Van Morrison: your views please

seems like that release was kinda under the radar (at least I didn't really pay attention to it when it came out). but it's essential imo. van really needs like a comprehensive box set, but maybe he's been on too many different labels for that to happen?

yeah label thing is a huge obstacle, even the comps, as solid as they are, are hurt by this i think. really wish his 80s onward stuff was on spotify, totally the kind of thing that service is best for.

yeah, i just went over there to listen to some stuff but no dice! vannnnnnnn!

it used to be, must've been taken down

van really needs like a comprehensive box set, but maybe he's been on too many different labels for that to happen?

I have a good 2-disc NRBQ comp (on Rhino) and they've been on like seven different labels, so it's doable.

yeah, i mean now that all major labels are one major label (or three, i can't keep track) it seems like it should happen. might even be van's fault, i feel like he might own his masters or something?

holy shit steppin' out queen!

soto do you actually not like moondance or are you just tired of it or do you just prefer some others to it? totally understand the latter two and always kinda amazed at how many ppl i've met who own and LOVE moondance, go to a weird place when they hear 'into the mystic' like it's 'desperado' or something and yet somehow have zero interest in listening or owning any other van morrison album.

I gotta rep for "inarticulate speech of the heart" as far as 80s van goes. immense album.

soto do you actually not like moondance or are you just tired of it or do you just prefer some others to it? totally understand the latter two and always kinda amazed at how many ppl i've met who own and LOVE moondance, go to a weird place when they hear 'into the mystic' like it's 'desperado' or something and yet somehow have zero interest in listening or owning any other van morrison album.

The second side is a bore and I never want to listen to it whereas every other album I mentioned has goodies.

but the first side is so awesome it makes up for it. but yeah, this is one of those albums where i only listen to one side.

also, why does Allmusic show "Crazy Love" as having been written by Paul Anka? That can't be right!

yeah, i mean now that all major labels are one major label (or three, i can't keep track) it seems like it should happen. might even be van's fault, i feel like he might own his masters or something?

Van owns most of his masters, and that's part of the problem. He had a nice reissue campaign going a few years ago, but stopped it (depending on who you ask) either because he got pissed at his label, or he got caught up in new projects, including the Astral Weeks concert series. The latter also came about because of another problem: most of his solo catalog that he doesn't own is controled by Warner Bros. Morrison has been trying to get them back for years to no avail, complaining that those albums haven't been treated properly (and hence no reissues other than audiophile vinyl outside of the still in print original cd editions). The live AW album was done so he could own versions of the all the songs on that set.

I listened to ASTRAL WEEKS about a year ago and was sorely disappointed. Not even sure how it can be considered a classic album...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWmAez71uMY

I'm really into ponderous Van. "Keep It Simple" is a hugely funny Van album title to me.

really wish his 80s onward stuff was on spotify, totally the kind of thing that service is best for.

i was bummed to discover this fact today

what are some good early-ish mark isham albums? I like his soundtrack for "never cry wolf"

Not Supposed To Break Down off Philosopher's Stone is just amazing.

Some other gems from the 80s that I don't think have been mentioned
- Wild Honey from Common One
- Rave On, John Donne from Inarticulate Speech
- So Quiet in Here and Real Real Gone from Enlightenment
- Tore Down a la Rimbaud from A Sense of Wonder

Rave On, John Donne is such a quintessential Van title. Hard to think of anyone else who'd merge Buddy Holly and 17th C English poetry.

"Celtic Ray" off Beautiful Vision quite nice too

i guess it's obvious that common one is totally killer but common one is totally killer

"Give Me My Rapture" from Poetic Champions Compose is a good 'un.

Yep, love that whole album.

I've been enjoying Into The Music quite a bit lately. Warm and comfy like an old sweater.

i don't think i've ever heard poetic champions.
this long outtake from the early 70s is worth hearing, if you haven't checked it out. http://ow.ly/fOwOm

Van The Man Don't Give A Fuck About Artwork (#20? In A Continuing Series...)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81deahJtc5L._SY450_.jpg

hope there's a posthumous biggie track on there

btw that's basically the concept for the elevator music that would play during the extremely long ride to my personal hell

(the record, I mean, not van/biggie)

Was hoping this morning that this might be news about further reissues. Like somebody finally getting a remastered Astral Weeks out officially. Or is that scuppered by Van's reaction to the release of the Deluxe Moondance?

lol at "Re-Working The Catalogue" -- van sounds really enthused about this one.

How about a reissue of Saint Dominic's Preview? I don't think you can even buy that on CD anymore.

really? crazy.

you can basically do what you like van, you've earned it, but ffs "Streets of Arklow - Van Morrison & Mick Hucknall"

Xp yeah it is crazy but it's definitely been OOP for a few years, cuz I remember being really excited to find the vinyl at my college radio station c.2007 (& subsequently really disappointed in the record's condition)

Van doesn't earn anything from the Warner Bros albs, so he's got no motivation or interest in helping out with or endorsing remastered editions.

yeah makes sense that he wouldn't want to do it, but can he stop WB from doing it?

Well he couldn't with Moondance - but can't think of another reason why WB haven't given Astral Weeks similar deluxe treatment (there are def outtakes etc floating around on bootlegs)

are there actual astral weeks outtakes on bootlegs? only things I've heard are the acoustic demos for moondance. i would kill for astral weeks session outtakes. KILL.

Think there's def some AW session stuff on that four CD 'Genuine Philosopher's Stone' bootleg set

should've gone with 'astral leaks'

there are some pre-astral weeks demos, but i don't think there are any actual session outtakes on that genuine philosopher's stone set.

kinda love that the duets record almost exclusively focuses on '80s and '90s material, very van

Hey did anyone read that Clinton Heylin bio of Van? I gave up pretty early in because he was so dismissive of The Them and Bang Records stuff, and also seemed weirdly hung up on bashing other Van Morrison biographies. Is it worth schlepping through the whole thing?

it has some good stuff iirc, but you have to take the good with the cranky when it comes to heylin.
great interview w/ astral weeks' producer here: http://darkforcesswing.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-full-lewis-merenstein-producer-of.html

wtf are you playing at Van? God bless the fucking Queen, long may she reign over us?

Really disappointed to find out that the 00s reissues of the early to mid 70s stuff was long gone. THink I had thought until sometime last year that it was still available just not on local shelves. & not sure how popular back catalogue Van is, despite this being ireland etc. Would hope that it would be since there is some classic stuff there.
I think at the time i was just bewailing the lack of an Astral Weeks in the series and putting other titles on the back burner. I do at least have a Veedon Fleece from that series but should definitely have St Dominic's Preview and a couple of others.
Actually not sure of the state of that VF since somebody left it face up on a table in an environment that had a lot of sand blowing around in it. Mostly listened to tracks from it on my walkman until recently I think.

van morrison is really weird, why is this man shouting at me about how much he loves me? stop shouting at me!

Great interview linked above! I don't have any idea of what to make of this part of it though:

HS: I'm wondering if you feel in your years since then, did you ever hear any albums or artists that were kind of picking up the thread of what you guys had begun with that record?

LM: I think it may have, I don't know. I have heard artists, the first album of this English group.

HS: Current group? Radiohead?

LM: Beautiful keyboard thing, singing beautiful vocals. The lead singer is married to the actress.

HS: Coldplay.

LM: Their first album wiped me to the ground, leveled me. I lie in bed, listened to the album, and had the same feeling. When I get that feeling, I know something is going to happen. A friend of mine in California, had just gotten it and said, "Lewis, I'm going to send you an album that's just going to knock you down." Coldplay did the same thing to me in a way; it got me in the same place where it just exhausted my emotions, I said, "Oh I can't hear it again. Let me hear it again, but I can't hear it again." It was too much to handle.

Legacy is going reissue all Van recordings

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/legacy-recordings-acquires-catalog-of-music-legend-van-morrison-spanning-more-than-50-years-of-music-300132701.html

hooray!