Backstreet JellyPOLL: ILM Van Morrison Poll Discussion Thread

One of my very favorite songs of his is Wonderful Remark, from the King of Comedy film and his ubiquitous greatest hits CD from the late 80s.

There's a longer version of Wonderful Remark on the Philosopher's Stone compilation, but IMHO you can't beat the 80s one.

that was a wonderful remark kornrulez

Circa 1991, I taped (off the radio) a King Biscuit live show from the Wavelength era. It was among my very favorite tapes. An aging boombox ate it for lunch a few years later. Nowadays, when I chance to hear anything from that album, I mourn for that lost cassette. I don't know if it's available and I confess I haven't looked much. But I recall that "Wavelength," "Kingdom Hall," and "Checkin' It Out" were uberclassic in that performance.

"Wonderful Remark" is essential imo.

so is "Cleaning Windows."

Question for Van heads: in that lost live "Wavelength" he does this thing of calling out random numbers, to immense crowd satisfaction. I never knew what was going on.

One can hear this also in "Cleaning Windows." Does it refer, like, to specific horn breaks? Seats in the audience? WTF?

Okay I figgered out that I was thinking of the long interlude in "Caravan" from this Bottom Line show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApC0ZnMpWhc

Listen at 54:20 or so. There's a bunch of ad lib and some numbers and I... still don't get it. Surely this is A Thing.

I love this one, horn parts at the end are sublime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ln-H2HV6o0

^^^ yep

i have no idea how i'm going to do this

Every time you find yet another '90s album in your collection, take a shot.

hymns to the silence is wonderful if a little uneven. even a sense of wonder which imo is prob his least good '80s record has the really lovely title track

Another 80s tune to check out: Higher Than The World.

This is going to be a fascinating poll. Prob lots of tunes that make it onto the countdown with only a few votes.

i really love this little tribute to van's san francisco of the mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxB2Gbkv-mo

"A Period of Transition" is unfairly maligned. This tune is so classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riqzRE6St_8

This is going to be a fascinating poll. Prob lots of tunes that make it onto the countdown with only a few votes.

Yes. I don't think we're going to get a ton of ballots for this.

I'll just set up a few sock accounts and "want a danish" is going to run the table.

Also it's been ages since I've heard the 80's version but my recollection is that the Philosopher's Stone "Wonderful Remark" wipes the floor with the rerecording.

I can see by the look on your face.....thats you've got ring worm

It's a very common disease.

if anyone needs a guide to the '80s and early '90s van records i wrote one a few years ago http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/astral-years-a-seekers-guide-to-van-morrison-in-the-80-1700003646🕸

Excellent piece brad

Thanks, that's a fantastic blog. Van's 80s were better than he gets credit for. How about the 90s? The Healing Game is good, but I haven't heard much else.

I'll have to dig out the recording of his Glastonbury set in 86 which I saw. Some great performances: no guru, full force gale, iirc summertime in England

"Have I Told You Lately" is lazy writing but I LOVE "Why Must I Always Explain."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTN06FiglEE

sorry i thought the thread needed more high kicks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdZLTnRnHs8

Fully intend to vote in this - I'm a fairly casual fan but I'm slowly going through Brad's '80s picks and the stuff mentioned here, already discovered some great songs (some of which are not at all what I'd expect from any era of Van Morrison).

Found the 87 Glastonbury recording. Awesome.

Lots of great live Van up on YouTube. Here are a few full concerts.

Montreaux 1980
Winterland 1974
Pacific High Studio 1971
Ulster Hall with the Chieftains 1988

Hope everyone had a great weekend listening to plenty of Van.

A couple of 60s deep cuts to consider

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRH8M-VyFHs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNaMbru1dQ0

So how about this one off No Guru? Love the stripped down version he did for the One Irish Rover doc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtqB6JSiHNg

i'm currently trying to figure out which live version of caravan i should vote number one

The Bottom Line one, of course. He says "radio" as "rajjo" and it's like eight minutes long (but I still don't get the bit with calling out random numbers).

Submitted for your approval, Caledonia Soul Music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1ecN3rOoFQ&list=RDb1ecN3rOoFQ#t=825

Montreux 80 is ill

i have listened to this dude's discography to near completion a few times and i have noooo idea how to assemble this ballot

gonna rep for a song he never officially recorded but played live a lot, and which finally appeared on an official van release (the it's too late box) last year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lXQn5AbNcw

an amazing song that's sorta buried in the middle of tupelo honey is "you're my woman"

and hard nose the highway gets a bad rep bc of it's really aimless second side but "snow in san anselmo" "warm love" and the title track is the strongest opening of... any van record, i think (moondance and veedon fleece prob rival it)

"Warm Love" is on the comp, no?

It's ever-present everywhere.

Duh.

lol

my brother and i were cracking up over Van's passionate delivery of "WHO'S YOUR SPONSOR!!??" on "I Paid The Price" recently

I think I'm just going to send a top 5 covers list along with my ballot. He recorded too much good stuff to cram into a top 30. I mean he even did an awesome cover of Bein' Green.

^live version that is.

falling in love with all these albums all over again.

the way that young lovers do >>>

Reminder to vote. We're on a record pace with ballots but we need to keep the momentum going.

a period of transition is still....not great. wavelength always surprises me at first though bc i loooooooove "kingdom hall"

the intrusions of non-van production and instrumentation are v refreshing. feels like there are way too many guitars on "kingdom hall" in a good way

it is maybe van's tackiest album tho

Yes!

http://i.imgur.com/fg8RYPw.jpg

Just testing that out. Apologies for the crude art direction.

Linden Arden POLL the Highlights--ILM Van Morrison Poll Results