Next one was the biggest revelation for me. I hadn't heard it until this poll, and it's fantastic.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:27 (six years ago) link
gotta be Common One
― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:28 (six years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/XfjptVi.jpg
No Guru, No Method, No TeacherTied for 11th placeOne vote, 30 points
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:29 (six years ago) link
i guess i was the only one vote for no guru. like an older, wiser, gentler veedon fleece
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:31 (six years ago) link
Yes. I'm not sure it would have cracked my top 5, but I do really love this record now.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:35 (six years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/J3Xp1PP.jpg
Avalon SunsetTied for 11th placeOne vote, 30 points
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:36 (six years ago) link
a much better record than i remembered, really enjoyed revisiting it for the poll
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:36 (six years ago) link
"contacting my angel" is a+ drifting spiritual van
Oh man I messed that up already. That will be the first of many...
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:37 (six years ago) link
Correction
http://i.imgur.com/uMURN99.jpg
Avalon SunsetTied for 10th placeOne vote, 33 points
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:39 (six years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/YQ67HKd.jpg
The Angry Young ThemTied for 10th placeOne vote, 33 points
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:43 (six years ago) link
That was the last of the ties, and albums with just one vote.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:48 (six years ago) link
oh i did not know them was eligible! not sure it would have changed my albums ballot tho
i think common one is gonna place way higher on ilm than it would anywhere else
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:49 (six years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/abJjJAX.jpg
Irish Heartbeat9th placeTwo votes, 71 points
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:50 (six years ago) link
unbelievably gorgeous album that i didn't vote for no. 1
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:56 (six years ago) link
I nearly voted no guru. the title track live in 1990-ish was IMMENSE for me.
― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Thursday, 3 August 2017 16:57 (six years ago) link
not sure if true but I don't know one Van Morrison head who doesn't rank it high
http://i.imgur.com/KwJ0Lnb.jpg
His Band and the Street Choir8th placeSix votes, 191 points
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:00 (six years ago) link
whoa
― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:03 (six years ago) link
When an album as strong as Street Choir is only considered your 8th best, you know you're good.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:04 (six years ago) link
going to enjoy this rollout, I'm a Van fan but i admit that i don't know much of his music beyond some early cuts and Astral Weeks/Moondance/Tupelo Honey -- the latter of which is the one i listen to the most, kinda surprised and intrigued by its low placement here.
― nomar, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:06 (six years ago) link
really love Irish Heartbeat too
i was weirded out by the low placement of tupelo honey as well, but i didn't vote for it so lol
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:07 (six years ago) link
yeah i almost feel bad but you can only pick 5!
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:11 (six years ago) link
Yes. If it was a top ten albums, I think Tupelo would have fared better. It's safe to say that domesticated Woodstock lover man Van is not ILM's favorite.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:12 (six years ago) link
Mild shocker ahead...
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:13 (six years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/EZ6lLEI.jpg
Into the Music7th place7 votes, 200 points
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:14 (six years ago) link
big vote jump with the last two
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:18 (six years ago) link
into the music is perfect from start to finish
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:19 (six years ago) link
Yes. I included every album that got votes.
I figured Into The Music would be higher.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:21 (six years ago) link
yeah, figured top 5 for sure
― Gaspard de la Nuit: III. ScarJost (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:22 (six years ago) link
Without giving too much away, Into The Music is probably not weird enough for ILM Van voters.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:26 (six years ago) link
idk man those last two tracks are p weird
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:27 (six years ago) link
i almost voted "steppin' out queen" as my no. 1 track bc it's just a perfectly-arranged, everything-in-its-right-place van song
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:28 (six years ago) link
yeah "you know" is v weird
― Gaspard de la Nuit: III. ScarJost (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:28 (six years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/iZXgDPh.jpg
It's Too Late To Stop Now6th place8 votes, one #1277 points
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:29 (six years ago) link
way too low, best live album i've ever heard
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:29 (six years ago) link
was my #2, has grown even more in my estimation after the recent expanded version
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:39 (six years ago) link
I generally don't listen to live albums and have never listened to that one, though in the past year I've reversed course but I still only really listen to live albums by FM rock bands like UFO & Rainbow
― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:41 (six years ago) link
(I do listen to live jazz albums tho)
i guess i should have referred to it as the best live rock album i've ever heard bc once you include jazz, yikes. but joan if you are ever feeling it it's too late is a master class in bandleading, and in also having the best band in the fucking world
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:43 (six years ago) link
The Cyprus Avenue on Too Late to Stop Now is so great I could plotz.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:45 (six years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/grD91Lh.jpg
Common One5th place10 votes, one #1306 points
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:48 (six years ago) link
i was the no. 1, a few years ago i finally scored a copy of this record and it became sort of a ritual to zone out to it once a week; the bookends are so meditative that you feel like you're sinking into something incalculably vaster than yourself
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:51 (six years ago) link
also afaik van never got this fusion-y again so it's v singular in his catalog
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:52 (six years ago) link
It definitely represents the apex of weird Van. I'm usually OK with that but When Heart Is Open is where I get off.
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:55 (six years ago) link
I'm going to be curious to hear the Van fans' take on the last couple decades once this poll is complete. I'd only owned Days Like This (not sure why, and it was vv forgettable) and the Mose Allison tribute w/Georgie Famr and Ben Sidran, Tell Me Something.
― nomar, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:58 (six years ago) link
nah man that's the deepest region of the mystic! xp
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:58 (six years ago) link
That one was pretty decent albeit probably too faithful to the source material.
― nomar, Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:59 (six years ago) link
ilm turned me onto Common One maybe a year ago, and I soon found a copy while stuck in san clemente for a few hours. I play it more than any other van album lately, and I am in love with harmonica Van on When Heart Is Open.
― Gaspard de la Nuit: III. ScarJost (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, 3 August 2017 17:59 (six years ago) link
lol yeah the verse chords are the same in wind cries mary and st. dominic.
I can't be the only person who thinks of Wish You Were Here when listening to Almost Independence Day (of course in this case, van's version came first)
― rock and roll tucci coo (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 15 August 2017 11:59 (six years ago) link
In the '71 Pacific High Studio version of "Just Like A Woman" (which, after a slow first 3 minutes, really gets intense) on the second time the "please don't..." line comes up he says "I was weird... and you were weird, too." Van must have liked that spin.
― that's not my post, Monday, August 14, 2017 11:35 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
haha that's funny, it seemed so off the cuff
there's really a great amount of well shot full Van concerts on YouTube
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 15 August 2017 14:18 (six years ago) link
yeah, it's nice -- for a while there his people were super vigilant about scrubbing any/all vids ...
― tylerw, Tuesday, 15 August 2017 14:24 (six years ago) link
via Midnight Bootlegs, a 1990 set in FLAC: https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/bf6mkTXx4Oyx2bb4rfBro1As2R9yHsF9l7f88drsUcY?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&mgh=1
― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Tuesday, 15 August 2017 14:40 (six years ago) link
Man, just listened to Into the Music properly for the first ever, probably. Dexys entire career for a start, but more.I saw Van maybe 20 times, work related, between 1988-2000ish. I know most of those 80s records from seeing him live, must pick up No Guru, Poetic Champs etc.
― Fine Toothcomb (sonofstan), Monday, 21 August 2017 22:01 (six years ago) link
born to sing: no plan b is just the loveliest record. the horns are so wonderful
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Friday, 22 September 2017 15:25 (six years ago) link
but does no plan b refer to born, sing, or both
― you are juror number 144 and we will excuse you (Sufjan Grafton), Friday, 22 September 2017 18:24 (six years ago) link
who knows, at least a third of the record is a critique of capitalism so
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Friday, 22 September 2017 18:25 (six years ago) link
because of this poll back on top and the healing game are now two of my absolute favorite van records
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Friday, 22 September 2017 23:07 (six years ago) link
you check out magic time?that was one that grew on me when I was listening to them all on Spotify
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 22 September 2017 23:12 (six years ago) link
yeah magic time is great, especially "just like greta" which is overwhelming
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Saturday, 23 September 2017 14:26 (six years ago) link
less a definitive ranking than maybe a potentially useful order for people trying to get into van's '90s records:
the healing gameenlightenmentback on tophymns to the silencedays like thistoo long in exile
the first five are basically all variously great, days like this ends with two of van's best songs ever. too long in exile is a real mess though, maybe my least favorite van record ever, and yet the title track is still so awesome
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Saturday, 23 September 2017 16:25 (six years ago) link
i always feel like i underrate keep me singing when i'm listening to it bc the first five tracks are all so gorgeous
― ToddBonzalez (BradNelson), Monday, 25 September 2017 04:53 (six years ago) link
Let me step in for some fair play...to you.
― You like queer? I like queer. Still like queer. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 14 October 2018 02:51 (five years ago) link
Excellent. But I will always remember this poll for introducing me to No Guru...my god what an album.
― for i, sock in enumerate (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 14 October 2018 03:00 (five years ago) link
you inspire me to check the wavelength album more closely (i am sold on the song).
― for i, sock in enumerate (Sufjan Grafton), Sunday, 14 October 2018 03:03 (five years ago) link
Not a great album, but with Morrison it's especially hard to distinguish mediocre from good or good from great
― You like queer? I like queer. Still like queer. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 14 October 2018 11:19 (five years ago) link
wavelength has a great title track
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Sunday, 14 October 2018 13:21 (five years ago) link
oh which has been covered, lol
alfred have you heard all of common one
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Sunday, 14 October 2018 13:23 (five years ago) link
shhh I'm about to exercise while listening to "Got to Go Back."
― You like queer? I like queer. Still like queer. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 14 October 2018 13:24 (five years ago) link
Yes! Good work with ranking Saint Dominic number one. That's my favorite.
― kornrulez6969, Sunday, 14 October 2018 14:27 (five years ago) link
I need to hear Veedon Fleece. I like the rest of the top 4. Probably would have ranked Tupelo higher.
― o. nate, Monday, 15 October 2018 02:07 (five years ago) link
Maybe you've addressed this elsewhere but no Moondance?
― Engles in the Outfield (cryptosicko), Monday, 15 October 2018 02:23 (five years ago) link
I thought, stupidly, he released it in 1969, but it worked out because I prefer every album on my list.
― You like queer? I like queer. Still like queer. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 15 October 2018 02:24 (five years ago) link
preferring wavelength to moondance is absolute nonsense
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Monday, 15 October 2018 10:32 (five years ago) link
Alfred preferring synthy outlier to canonized classic shocker
:P
― niels, Monday, 15 October 2018 12:32 (five years ago) link
Veedon Fleece is so good, one of my faves by Van.
― Ich bin kein Berliner (alex in mainhattan), Tuesday, 16 October 2018 11:43 (five years ago) link
^agree about Veedon Fleece. Anyway, here's a great version of Bulbs from a German TV show in the mid 70s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFc7uVEYAsw
― that's not my post, Tuesday, 16 October 2018 16:59 (five years ago) link
Jesus, I just got cut nearly in half by Tir Na Nog. I've been reading Peter Matthiesen's The Snow Leopard, which is partly a travelogue of a trek in the Himalaya to study bharal, partly a discourse on the origins of Buddhism, and partly a gentle prayer of devotion for his wife who had died the year before, and it's an incredibly moving book, full of the white light of understanding and humility. The song dovetails so neatly with those themes of finding solace in eternity (albeit from a different mythological viewpoint) and the possibilities inherent in the idea of reincarnation - let alone Van's open, enveloping deliver - it reduced me to tears. Ach.
Regard as one, this life, the next life, and the life between - Milarepa.
― Good cop, Babcock (Chinaski), Friday, 5 July 2019 13:32 (four years ago) link
^Beautiful post. I read The Snow Leopard many years ago - this is making me want to revisit it. One of the great things about ILM.
― that's not my post, Friday, 5 July 2019 22:45 (four years ago) link
I would like to thank this poll for turning me on to Veedon Fleece, what an album
― sleeve, Friday, 5 July 2019 22:50 (four years ago) link
^^^ what sleeve said, this thread made me discover veedon fleece which by now i prefer to astral weeks.
― je est un autre, l'enfer c'est les autres (alex in mainhattan), Saturday, 6 July 2019 06:24 (four years ago) link
^^^Though I would say a lot of it may be that Veedon Fleece is fresher, whereas I’ve had 20+ years with Astral Weeks.
― Mazzy Tsar (PBKR), Saturday, 6 July 2019 13:04 (four years ago) link
You came into my lifeAnd you filled me and you filled meOh, so joyous by the clear cool crystal streamsWhere the roads were quiet and stillAnd we walked all the way to Tir Na Nog
― Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Friday, 15 January 2021 23:19 (three years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/5gHutpK.jpg
51. Coney Island2 votes, 48 pointsOne #1 vote
One voter otm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn2CeHlKrTw
― Noel Emits, Sunday, 15 August 2021 17:20 (two years ago) link
After all the Covid nonsense, I couldn't really stand to listen to Van any more, but then a few days ago this came up on my YouTube feed and I was conquered one more time. There's actually lots of awesome live Van footage on YT, from loads of different eras, and I've begun to see certain similarities between Van and Miles Davis, especially their brilliance at putting together and leading bands (and of course their wary, guarded, unsmiling public personas). Anyway what a group he's got here - and doesn't this version completely SMOKE the studio recording - and I've never seen a clearer view of his osmotic tongue pressure in full effect, especially on the 'Voice of America' line - he's a master at making the deliberate seem spontaneous. Love the moment when he catches a cameraman moving around behind him and gives him a brief but deadly stare:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6oZK004AWM
― Ward Fowler, Thursday, 15 February 2024 14:34 (two months ago) link
I don't know this chap Glen Hansard's music (might be for the best) but this is an incredible story, worth sticking to the end to hear Van's final kiss-off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29abxJgCyOI
― Ward Fowler, Thursday, 15 February 2024 14:37 (two months ago) link