Thursday, June 28, 2012

New Dates Added To Van's Concert Schedule

08-Sep-12 Belfast, N. Ireland
East Belfast Arts Festival

13-Sep-12 Dusseldorf, Germany
Mitsubishi Electric Halle

14-Sep-12 Paris, France
L'Olympia

21-Sep-12 Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow Concert Hall

23-Oct-12 Canterbury, England
Marlowe Theatre

24-Oct-12 Canterbury, England
Marlowe Theatre

27-Nov-12 Liverpool, England
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

28-Nov-12 Manchester, England
Manchester Bridgewater Hall

18-Jan-13 Belfast, N. Ireland
Culloden Estate & Spa

19-Jan-13 Belfast, N. Ireland
Culloden Estate & Spa

20-Jan-13 Belfast, N. Ireland
Culloden Estate & Spa

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Van Morrison Announces New Album

Born to Sing: No Plan B 

October 2, 2012

Paste Magazine: Popular music icon and six-time Grammy-winner Van Morrison recently announced that he will be releasing a new full-length album, Born to Sing: No Plan B on Oct. 2 via Blue Note Records. The album will be Morrison’s first Blue Note release since 2003’s Grammy Award-winning What’s Wrong with This Picture?.

With most record companies being so corporate I am happy to be working with Don Was and the team at Blue Note,” Morrison said. “To have such a creative music person as the head of my recording label assures me that all the effort taken to write and record this new album will be rewarded with a music-based focus and marketing approach. I look forward to many recording projects with Don and Blue Note.

Born to Sing: No Plan B was produced by Morrison and recorded in his hometown of Belfast, North Ireland. Check out the album’s tracklisting below:

Born to Sing: No Plan B Tracklist:
1. Open The Door (To Your Heart)
2. Going Down To Monte Carlo
3. Born To Sing
4. End Of The Rainbow
5. Close Enough For Jazz
6. Mystic Of The East
7. Retreat And View
8. If In Money We Trust
9. Pagan Heart
10. Educating Archie

Last.FM (From Blue Note Records Bio)
The subtitle of Van Morrison’s new album, Born to Sing: No Plan B, indicates the power that music still holds for this living legend. “No Plan B means this is not a rehearsal,” says Morrison. “That’s the main thing—it’s not a hobby, it’s real, happening now, in real time.”

This sense of absolute conviction, which has defined Morrison’s revolutionary work for almost fifty years, runs throughout the new record, his thirty-fifth studio album as a solo artist. Morrison’s career—which has seen him honored with a Brit Award, an OBE, an Ivor Novello, six Grammys, honorary doctorates from Belfast Queens and Ulster, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the French Ordres Des Artes Et Des Lettres—has done nothing less than redefine the possibilities of pop music. The ten original songs on Born to Sing, his first new album in four years (the longest he has ever gone between recordings), reveal an artist continuing to test his creative parameters.

“They’re not all one thing,” he says. “Some are about the world crisis, others are more mystical. Whatever ideas come in, there’s no set ABC of it. Really, it wouldn’t be interesting if everything was set—there would be no surprises.”

As Morrison notes, perhaps the most striking thing on the new album is hearing him weigh in on the global financial and economic meltdown on several songs. His sense of outrage at the materialism and greed that have poisoned society first appears in the opening track, the breezy soul strut “Open the Door (To Your Heart),” when he sings “Money doesn’t make you fulfilled/Money’s just to pay the bills.”

The theme recurs throughout Born to Sing, climaxing in the closer, “Educating Archie.” The title refers to both a ventriloquist’s dummy on a popular BBC radio show of Morrison’s youth and television’s working-class anti-hero Archie Bunker, both representing the kind of average guy whom the singer warns, “You’re a slave to the capitalist system/Which is ruled by the global elite.”

Morrison, never known as a protest singer, insists he’s not taking a political stand. “I’m not protesting, I’m just observing what’s happening—like Lenny Bruce said, ‘Observation, baby!,’” he says. “Starting about two years ago, everybody was talking about money, money, money, and that’s the way songs come about. Whatever people are talking about, the ideas around you, that’s what you pick up.”

Most fascinating might be “If In Money We Trust,” a song-length meditation on the ways in which cash has replaced God at the center of the modern belief system. “That came from looking at a dollar bill and turning the concept on its head,” he says. “I thought, ‘What is this stuff on here, what does it mean?’ Some people’s god is money, we’ve discovered that about a lot of people recently, so then what happens after that—what happens if you don’t have it, or if you don’t have enough?”

The song also serves as a link to the kind of spirituality and mysticism that has been central to Morrison’s work from such early masterpieces as Astral Weeks and St. Dominic’s Preview through to more recent triumphs like The Healing Game and The Philosopher’s Stone. After lamenting “Where’s God?” as a refrain on “If In Money We Trust,” he immediately follows with the swirling blues of “Pagan Heart,” which finds him searching and casting spells “Down by the crossroads/Down by the Arcadian groves.” Other songs, like “Retreat and View” and “Mystic of the East,” illustrate Morrison’s ongoing exploration of divine mystery.

“These are all just ideas,” he says of the multiple perspectives offered throughout Born to Sing. “They’re not my beliefs, I’m not proselytizing, it’s not some kind of manifesto. Songs are just ideas, concepts, and you just put the mic there and go. There are no rules that say you can’t have different ideas—in fact, why not? Why not have different ideas?”

From his earliest days, Van Morrison has channeled the influences of such giants as Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Muddy Waters, Mahalia Jackson, and Leadbelly. His music has defied boundaries, offering everything from the swinging soul-jazz of Moondance to the traditional Celtic styles of Irish Heartbeat. In the last few decades, he has collaborated with a range of artists including John Lee Hooker, Mose Allison, and Tom Jones, and dedicated projects to celebrating and re-exploring his blues, jazz, skiffle, and country roots.

Born to Sing, recorded live in the studio with a core six-piece band (plus Morrison on piano, guitar, and alto saxophone), extends these musical roots into a signature blend that’s impossible to imitate or to categorize. One song, the light-hearted “Close Enough for Jazz,” started life as an instrumental, before Morrison later decided to add lyrics. “I don’t think in terms of labels,” he says. “It’s a mix of all of it, a smorgasbord of all music and all my influences, and you hope that it comes out as something new. Ray Charles has always been my role model—he did everything, including reinventing country music.”

The album also marks Morrison’s return to the storied Blue Note label, home to many of his jazz idols, for which he last recorded 2003’s What’s Wrong With This Picture? The singer says that the affiliation is significant to him. “My father had quite a few of the old Blue Note records,” he says, “and one of first records I had was Sidney Bechet’s ‘Summertime,’ which was on Blue Note, too.”

Despite the album’s title, Morrison says that he didn’t immediately know that he was Born to Sing. “I didn’t know it was going to be a job until I was maybe fifteen or sixteen and started working in bands,” he says. “I was just a kid trying to make my way in life. There was no revelation—it doesn’t work that way.”

Ever since then, though, Van Morrison has offered non-stop revelation to fans around the world. With Born to Sing, he responds to a time of crisis with solace and insight, vision and wonder, and incomparable soul that shows what happens when you really do create from the heart, with no Plan B.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Van To Appear At Ireland's Folk, Root & Indie Festival

Knocknarena, Sligo, Ireland
Sunday October 28, 2012

VAN MORRISON will premiere new show at SLIGO LIVE

Legendary Irish artist VAN MORRISON will premiere an exciting new show when SLIGO LIVE, Ireland ’s folk, roots and indie music festival returns for its eighth year this October. In what promises to be a really special evening, Van will present a show entitled “LYRICS AND POETRY: EMPHASIS ON WORDS”.

This intimate and unique performance on Sunday 28th October at IT Sligo's Knocknarea Arena will see Van Morrison accompanied by his rhythm section performing songs with a strong emphasis on words, together with readings from his poetry. Audiences will also be treated to previously unseen work by the creative genius. Songs from his albums, “Astral Weeks”, No Guru, No Method, No Teacher” and “Hymns to the Silence” will feature in this very special show. Tickets go on sale on Friday June 29th.

At their best Van Morrison’s live performances are regarded as transcendental and inspired and over the years many of his recordings have been widely viewed among the greatest ever made, with several included in ‘best album lists’. Since his international breakthrough with Them in 1964, Van the Man has been carving out a career as one of the most respected and influential artists in popular music. Van Morrison has been awarded many prestigious accolades over the years which include Grammys and Brit Awards; being inducted into the Hall of Fame; An OBE; French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres - the list is endless. Perhaps the ultimate achievement for a Northern Irish East Belfast boy, was the selection of his song ‘Days Like This’ as the anthem of the Northern Irish Peace Process.

Having been greatly influenced by his father’s eclectic record collection which incorporated blues, folk, country, soul jazz and R’n B Van Morrison fused them into his own unique style –as he was always noted for his tremendous musicality within his work. His compositions also have strong lyrical component with many songs showing the influence of the visionary poets, W.B.Yeats and William Blake.
The choice of Sligo , the spiritual home of Yeats, to launch this new show placing the emphasis on poetry and lyrics is no coincidence. Morrison shares many of Yeats’ touches including the references to their iconic youthful haunts, Morrison’s use of Cyprus Avenue and Orangefield in his Belfast homeland for Yeats’ and Sligo place names Hazelwood or Knocknarea.

Van Morrison is playing a very special intimate show and Sligo Live is a unique opportunity for music lovers to enjoy a magical musical experience with a genuine legend. Tickets to this one off concert go on sale from this website on Friday June 29th at 9pm (€47.50 plus €1 Service charge). Numbers are strictly limited so don’t wait around. Limit of 8 tickets per order.

A limited number of weekend tickets at €112 will enable music lovers to enjoy all of Sligo Live including Van Morrison and Joan Armatrading.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

A Look Back At Glastonbury 1982

It was 30 years ago today that Van played at the Glastonbury Festival in England. Long time Van fan looks back on the festival and Van's gig that day.

Van Morrison at Glastonbury June 19, 1982

From Pat's long running blog, Visions Of Pat

In the year of 82 there was a pestilence on the land,it began at Thatcher and spread outwards. I was living in a little village called Hilperton with my mate Fred and another bloke called Wally in a house called 'The Nook'.Next door lived this old man who we called 'the old grey fella'.He was always banging on the wall because of the noise.I was one of Thatchers victims,on the dole but i used to do a bit of gardening around the village to get some beer money. I did the gardening at the local pub The Lion And Fiddle and the pub owner used to give me some money and then I'd sit in his bar and give him the money back over the course of the evening.Thatcher was starting her Falklands adventure,it was the worst of times and the even worser of times but there was something to cheer up about,a new Van album 'Beautiful Vision'


I like the cover design,i don't know what it all means though.It reminded me of a line in a David Bowie song 'Crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me'. I liked the cover so much i had it framed and stuck it on my wall.As i have said i think where Van lives is reflected in his music and for a short time in the early 80's Van lived with his northern muse Ulla Munch in the Vanlose district of Copenhagen and this inspired a number of tracks on Beautiful Vision such as Vanlose Stairway, Scandinavia,She Gives Me Religion and the title track.'Celtic Ray'the opening track though is very Irish,with Van yearning for home.Van says in the song that he has been away too long.Lots of Irish people move away to places not greener but meaner but they never move away mentally,they always think about returning.This theme is continued on 'Northern Muse,Solid Ground'.The muse in question would be Vans musical muse and how he had to leave in order to fulfill his creative spirit.

The line 'If you see her say hello' is the title of a Dylan song off Blood On The Tracks.I wonder if Van pinched it off Bob? (Paragraph missing here,will deal with later) Whats my line?' sings Van in the next song. Whats My Line was a popular panal show on the telly when i was a kid.It was hosted by Eamon Andrews and the panalists had to guess what the contestants did for a living.Van tells us his line was 'Cleaning Windows'. This is a great song unlike anything else on the album and i think Mark Knopfler plays on it.In the song Van talks about buying 5 Woodbines and i did actually find a packet of 5 woodbines at work under some floorboards.Van the name dropper is in evidence here with Jimmy Rodgers, Jack Kerouac and Christmas Humphreys getting a mention amongst others.Van likes to get his listeners into things he is into.'Baby don't let it slide' sings Van at the end.I think he was a bit worried about climbing up the ladder!


'Vanlose Stairway' is another great song.The apartment where they lived in Copenhagen is quite an ordinary looking building but Van can make anything sound romantic,this stairway reaches right up to the moon!.Georgie Fame also does a great version of this on his own on the Van Morrison Songbook album that Simon Gee compiled. 'Aryan Mist' is another song inspired by Alice Bailey and her Tibetan friend.Apparently the railway carraige charm is a reference to amphetamines.


'Across The Bridge Where Angels Dwell' is a very contemplative evocative song which leads us in to the instrumental 'Scandinavia' which features Van on piano which is most unusual.I remember him doing this one at my second ever Van concert in 1982. This technique of the quiet song leading into the instumental is also used on a couple of other Van albums in the early 80's.The idea is that the music induces beautiful visions and mystical raptures in the listener and it works because this album is brilliant!


I went in my local pub in Trowbridge one day in April 1982 and a new poster had appeared on the wall.


"Hey,Van the man is on at Glastonbury," I told my friends in Scum Corner. "We know",they replied,"and you havent heard the best bit, Pee Wee is doing the backstage barThis is Pee Wee the pub landlord, not to be confused with Pee Wee Ellis the saxophone player. This was a chance too good to miss so I pestered Pee Wee until he finally agreed to give me a job.This was my third visit to Glastonbury.The year before i had got in a right mess doing things i shouldn't but this year i was going to behave and be sensible.On Wednesday June 16th 1982 a gang of of jolly boys and girls piled onto Pee Wee's bus and we set off down the ancient highway to Glastonbury.


All went well for the first couple of days, i made myself useful, fetching and carrying and proudly wearing my backstage pass.On Friday morning it began to rain heavily and the site was turned into a sea of mud.It was the wettest day in Somerset for 45 years but i didn't care, i was nice and dry backstage.The first act on was Manchester poet John Cooper Clarke who was really funny.As he walked off stage i shook hands with him and told him how great he was.Then a huge truck of the Edwin Shirley Trucking Company pulled up and who should jump down but Mick Townley who i knew from Bradford On Avon.He was a roadie for Black Uhuru and had just hauled their gear from Paris.I latched onto him and we watched Sly and Robbie do their stuff from the side of the stage.By now i had totally forgotten about my duties.I was having a good time!There was an American bloke hanging out backstage and chatting to everyone,he seemed familiar but i couldn't think who he was.I needed a drink and at the bar i got talking to another American, a little fella with a thick mop of curly dark hair.


"Whats your name mate?"I asked him.


"Randy"

"Well Randy,i'm going to buy you a brandy!" What an idiot!My friends were still reminding me about this 10 years later.This bloke was none other than the world famous guitarist Randy California,formally of the group Spirit.We got on fine though and the rest of the day descended into an alcoholic haze.That night when i crawled into my rancid sleeping bag i was really happy, tomorrow was the big day!It had been 3 long years since i had last seen Van and you never know i might even get to meet him! When i awoke the next morning it had stopped raining but the sky was grey and overcast and i had a terrible hangover.Not to worry,i thought to myself,a couple of drinks will get me straight.As i made my way to the back of the Pyramid stage i met the Backstage manager who was looking at me like a rat on a fork.

"I want your stage pass and i want you out of here now!"

"You cant do that, I work here"


"No you don't, I watched you all day yesterday and you didn't do anything except get drunk and annoy people, gimme that pass now."

After a bit more argument I handed over my pass and trudged through the gate and into the mud. The disappointment was almost unbearable. Van had missed his chance to meet me! I had to put it behind me and enjoy the rest of the day. I bought myself a gallon container of cider from the cider wagon. It stank but it was cheap and the effect was dynamite. I found a dry patch of ground and sat down to watch Roy Harper who i have always liked. During Roys set a breeze began to blow and eventually the sun came out. The Tor emerged from the mist and the scene was set. There are power cables that run right across Worthy farm held up by a line of pylons stretching away into the distance towards the Tor.I rememberered Vans words which now seemed really prophetic,'Meet me down by the pylons's everything seemed to be making sense, the cider was kicking in! The crowd in front of the stage got bigger and bigger as the afternoon wore on. As it approached 4 o'clock rivers of people could be seen walking down towards the stage through the tents.Eventually there must have been 30,000 people in front of the stage and i elbowed my way right to the front. The excitment was electric!Then Van shuffled on stage and picked up a guitar.A huge cheer greeted him but he didn't seem aware that there was an audience there at all.He was totally focused on the music. He mainly did material from Beautiful Vision but the highlight was Summertime In England. He seemed to be singing about the very ground we were standing on. It was a truly mystical experience to be there. After 80 minutes he was gone after a rousing version of Gloria.

The next day I realised who the American was who I had spotted backstage. It was Jackson Browne. He had stayed for the entire 3 days to enjoy the festival, not just turn up, trouser the money and bugger off like a lot of people. Anyway, I have seen Van many times since but no concert has quite equalled for sheer excitment and anticipation that muddy day in the Vale of Avalon all those years ago.
-Pat Corely

Monday, June 18, 2012

17-June-2012 Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, England

The Telegraph Source
Van Morrison, Hampton Court, review
Van Morrison played with both sensitivity and commitment at his gig at Hampton Court Palace, writes Andrew Perry.

“Welcome to the grumpiest gig in town,” quipped Van Morrison amid the Tudor splendour of Hampton Court Palace’s Base Court. The Belfast-born singer, of course, is not noted as one of rock’s jesters. Such is his repute for ill temper, one feared he might storm in like Henry VIII in the mood for spousal decapitation, hurling abuse at his audience, and thundering off again after a cursory few numbers.

Morrison, like his peer Bob Dylan, has always strenuously resisted simply rolling out the hits in performance. Unlike Dylan, he often chooses not to play them at all, rather than merely to savage them. By consequence perhaps, he has been under-appreciated recently. Gone are the days of his jazzy 1968 masterpiece, Astral Weeks, being often voted as the greatest album of all time.


Many latter-day Van records have been genre exercises, in skiffle, old-time country, and blues. As a mafioso-clad Morrison sauntered into view here, with a three-piece brass section in tow, and with an alto saxophone strapped to his chest, it was clear that tonight’s business was jazz.


Following a finger-snapping overture, “Brown-Eyed Girl” was rendered with West Coast cool, Morrison himself alternating between skiddly-bop scat and tender blasts on his sax. Two tracks later, “Fair Play” found him rattling up and down scales with both his voice and his reed, as if these were two interchangeable instruments.

The important thing was, he played both with sensitivity and commitment. Though he would air nothing from it here, “Astral Weeks” was all about applying jazzy formal freedom to rock songcraft. Jazz is home turf for him, and so Van, usually an insatiable sourpuss, seemed to be in the best of humours. “Paul McCartney said, money can’t buy you love,” he extemporized on one familiar line from “I’m Not Feeling It Anymore”, adding, “and he should know!”


To the joy of all present, Morrison really was feeling it, stretching out this and other tunes into exquisitely extended speculations. “Moondance”, as the evening light started to fade, was so jazzy, it actually morphed into Miles Davis’s “So What”.

Typically, there were digressions into country (Morrison duetting with his daughter, Shana), blues, and Vegas swing. Throughout, though, this was music as salubrious and classy as the setting, characterized by the band’s deft, delicate playing and their leader’s rare generosity of spirit.

With the rain holding off, and a raucous send-off of “Gloria”, it was a marvellous night, indeed – truly fit for a king.
-Andrew Perry

Setlist
Brown Eyed Girl
Higher Than The World
Fair Play
I’m Not Feeling It Anymore
All In The Game
Sometimes We Cry w/Shana Morrison
I Can't Stop Loving You w/Shana Morrison
Enlightenment
Crazy Love
Moondance
In the Garden
Old Black Magic w/Shana Morrison
Help Me
Ballerina
Gloria


Tuesday, June 05, 2012

03-June-2012 
Slieve Donard Resort
 Newcastle, Northern Ireland

Thanks to Dail for photo
Here is Pablo's review
“The road to Coney Island” review

Even thinking that I don’t have enough English to describe the beauty of this gig/gif, I’ll try. Leaving a side the great memories with all the friends around the world that I met this weekend, the quiet drinks, etc…This show, for me have been the second best this year (I’ll be murderer for this but still prefer the second night at the Culloden in April). The set list is nearly perfect as you can see. Van was in a great mood and the band come together already in the second song…

Yo-I like this song for start. They use it to warm up and its working.

BEG-sounds a lot better than in other shows with Van giving everything from the start. It’s a pleasure see him in so good form.

Higher than the world; flying into the music with a very good winds. Very comfortable on the sax.

Fair play-to him; I wont tell how he finish but I saw more than one in the room finishing the song with him. Class!!!

Not feeling it anymore. We do! We feel it! we enjoy it! and he did it again. Magic in that song, improving show after show…
“Welcome to the grumpiest show in town”, Van said…

It's all in the game.
This is it, No plan B! no safety net! He doesn’t need it. What a performance…”Daddy, PLEASE!!!!! I wanna go with you…To the Burning Ground!!!! You (My Van’s fan friends) know what I’m talking about!!!!!

Enlightenment, don’t know what it is….. But we can imagine, Van. Listen to you, singing like that, we have an idea. Vocal exhibition to explain us what it is…

In the garden-What else do you want!!!??? I’ll tell you. In this particular song I didn’t see Van with the same intensity than in Culloden. This one it’s the reason because I think this gig it’s a bit less amazing or awesome than the Culloden. But to tell the truth still I don’t know…Van sat on the piano and I grabbed my camera…
“We love you Van!!!!!!!”-“But you don’t even know me!”(Laughing)…”We love your music Van”-“That’s Better!!”

Haunt of ancient peace. You can see the video, I wont comment nothing here…Behind the song, Down by Avalon…

Ballerina. You can see how Van is enjoying playing Ballerina this year. From the ground to Heaven. From the whisper to the roar!!! I’m only missing the guitar at that stage…
Oh! Here it comes,

Tupelo Honey. You don’t need me to explain that to you…do you???
Why Must I Always Explain?? Only Van plays the guitar like that and we love it!!!
What happens with the time??? The show it’s nearly over already??? Can’t be!!!
We want more!!!! Please, somebody Help Me!!
We have that feeling that we have seen something especial. Big Clap for the Band!-Gloria! We have to take pictures and dance!!! Great Duel between Alistair and Chris to finish the song. Alistair won.

Time for a Quiet Drink!

PD: sorry for the mistakes! English its not my mother language…I´ll try but I know that I´m not very good. My very good friends will complete the reviews with the comments…
Pablo

Nosey's notes
Van was in a GREAT mood, speaking occasionally to the audience "Welcome to the grumpiest show in town, -- Any town"

Someone who shall remain nameless shouted to Van, while he was on keyboards "We Love You Van", he actually stopped, turned to her and said "What ?", she repeated herselfand he replied (the usual) "You don't know me", fortunately, she recovered and responded "We love Your Music", to which he said "Thats alright then" and smiles all around..

Setlist
Yo
Brown Eyed Girl
Higher Than the World
Fair Play
Not Feeling it Anymore
It's all in the Game
Enlightenment
In the Garden
Haunts of Ancient Peace
Ballerina
Tupelo Honey
Help Me
Gloria