In this order: 1. Moondance 2. Astral Weeks 3. Tupelo Honey 4. Saint Dominic's Preview 5. His Band And The Street Choir
moondance (although I burnt out on it...cant deny its place) astral veedon no guru into the music but really could go with another 5 and be happy, insanely deep catalog
1. Into The Music 2. Moondance 3. Saint Dominic's Preview 4. No Guru, No Method, No Teacher 5. Hymns To The Silence
I posted my top 5 earlier but so many more of his albums could interchange into that list. His last three albums were all great. But I wanted to share my Top 3 Van’s closing Songs in concert. I saw Van live last in 2006. He played the entire Pay the Devil album, his release that year, with a 12piece band. The show had the best sound I have ever heard in a large basketball arena setting. It was prefect. But his closing numbers were Wild Night. Then Brown Eyed Girl. And last but not least, a blistering Gloria! No encore needed. End of show..
Thanks for asking for this. There are 2 primary ways to listen...within those 2 there are of course countless configurations, major and minor, even minuscule distinctions; subtleties and obviously ones' personal experiences...their "wiring" is a part of the mix And they often converge... often; thank god. The first way is: what it does to you. I'm not talking about "it's got a good beat and is easy to dance to; I'll give it a 10". It's WHAT IT DOES to you. Where it takes you? Does it hit you in the gut, the heart, the soul, the conscience? Does it bring you somewhere you used to know, somewhere you miss; where you left a part of your life. Does it make you want to groove; shakeout shimmy, sway or rock n' roll. Does it make you rock hard or as relaxed as if floating atop a pool of quicksand conforming to your body? Does it take you to outer space? Or take you deep inside yourself. The second way to listen to music is to understand it; to listen to it with other parts of your body then when you're "feeling" it. To listen to it analytically; to trying to detect what's going on; to figure how the recording and composition are making me feel, transporting me to other places then where I am; maybe to where I want to be, with who I want to be there with... or alone. Maybe to someplace I was or somewhere I've wanted to be but never found the time or some other impediment crept in that stopped the bus. All the endless pieces to the jigsaw puzzle; the myriad choices. The choices of: human thought in the writing, what specific words were selected, for what; if any purpose. The arranging; the choice of the players: friends; sometimes, the cats who are going to voice, inhabit and deliver the song. The execution, the performance. The stew: the general and even more specific instrumentation, what tones on the instruments, what degree of spontaneity does the music allow for? What to emphasize; more or less, when and where. How much echo on the chorus track; how is the chorus positioned, what microphones to use... the mixing and mastering and all the truly limitless technical choices that go into a final recorded song. The aural nature to the song. When there's a successful convergence of 1 & 2 we have the potential of being taken to Nirvana. Or different stops along the way. Personally I tend to go for The What, and then or if; I go to The How... What the hell did they do to make me feel... the way I do; how does it move me. I'm lazy and simple by nature and if it's at least a good song; I except it as a gift, with understanding and appreciation of all the work by all those who's work went into it. It's a blast or something that's made me feel something, has brought me there. Some times it's just that stone cold grind, or that joyous flight I go on. We also have different expectations we attach to different artists... some are understood and appreciated as writers first; whose major purpose is to communicate either a story, a message, an idea or a feelings. Some artists we understand as primarily; cats of superior technical and touch; mastery of the sound and the board... they know how to stroke the strings; coax tone and rhythm from the drums; turn the dials, record their vision; their trip. The artists who have the ability to merge and blend it all are the ones who rightly garner our greatest love, loyalty, respect and thanks. The ones who are able to deliver more or less (one must have understanding and compassion grounded in reality) consistently over the course of a lifetime are our gods. For me one of these guys is Van Morrison... I owe him much more then just the pennies that might have found their way into his pocket from what I've spent on his recordings and shows. I've gotten so much more out of the bargain. I'm sure Van would agree with that sentiment. As a matter of fact I believe he's maybe muttered something to the effect of that once or twice... or a multiple of that. One of his best albums also one of my favorites; and I recognize these as 2 different things is Hard Nose The Highway. In pairing down my list of Top 5 I knew going in Hard Nose along with Astral Weeks and St. Dominic's Preview would be the top 3. What I don't know; more specially don't know, don't understand; is why Hard Nose The Highway is not regarded, as I believe it should be, at the very pinnacle of all his Van's recorded works. There's a number of things I don't understand, but do understand other people points of view about; but this... I haven't a clue; well actually I do have a left field speculation I'll get into in a bit; but I really have no idea and would love anyone to tell me what I might be hearing that others don't. I have to a greater degree then I have before dove into the How of Hard Nose and thank you again for pushing this as it can only elevate the experience and depth of the record for me. The examining I'm sure will not diminish "the groove" or weaken my physical pushing and pulling of the feeling; but going deeper is also good for the superficial as long as you don't keep it on your sleeve. I stilly want rock! So what is my take on Hard Nose The Highway? First I'll say to what I reference above as a possible reason Hard Nose is not generally thought of as highly as I for one might expect is that it's a different, singular album in Van's Discography. It of course has many of Van's perennial; stylistic choices, his themes both lyrically and musically, his "grooves"; but on Hard Nose there is a consistent commitment and reliance on a much narrowed path of choices; although as I said; totally Van throughout. Where there are sprinklings of everything Van has to offer us everywhere in his catalogue almost seemingly without attention. One any given record you hear bits of everything; with the exception of maybe Down The Road or Too Long In Exile which I'd consider straight-up blues albums there are few and none with the entirety of the record as Hard Nose that is as direct and continuous in style. That doesn't mean there are no shifts, no inklings or references... but it solidly throughout does something I've not heard to the degree on any other record. Hard Nose is a Jazzy - Breezy - Soft & Low, contemporary jazzy record; a contemplative swinging' record. Deep and complex but Relaxed and Breezy. That doesn't mean it's straight forward by a long shot; but I do see; and this is directly to the point of people not seeing it for what it is; the possibility of finding something other then what might have been expected. It's easy and an argument can be made that it's not a rockin; album, it's not a personally deeply rooted record in the past as many of Van's are. it's not a deep a metaphysical trip. It's good but doesn't take me all the way. I of course would say PHISH POSH to all of that... but I sort of can maybe see it... kinda sorta, maybe... not not really but it's the only thing I've got. It's a Masterwork. It's not the Masterpiece that Astral Weeks is but its solidly a Masterwork of Recorded Music. The difference between a Masterwork and a Masterpiece as I see it is a Masterwork will be known and well thought of for 1000 years and a Masterpiece will be thought of as such for eternity. I think I've found a new way of using too many words to say to little. There can be no rational argument; one may not like a Masterpiece but it is universally recognized that a Masterpiece is a Masterpiece. Someone may not like Vincent's Stary Night... but looking at it you can't deny it's greatness. A Masterwork is more subjective. First and foremost this is a record, with some glaring exceptions is more suited to be performed in a dimly lit jazz club then to a multitude. The record opens with a short; I'm sorry I can't denote the exact length (1 bar, 2?) choral opening; an evocation of what's in store. The epic quality of the sweetly soft & low; the grander of SNOW IN ANSELMO. A madman looking' for a fight? Where the pancake houses are always crowded. A place you can speed your time away if you suffer from insomnia. Your waitress, your waitress, your waitress will point out you're coming down, but you know that hasn't happened in more then 30 years. The record is predominantly played as by a jazz trio; a trio of guitar, base, drums and Vocal. Augmented with other additions as thought needed; sax, the chorus... Even the tone of the instruments; for my ear predominantly the guitar; who's tone is that of a crystal clear richly styled jazz guitar. This I find to be true wether the tone of the guitar is deep and thick or tight, bright and twangy. The guitars; electric and acoustic are played not as a lead or a rhythm instruments but both with a relentless series of gorgeous perfectly placed fills that smooth out the rhythm and highlight the essence of a vocal phrase or a progression of the structure of the song throughout; what Doug Petibone has been doing in a somewhat "raunchier" style for years on the road with Lucinda Williams. What James Burton did behind Elvis and others his entire career; what we used to refer to as "tasty" (the highest compliment we could accord to a player's work); sometimes with as little as a precisely placed single note with the exact amount of vibrato to make the point. Or tiny runs; notes strung together a musically imagination and powerful way. These moments, seconds of shear beauty are as communicative, evocative, full bodied as a rich red and influential as could be in every groove of the record giving it much of its nuance, grace, elegance... and tastiness. The beginning vocal after the chorus fades is in very direct story telling way, Van's voice seems to almost be yearning, wailing from a distant place. While the accompanying music, distinct; almost in the background soft and low; is setting the scene... Comfortable? OK we're in... blast off; hear we go - here we go; but just for a moment. The story abruptly pauses almost as if to say don't get too comfortable, don't let the hypnotic lushness of the music lull you into a dream place. This is the paper this story is being written on... a driving jazz progression lead by a running bass line and joined compactly by the guitar, piano and moving drum pattern anchored by a sax and the reintroduction of the chorus and driving ride cymbal. Just a quickly as it appeared it's not gone; but we've moved on; we've moved back actually back into the flow of traffic that had been established so we can go on with the story. The mission bells are tolling. It's the beginning of the opera and the choral whisper and reply not in Church but in that pancake houses open 24 hours a day, the massage pallors; maybe the place god or "it" if you prefer can really be found. Comfortable? Wake up... another abrupt outburst of running base, sax, chorus... "seems to suddenly appear". "He was laying on the ground". Long choral fade out. The end of the story. And now that the stage has been set... lay back, chill... listen. Listen back to back > Snow In San Anselmo then Summertime In England. The simple; very simple in every way if compared to the record opener; WARM LOVE follows the illuminated manuscript of Snow with a simple song about love. My ear puts Warm love as a sister song to the earlier Crazy Love. Love one of Van's recurring themes seems almost like a perennial story that Van returns to over time to see where he stands. Crazy love was the purest assertions of love and what it feels like. It's a kind of less mature; first love as compared to Warm Love. Warm love sung in a 1/2 falsetto; the full monty only heard to the best of my recollection on Veedon Fleece; "Who Was That Masked Man". "It's not a matter of when push comes to shove; it's just the power on the wings of a dove". I dig it... fancy dressed in lace a smile on your face; Warm Love. AND IT'S EVER PRESENT EVERYWHERE. The instrumentation and orchestration is as simple as the sentiment. That jazzy go lucky flute following the medley and those perfect guitar fills. Warm Love. When you've got a moment play back to back: Crazy Love, Warm Love and the more distant, more separated by time and life... Have I told You Lately That I Love You off Avalon Sunset. The next cut up is the title: HARD NOSE THE HIGHWAY ak(to me)a: Further On Up The Road. Now that we're agreed on where the record is going; we know about Warm Love; were all friends... Hard Nose, the tune begins "Hey kids think of first base; ain't that some interpretation" (of love)? First; Van's phrasing on this is subtle and beautiful. It's a deceivingly simple tour de force vocal. Listen to his reading of "Put your money where your mouth is" coming out of the piano solo. As I hear it; it's masterful; it grabs you, tell you without preaching cause he's been there and it's experience speaking. But it is direct and unequivocal "advise". He's seen some hard times. No time for shoe shiiiiine". He outlines in allegory... He's seen some hard times. It's unsaid; but you've got to pick your self up and further on down the road; Van's not getting stuff in the mud; not yet anyway... and he for one will Hard Nose The Highway cause you got to. Maybe not today, maybe tomorrow... this is a hopeful Van. That alone is a reason not to dismiss this as a minor work. Further Van referencing... Sinatra sing(ing) against Nelson Riddle Strings is an additional indication where we are, where we're going on this record. Sinatra has replaced Madame George in Van's positioning us as well as himself in time. Is it possible that Van devotees didn't know what to make; couldn't assimilate Van using Sinatra as a reference. Were Van fans open and understanding of the crossover or to many was Sinatra not one of our guys at the time. < I don't know. That sounds like it might be a bowl of ********. I don't know. I'm still looking to understand why Hard Nose wasn't embraced as it should have been. Personally I particularly liked the signpost that was being drawn attention to. Van and his music was growing up with me. You might think not but listen to jazz reference cadence in this one... I contend it's there. Not only in the piano solo. Close you eyes; can you see hearing this in a back alley jazz cellar or an arena where they'll be laying down a basketball hard court 2o mins. after you've left the building. And just a word about Van's Further On Up The Road repetitious scatting that has become a trademark for Van has never been better then his final salvo of Further On Up Further On Up Further On Up, I know you paid your dues in Canada I know you paid your dues in Canada... Further On Up, Further On up... Classic! In the next few numbers; Van doubles down on a more current reminiscing then he'd done many times before and after Hard Nose. It actually elevates from reminiscing to a more thoughtful assessing. Wild Children is a ballad I frankly call hear Billie Holliday taking to town. Van pinpoints the time to a similar time before but approaching the Sinatra Riddle collaboration era. WILD CHILDREN locks in on 1945 the post WWII era. It begins with a single what I believe is a minor chord on the piano. It's got that slow, languid ballad pace that could easily drift into a blues; but never quite makes it. It's not a failed attempt; I'm just stating what I hear. Continuing on my idea of this being a jazzy; alternatingly breezy - loungy record... I can hear glasses clinking at the bar, at the bar in the lounge and a faint 3:00AM argument seeping in from the coat check area. Dig that dreamy guitar and twinkling piano. Makes me wish there'd been a Van Morrison / Bill Evens collaboration at some point. 1950s icons mark Wild Children: Tennessee Williams, Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger On The Waterfront, James Dean's crashing to his death. Van's looking back to his near past... not his days of Belfast Rebels or cool clear water. Van continues with THE GREAT DECEPTION The plastic revolutionaries take the money and run. World of lies. *They rip you off with a smile and it don't even take a gun. It's not the offense that's the real crime; it's the cruel and humiliating form of the rip off. *The Great Rembrandt... didn't have enough money for his brushes and thought it was rather quaint. Don't it make you not want to bother at all. *Lyric paraphrased, edited or annotated. And some of those beautiful guitar fills in this one. The record continues with a prime example of the breezy jazzy that I was commenting on earlier... On BEIN' GREEN; the great Joe Raproso song. I had a friend who was great friends with Raproso and said Joe had told him Van's rendition of Green was his favorite cover by anyone of any of his songs. He supposedly and I have no reason to disbelieve this; continued "when people listen to Morrison's recording... it's so perfect they'll hear the song I wrote and not think about that stupid frog. It's a deep soulful; heartfelt lament which ends in a declaration of not just resignation but pride: But green is the color of spring And green can be cool and friendly like And green can be big like an ocean Or important like a mountain or tall like a tree. and Van sings it like it is... perfectly. Please forgive this; but I wish Al Green did a duet of this. Van and Al Bein' Green & Morrison. I have no set ideas or rules about when to play certain music as far as times of the day, seasons... with the excepts of: Blues played only after the sun goes down. Amalia Rodrigues seems to get played often on rainy dark dreary days, Neil Young when I need to rock around or when I take measurements for my coffin. James Brown when I need to funkify. Basa Nova often on Sunny Sunday mornings. But very consciously do I play Hard Nose at least once in the Autumn usually on the first noticeably inkling of that refreshing cool night air. I pop it on primarily with the idea of listening to Autumn Song. But invariably ends up feeling it's somehow all of the time musically. Maybe it's that jazzy breezy I hear throughout the album. The sound of the wind rasping the leaves... jazzy and breezy man. I also often spend time with an artist after I've heard of their deaths. It's takes a moment for the fact there'll be no more new music to set in. The breezy swingin' jazz groove is all over AUTUMN SONG. From the brushed drums, the big hollow body guitar sound; the quite piano walking' behind the vocal interweaving with all the players. Nat Cole's Christmas song is always brought to mind.
Somehow I could never get into `Astral Weeks`......I know heresy! So I give you..... Beautiful Vision St Dominic`s Preview Moondance. The much underrated `Wavelength` And the magnificent live album `A night in San Francisco`, which is about as close to a religious revelation as you can get. `Revelation, in religion, the disclosure of divine or sacred reality or purpose to humanity. In the religious view, such disclosure may come through mystical insights, historical events, or spiritual experiences that transform the lives of individuals and groups`.
Wavelength is a great album. I always found it funny that Van released his most FM sounding commercial album then the label dropped him ! So glad to see you indeed! peace and love✌Dave
Sorry... the above got posted prior to my finishing it or having a chance to reread it and see if it's in there; if what my was in my head came out on the page and is cohesive and makes any sense at all. But hell I also told you I was lazy and the idea of beginning again; I don't know. But I swear I'm almost finished; so here goes. AUTUMN SONG... I was saying how the images of the season as written and performed were somehow sharp while being dreamlike; like seeing a scene in a snow glob. That's the quiet Van introduces at various times in the song. Little stroll past the house on the hill. Some more coal on the fire will do well. Nat Cole's Christmas Song is referenced by; Chestnuts roasting outside as you walk with your love by your side. The old accordion man plays mellow and bright. And you go home in the Christmas of the night. Like few songs this puts you in space and time. You feel the coolness, the crispness in the air, you smell the roasting chestnuts: You'll be smiling, Eyes beguiling, And the song on the breeze Calls my name out in your dream. Musically; the song's just plain smooth like a Sunday stroll on a breezy Autumn evening. But how great would have it been to have Milt Jackson sitting in on this one. Van's vocals throughout the song are very laid-back but get their power from the coloring and relaxed confidence in conjunction with the varied way he uses his instrument. The vibrato, the almost incomprehensibly fluctuating intonation, maintaining a high register for an entire verse... But the highlight of the song for me is the extended modulated vamp at the finale of the song... ...You just may break out... you just may have to lose control... you might just have to lose control, you might just have to break out; you just a may break out... da da da, da da... Breakout way over in the distance. ...How low and quiet can you go? There's a shopisitcated use of silence that far surpasses that of any on Hymns To The Silence. Van whispers his dream to us; almost unpreceiveable. It so peaceful inside, inside, in, inside... how much more of this can I take; let me drift away... da da, da da - da da da da da da da da da. The album closes with the beautiful and soulful...PURPLE HEATHER. This is almost like Van praying. His singing style is different on this track then any of the others. On this vocal his voice is rougher actually more direct, then rougher; more the voice from earlier albums all the way back to the Them days. He's singing as a preacher; not in his message but in his emoting of spirt. The high staccato of the violins mimicking the wind and pushing the smells. Engulfing us in the smells surrounding us in the fields of purple heather. It leaves us engulfed in nature... the only thing in our lives that doesn't lie. So that's some of what Hard Nose The Highway has revealed to me. I will try to put it in a cabinet draw in my head so when next I put throw on Hard Nose I'll simply listen in the 1st way and get carried away and not get lost in the How. But it's good to have listened to it and thought about it. Will it be different next time I play it? I don't really know. But one thing I'll never know; never really know how to seriously even speculate, how people who appreciate Van Morrison don't hear what I hear when I listen to Hard Nose. Again finally; they're not wrong or right, just as I'm neither wrong or right. I just would like to understand. Anyway... thank you for allowing me to do this; and no matter if you agree or disagree with anything I've written kudos for simply having got through it.
I was lead to believe we get paid by the word. I didn't expect anyone to actually read it. I know people don't do that anymore. Do they?
I see I made an error with some of the posted lyrics: The Song Hard Nose The Highway begins with "Hey, kids dig the first takes. Ain't that some interpretation"; where I'd thought the lyric was Hey, kids think of first base. Ain't that some interpretation. Now that's a horse of a different color; I'll have to rethink the lyric after I wash the egg off my face.
Growing up on Van in the 60s he still remains a favorite but I really dig Them also because that was my 1st experience with Van. 1Them featuring Here Comes The Night is solid hard rock & R&B. Vans menacing brooding made Jagger sound like a little boy in 1965. 2.Astral Weeks is the most painfully beautiful album in the history of rock(1968) 3.Moondance. Van goes all out Ray Charles but his own way.Side 1 is probably the most satisfying set of music recorded by anyone.(1970) 4.Van The Man(Amazing Korny Phone Label boot) 18+ mins of the extremely rare "Caledonia Soul Music" is on par with anything on Astral Weeks.Therefore making it essential.(1972) 5.Into The Music is the album Van came roaring back with after years in the wilderness and many desultory efforts in the mid - late 70s.Side 2 is the best side of of music Van had cut since Moondance.(1979) Honorable mention; The Healing Game is Van again roaring back to his great art.Impossible to get out of the way of his performance.(1997)
Thanks for your detailed response. I have a week off coming up and I will use some of that time to dive back into this album. The weather here has taken a chilly turn so that may be favourable.
The little story; I said I'd mention was about a show I'd seen Van do at The Bottom Line in NYC. "The Line" was my Life Line along with The Fillmore East, and Max's Kansas City at that time. Those venues were my schools, my clubhouses, my respites from the day to day angst of trying to find my way through my early years of exploring what life might be; discovering what I wanted out of it and what I was prepared to give in order to thrive. Sometimes the play; and I always knew how lucky I was to have this problem (I to this day am grateful to have come up at the time I did) was to figure out how to see all the shows I wanted to. Hit the early show at The Line and then saunter East to catch the late show at the Fillmore or visa versa. Sometime I'd have to; depending on the show, see both shows at either of the venues. Tickets were cheap back then. There were other venues that were often part of the mix but shows at those were more sporadic. The Bottom Line and The Fillmore were ground zero. It wasn't all happening at the zoo... it was ALL happening at The Line and The Fillmore. Max's Kansas City was always the last stop (musically speaking). The nights always began to end at Max's... often followed by a wind down; a potential meeting of more then just the minds that morphed into the early AM at: The Mud Club, Club 52, Berlin, Danceatria, later The China Club... Brownie's; which was an after after hours joint on Ave. A. that opened at 7:00AM and was primarily a lounge for people who worked at after hours clubs to unwind. Anyway... the Van show; I think it was late '71, maybe early '72; it was the late show. These were the days when it wasn't the unions who determine the length of a show; it was the artist; how into it he was, and if their was a late show coming up because the audience had to be turned. One thing I always remember about those days was that if it wasn't a sold out late show Alan & Stanely; the owners of The Line... and with Bill Graham; the owners of the NY music scene would let people from the early show stay for the late show. At The Fillmore; after the end of the early show we'd often crowd into the smoke filled bathrooms; or the dark nooks and crannies scattered around the various floors of the auditorium and wait until the crowd for the late show was ushered in and we'd filter into the crowd. That was of course if there was no other better late show going on somewhere else. So; '71 / '72. the Van late show at The Line; the first time I'd seen him (I have been told by friends who were there "with me" that I saw him around that time at The Fillmore; but for the life of me I don't remember; I probably had... sad; horrible really). Sprinkled around the room were familiar faces: John Sebastian, Cass Eliott, Laura Nyro, John Hammond Jr., Eric Anderson, Brian Auger I believe. The imposing Doc Pomus holding court at his usual table. This was the regular scene at The Line. So Van rips through a blistering set backed by The Street Choir Caledonia Soul Band. One song after another after another. Van as serious as hell. Relentless; laying out everything he had. Leading the band; singing like he was possessed. Digging deep. Zero interaction with the crowd. Van was all business; doing his job like his life depended on it. The slower lower ballads dripping with soul It was a brilliant show... THAT I remember with all the clarity of a crystal bell tone. After Van's last number he simply says; arms directing sweeping behind him "The Band" "The Band". He walks off while the place is standing as tall as possible, the applause are uniform in raucousness, celebrating the show, Van The Man. Van struts back out followed by the band who straps up. Van walks out as the audience takes the applauses up a notch or 3 like it's another day at the office. No acknowledgment of anything out of the ordinary. Confident he did his job and nailed it. Which he had. So... the encore was Caravan which began without a word. It was a performance that was on another level all together. Van put everyone on the bus and brought us exactly where he wanted. It was the a beautiful execution... how the gods must communicate amongst themselves. It wasn't a story Van was singing; it was an insight in to the past, present and future... it was deep. Perfect! Still to come... the end vamp... Turn It Up Radio... Turn It Up... was as intense as anything I'd or ever have seen on a stage. With each repetitive proclamation the stakes were heightened; the energy elevated, the commitment multiplied. It was like the switch of an electric chair being pulled over and over and over and over and over. This seemed to continue into eternity. Into the cosmos. Into The Mystic. Spectacular! Suddenly and definitively; almost definitely as if to say; I've got more... there's no place else to go. We'd gone as far as we dare... Van drops the mic; the band is silent, he bends over, hands above his knees... coming down; catching his time and space. THE AUDIENCE WAS DEAD SILENT. Not a sound. Nothing for what seemed like an eternity. It was stunning and it stunned us. We were all collectively coming back to Earth. It truly must have been a solid 30 seconds of dead silence after Van's mic drop; astounding uniform silence in the room. Then seemingly all at once a thunderous burst of applause broke the stillness. It went on for... must have been 5 minutes... seemed like 50. As the applause slowly began dying down a mild rising murmur took over the room. You looked around and saw heads with smiling faces shaking or nodding acknowledging the greatness of the moment; the greatness of what we'd witnessed. The greatness of Van Morrison.
MOONDANCE!!! Astral Weeks Tupelo Honey His Band and the Street Choir Veedon Fleece Moondance all the way for this guy. First time I heard the tune Moondance I was on the hunt to track the album down. Hadn't ever heard it beeing late to the Van game. Called into a local radio station that played it after it was remastered. Been on the Van train since.
In order... "Moondance" "Astral Weeks" "St. Dominic's Preview" "His Band And Street Choir" ... and then a log jam for 5th place... "The Angry Young Them" "Blowin' Your Mind" "Tupelo Honey" "Veedon Fleece" "Into The Music" "Beautiful Vision" "No Guru, No Method, No Teacher"
1. Astral Weeks 2. Veedon Fleece 3. Moondance 4. Common One 5. Into the Music And that just scratches the surface with Van, truly one of the greats. The top two records here are among the greatest in rock history, and they each have a sound that is unlike anything else. Some of the deepest, strangest, richest popular music you'll ever hear.
WAVELENGTH!!! Astral Weeks Tupelo Honey His Band and the Street Choir Veedon Fleece WAVELENGTH all the way for this guy. First time I heard the tune WAVELENGTH I was on the hunt to track the album down. Hadn't ever heard it beeing late to the Van game. Called into a local radio station that played it after it was remastered. Been on the Van train since. Today at 7:57 PMReport + QuoteReply linclinkForum Resident In order... "Moondance" "Astral Weeks" "St. Dominic's Preview" "His Band And Street Choir" ... and then a log jam for 5th place... "The Angry Young Them" "Blowin' Your Mind" "Tupelo Honey" "Veedon Fleece" "Into The Music" "Beautiful Vision" "No Guru, No Method, No Teacher" Last edited: Today at 9:10 PM Today at 9:00 PMReport Like+ QuoteReply Carl SwansonResident blabbermouth The first five. Today at 9:10 PMReport Like+ QuoteReply gckcrispyForum Resident 1. Astral Weeks 2. Veedon Fleece 3. Moondance 4. Common One 5. Into the Music And that just scratches the surface with Van, truly one of the greats. The top two records here are among the greatest in rock history, and they each have a sound that is unlike anything else. Some of the deepest, strangest, richest popular music you'll ever hear. 35 minutes agoReport Like+ QuoteReply < Prev123456 HomeForums>Discussions>Music Corner> Forums Watched Threads New Posts ejzeppelin Inbox Alerts Search Classic :: Blue Log Out Contact Us Help Forum Policies, Rules, and Terms of Service Privacy Policy Forum software by XenForo™ XenForo add-ons by Waindigo™ Feedback System by XenCentral.com
Tupelo Honey Moondance Poetic Champions Compose Back On Top Wavelenth Kinda all over the place but, I'm of a Van that is moody. I have Astral Weeks but, I have my moments with it, same with Blow Your Mind. But, I will play Days Like This all day. Not that I don't like anyone's choices these are the Van that I'm most confortable with.
I always like it when someone chooses a number of records that are different from my own choices. Makes me go back and listen to the albums and try to hear what they do. Wavelength, Back On Top and Tupelo Honey. Particularly the last one which I have never appreciated very deeply.
