mail: daniel_fjall@hotmail.com
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astral weeks moondance tupelo honey saint dominic's preview it's too late to stop now into the music
Astral Weeks This is the first true solo album from Van Morrison since he left the R’n’b combo Them. He had already had a hit with the uplifting "Brown Eyed Girl", which is a classic to this day. Astral Weeks is a much more serious story. The songwriting itself doesn’t differ from his later works, but the arrangements sure do. You hear a clear jazz influence, but also traditional Irish folk music, acoustic psychedelia (!) and maybe even some bossa nova. It ends up being quite overblown, and the guitarist Jay Berliner tries to set some world record in number of notes played in one second. Just hideous licks that rarely works for the better. If the guitar sometime is played more carefully the bass is all over the place instead. Damn those jazz musicians! However, "Madame George" is a huge exception and should be regarded as a classic. Finally the band realizes that sometimes less is more and manage to do the beautiful ballad justice. I know I make it sound like this album is worthless, but it’s not. It’s heavily based on mood and atmosphere and when it works it’s really good. A hook once in a while wouldn’t hurt, though.
Moondance A much less messy affair than Astral Weeks. It seems like the band has been given more strict orders and directions. No musician is trying to steal the show and everybody works as a unit. The results are very impressing. Morrison seems more at ease singing to a more soul and country-based music than floating, acoustic acid songs. And besides that, the songwriting is up a notch or two here. There are hooks and easy melodies that are amplified by the band and Morrison’s simply great vocal performances. The opening "And It Stoned Me" reminds a lot of The Band’s "The Weight", but it is a good, beautiful song. Even more beautiful is the tender ballad "Crazy Love". The title track sounds a bit like something off Astral Weeks, but tighter, more swinging, jazzy and it pulls towards the same goal. A classic. The rest of the album is very solid, uplifting and catchy. The first half of the record is truly essential. The second part is still very good, but never reaches the same standard. "Brand New Day" does it best to keep up with the high quality of the first side, and it succeeds. Moondance won’t grab you and shake you around upon the first listen and make you go looking for lamp posts, but it is a great, classic album that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Tupelo Honey Tupelo Honey finds Van the man using all of his strengths. Catchy melodies, very rootsy arrangements well suited for the working class bars. You could never tell that Van Morrison is from Ireland. The songs are based on simple country with some American soul from the south feeling all through the album. You could say Tupelo Honey sounds like The Band and maybe early Neil Young meets Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Only a violin here and there displays Morrison’s Irish roots. Tupelo Honey is far from being as hard hitting, exciting and direct as, let’s say Into The Music, but it might grow on you eventually. This man is a master of writing uplifting songs about devastating subjects. There’s always somebody on the run, someone that is lonely and feeling like an out sider. Of course broken relationships is a subject that also is covered. Van Morrison reach through especially well with the ballads here. "Old Old Woodstock" and the bluesy "You’re My Woman" is clear highlights and very, very affecting. Nothing comes close to the marvelous title track, though. To use a cliche, it’s achingly beautiful and very soulful. Something that Otis or Aretha easily could have done and make it sound natural, but I truly doubt that any act could pull it off better than this original version. The coda is especially powerful with some back up singers repeating “She’s an angel” over and over whilst Van Morrison pushes his vocals to the limits. To sum things up, a passable album with some spectacular highlights that makes this album desirable. Some of the songs are a bit too long but sometimes the band, the songs and Van Morrison really gels together and creates some timeless music.
Saint Dominic’s Preview Released: 1972 Rating: 9/10 Track listing: 1. Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile)/ 2. Gypsy/ 3. I Will Be There/ 4. Listen To The Lion/ 5. Saint Dominic’s Preview/ 6. Redwood Tree/ 7. Almost Independence Day Well, looky here! So goddamn catchy! “Jackie Wilson Said” is one of those uplifting, positive, sing along-friendly and swinging songs that only Van Morrison can write, standing shoulder to shoulder with “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Bright Side of The Road”. “Gypsy” carries things on and is almost as catchy as the preceding tune, and is beautiful as well. “I Will Be There” is another swinging soul-ish and somewhat bluesy number that just sparkles with energy. Still, it’s not quite as memorable as the previous two numbers. “Listen To The Lion” starts off as one of those gorgeous Van Morrison ballads. It’s great, and features a fantastic vocal delivery. It would without a doubt have been the best song here if it weren’t for it’s length. It’s over eleven minutes long, which may be about 4 minutes too long to keep you interested through the whole song. It’s beautiful, though, and if you sit through the entire song you will be rewarded, since Van showcases his complete vocal register. If possible, the piano driven title track is probably even better than “Listen To The Lion”. Great guitars, moody organ, and of course Mr Morrison in top vocal form. With a relaxed arrangement and a decent melody, Van cannot be beat at his own game. “Redwood Tree” is done in the same way as “I Will Be There”. I’m running out of positive superlatives here. “Almost Independence Day” starts as a slow, acoustic blues with guitar lines quite similar to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”. It then moves on to something that reminds me of Astral Weeks, only a bit more strict. Not that it’s held back or anything. On the contrary! Good singing again! Good stuff all the way through. If I could complain about anything it would be that there are only seven songs here and that “Almost Independence Day” and “Listen To The Lion” might be a little too long. Other than that, I suggest you listen to Saint Dominic’s Preview and start worshipping the mighty Irishman. If you already heard this album, you most likely do that already.
It’s Too Late To Stop Now This is a live album. And what a live album it is! Picture this: all the best from the studio version, but add a bit more enthusiasm, another energy level and a never-ending presence in each and every performance. The results are overwhelming. Every song here is a winner. More than half of them are downright magical. “Listen To The Lion” for instance. It’s shorter than the studio version (just as I suggested in my review of Saint Dominic’s Preview) and of course Van Morrison do it justice. From then on the listener is in heaven and everything ends in a big climax called “Cyprus Avenue”. A jaw dropping version, and a great bound between artist and audience. When going to concerts you get a feeling that can’t be put onto record. Sometimes on live albums, really good performers manage to make you drift away and at least get a glimpse of what happened.. Van Morrison is one of those performers, It’s Too Late To Stop Now is one of those records. It makes me almost afraid to think of how amazing the shows must have been, and how overwhelming it must have been to actually have witnessed them. This is Van Morrison at the absolute peak of his powers and I don’t think anyone can top him. Maybe Bruce Springsteen during his best period and probably Bob Dylan during The Rolling Thunder Revue-tour.
Into The Music
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