Van Photo Of The Day

Phil Lynott, Marie Osmond & Van Morrison. London 1979.

12-Jun-10 Norwegian Wood, Oslo, Norway Concert Review

Correspondent Michael C. sent this review:

Mellow musical magic
A crowd of around 6,000 had gathered on Saturday evening to welcome Van back to the Norwegian Wood festival, scene of some of his memorable concerts during the late 1990s.

The persistent rain of the previous 24 hours had mercifully stopped by nine when the gig commenced. The stage is located at the base of a gentle sloping field and the concert area forms a natural amphitheatre. A perfect setting for Van and his fantastic band, aptly compared by one Norwegian reviewer to a jazz/folk/blues chamber orchestra

Highlights this year were a beautifully lilting “Fair Play”, another marvellous rendition of “Moondance” – how many times have I heard this song live, and yet always with a new arrangement – plus a fresh take on “Baby Please Don’t Go” that merged into “Parchman Farm”. There was in fact a nice blend between the crowd pleasers and the surprises.

On a personal note, there is one number I would love to hear this particular band perform: “Autumn Song” from “Hard Nose The Highway”. Has it ever been played live, I wonder? It certainly stems from that same mellow period as the “Veedon Fleece” repertoire, which has been a notable feature of this and recent concerts.

Throughout the performance Van’s voice was powerful and evocative, his phrasing and inventiveness as compelling as ever. The ninety minutes were over all too soon, but we were treated to a tremendous finale with one of my, and many other fans’ all-time favourites, the exquisite “In The Garden”. Van slowly left the stage, leaving his superb, hard-working band to play on for a little while longer to the accompaniment of some rapturous applause.
-Michael C.

Jens sent in his review:
Had been raining all day. Dark clouds covering the sky. Looked like an evening one could not expect much from. Suitable for staying in doors with a bottle of wine and a mystery story. Raymond Chandler's "The Killer In The Rain". There are two artist capable of catching magic. One by words, Chandler, the other by music, Van Morrison.

Last time Van played in Oslo, the magic was wearing thin. One could have been better off listening to muzak in an elevator. Now, some years later, with the rain pouring down, attending an outdoor concert by the very same Van was not tempting. But tickets had been bought, other engagements canceled and being a student at the school of hard knocks, there was no talk off turning back.

Right before the concert started, the rain stopped. The clouds did not lift, but the darkness kind of drifted away. One by one the musicians entered the stage. Jay Berliner sat quietly down on his stool. David Hayes picked up his bass. It all happened so casually the audience did not pay much attention. Then Van entered the stage and the evening became full of magic. It was poetry, rythm and blues, jazz, rock and more poetry; in the voice, the words and all the time in each and every note.

The music carried us from the etheric dreams of Astral Weeks to the confinement of Parchman Farm. From up above Bukka White tipped his hat. Sonny Boy appeared in Help Me, and walked with us through a short visit to Lonely Avenue, before we were transcended in the garden, wet with rain. A phenomenal concert. If you don't know what a 'killer in the rain' looks like, then watch out for a guy with hat, sunglasses, a long scarf around his neck, playing a white guitar.
-Jens D.

Setlist (Thanks Michael C.)
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
The Mystery
Astral Weeks->Purple Heather
Moondance
Have I Told You Lately
Into The Mystic
Talk Is Cheap
Keep It Simple
School of Hard Knocks
Baby Please Don't Go->Parchman Farm
Playhouse->Lonely Avenue
Help Me
Ballerina
In The Garden

Big Hand For The Band!
Jay Berliner-electric guitar
David Hayes-double bass
Bobby Ruggiero-drums
Tony Fitzgibbon-violin, viola
Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone
Paul Moran-grand piano, trumpet & organ

10-Jun-10 Hampton Court Palace, London, England Concert Review

Daniel R. sent in this review:
Although it was a bit disappointing to be at a beautiful venue like Hampton Court Palace and to have fairly miserable weather, the mood at Hampton Court was good and the crowd were clearly looking forward to the Van show. This was borne out by the fact that the majority of people dotted around the picnic area had brought rather impressive arrays of picnic food with them and were making the most of the elegant surroundings. The rain and drizzle was clearly not going to dampen everybody’s spirits.

Before the show started, the crowd who seemed to be comprised of varying ages, made their way into the beautiful palace courtyard area. The stage and the seating area was nicely laid out and gave a nice feel of intimacy to the show.

As ever, Van rocked up on stage almost dead on time, surprisingly not in his usual resplendent black outfit, but actually sporting a combination of green coloured trousers, leather jacket and of course the ubiquitous fedora and shades.

Anyone who has ever seen Van before will be aware that he likes to get straight on with things and isn’t really one for engaging with the crowd or for that matter, acknowledging them.

As was expected, he manned the piano for the first number, Northern Muse (Solid ground), which felt a little bit bumpy and he seemed to show signs of weariness as would be expected in consideration that it is has been his standard opener for at least the last year . In fairness, the mood wasn’t really settled as latecomers were still streaming in trying to locate their seats. It was a bit distracting from where I sat, but it didn’t seem to phase Van and he marched on.

Without pausing for reflection, the evening moved swiftly into ‘Brown Eyed Girl’, which was very well received. It did occur however that over the course of the evening, the well known hits like ‘BEG’ and ‘Moondance’ seemed a bit patchy and strained. There seems to be an irony with these types of tunes because performers like Van no doubt receive a lot of pressure to play the old favourites rather than trying to educate the crowd with some of the more obscure and forgotten songs, yet the billionth rendition of the classics is bound to be somewhat stagnating for performers of Van’s lengthy experience and obvious need to reinvent and stretch himself.

It did seem that Van hit his stride though when he went into numbers like ‘The Mystery’, which felt far more coherent and got things on track and there was definitely some very magical moments. ‘Slim Slow Slider’ stuck out as a high point as did the rendition of ‘And The Healing Has Begun’, which was beautifully augmented by a slower, darker version of ‘Burning Ground’. The lyrics came across very well and definitely added a very haunting feel to that part of the evening, particularly in the regal surroundings.

Like the beginning, the end was familiar and before we knew it, Van was rattling through ‘Help Me’ and as normal, the proceedings were brought to a conclusion with ‘Gloria’. As ever, there was no bidding of farewell from Van who ducked out several bars before the conclusion of ‘Gloria’. The likelihood of an encore was never really in doubt.

Great news that Van has announced a further UK date at the Royal Albert Hall, I now feel less envious that the US had so many dates this year and look forward, as ever to witnessing more of the magic of Van Morrison.
-Daniel R.

Setlist
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
Mystery
Moondance
School of Hard Knocks
Keep it Simple
Astral Weeks->Purple Heather
Slim Slo Slider
Ballerina
Healing Has Begun->Burning Ground
Help Me
In The Garden
On Hyndfrod Street
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
Jay Berliner-electric guitar
David Hayes-double bass
Bobby Ruggiero-drums
Tony Fitzgibbon-violin, viola
Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone
Paul Moran-grand piano, trumpet & organ

Hymns to the Silence: Inside The Words and Music of Van Morrison

"It's a critical study, not a biography."says Peter Mills who teaches at the School of Cultural Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University of his latest book, Hymns To The Silence: Inside The Words and Music of Van Morrison. While books on Van have never been discussed on this blog, I feel this book deserves recognition for focusing strictly on Van's incredible body of work.

The book takes several intriguing angles. It looks at Morrison as a writer: specifically as an Irish writer, who has recorded musical settings of Yeats poems, collaborated with Seamus Heaney, Paul Durcan and Gerald Dawe, and who regularly drops quotes from James Joyce and Samuel Beckett into his live performances. It looks at him as a singer, at how he uses his voice as an interpretive instrument. And there are in-depth chapters on his use of mythology, on his stage performances, and on his continuing fascination with America and its musical forms.

Hymns to the Silence is a detailed investigative study of Van Morrison’s remarkable career. Mills engages with his subject in a fresh and accessible style – often challenging the received wisdom. He looks at Morrison as a songwriter and specifically as an Irish writer, yet one who has worked primarily with American musical forms. Key themes and motifs are examined, as well as the ideas of place, home and exile and Morrison’s periodic use of through-composition in major case studies of four of his best-regarded albums. Each section is full of detailed scrutiny and illuminating examples drawn from right across his recording and stage career, including his 2009 return to Astral Weeks. The book is also studded with fresh and original quotes from people who know about the music, including Maria McKee, Kevin Rowland, Kate Rusby, Ben Sidran, and Fiachra Trench.

If you love Van's music, then you will treasure this great book.

Available at Amazon.com

Van & Solomon Burke To Collaborate Later This Year

Japan Times
Burke continues to embrace new projects and challenges. Next up is a collaboration with Celtic soul legend Van Morrison.

"Van has been one of my angels," Burke enthuses. "We've done several things with him. We're getting ready to do 'The Lord's Will,' a live album later this year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that. A lot of good things we're doing. We're also doing something with Joss Stone. It's gonna be an exciting year and we're starting it off in Japan. That's what makes it more exciting."

07-May-10 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Atlanta, USA Concert Review

Here's Mary's review:
It was the first concert of the year at the Verizon Amphitheatre and the locals were ready to party. Since Van wouldn't have the bars open during his show a lot of people were loading up beforehand some were even carrying whole cases of beer into the show! I feared the worse.

As soon as we took our seats well before start time we knew we were in for trouble. There were groups of people all around us who were talking loudly, most already drunk, some on their cells, and others already standing up dancing! Just my luck the guy with a case of beer was in front of me.

People were still dragging in well into the 4th song and most were going to the bathroom all during the concert. I kept looking at the lines and it never slowed from start till finish. An usher got onto a guy sitting behind me in the middle of the show for taking pictures and another had to get onto the people on Donnie's left for using their cell phones for pix.

A couple on our right who were around our age had come from AL and it was their first Van show. They were so excited to finally see Van but left in the middle of the show disgusted because of the bad crowd around us. I told her to zone it out and watch the monitor since we couldn't see over the heads of those standing but I guess she thought they paid for better than that. I did too.

I knew from the start that due the crowd and venue we would get a festival type show and we did. Yes, the set list was great and held a lot of promise and after Van got the crowd pleasers over with early I hoped he would get on into some of the gems. But it was not to be. The music was incredible as usual and Tony and Jay really stood out to me. Van was in good voice but didn't put any heart into the songs. I actually think he let everyone in the band take a solo on each song. They certainly carried the show! There was no workshop or stretching out of any song and if there was I missed it due the uproar around us.

I've said before that a bad or average Van show is still better than most anything else and I guess that's still true for me because of the quality of the music. But it's getting pretty old wading thru the mediocre shows hoping for one where he actually shows up.

After the outdoor Festival in Toronto in '05 we swore off those types of shows. Now we're done with seeing Van at large Amphitheatres! I just don't think these types of venue suit him or showcase his style of music. Maybe we're just getting old but I don't think so.

I sure hope the next time Van plays the states, and we can make it, that it will be in a nice theater. I want the shivers up and down my spine...at least once in awhile.
-Mary B.

Setlist
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Moondance
Fair Play
The Mystery
Talk is Cheap
Keep it Simple
School of Hard Knocks
Have I Told You Lately
In the Garden
Playhouse
Georgia
Help Me
That's Entrainment
Slim Slow
Ballerina
Healing Has Begun

Big Hand For The Band!
Jay Berliner-electric guitar
David Hayes-double bass
Bobby Ruggiero-drums
Tony Fitzgibbon-violin, viola
Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone
Paul Moran-grand piano, trumpet & organ

05-May-10 Hard Rock, Hollywood, Florida Concert Review

Miami News Times
Preceded by a reputation as one of contemporary music's most distinctive voices - as well as one of its most curmudgeonly characters -- Van Morrison's first visit to South Florida in recent memory promised to be an auspicious event. After all, with a repertoire forever etched in the pop canon, Mr. Morrison had ample reason to indulge the audience -- many of whom knew him only on the basis of songs like "Brown Eyed Girl," "Moondance" and "Wild Night," as well as classic collections like Astral Weeks and Tupelo Honey.

On the other hand, he had the option to delve deeper into the rambling trajectory that's guided him ever since those initial efforts, much of which took him out of the commercial mainstream and splintered his following. Knowing his penchant for the unpredictable -- this is the same guy who opted out of participation in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary gala for reasons still unknown -- there was no way to predict what he would provide the audience, or for that matter, if he'd only opt to go through the motions.

What ultimately transpired was a bit of all the above via a highly articulate display of musicianship that drew fairly equally from his vast catalogue. While those hoping to hear the hits got only a hint of his better-known repertoire -- "Brown Eyed Girl" early on and then the one-two punch of a swinging rendition of "Moondance" and a surprisingly vibrant take on "Have I Told You Lately" -- most of the set avoided his chart fare entirely.

Still, Morrison and his crack six piece band -- Jay Berliner (guitar
), David Hayes (acoustic and electric bass
), Bobby Ruggiero (drums), Tony Fitzgibbon (violin), Richie Buckley (flute, saxophone)
 and Paul Moran (piano, trumpet, organ) -- were exceptional throughout, conveying the sweep of even his most celestial material with a passion and dexterity that was dazzling in its designs. "In the Garden" and "Foreign Window" received rousing receptions, the audience leaping to their feet in response to stirring performances that brought the material to a rousing conclusion by virtue of sheer virtuosity and an innate connection between the instrumentalists themselves.

Even so, there was something missing, that being any attempt by Morrison to engage or, it seemed, to even acknowledge his audience. From the moment he appeared at 8:03, even as the audience was still settling in its seats, until he abruptly exited, leaving the band to finish the final selection and the lights to go up without an encore an hour and 45 minutes later, he only addressed the crowd once... and that was to briefly introduce "Keep It Simple" by simply announcing the song title.

Dressed in a white suit, white fedora and shades (looking part Colonel Sanders, part Pillsbury Doughboy, part Vegas entertainer), he fastidiously immersed himself in his performance, deftly shifting from piano to sax to guitar and harp, literally without missing a beat. His vocals were as pliable as ever, still the molasses-soaked mesh of a bluesy howl, an emotional plea, and on "Have I Told You Lately," a guttural rumble that added a momentary hint of amusement. Yet, while he generously shared the spotlight with the band, giving each musician ample opportunity to solo, he never introduced the individual players, leaving them all but anonymous despite their exceptional contributions.

Ultimately, Morrison proved he's still the master of his craft, a man who fluidly ambles between genres, from rock and pop to jazz and Celtic to basic R&B, all with the skill of a seasoned survivor. Yet, he steadfastly retains his aura of absolute aloofness and deliberate mystique, never revealing himself in anything more than his music. "Going down to Florida, going down to Florida," he rambled on the bluesy "Playhouse," briefly offering the crowd a connection worthy of a cheer. And yet, for all the exceptional effort it took to get there, he never quite made it all the way to their collective embrace.

Personal bias: "In the Garden was an unexpected highlight with its rousing refrain of "no guru, no method, no teacher," and yet, the absence of songs like "Domino," Saint Dominic's Preview," Caravan." "Into the Mystic" left diehard fans feeling less than satiated.

Random detail: Morrison's strict regimen extended far from the stage. Signs littered the foyer alerting the audience to the fact that no camera or smart phones were permitted, by the artist's own request. Odder still, liquor sales were ceased as soon as he hit the stage. And even the light of a cell phone was enough cause to summon the security personnel.

By the way: Bassist David Hayes has been with Morrison practically since the beginning, but clearly each of these players were capable of recreating any of the songs Morrison might have mustered.
-Lee Zimmerman

Setlist (Thanks Mike)
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
The Mystery
Talk is Cheap
Keep It Simple
School of Hard Knocks
Moondance
Have I Told You Lately
In The Garden
Foreign Window
Playhouse
Help Me
Healing Has Begun
Slim Slow Slider
Ballerina

Big Hand For The Band!
Jay Berliner-electric guitar
David Hayes-double bass
Bobby Ruggiero-drums
Tony Fitzgibbon-violin, viola
Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone
Paul Moran-grand piano, trumpet & organ

03-May-10 BJCC Concert Hall Birmingham, Alabama Concert Review
The Birmingham News
He looked short, doughy and fairly impassive on stage.

He wore sunglasses, so you couldn’t see his eyes, and a black fedora clamped down on his round head.

He turned his back to the audience several times, tucked into the snug pocket of his six-member band.

He didn’t chat, introduce songs, tell stories or even try to be ingratiating.

Somehow, though, Van Morrison worked magic, and the spell he cast was mesmerizing Monday night at the BJCC Concert Hall.

The Irish singer-songwriter, 64, is a unique talent, with a voice like no other and a vibrant songbook that spans blues, R&B, rock, soul, jazz, folk and country.

His grumpy and irascible temperament — almost as legendary as his music — might lead casual fans to believe Morrison is aloof and uncaring in performance, but he’s extremely passionate in his own way.

Morrison’s 90-minute show here, which started precisely at 8 p.m., proved that fact in abundance.

Each song the frontman and his band presented was rendered with strong emotion and impressive skill, from "In the Garden" to "Help Me" to "Keep It Simple" to "Playhouse" to "School of Hard Knocks" to "And the Healing Has Begun."

One tune flowed into another, just about seamlessly, and the highly connected ensemble played a plethora of instruments: saxophone, violin, mandolin, harmonica, flute, piano, clarinet, bass, drums and guitar.

Yes, Morrison offered a sampling of his most popular hits — "Moondance," "Brown Eyed Girl," "Gloria," "Have I Told You Lately" — and his slurred honey vocals were placed front and center in the sound mix, just as they should have been.

He’s never performed in Alabama before, so this Birmingham concert was an occasion with a capitol O, freighted with high expectations and ticket prices to match. (Premium spots in the 3,000-seat venue cost $373 each.)

Was Morrison worth it? That depends on your perspective, and of course, your pocketbook.

One thing is certain, however: This was an evening of jaw-dropping musicianship, and it eclipsed Aretha Franklin’s Sunday performance in the same venue, absolutely and completely.

-Mary Colruso

Kristy sent in this review:

On Monday night in Birmingham, Alabama, sixth row dead center in front of the gold VM on his microphone stand, I saw an artist who cared so deeply about the performance as to [attempt to] make it perfect, accompanied by six of the most talented musicians I've ever had the privilege to hear. Van, in his own right, is an incredible musician. I cried, I laughed, I was moved...it was the most magical musical experience I have ever had. I don't know what Van sounded like live thirty or forty years ago, but I can't imagine him any better than he was in Birmingham. Monday night his voice was clear, his mood was good, and he delivered like only he can. He even smiled once! And to the accusations that he NEVER does an encore, well, Van came back with GLORIA for an encore!!! The entire crowd was on their feet, singing and shouting along and the joy of it was overwhelming. He had us all in the palm of his hand, his spell cast over us. I truly thought seeing him once would satiate my desire to see and hear him live. Little did I realize that Monday night's show would create a bigger desire to see him live again...and again. It far exceeded any expectations and touched me deep down in my soul. Thank you, Van Morrison and thank you to the band. Fantabulous, beginning to end!!

-Kristy H.

Setlist (Thanks Jeff)
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
The Mystery
Talk Is Cheap
Moondance
Keep It Simple
School of Hard Knocks
Have I Told You Lately
In the Garden
Foreign Window
Playhouse
Help Me
And the Healing Has Begun
Ballerina
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
Jay Berliner-electric guitar
David Hayes-double bass
Bobby Ruggiero-drums
Tony Fitzgibbon-violin, viola
Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone
Paul Moran-grand piano, trumpet & organ

02-May-10 New Orleans Jazz Fest Concert Review
NOLA.com
Van Morrison holds New Orleans Jazz Fest in the palm of his hand
Van Morrison obviously believed what he was saying when he jumped into "Talk is Cheap" on Sunday afternoon at the New Orleans Jazz Fest presented by Shell..

Dressed in a black suit, black hat and dark sunglasses, Morrison rarely acknowledged the audience, evening turning his back while playing and singing, but he and his tight seven-piece band -- also all in solid black -- were completely invested in giving the Jazz Fest crowd a beautifully paced set of Morrison songs -- a mixture of 60s favorites and work from his later albums.

The famously moody musician opened his one-hour set a few minutes early to a large crowd standing in a light, but persistent rain, with a lilting "Northern Muse" from his 1980s "Beautiful Vision." But, he grabbed longtime fans by making his next tune the cover-band staple 1960s' hit "Brown Eyed Girl."

Morrison's voice sounds remarkably unchanged and he reminded the crowd of his skill as a musician: Seven minutes in he had already moved from piano, to guitar and to alto sax.

With no new material to promote, it was difficult to know what to expect from the Belfast, Ireland-born Morrison, who grabbed the spotlight in pop music when he fronted his Irish band Them, producing the 1964's hit "Gloria" -- covered by everyone from The Doors to Bruce Springteen to AC/DC.

On Sunday, he treated the crowd to a few of his '60s tunes, including the always-sexy "Moondance," giving it a jazz treatment that had the crowd moving and grooving in the mud.

The singer-songwriter's poetic slow tunes feel as though they were written to be heard while standing in the rain. When he and the band picked up the pace, the crowd responded by switching from swaying to jumping and bopping along.

Mid-set, he said leaned into his shiny gold microphone on a gold stand emblazoned with a gold VM and said his one comment to the crowd and it was something like: "We'd like to do an old New Orleans tune... We're here, why not." The band moved into a slow, sad "St. James Infirmary," with Morrison playing sax and mournfully singing the famous tune.
.
He drew heavily from his latest albums including the bluesy "School of Hard Knocks" and "Keep it Simple" from the 2008 album of the same name. If any fans were disappointed by missing hits such as ''Into the Mystic," ''Domino" or "And It Stoned Me"... it didn't show.

He wrapped the one-hour show with "Ballerina" from his iconic album "Astral Weeks," picking up the microphone and singing the lyrics as he strolled off stage as the crowd clapped and hooted for more.

No last bow. No last words -- just his music.
-Ann Maloney

[Thanks to Art for the photos!]

Setlist:
Nothern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
The Mystery
Talk is Cheap
St James Infirmary
Moondance
Have I Told You Lately
Keep it Simple
School of Hard Knocks
Help Me
Healing Has Begun
Ballerina

Big Hand For The Band!
Jay Berliner-electric guitar
David Hayes-double bass

Bobby Ruggiero-drums

Tony Fitzgibbon-violin, viola

Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone

Paul Moran-grand piano

01-May-10 Woodlands Pavilion, Houston Concert Review
Culture Map
Brief but beautiful: Inscrutable Van Morrison lets his music do the talking

Houston fans of the musical icon Van Morrison have waited decades for his return to the Bayou City. On Saturday night, Morrison rewarded their patience with a performance showcasing popular favorites, deep album cuts, and even a nod to The Houston Kid, Rodney Crowell. Some may grumble because Morrison sang only 16 songs and hardly acknowledged the audience, but for singer's diehard fans, it was worth every minute he was onstage.Anticipation was high for Morrison’s show at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Motivated by advance warning from promoters that there would be no opening act and that no alcohol would be sold after the performance had begun, fans began filing in to the outdoor arena early on the balmy Houston evening.The first arrivers appeared mainly of a vintage that might have embraced Morrison’s early albums when they were initially released in the Sixties. But by the time the show began, the crowd had taken on much more of an all-ages feel – testament to the lasting appeal of Morrison’s work. The Belfast Cowboy took the stage promptly at 8:02 p.m., attired nattily in a bespoke black suit with pocket square, fedora, and aviator sunglasses. Perhaps surprised by such punctuality, many fans were still streaming into their seats throughout the opening song, “Northern Muse (Solid Ground).” The seats were all filled and the hill was packed when Morrison followed with a crowd-pleasing “Brown-Eyed Girl.”During a show in which stage patter was virtually nonexistent and the only visible décor appeared to be a prominent intertwined “VM” on his mic stand, the inscrutable Morrison let his music do the talking. Songs from his early works included “Fair Play” (from the critically acclaimed 1974 album Veedon Fleece), “Help Me” (from the 1974 live album It’s Too Late To Stop Now) and the 1970 classic “Moondance.” He also drew from more recent albums, including two songs from the 2008 release Keep It Simple (the title track and “School of Hard Knocks”).Morrison was in fine voice, especially on highlights such as “The Philosopher’s Stone” and “All Work and No Play.” The latter was followed by a pleasant but inexplicably aborted version of “Choppin’ Wood.” The lone song from Morrison’s masterpiece Astral Weeks (reprised on a 2009 live concert recording from the Hollywood Bowl) was “Ballerina,” performed with gusto toward the end of the set.Minutes later, after a quick check with his band— “Does everybody know this song?” he asked — Morrison uttered essentially his only comment to the audience all evening. “This is a country song by Rodney Crowell,” he said, launching into a beautiful version of “Till I Gain Control Again,” which he covered on his 2006 album Pay the Devil. Adding this popular favorite from a native son was a nice touch for the Houston audience.Backed by a crack six-piece ensemble, Morrison switched from piano to saxophone to guitar to harmonica with ease Saturday. But as always, his rich, expressive voice created the magic. In his new book, When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison, cultural critic Greil Marcus describes how Morrison uses words within his songs as opportunities for performance.
“The only time I pay attention to words is when I’m writing a song, and after that, I let the words loose,” Marcus quotes Morrison as saying in 1978. “I’m not singing words, I’m singing syllables.” Marcus notes, “He’s trying to find the moment in a song when words and rhythm and melody and orchestration come together and you can set yourself free from the words.”For 96 minutes, it all came together for Van the Man on Saturday night. Sure, it would have been nice to hear more songs. When Morrison and the band left the stage, the audience, clearly eager for the show to continue, stood and applauded long after house lights came up and the technical crew began to break down the set. Even the shuttle drivers seemed surprised things had wrapped up so quickly. “I’ve never seen a show here end so early! And no encore?” one driver was heard to remark as the crowds filed out.Nope, no encore. But after all this time, it was a welcome return by one of the most significant figures in the history of popular music.
-Susan Darrow

Houst Chronicle
Does a legend owe his fans an encore? Or even a hello?
Van the Mumblin' Man Morrison apparently doesn't think so. Nor was he compelled to let his audience -- which might have been the world's largest 40th high school reunion -- wallow in nostalgia Saturday night at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands.
With a tight six-man band behind him and often featured in solos, Morrison conceded just a few chestnuts in a concert that was heavy on blues and jazz compositions. It all sounded very Van Morrison-y (a good thing), but they became repetitious, with few tunes you could lock onto.
Or lyrics, for that matter. Morrison's singing is pretty much consonant-free these days. If you didn't know his songs already, you weren't going to learn the words here. Age has put some gravel in his voice, although he hasn't lost anything in the soul department. And when he scats, well, you don't mind so much that you paid $50 to sit on the hill, or that you couldn't buy a beer ($11!) after 7:50 p.m., or that he didn't take off his Ray Bans.
Among the nods to memory lane: Brown Eyed Girl got the audience giddy early, then not too long afterward came a jazzy rendition of Moodance. Later came Ballerina, wafting between moodiness and hard-driving rhythms. Then there was the long, bluesy-jazzy The Healing Has Begun -- which turned out to the be finale. A great song, but ironically it didn't leave the audience feeling very healed, since Morrison decided he'd had a night and left the band to finish things off.
The Philosopher's Stone had great energy, and the cover of Rodney Crowell's Til I Gain Control Again was one of the night's most soulful songs. "This is country song by Rodney Crowell I recorded a couple of years ago," he said beforehand.
Which was the only full sentence he uttered all night. He may have said "thank you" after one or two songs -- and he mumbled something at one point that sounded like "are we having a good time." Otherwise, he let his music do the talking -- with just a few minutes on the piano to start, then turns on sax, harmonica and guitar. The harmonica said plenty.
Oh, yeah. He said, "Give a hand to the band" as he left the stage. But he didn't introduce them, so we'll do that here: Jay Berliner, electric guitar; David Hayes, double bass; Bobby Ruggiero, drums; Tony Fitzgibbon (the youngster of the bunch), violin, viola; Richie Buckley, flute, saxophone; and Paul Moran, grand piano.
You've gotta respect Morrison's drive to keep moving forward rather than looking back. But would it kill him to be grateful?
-Molly Glentzer

A reader sent in this review:
I attended the show in Houston last night--section 106 row D. This was a tough show to assess by the end, and I'm still debating it a bit this morning.

The first two-thirds was enjoyable enough. The show had a solid start with Muse. Van was active and sounded good while supplying some nice "Van" moments along the way. If I was to complain, the flow of the songs was a bit monotonous (slow, fast, slow, fast, etc.). Also, the band was not always as tight as it could have been and some bugs still need to be smoothed out.

Then we came to Chopping Wood, according to the published set list anyways--I was not familiar with this song. I really liked the song but Van seemed fidgety throughout. It appeared to end normally, but then the band started up again (strange) only to end suddenly (and not too cleanly) after less than a minute of the reprise. Not sure what was going on.

But, what followed was Philosopher's Stone and you could feel Van kick into a higher gear right away. The band and audience fed off the energy boost. A great Ballerina was next. In fact, the back-to-back Stone and Ballerina earned Mr. Morrison his pay last night. Then came Help Me, the best blues cover of the night, as it should have been after all these years, with an almost overly-heavy Green Onions-like beat. I thought his nod to Houston native Rodney Crowell, with Till I Gain Control Again, was a poignant moment. A wonderful And The Healing Has Begun followed and turned out to be a fitting end to the show.

The most disappointing part of the show was how it ended. Healing was going great. He wandered over near the piano while a technician fiddled with a monitor or something (none of this disrupted the song from my perspective) and then suddenly he waves to the crowd, says something like "how about the band" and shuffles off the stage still singing. The band closes strong and the show abruptly ends.

Are you kidding me? We needed one more great performance. Following Healing with Cypress Avenue to close would have made this a great show rather than an okay show with a fantastic five-song stretch.

I rate the show C+ or B-, but it would have been a solid "A" with just one more great performance. Could we please go back and get Cypress Avenue?!?!?

Also, while there were enough in the crowd who enjoyed the show, many, like with Dylan, were expecting a greatest hits show that sounded like their CDs. Oh well.

Thanks for the web site and to the set list contributors.
-EDC

Setlist:
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
Talk is Cheap
Waiting Game
Moondance
Keep it Simple
School of Hard Knocks
Little Village
All Work. No Play
Choppin' Wood (abort)
Philosopher's Stone
Ballerina
Help Me
Till I Gain Control Again
And The Healing Has Begun

Big Hand For The Band!
Jay Berliner-electric guitar
David Hayes-double bass

Bobby Ruggiero-drums

Tony Fitzgibbon-violin, viola

Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone

Paul Moran-grand piano

30-Apr-10 Bass Concert Hall, Austin Concert Review

Austin360:
Van the Jazzman Band Director showed up at Bass Concert Hall, apparently in a good mood and rested from six months off the road. His planned January restart in Texas was delayed until Friday night, with exhaustion cited, but the wait paid musical dividends.

In strong, mostly clear voice, the always unpredictable Van Morrison pleased the crowd right away with his “Brown Eyed Girl” hit at the piano, followed by “Moondance” on a saxophone. Then he stepped into his conductor role for the rest of the evening, pointing to each band member for repeated solos and often turning his back to the audience.

The jazzy renditions of not-so-well-known songs sounded well rehearsed. Improvisation must have been banned on this tour, but Morrison’s scatting provided just enough free flow to the songs that honored reflective quietude.

With a lesser band, that might have been disappointing. But these crackerjack players, particularly on weeping violin and soulful horns, worked wonders with the many slow songs. Van the Man would not be shouting G-L-O-R-I-A this night.

Nor did he name the musicians. Nor did he say a word to the audience, not a thank you for the standing applause after his harmonica-driven “The Philosopher’s Stone” or even just for buying $85-$350 tickets. He makes Dylan look chatty on stage by comparison.

Some of the players Morrison held over from his 2008 experiment at the Hollywood Bowl when he performed all of 1968’s “Astral Weeks” in front of a larger band with strings and chorus. That album produced no hits but set the meditative, chanting jazz style that Morrison employed so well at Bass without playing a single “Astral Weeks” song. He saved his bluesy, R&B self for another time.

Austin fans have proved their loyalty to Morrison over and over, from 1974’s appearance at the Armadillo World Headquarters to 2006’s Austin City Limits Music Festival. But after his Austin Music Hall show in 2008 some fans muttered about high tickets prices, few classic songs and no encore. They wondered what his next stop here might be like.

Near the end of Friday’s 16th song — the who-knows-this-one “On Hyndford Street” — Morrison exited the stage blowing his harmonica. The hall lights came on. No complaints heard. Van, still The Man after more than four decades of performing, and a band of serious pros had delivered satisfying goods.

-Ed Crowell

Tom checks in with his review (Thanks for setlist!):
Van put on a great performance last night at Bass Concert Hall in Austin, TX, his first show in 6 months. The 7 piece band was all dressed in black suits and Van was in an all white suit and hat. He started a few minutes after 8pm and went straight to the piano for the 1st two songs. Not quite knowing what show to expect after such a long break, it turned out to be quite a show for the hard core aficionados. Casual fans got a few hits such as Brown Eyed Girl, Moondance and Have I Told You Lately? However, the bulk of the show was reserved for deep album cuts.

It was hard to hard to make out the words to Fair Play for quite a while as he wasn't enunciating them very well. It turned out to be a lovely version that stretched out with an extended coda. Three more deep cuts followed that threw me for a loop even though I have about 25 of his CDs. I'm not familiar with Higher Than the World or The Mystery and I'm sure they stumped the majority of the crowd. I was surprised to hear Keep it Simple and Playhouse as he's not really promoting those two records anymore. In the Garden was a major highlight with its No Guru No Method No Teacher refrain repeated to great effect. Philosopher's Stone was another major highlight of the show, with a full band sound that elevated the show once more.

Van didn't speak to the crowd all night or introduce the band, which was primarily the same band as on the Astral Weeks Live DVD, the bonus tracks at least. Before one song he barked out "Let's Go!" to the band. During most songs the individual members were given room to shine with solos of their own. Van played sax on several songs and harp on a few as well. He walked off stage without saying goodbye and left the band to finish with the drummer saying "Vaaan Morrrsion" a time or two. The show lasted about 90-95 minutes. All in all, a very strong performance for fans looking for more than a greatest hits show.
-Tom Friedrich
Austin, TX

Jack's review:
Show started late at 8:05,solid ground kicked off the festivities followed by beg,nice version of moondance,then a real highlight fair play( not heard live before)after that my memory is blurred but other songs in the set list were:it's all in the game,higher than the world,in the garden,keep it simple,new song (lonely with a gun(?),healing has begun,philosophers stone,help me,hityl,playhouse,maybe a song or two that i cant remember and ended with hyndford street, show ended at 9.45,lights went on and no encore, sound was real nice,bass concert hall sits about 3000 and was sold out, 7 piece band that was never introduced,drummer,keyboards,bass,violinist,horns,guitarist and van who played piano,guitars,sax and harp on every song,few miscues early on as this was 1st show of year and current tour,all this should be worked out as tour progresses and in my opinion all will be well by new orleans and beyond,van in white slacks,white jacket and white hat with sunglasses, only got mad at guitarist and keyboard player twice during the show,no interaction with the audience as usual, not the best show ever but certainly worthwhile and enjoyable in my humble opinion, tshirts were available in the lobby
-Jack

Here's Wally's take:
I was there. My 3rd Van show ever. Long time fan. Thought it was fantastic. A few slight moments seemed like a rehearsal but overall - amazing. Van was in great form. Started with Solid Ground then BEG. Didn't write a full set list but he played Fair Play, Moondance, Have I Told You Lately, And the Healing Has Begun, Playhouse, In the Garden, Who Was That Masked Man?, and a few others.

Bass is a great place to see a show. $125 seats were great - nice few, great sound. Only marred by the couple that showed up 50 minutes into the show, drunk, loud, making out, and yelling 'wooohooo' during and after every song.

Van played a hair over 90 minutes and promptly left. Great band - would love to know who they all were.....-Wally

Setlist
1. Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
2. Brown Eyed Girl
3. Moondance
4. Fair Play
5. Who Was That Masked Man
6. Higher Than The World
7. The Mystery
8. Keep It Simple
9. In The Garden
10. Have I Told You Lately?
11. Philosopher's Stone
12. It's All In The Game
13. Playhouse
14. Help Me
15. And The Healing Has Begun
16. On Hyndford Street

Big Hand For The Band!
Jay Berliner-electric guitar

David Hayes-double bass

Bobby Ruggiero-drums

Tony Fitzgibbon-violin, viola

Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone

Paul Moran-grand piano

Shana Morrison's New Album, Joyride, Out Now
Shana Morrison has a new album out called Joyride.

Album Song List:
1. Joyride
2. Gone for Good
3. I Am a Rose
4. Tomorrow's Eve
5. Blue Angel
6. He Won't Send Roses
7. Means to Me
8. Heart Shaped Tattoo
9. No More Mrs Nice Girl
10. Ten Thousand Things
11. One Less Monkey
12. Makin Love
11. Good Enough for God

Ordering Information:
Send $18 check or money order to
(includes shipping and handling):

Shana Morrison
P.O. Box 302
Mill Valley, Ca 94942 USA

Add $3 postage per CD for
addresses outside the U.S.

Make payment payable to:
Shana Morrison

40th Anniversary of Moondance
Van Morrison's legendary album, Moondance, was release today, February 28, 1970. 40 years ago. It was a follow up to his classic Astral Weeks. Unlike Astral Weeks, however, Moondance was a commercial success and established Van as a major artist. It peaked at #29 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.

The single released was Come Running with Crazy Love as the B-side, which peaked at #39 on the Pop Singles chart. Crazy Love was only released as a single in Holland and did not chart. Moondance, as a single was not released until 1977 and peaked at #92.


Your Favorite Songs On Moondance
Into The Mystic (54%)
Caravan (35%)
And It Stoned Me (26%)
Crazy Love (21%)
Moondance (20%)
Brand New Day (12%)
These Dreams Of You (10%)
Glad Tidings (9%)
Come Running (7%)
Everyone (5%)

Your Thoughts:

The difficult second album!!! Considering this album followed Astral Weeks is incredible....the album as a whole is masterly,but I cant think of a better opening side of music than side one...He should do a sequence of albums live like Steely Dan....10 nights in Dublin or Belfast anyone!!!!
-Anonymous

The entire side one of the original vinyl record was just the perfect slab of rock music I'd ever heard when it was played to me in, I think, 1975.
-Bern

Whenever Moondance is played on the radio or over a sound system somwhere. I can recognise the song in two or three notes...I have heard the song more times than any other and yet where ever I am and no matter what I am doing..

I will listen to it until to the end each time...

It's the album that brought me to this 'obsession' and feel quite fortunate 40 years later we still can still hear him perform it live..
-Bob C.

Moondance was the first album I bought with my first adult pay packet that left me any disposable income. Not until September 1971, though. I was a skint school pupil before that, spending all my money on beer and scrounging cigarettes off all and sundry. I'd liked Van from 'Them' days and I used to hear the title song from 'Moondance' on the radio and always loved it so much. I couldn't persuade my brother to buy it. I was knocked out when I eventually got the album and heard the rest. None of my friends liked Van then, so I'd not heard it all. Converted a couple afterwards. (Also bought 'Abraxas' and 'Buffalo Springfield Again' that day. Wonderful music). For loads of reasons, Moondance remains my favourite album by anybody.

I mentioned a while back that Moondance was the highest selling performer/sole producer abum of the 1970s. Jimmy Page had co-produced a couple of Led Zep efforts and Mike Nesmith and a cast of thousands (well, several) produced some Monkees' discs, but Moondance outsold all others where the performer produced it on his own.

Thanks for raking up the memories. Sweet.

Cheers

-Jez

Reviews

Rolling Stone
Long ago, Van Morrison reached that point where the influences on his music no longer mattered. It is as pointless to attempt to detect those influences as it would be for any musician to try to imitate him.

Van Morrison's music cannot really be imitated, because, as with Dylan's music, what one hears is not style, but personality. With each record -- Them Again, Astral Weeks, or Moondance -- one gets a sense that Van has achieved some ancient familiarity with his band and with his songs; no matter how the music changes, the long inventions of Van's singing, his full command of the musicians that play with him, and the striking imagination of a consciousness that is visionary in the strongest sense of the word, creat an atmosphere that instantly sets its own terms. Morrison's powers are clear: his strong gift for melody, his ability to move freely within virtually any sort of contemporary instrumentation, his verbal magic as inventive and literate as Dylan's, and most of all, the authenticity of his spirit.

Moondance is his first album in over a year. Unlike Van's masterful Astral Weeks, this one will be immensely popular; Van's picture already fills the windows of record stores and his new music is getting more airplay on FM stations than anything in recent memory.


Van's new album might send one back to the bright enthusiasm of "Brown-Eyed Girl" and the magic blues of Them Again; Van now sings with a magnetically full electric band, complete with piano, organ, vibes, and intricately controlled saxophones and flute. The band's performance has a stately brilliance; and if it recaptures some of the feeling of the earlier music, the past is serving as a rite of passage toward the celebrations of Moondance.

Van opens with "And It Stoned Me," a tale of boys out for a day's freedom, standing in the rain with eyes and mouths open, heads bent back: "Oh, the water, let it run all over me..." The sensuality of this song is overpowering, communicated with a classical sort of grace. "And it stoned me/To my soul/Stoned me just like jelly roll..." There is no strain for meaning in Van's words or in his voice. "Let it run all over me..." -- you feel the exhilaration almost with a sense of astonishment. The band, playing subtle, gentle rock and roll, surrounds the singer; here, as everywhere on Moondance, the horn arrangements are absolutely exquisite, as eloquent as a sermon in a backwoods chapel.

With "Caravan" one might begin to remember the early Impressions: the instantaneous aura of fantasy and desire that Curtis Mayfield created for "Gypsy Woman" tumbles down again as a fanfare on piano and the roll of drums and guitar open a composition of seductive grandeur. "Caravan" is a strange song; the images are easily real and the music is profoundly comforting, yet there's the edge of a story here that fades without ever revealing all it has to tell. "Now the caravan has all friends/Yes, they'll stay with me until the end...Gypsies...tell me all I need to know..." Woven between the fragments and framed by the textures of the horn with blazing imagination: "Turn up your radio/And let me/Hear the song/Turn on your electric light/So we can get down/To what is really wrong." The singer moves from the gypsy campfire to his lover and back again, with a lovely sort of affection. Van's singing is pure expression, pure sound; the band moves off and then forward again. A graceful soprano saxophone holds notes behind Van's words: "Now, the caravan is painted red and white/That means everyone is staying overnight..."

"It's a good thing he doesn't have much stage presence," said a friend after watching Van perform this song. "Otherwise it'd be too much to take."

"Into the Mystic" is the heart of Moondance; the music unfolds with a classic sense of timing, guitar strums fading into watery notes on a piano, the bass counting off the pace. The lines of the song and Morrison's delivery of them are gorgeous: "I want to rock your gypsy soul/Just like in the days of old/And magnificently we will fold/Into the mystic." The transcendent purity of the imagery seems to turn endlessly, giving back one's own reflection. Van's more abstract songs are mosaics of brilliantly chosen metaphors -- ambiguous and instantly recognizable. Morrison communicates directly even when he is most obscure; his visions have power, and the ambiguity of those visions is always unified by the sympathy of the music -- there is no "backup band" on Moondance any more than there is an "Lay Lady Lay." Something's been made; it stands, it won't be broken down.

Perhaps "Glad Tidings," which ends Moondance, is the song that most makes one want to come back to this album without even thinking about it. "Glad Tidings" is a vital, leaping promenade through the streets of the town; fast, clean rock and roll moves it along as striking horns guide the song, until they cue the chorus into an explosion of real joy: "Yeah, we'll send you glad tidings/From New York/DO DO DO DOOT DO DO/Open up your eyes that you may see/DO DO DO DOOT DO DO/Ask you not to read between the lines/Hoping that you come right in on time."

Moondance is an album of musical invention and lyrical confidence; the strong moods of "Into the Mystic" and the fine, epic brilliance of "Caravan" will carry it past many good records we'll forget in the next few years. Van Morrison plays on.
- Greil Marcus and Lester Bangs, Rolling Stone, 3/19/70.

Billboard
His Astral Weeks album was overlooked by the charts and praised as the aesthetic success of '69 throughout the underground. Morrison's new masterpiece should cure the public of its previous oversight with a more commercial entry, still rich with the soul/folk nuances of this sensitive lrish song surrealist. "Stoned Me," "Caravan" and "These Dreams of You" should bring this unique musical personality to rock and folk lovers.
- Billboard, 1970.

Christgau's Record Guide
An album worthy of an Irish r&b singer who wrote a teen hit called "Mystic Eyes" (not to mention a Brill Building smash called "Brown Eyed Girl"), adding punchy brass (including pennywhistles and foghorn) and a solid backbeat (including congas) to his folk-jazz swing, and a pop-wise formal control to his Gaelic poetry. Morrison's soul, like that of the black music he loves, is mortal and immortal simultaneously; this is a man who gets stoned on a drink of water and urges us to turn up our radios all the way into (that world again) the mystic. Visionary hooks his specialty.
-Robert Christgau

John Tobler
Van Morrison's 1968 LP Astral Weeks had made him a cult hero. But Moondance was his first U.S. Top 30 album, and also his first to go platinum.

Morrison was living in Woodstock's rural paradise when he wrote many of these songs, although he left the area following the influx of people after the celebrated festival. Some of the musicians he assembled for the album remained with him for several years, including guitarist John Platania, horn player Jack Schroer, and Jeff Labes on keyboards.

Moondance showcases Van Morrison as a masterly songwriter and charismatic vocalist. In contrast to the acoustic Astral Weeks, the sound is bigger, meatier, with a horn section to add punch; the songs are more tightly structured, less improvisatory. The first side of the LP is almost perfect. "And It Stoned Me" paints a vignette of adolescence with a storyteller's eye for detail, while the smoky, jazz-infused title track remains one of Morrison's best-loved songs. Ethereal sailor's ballad "Into The Mystic" is a moving meditation on the splendor of love; the shivering strings are a wonderfully appropriate complement to his vocals. Elsewhere, a celebratory air, bordering on spiritual joy, haunts many of the tracks -- witness the closing trio of "Brand New Day," "Everyone," and "Glad Tidings."

Helen Reddy had a 1971 U.S. hit with "Crazy Love," while Johnny Rivers' version of "Into The Mystic" charted in 1970. Van himself had a U.S. Top Forty hit with "Come Running." His solo career was on the rise.
- John Tobler, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 2005.

Music of Ireland: Welcome Home
Check your local PBS station schedule in U.S. for air-times

Grammy Award-winner Moya Brennan hosts, exclusive interviews and performances by The Chieftains, Riverdance’s Michael Flatley, U2, Pete Seeger, Sinéad O’Connor, the late Liam Clancy, and others

Never-before-seen performances by U2 and Friends, Clannad, The Dubliners’ John Sheahan, Paddy Moloney and Moya Brennan, the McPeake Family, and an authentic Dublin pub session combine with vintage clips of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem and The Dubliners on The Ed Sullivan Show, Judy Collins playing music from the ‘old country,’ The Pogues and Van Morrison with The Chieftains on RTE’s Late, Late Show...

New Song Playing on Van's Website
A new song by Van, Here They Come Again, is currently playing on his website!
Check it out at vanmorrison.com

Texas Shows Canceled

Austin 360
VAN MORRISON CANCELS UPCOMING BASS CONCERT HALL SHOW TICKET REFUNDS AT ORIGINAL POINT OF PURCHASE

Mr. Morrison has reluctantly had to cancel his January shows owing to severe exhaustion. This includes the show scheduled for Saturday, January 23 at Bass Concert Hall at The University of Texas at Austin. Tickets purchased will be refunded at the original point of purchase.

Customers that purchased tickets online or by phone may contact Texas Box Office at 512-477-6060 to arrange refunds. Canceled shows have a two-year window to obtain a refund.

Please contact Texas Box Office for further questions regarding refunds.

Mick Green 1944-2010
Mick played guitar on Van's recent albums including Back On Top and Keep It Simple. He had been touring with Van in recent years as well.

mickgreen.co.uk
IN LOVING MEMORY
It is with the greatest of sorrow that I have to inform you all that my father, Mick Green, has this morning (11th Jan 2010) passed away. My dad will be deeply missed by his family, friends and fans around the world. He inspired and dazzled with his amazing talent and his sharp personality and wit. His spirit will continue to live on through his music. Thank you all for your support and thoughts.
-Brad Green

vanmorrison.com
Since shortly after Christmas, there has been a great deal of misinformation and rank speculation concerning me and my private life arising out of a recent unauthorised posting on my website. My private life is exactly that, it is private. I have, in my long career, never spoken about it and I'm not about to start doing so now. My public communications will always be through my music which is what I am known for.
-Van Morrison

Tell Us How You Got Into Listening To Van's Music
We like to hear how and when you started listening to Van's music. Was it a particular song that did it or an album? Send us your story and we'll post it on the blog along with other stories. You can post your story in the comments section below & we'll then put it in post or you can email it to vanmorrisonnews{@}yahoo.com
Thanks.
-John

Your Stories:
It was "Moondance" first and then, in quick succession, "Street Choir" and "Astral Weeks." I had been hearing Van on late-night FM radio and reading about him in Rolling Stone, and I was hooked immediately. Have been ever since. By the time Van appeared at the Troubador in L.A. in 1973, I had everything I could get my hands on from Them-time on. My girlfriend Laura Greenwood and I attended two of the Troubador shows, parts of which went into the "Too Late to Stop Now" LP. In fact, the second, slightly higher-pitched female scream that slips in there just after Van finishes "Domino" is Laura.

The Troub was tiny and every seat was great. Laura and I sat in the "last row," up on a small platform, maybe 30 to 40 feet from the stage and right next to a back door leading to the restrooms and the stair for the balcony. Shortly before the show was to begin a small, seemingly nondescript man stepped out of the doorway and stood next to me, his right shoulder almost brushing my left. He stood there looking straight ahead as though he might be waiting for something. It was as though I could feel heat or energy coming from him, but he was standing too close for it to be comfortable to look at him directly. Frankly, I didn't think much of it. A few moments later someone - probably Doug Weston - encouraged us to welcome Van Morrison and the man standing next to me in a cool stitched leather coat headed for the stage. By then the band was cooking and I never gave it another thought. That's how it was back then - before you knew what someone looked like ahead of time because of the internet or MTV. Plus Van was really a chameleon in those days. Although we were still in high school, Laura and I began following Van "up the highway, down the highway," because he began playing gigs all over Southern California - L.A., Santa Monica, San Diego, Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Barbara, Oxnard and more.

And I have to say this because I get really cranky about reviewers and "fans" talking about how temperamental Van is. It's his music, damn it, it's up to him to do with it what he wants! I twice saw what others might call temperamental shows and they are among my favorite musical memories. One was in San Diego when, in the middle of "I've Been Working," Van up and left the stage and didn't come back for ages. Finally one of the musicians left the stage, presumably to bring Van back on, which he did after awhile. And man, did Van pull out the stops after that! He blew the place down. The other time was in Anaheim when he got fed up with people shouting from the audience. At one point he walked away from the microphone and began singing with no amplification. And you could hear him beautifully - especially when everybody quit yelling so they could figure out what was going on. Later, Van decided to crawl up on the piano and lie there for awhile until he figured out what he wanted to do next - which was to leave. It took forever for the audience to bring him back, but - just as in San Diego - when he came back, he started in all over again, playing an extra long and extra hot encore of at least 4 songs, I think it was.

Laura was a beginning photographer then - this was an age when you could just bring your camera and shoot. She got some wonderful images, of which I still have a few copies. Laura never published them and she died in 1993. If the webmaster can put these up, I have attached 8 photos that have never been published or seen by anyone other than Laura Greenwood, my friends and I.

1st and 2nd photos - Oxnard, CA, February 12, 1974
3rd & 5th photos- Shrine Auditorium, L.A., October 5, 1973
4th, 6th, 7th 8th photos- Troubador, L.A., May 24 and/or 27, 1973.
-John F.

Thank you John for you story these great photos taken by Laura. (John G.)

I wasn't much of a Van fan growing up in the seventies. I gravitated more to Zeppelin, Paul Rodgers, Gregg Allman and so forth. Van seemed to belong to a different generation, and while I was a huge Jeff Beck fusion fan, I found what little I knew of Van Morrison to be too jazzy for my tastes. Or certainly too brass heavy and not nearly enough guitar.

Ironically, it took the Chieftains to get me to buy a Van record, and it was a great one. While I knew he could sing, I was enraptured by his performance on Carrickfergus. Such power and tone.

This was followed shortly by the release of Avalon Sunset, and that did it. I couldn't believe how naive I had been towards this reclusive artist. Hymns to the Silence solidified it for me.

Because I was late to the game, I have always held Van's nineties work in a higher stead than the earlier material, great as it was. I just love the resonance of his voice in the later songs.

In recent years, I have had the privilege to finally attend his shows. And I am thankful that when I finally did, I was up on just about his entire catalogue and thoroughly enjoyed whatever he chose to play.

Atlantic City 2005, Virginia 2006 and DC 2009 are nights I will not soon forget.

For Van Morrison on this Thanksgiving holiday, I quote Neil Young:

"Long may you run"
-Ed (Washington)

For me and my husband it started in 2007 after listening to the 'Astral Weeks' album for the very first time. Nothing was the same anymore after that ... Since then we got the entire Van cd / dvd back catalogue we could get hold of. And went to each Van gig within reach. The bug has hit us for good and will stay, I'm sure of that. Although we found out after some time that there is a lot more good music other than Van's to discover. The journey isn't over yet ...
-Petra S.

I got here in stages. Back in '78, Wavelength was the first song of Van's that captured my attention. I bought the album and listened to it frequently. I remained interested and listened attentively through the 80's, but the only other record of his I bought was Beautiful Vision. The next stage hit in the early 90's with the release of Hymms to the... See More Silence. I snapped it up after reading a rave review in Time Magazine, listened to it often, and followed it up with purchases of Moondance, Tupelo Honey, Too Long in Exile, Best Of Vol. 1, Enlightenment and Days Like This. By then I was an enthusiastic fan but not yet over the top. The final, serious-fan stage came with the release of The Healing Game and my discovery of the Van-L list, which occurred about a month apart in 1997. The good people of Van-L helped me develop a deeper appreciation of Van's contributions as well as a healthy wariness about Van, personally. The contrast seems to work. I don't look up to the guy but have tremendous respect for his music. He is a unique artist- true to his vision and immensely talented. My journey through his body of work helped me discover a lot of excellent music by other artists and also encouraged me to start playing several instruments. It changed a part of my life.
-Steve L.

Wavelength was my first introduction to Van .....I was hooked !!! 1978.....Then came Common One....a little bit different but was very interested.....when I could afford to buy records I started to buy it all I didn't even know Brown Eyed Girl was Van's until the 90's .......by then I was listening to everything.....without a doubt he is the best singer, songwriter , musician....performer.......OF ALL TIME!!!!!I don't even think the others would argue that!!!!!
-Shelley M.

For me and my wife (then girlfriend) it started with his Philadelphia Academy of Music concert in May of 1972. I was 17, and she was 15; one of the early defining BIG concerts of my life loving music and probably her first. That was the still memorable beginning of a life long (ever since) love of his music. He had his full brass complement of... See More players and a fantastic group of back up singers.To me it was the Van of his Band and the Street Choir. He never removed his dark shades at any point in the the show, but it didn't matter. We were smitten and that was that. Been that ever since!
-Sean O.

I always loved Into the Mystic and Brown Eyed Girl, and a while back my sweetheart introduced me to Avalon Sunset, then came Hymns to the Silence and A Night in San Francisco... powerful. I walked down the aisle to These Are The Days. 3 years later almost to the day, we find ourselves at the Hollywood Bowl, sharing in that transcendent experience.

I am grateful that Van has the courage to share his sublime poetry and music.
-Melanie H.

The first time I remember hearing Van was Moondance on the radio when I was in college. I loved the voice and styling (at the time I was into Kenny Rankin and Al Jarreau) and I immediately went out and started to buy his albums, Moondance first, followed quickly by His Band and Street Choir, Tupelo Honey, Hard Nose the Highway, Veedon Fleece, Into the Music, and Common One, all on vinyl. Eventually I got It's Too Late To Stop Now and that basically lived on my turntable for months.

I can still remember going to the local record store and looking at this huge selection of albums but only having enough money to buy one or two at a time.
So I didn't get into the albums strictly chronologically; I just picked one or two at a time that looked the most interesting. Which was kind of fascinating about Van; with his huge catalog, I could buy one album from the early 70's and another from the 80's. Each album was an eye-opener and amazing in its own way and I just couldn't hear that voice enough. Since this was the time of albums, the side one/side two aspect was central to the experience, as in side two of Into the Music. There was something special about flipping over the record knowing what was to come next.

My interest has waned here and there, but I always seem to come back to Van, always look forward to seeing him live and hearing his latest album.
-Michael F.

By turning up my Radio!
-Graham R.

I grew up in Northern Ireland, through all that Van Morrison grew up in. I knew all the old hits and liked them, but they had turned into overplayed pop songs.

Then, I went to a concert in Belfast in 1999 and saw Van play The Philosophers Stone. As they say in Belfast – that changed “the lot”. Even the old songs mean more now.

-Dave M. (Big Clem)

I bought two cheap "cut-out" vinyls spring 1982, since listening to Van Morrison was briefly mentioned in Swedish novelist Ulf Lundell's debut novel Jack (yes, title refers to Kerouac). Into the Music and Summertime in England. As I remember it, it took me several months before I was hooked, but by the end of 1982 I had the whole catalog. And some vinyls -- and quite a few tapes... 1983 was a bit boring, the first 'new' record I bought was Inarticulate Speech, followed by seeing a very boring first concert in Stockholm.

1984 was exciting, going to several concerts in Belfast, Van doing Astral Weeks' stuff. An absolute highlight was getting No Guru in the mail some weeks before its release. I just cried that Saturday morning with my coffee. And played it very loud at night with my Jamesons. For me the most amazing albums are Astral Weeks, Veedon Fleece, Into the Music, Summertime in England and No Guru. I also like The Healing Game a lot. Keep it Simple is his best in years. But there are so many good songs over all these years... "The Story of Them" for example!!! Live-wise I will never forget Belfast 1984, perhaps even more remarkable were the shows in the Grand Opera House in 1989. The Georgie Fame injection around those years was an energy-booster!! I love the VHS Beacon Theatre video from around 1990 -- but could anybody send me a DVD with better sound and picture?!! Love the video from Waterfront 1997. Love the recording from Skeppsholmen, Stockholm, 2008. Love The Man.

"What's good is bad, what's bad is good, you' ll find out when you reach the top, you're on the bottom." Van quoting Bob at Rockpalazt 1982...

That’s it. From an unedited Wolf.
-Ulf C.

After college graduation in the mid-70s some friends rented a New Jersey shore house and they only had two scratchy albums.... Mahavishnu Orchestra Wings of Fire and Moondance. We would listen to them when we drank beer after being on the beach all day and again late at night after the bars closed. That was my first immersion into Van and dabbled for the next 10 years picking up a used album here and there so his music was always in the mix. In 1990 I had lunch at a friends apartment and she played Avalon Sunset. At the same time another friend recommended Common One and from there I was hooked. I delved deeper into Van's work and all that I had missed. Astral Weeks in particular simply blew me away. I was never sure of the appeal of his music to me until I recently heard him quoted as saying how much he internalizes the music as if he is singing to himself. It all made sense ..."I wanna know did you get the feelin'? Did you get it down in your soul?". Yes I did.
-Anonymous

As a kid growing up in the 60's and 70's I'd come across a few of Van's on the radio now and then (the usual suspects such as Brown Eyed Girl, Domino etc) but nothing really grabbed my attention all that much.

Then one day around 1980 I stopped into my local hole in the wall record shop (now since long gone) and the guy running the place was playing something that really connected with me. I took a peek behind the counter where the album cover was propped up against the wall next to the record player and it was Common One by that Van Morrison fellow. Hmmm, I didn't know he made music like this, maybe I'll have to check into this guy a bit more...

Here it is 30 years, dozens of official albums and numerous amazing shows later, and I'm thankful for that day when I happened to walk into that little record store at just the right moment.
-John in Las Vegas

I've been hooked since 1971 at the ripe old age of 8 when my older sisters bought "Street Choir"!!! I was fascinated that a fellow Irishman could sing the blues with such conviction and started to dig deeper to find out more about this amazing singer...a journey that has taken me on an odyssey through Blues, Jazz, Gospel...over 40 albums,50 live shows culminating in Astral Weeks Live at the Garden in February...truly music on a different level!!! Van, I salute you for forging great art and "turnin lead into gold"!!
-Anonymous

I remember loving Moondance and buying the 8 track for my groovy VW while in High School. I can still see it and the rest is Van and happy listening history.
-Susan S.

Believe it or not, I only bumped into Van's music a couple of years ago when I was putting together a Tom Jones compilation CD for my sister. I was mesmerized by Van's portion of the Tom/Van duet, Sometimes We Cry. I couldn't get enough of it, so I began to listen to anything done by Van to get an idea of his range. I first gravitated to his more recent stuff, feeling more comfortable with his deeper timbred voice but before long I adjusted to the early Van voice and I've bought just about everything he ever did, including all his remastered albums. Van is now the favorite artist of both my sister and me and we don't know how we managed to live on this planet as long as we have without realizing who Van was. It's not that we hadn't ever heard and loved Brown-Eyed Girl or Gloria or Domino or Days Like This. It's that, thanks to FM radio that plays 10 songs in a row without ever telling you the name of the artist or the name of the song, we managed to stay "Van ignorant" for 40 plus years! Sorry, Van! But we're sure making up for it now! :-)
-Marilyn M. Boston, MA

My mum was ill. It was late 2005 in Liverpool and the weather was grim.
On my way back to the hospital, 'And It Stoned Me' came on my personal CD.
Don't get me wrong, I'd loved Van for years: 'Astral Weeks', 'Moondance', 'Best Of'... that sorta' thing. I was in my early 20s.

But I was about to realise how wide the water really was. And deep.
George Ivan Morrison's music has affected everything I do since that September afternoon. The wind was biting through me, but it didn't matter. Van was singing something about "jelly roll" and I just knew. Slowly but surely over the following few months, I filled the spaces in my Van collection.

'It's Too Late To Stop Now' and 'Into The Music' had always been on my list, but now I dived in. Head first. My own music changed too - out went the Telecaster and Springsteen impersonations. I picked up an acoustic guitar and wrote the best music of my life.

'Saint Dominic's Preview', 'Street Choir', 'Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart' and 'Veedon Fleece' followed. All touching me somewhere previously buried deep, deep down in my soul. It's the little things...
The way he sings "to you" on 'Fair Play'. The violins on the Soul Orchestra's 'Caravan'. Everything about 'And The Healing Has Begun'. The unadulterated couldn't-give-a-fuck pop of 'Domino'. The way the band shifts on Saint Dominic's Preview's "and we gazed upon...". And the euphoric rush I get when 'Celtic Swing' comes on.

All life is there. And that's the important thing. Life. Van Morrison is what it is to be alive.
Vital.
-Alan O.Hare, Liverpool (cheers John! love the blog, thank you...)

I started listening to Van when I was in elementary school in the mid 90s. I remember washing my mom's car in the summer and playing "Jackie Wilson Said" on cassette. I would point my fingers in the air and sing the intro "da da da da duh!" and dance as my red hair went flying. Now, I am 20 years old, and sometimes the youngest fan at Van shows. My dad and I love listening to Van when we drive together.
"Wavelength" is our favorite to rock out to, but "Carrying a Torch" is our best fist-pounding singing fest. To woo me, my now-boyfriend learned to play "Sweet Thing" on the banjo. I took him to a Van show and now he's hooked too.
-CJ Lotz

I first saw Van live in England at the legendary Knebworth Festival 1974. I was on my very first holiday in England together with my best friend and our own first car! In Brighton we saw this concert poster of Knebworth with the Headliners Allman Brothers and Doobie Brothers. And The Van Morrison Show. This was the start to listen to many Van's vinyl albums. He was not my absolute favourite at that time but it was slowly growing from year to year. When the CD's were coming in the 80s I bought every released Van album, later every remastered edition. And with the help of a friend I was connected to the famous Van group some years ago. There I got all
the many wonderful shows including the 1974 Knebworth show, where it all starts for me.
-Ray, Germany

"It was the 60's...how could I remember any details? I do know he was still with THEM."
-Mary B.

I heard Van's voice probably from the age of 11 or 12 on the radio and my older sister had a couple of albums. I didn’t think much of him, he was ok, kind of a voice that was quirky, and rhythms that kind of swung but not totally. Years passed, and having read a lot about music his name kept popping up referencing his influence but I did not have a desire to listen. Anyway around 1981 while listening to the radio, Natalia came on. I really liked it. So weeks later I went out to by the album but could not remember the song name. Not knowing what to buy I bought "Into The Music". It took a couple of listens, but when I heard side two of that album my music listening was changed forever. I had never heard music so deep, intense and dynamically extreme. No one I had ever heard before or since was so literarily "into the music." It also seemed that I could personally relate to what he was singing about. I listened to that album daily for a long time, then went and bought his whole back catalog a few at a time while also moving ahead. Needless to say I was blown away by his body of work. Around 1985/1986 I was beginning to lose a little steam, and was not looking that forward to his next album, and in fact delayed buying it for some time. Being in a record store one day and seeing nothing that interested me, I settled for No Guru, No Method, No Teacher. When I heard for the first time I knew right then that this guy was the greatest songwriter/singer I had ever heard before or since. And the amazing thing is that there was no one like him, he stood alone. I have listened ever since, and "A Night In San Francisco" was another high point for me. I don't know if I will ever get as exhilarated by the music as I once did, but I will be listening - and it doesn't matter if I do or not because Van's music has given me more than anyone else's.
-Phil, CT

Back in '82 I was bicycling across the US (Virginia to Oregon) with a group of 10. Walkman's were just introduced to the market. I purchased one and made lots of music to take with me (no Van). After the first few weeks, somewhere around Missouri, I started trading cassettes with another rider. He was loaded with Van. By the time we got to Wyoming... See More, Beautiful Vision became the sound track for the rest of the trip. It was the only tape I'd listen to- over and over and over. I'd never heard anything like it before and it made every pedal stroke throughout the Rockies something incredibly special. Van's music became a part of me and never left.
-Wanda M.

I always loved Van’s songs and music, since my teenager times, so, those albums from the seventies had a big influence, mainly Moondance, St. Dominics Preview, Veedon Fleece and so on. Anyway I really dig all Van’s releases, (like the extraordinary Poetic Champions, Sense of Wonder, for example, and also the more recent ones), and I admit that, due to his unlimited talent and genius, as a composer, Van is the kind of musician that can play/sing whatever he likes because he is always good!

I do miss his live shows, because, through the years I only managed to see him live twice, more than 15 years ago, so I keep wishing he stops by my neighbourhood…
-Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal (congratulations for the excellent site!)

Well it stared about '64 or '65 when I heard "One, two brown eyes", "Mystic Eyes" and of course "Gloria". Being from the midwest there was actually a band called the Shadows of Night who were getting airplay with Gloria which was not as good as Them's but confused this 13 year old boy until I figured it out. For some reason Van's music has consistently, with little exception, been the soundtrack for my life. Not on a conscience level or planned, but when I started looking back after many, many years it just seems to have done that. So much information or direction seemed to come in right on time. Hints of things, names of people to read or explore, ideas that lead to a process of information gathering that could nudge me one way or another. That's what he gave me that helped shape who I am. The music itself has been marvelous, but it was the timeliness of the information or direction I received that has been valuable to me. Yeats, Beckett, Heaney, Wordsworth & Coleridge and on and on. Anyway, The father and daughter dance at both my daughters weddings were to Van songs, their choice not mine. My grandaughter even listens to Van. My grandaughter, Christ I getting old. Well, that should be more than you care to know ,but you asked. "Though lovers be lost love shall not, and death shall have no dominion." Mr. Thomas.
-Mike M.

When i was in jr. high in the hinterlands of New Mexico, usa, (c 1965) i borrowed someone's 45 of Gloria by the Shadows of Knight, not knowing it was a VM composition... still have it. Then, on radio, remember Mystic Eyes, Brown Eyed Girl later heard Moondance and both Van and Johnny Rivers' versions of Into the Mystic, which i thought was the coolest song ever. Liked Jackie Wilson Said on the radio and bought St Dom's Preview and really enjoyed the whole album. I was living in LA then and there was alot of buzz on the radio (KMET-FM) about Van, and they played lots of songs from the Moondance and St Dom's albums. He must have recently done his 73 Troubadour stand. 28 years later, 2001, went to a Dylan concert which lead to dylan bootleg trades which led to VM bootleg trades. e.g: Fillmore W 70, Troubadour 73, Amsterdam 86, Dublin 95, and later, Montreux 90, Malvern 03 and i was blown away. now have about 30 official cds, 175 boots, thinking about seeing him for the first time in Dallas next month, Jan 2010. looks like i've been a fan for almost 45 years...
-George S.

Well I was seventeen at the time back in 1978, living in rural Cheshire, UK. I was brought up on Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell, which was no bad thing (still listen to them today). I had gone down the old farts music route from a teenager getting in to the Beatles, Black Sabbath, then Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.
I remember being at a friends house and reading the NME on the critics choice top 10 albums of all time. I knew all of them (had most) except number 4, which was an album called Astral Weeks by a Van Morrison. I was somewhat surprised as I had never heard of the man - I assumed he was American. A week or so later I was in our local independent record store and saw Astral Weeks for sale and was intrigued by the cover and the song titles so decided to take a punt.I rode home on my bike clutching the LP (like many before) and put it on the player in my room when I got back.I was completely bowled over on first play - it was so different from any other music I had heard and it connected like no other music had previously - I called my Dad to come and listen but it had no effect on him. For months I played the album and got lost in it as if I was transported to a sad film where I was the main actor. My journey started.
My next purchase was Moondance, and although it seems impossible to me now, it was a massive disappointment at the time - where had the loose free flowing style of Astral Weeks gone????? I now play Moondance more often than Astral Weeks and believe Side one (of the album as it was) to be the finest song cycle on any album. I headed to see the man at the Edinburgh Rock festival the following year and have seen him over fifty times since (when he's good live there's no one better).
I love lots of music but Van is still way ahead of the pack (followed by J.Cash, Nina, Dick Gaughan etc). His latest albums are not up with his best but still contain enough gems for me to keep coming back and the voice although greatly changed is still magnificent.
-David B