Van Morrison: your views please

I wonder if he's had his jab yet? Peter Hitchens caught a bit a of flack from the various idiot constituencies of his after reluctantly surrendering his freedom to big pharma

I actually thought some of his recent music was great before he got onto the Covidiot stuff.

Except for the Astral Weeks tour, I pretty much gave up on anything worthwhile after he sabotaged and diluted the Choppin' Wood album, but Greil Marcus raved about Roll with the Punches and to my surprise it was really good - a casual, hour-plus program of Van and some friends doing his longtime favorites and some worthy originals of like mind. It seemed like an anomaly because pre-Covidiocy I didn't think his other new albums were that good, but I went to see him a few years ago and he put on an awesome show. He even had Jay Berliner on guitar, and the Astral Weeks material came off better than they did in 2008. He's always been a moody jackass, so for all I know this could pass and he'll come to his senses. But it could be a long wait.

He should have called this abortion The Long Con. 6.59 for that atrocity, Christ.

Keep Me Singing from a few years ago was good

I love all of Beautiful Vision but it’s probably because my mom played it all the time when I was a kid

Keep Me Singing from a few years ago was good

I heard a lot of fans claim that was the beginning of his comeback, but it sounded kind of tired to me. I'm sure it's an improvement over what came before it, there wasn't exactly a high bar established in the '00s.

Did Ye Get Redpilled

...and the name is...M...O...D...E.R.N.A!

I kinda like "Why Are You on Facebook?" tbh

I kinda like "Why Are You on Facebook?" tbh

I doubt Van's going to take that in a sensible direction. It's more likely to echo someone I know who quit FB for "choosing" what he could believe when they blocked the Covid conspiracy videos he was trying to upload. (Posted by the same guy last spring: "Fauci is a criminal and he should be in jail!")

oh, didn't mean i thought Van's song would be good; I just like the title...

This would be a good pre-covers one.

lol I was thinking the same thing

Hmmmmmmm.

I wonder if we could get enough participants, though.

Why Are You on Facebook?
Jealousy

kinda true

Buddy in the dorm used to play "St. Dominic's Preview" nearly every day right after he woke up. This was probably school year 89-90. Every time I hear that vocal part that open's "Jackie Wilson..." I think of that.

"Why Are you on Facebook?" made me think of a book title that came up in one of the ILB polls a while back, Why Did You Spoil My Life Making Me Do My MA?

This would be a good pre-covers one.

I immediately thought the same thing, I'm bagging "Psychoanalysts' Ball"

most ominous title on disc 1 has got to be: "Blue Funk"

That one leaked:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CsksRWp-60

For a Covid denier, it sure is infectious!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2BmTGWb55M

Have you got my latest songs I’m singing?
Got my latest joy I’m bringing?

I had not listened to any of his post-1980 work until I picked up the last one, Three Chords & the Truth, on a whim and thought it was a pleasant surprise and pretty decent. But uh, guess my attempt at keeping up with current Van the Man will be one and done.

have i told you lately
that i love you
have i told you
that I don't think COVID's true

I blame this thread for asking Van for his views

Jesus @ that track, what a load of shite! More and more sure this is some sort of contract breaking scam.

Now listen Julie baby it ain't natural for you to cry in the midnight
It ain't natural for you to cry!
Why are you on Facebook?

feel like Van had his finger on the pulse of pomenitul threadz

Jesus @ that track, what a load of shite! More and more sure this is some sort of contract breaking scam.

Yeah, the titles read like that album he did in the late 60s. That "Can I Get A Danish?" one

that song definitely has that feel

and the fact it's a double album

hearing van go on and on about ringworm will never not be funny to me

Played "Ringworm" the other day for my housemate because the dog had a skin thing that had fortunately turned out not to be ringworm, and we were relieved. I didn't expect her to find it as funny as I do, as she's not a Van Morrison fan, but she actually thought it was hilarious.

Hark now, hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly
They own the media

At least one article picked up on the anti-semitic title.

https://www.stereogum.com/2118048/van-morrison-announces-new-album-that-features-a-song-called-they-run-the-media/music/

Meanwhile Rolling Stone is praising how "self-aware" he is.

This would be a good pre-covers one.

― ... (Eazy), Wednesday, March 3, 2021 1:40 AM (fifteen hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

And I came here just to say this too!

Been a while since the last one

https://www.stereogum.com/2118048/van-morrison-announces-new-album-that-features-a-song-called-they-run-the-media/music/

LMAO at the comments:

"Ugh, this shit kills me. In my mind Van Morrison died on his way back to his home planet years ago. Don’t judge. I’ll do what I have to do so that I can still listen to Saint Dominic’s Preview."

"anytime someone catches me vibing to Kanye and tries to shame me for it, i’ll just respond with 'i thought he was dead?'"

This would be a good pre-covers one.
I immediately thought the same thing, I'm bagging "Psychoanalysts' Ball"

I'm calling "big lie" for emo reasons

Oh, I should go look...

When you get to "Stop Bitching, Do Something"

Thought this was Bobby McFerrin?

― Red Nerussi (Neanderthal), Tuesday, March 2, 2021 11:36 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I think this would be a cool idea

Might pick "Mistaken Identity"

I'm just going to make one up called "Me and My Lovely Haemorrhoids"

There's a podcast called Late Era that deals with...obviously, late period work by big names, and they're apparently discussing whether to devote an "emergency episode" to VM's latest outburst...

🚨🚨ALERT: This is an emergency bulletin from Late Era on Van Morrison's new double-album grumpfest 'Latest Record Project.' We'll be keeping tabs on this volatile situation as it develops.🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/FGcISiOWgs

— Late Era (@LateEraPod) March 9, 2021

hope i'm tapped for that even though i was looking forward to not listening to this album

pros: ending an album with a track named Jealousy is very PSB
cons: it’s very likely not a PSB cover (but i’d listen to it if it were)

Wastrel Eeks ... did anyone say that yet?

There's a podcast called Late Era that deals with...obviously, late period work by big names, and they're apparently discussing whether to devote an "emergency episode" to VM's latest outburst...

Thanks for the link. Looks like Sam Sodomsky is a participant, which makes sense - he's regularly tapped to review stuff like Springsteen's new album for Pitchfork.

It's a good idea for a podcast, but I wish the selections were better. Greendale and Under the Red Sky are interesting to discuss, but they don't make the best case for good, compelling work by older recording artists either. BAM in NYC once did a great program on late films (mostly final films) of celebrated auteurs, and a lot of them were truly great films - Luis Buñuel alone arguably did his best films at the end of his long life. I'd like to hear something along those lines, and now that rock music is no longer burdened by the same baggage (being the center of youth culture, etc.), it could probably get more traction.

Ah, I did hear the title track, it was OK but annoyingly catchy I do not want to hear it again.

I could listen to “call me up in dreamland” on repeat for the rest of my life