oh she gives me Southern Comfort". Did I really eliminate this record? Crazy man, crazy! So there it is; whatever it is; however it became what it did. My 5 Favorite Van Morrison Albums are: Astral Weeks Veedon Fleece Saint Dominic's Preview Hard Nose The Highway Common One < got to be honest... I'm not really sure this shouldn't be Tupelo Honey. I could; and maybe should... or maybe should spare you; from explaining why those 5 are those 5 five; but I really do have to be up in a few hours... so my apologize for any number of things I've posted here or omitted... not the least of which is the length. I've been told many times in many ways that Brevity Is Wit... but I've never claimed to be witty.
Loved reading through your agonies! But no classics on NGNMNT??? Would love to hear your reading of Hard Nose. An under appreciated record and interesting that it made your 5 without any questioning.
First regarding my assessment that No Guru, No Method, No Teacher contained no Classics... I think; thinking which is one of the reasons I enjoy this forum; it's inhabited by people that think about music IN ADDITION to simply reacting to it viscerally. It, the forum pushes me to explore my own mind... often a trip, sometimes frightening but usually worthwhile... so after giving your questioning of my assessment some thought, I think the issue is a misunderstanding; more of an interpretation of the word Classic and it's meaning to me. There are 2 parts relating to this (maybe I'm thinking too much). Anyway being an old(er) guy and having appreciated Van since the very beginning of his career I seem to relate his Classic Works to those preceding and through Veedon Fleece (1974). I've got say in my defense and as a sort of explanation; that what I think and hope was perfectly clear in my original post was that I love, admirer, and really can't have more praise for much; very much of Van's post Veedon Fleece work. At this point I'd like to add that I was remiss in not including Poetic Champions Compose in at the very least my initial list. I now see this as a blearing omission. The other "misunderstanding" as to the word "Classic" as opposed to "A Classic" is that in my mind I associate Classic as a more personal description... a great song; and "A Classic" with a wider audience appeal and appreciation often driven by more regular airplay and encompassing publicity. I can think of many "better" songs by any number of artists that have clearly a lesser audience; usually to my mind, a more discerning audience, by that same artist. It's sort of akin to the "idea" and clarification of Classic Rock. Much of what's referred to as Classic Rock, certainly by my "personal" assessment, I would not think of as "Classic" in any sense. Sometimes the 2 do intersect. On a personal level something I'm not proud of; when I hear a song defined as Classic Rock I turn my back on it even though sometimes I have no business on any level to do so. I guess that's the definition of snobbery. Cutting off my nose... Clearly a number of songs on NGNMNT are wonderful and Classic and maybe also Classics... but this old guy'll have to rewire my brain to think of them as Classics given my deeply engrained mind set. For me the most obvious tune which could be a crossover from being merely Classic and jumping the fence to being A Classic as well would be In The Garden. Simply from a personal perspective I'd have to say Foreign Window would be the song that my calling it A Classic in addition to being Classic would come most easily. Of course all the ideas expressed are personal to me; not right or wrong, better or worse then any one else's. I hope I've made myself clear in the above; sometimes I get lost in the high weeds. And sorry about all the endless use of quotation marks. a perennial issue. I hope you'll forgive me I'll address the second part of your questioning my post; namely why I selected Hard Nose The Highway as one of my top 5, a bit later. Suffice it to say now... Along with Astral Weeks and Veedon Fleece there was never a moment I didn't know going in that Hard Nose would make the cut. It's absolutely 3 in my 1-5. And also, finally; as you are interested in Van when I return to speak to the Hard Nose question I'll relate a story you might find interesting about a Van show I saw at The Bottom Line long long ago... the encore of which I'll never forget.
Similarly, his slightly later (80s in this case) work is my most listened to Van era. Of course I bought and enjoyed a lot of the classic 70s stuff when I first started collecting his albums, but always find myself drawn to the 1980s era for repeated listening (with some 90s albums thrown in for good measure). None of this is to downplay his great early material, but his mid-late 70s stuff is not interesting to me at all, one or two songs excepted. But then he came back with one of my favorite string of albums by any artist. With that, I agree with most of the above list but would substitute Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart and No Method No Guru for Into The Music and Veedon Fleece.
No Method No Guru No Teacher almost made my top 5. It's interesting to see how many people here really rate Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart. In a fairly recent Uncut Ultimate Music Guide ISOTH got some flak for being undemanding easy listening but there are times when I find it very comforting. Still doesn't make my top 5 though!
"What's Wrong with this Picture?" gets into my top 5. Love a bit of Van and Acker. Otherwise it's Astral Weeks, Moondance, Veedon Fleece and St Dominic's Preview.
