VAN MORRISON: "Astral Weeks"

Original released on LP Warner Bros WS 1768

(UK, November 1968) 

"Astral Weeks" is generally considered one of the best albums in pop music history, but for all that renown, it is anything but an archetypal rock and roll album. It isn't a rock and roll album at all. Van Morrison plays acoustic guitar and sings in his elastic, bluesy, soulful voice, accompanied by crack group of jazz studio players: guitarist Jay Berliner, upright bassist Richard Davis, Modern Jazz Quartet drummer Connie Kay, vibraphonist Warren Smith and soprano saxophonist John Payne (also credited on flute, though that's debatable - some claim an anonymous flautist provided those parts). Producer Lewis Merenstein added chamber orchestrations later and divided the album into halves: "In The Beginning" and "Afterwards" with four tunes under each heading. Morrison's songs are an instinctive, organic mixture of Celtic folk, blues and jazz. He fully enters the mystic here, more in the moment than he ever would be again in a recording studio. If his pop hit "Brown-Eyed Girl" was the first place he explored the "previous" - i.e. the depths of his memory - for inspiration and direction, he immerses himself in it here. The freewheeling, loose feel adds to the intimacy and immediacy in the songs. They are for the most part, extended, incantory, loosely narrative and poetic ruminations on his Belfast upbringing: its characters, shops, streets, alleys, and sidewalks, all framed by the innocence and passage of that era. Morrison seems hypnotized by his subjects; they comfort and haunt a present filled with inexhaustible longing and loneliness. 

He confesses as much in the title track: "If I ventured in the slipstream/Between the viaducts of your dream/Where immobile steel rims crack/And the ditch in the back roads stop/ Could you find me?/ Would you kiss-a my eyes/... To be born again...." Morrison doesn't reach out to the listener, but goes deep inside himself to excavate and explore. The album's centerpiece is "Madame George" a stream-of-consciousness narrative of personal psychological and spiritual archetypes deeply influenced by the road novels of Jack Kerouac. The climactic epiphany experienced on "Cyprus Avenue" paints a portrait of place and time so vividly, it fools listeners into the experience of shared - but mythical - memory. "The Way Young Lovers Do" is the most fully-formed tune here. Its swinging jazz verses and tight rhythmic choruses underscore a simmering, passionate eroticism in Morrison's lyric and delivery. "Astral Weeks" is a justified entry in pop music's pantheon. It is unlike any record before or since; it mixes together the very best of postwar popular music in an emotional outpouring cast in delicate, subtle, musical structures. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)

RATO'S MUSIC ~ VOLUME 96

ERIC CLAPTON ~ "MEANWHILE"

Edição original em 4 de Outubro de 2024
Vinyl LP Bushbranch / 88304-1
CD Digipak Surfdog / 88292-6

Como que a abrir o apetite para os próximos concertos no Royal Albert Hall de Londres, aqui fica o novíssimo álbum de Eric Clapton, que se ouve de fio a pavio com imenso agrado. Alguns clássicos de todo inesperados ("Moon River" ou "Always On My Mind"), mas que acrescentam aquelas pequenas estrelas no universo intemporal em que se tornou a música de Clapton. O clássico de Chaplin - "Smile" - é o único tema que parece deslocado em "Meanwhile". Temos direito a mais duas excelentes canções com o carimbo Clapton bem notório ("Heart of a Child" e sobretudo "The Call"), mas todo o LP é bastante apelativo. Atrevo-me mesmo a dizer: um dos mais melhores e mais homogéneos álbums de Mr. Clapton! Participações especiais, entre outros,  de Jeff Beck e Van Morrison.

VM's "His Band & The Street Choir"

Original released on LP Warner Bros WS 1884

(US, October 1970)

Released in 1970, Van Morrison's "Moondance" was a hit commercially and critically. Encouraged by his manager, Morrison and a sextet - including three players from the "Moondance" sessions - hit the studio and delivered "His Band & the Street Choir" in time for that year's holiday season. Morrison responded to the pressure by relaxing into it. The feel here is loose, often celebratory. He digs deep into his long-held fascination with the New Orleans R&B tradition for inspiration. "Domino" is his highest charting single. The funky guitar lick, left-hand piano rumbling, driving, Memphis-style horns, and pumping bassline kick things off in grand party style. The ballad "Crazy Face," written in 1968, melds acoustic guitar, mandolin, and piano. Morrison's brittle, bluesy saxophone line and a grooving B-3 tip the balance toward R&B. "Give Me a Kiss" has a great Zigaboo Modeliste feel in the horn charts; Fats Domino gets referenced in Alan Hand's piano stroll, and the punchy, doo-wopping tag in the chorus nods at Frankie Ford. "I've Been Working" (which dates to "Astral Weeks") is Morrison at his funky best, roaring above a cooking choogle. The acoustic guitar vamp is highlighted by swirling organ, and electric Meters-esque guitar and basslines. Drummer Dahaud Elias Sharr lays down tough breaks and fills throughout as jazzy horns frame the singer.

"Call Me Up in Dreamland" features the loose-knit "street choir" (musicians, wives, girlfriends, etc.). It's built on the ragged, Celtic soul-gospel template that Morrison would continue to refer to. The intimate "I'll Be Your Lover Too," adorned only by acoustic guitar and whispering drums, is haunted with the slow-burn passion that would flow so easily on 1972's Saint Dominic's Preview. Second single "Blue Money" is a Rhodes-and-brass driven blues that returns to the NOLA trick bag for fire. The poetic "Virgo Clowns" is painted in a lovely meld of 12-string acoustic guitars and bass clarinet. "Gypsy Queen" is slippery love song, with Morrison offering a gorgeous falsetto. The Celtic soul in "If I Ever Needed Someone" is highlighted by the same trio of backing vocalists that appeared on "Moondance"'s "Crazy Love." The closing title track draws on the swaggering, testifying gospel that inspired that album's "Caravan" (and, played back-to-back, seems to grow right out of it). The street choir's backing is sweeter, balanced by eloquent sax and harmonica breaks. As an album, "His Band & the Street Choir" may not equal "Astral Weeks" or "Moondance", but the aim was never that lofty. That most of these songs have endured as fan favorites is testament enough to their quality. (Thom Jurek in AllMusic)

"Moondance" (Expanded Edition)

Original released on LP Warner Bros K 46040

(UK 1970, February 28)

The yang to "Astral Weeks" yin, the brilliant "Moondance" is every bit as much a classic as its predecessor; Van Morrison's first commercially successful solo effort, it retains the previous album's deeply spiritual thrust but transcends its bleak, cathartic intensity to instead explore themes of renewal and redemption. Light, soulful, and jazzy, "Moondance" opens with the sweetly nostalgic "And It Stoned Me," the song's pastoral imagery establishing the dominant lyrical motif recurring throughout the album - virtually every track exults in natural wonder, whether it's the nocturnal magic celebrated by the title cut or the unlimited promise offered in "Brand New Day." At the heart of the record is "Caravan," an incantatory ode to the power of radio; equally stirring is the majestic "Into the Mystic," a song of such elemental beauty and grace as to stand as arguably the quintessential Morrison moment. (Jason Ankeny in AllMusic)

"Moondance" is the third record in this soon-to-be master's repertoire, and for the very first time, Van Morrison has made a record that can really and appropriately be kicked back to. I don't really have a direction or a main point to drive home in this review other than that "Moondance" lets my thoughts relax and stop swirling like the obnoxious whirlpool they can make themselves seem to be. I think about how Van Morrison makes me feel so suave and cool, and how I'd never have been able to say, "Whoa, really? I love that song." in reply to the pretty girl's admittance of loving such a song. Another one of many regrets from my high school days/daze, but it's not really a problem. It's that intrigue that propelled me into knowing beyond more than just this man's sophomoric opus. I like to imagine that I'll call upon Van Morrison at some future period, when my confidence has developed into a substantial little narcissistic bubble and I've got a woman in the same room as my stereo setup. I wonder if I would be laughed at if I put on "Moondance", or if she would swoon and love me for such a perfectly complementary choice for the festivities of the night. Hell if I know what will happen if I pull that, but... man, this album makes me feel good. Ahead of its time, bringing out feelings that are definitely ahead of mine. (in RateYourMusic)

THIS FILM SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD!

"The Last Waltz" was a concert by the Canadian rock group, the Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. "The Last Waltz" was advertised as the end of the Band's illustrious touring career, and the concert saw the Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, including Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood and Neil Young. The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same name, released in 1978. The film features concert performances, scenes shot on a studio soundstage and interviews by Scorsese with members of the Band.

Beginning with a title card saying "This film should be played loud!" the concert documentary is an essay on the Band's influences and their career. The group – Rick Danko (died 1999, December 10) on bass, violin and vocals, Levon Helm on drums, mandolin and vocals, Garth Hudson on keyboards and saxophone, Richard Manuel (died 1986, March 4) on keyboards, percussion and vocals, and guitarist-songwriter Robbie Robertson – started out in the late 1950s as a rock and roll band led by Ronnie Hawkins, and Hawkins himself appears as the first guest. The group backed Bob Dylan in the 1960s, and Dylan performs with the Band towards the end of the concert.

The idea for a farewell concert came about early in 1976 after Richard Manuel was seriously injured in a boating accident. Robbie Robertson then began giving thought to leaving the road, envisioning the Band becoming a studio-only band, similar to the Beatles' decision to stop playing live shows in 1966. Though the other band members did not agree with Robertson's decision, the concert was set at Bill Graham's Winterland Ballroom, where the Band had made its debut as a group in 1969. Originally, the Band was to perform on its own, but then the notion of inviting Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan was hatched and the guest list grew to include other performers.

Promoted and organized by Bill Graham, who had a long association with the Band, the concert was an elaborate affair. Starting at 5:00 p.m., the audience of 5,000 was served turkey dinners. There was ballroom dancing with music by the Berkeley Promenade Orchestra. Poets Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Michael McClure gave readings. The concert began with the Band performing its more popular songs an lasted more than 9 hours with all those special guests playing with the group. At around 2:15 a.m. the Band came to perform an encore, "Don't Do It". It was the last time the group performed with its classic lineup.

The original soundtrack album was a three-LP album released on April 16, 1978 (later as a two-disc CD). It has many songs not in the film, including "Down South in New Orleans" with Bobby Charles and Dr. John on guitar, "Tura Lura Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)" by Van Morrison, "Life is a Carnival" by the Band, and "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" by Bob Dylan. In 2002, this four-CD box set was released, as was a DVD-Audio edition. Robbie Robertson produced the album, remastering all the songs. The set includes 16 previously unreleased songs from the concert, as well as takes from rehearsals.

The Versatile VAN MORRISON

Original released on CD Exile 88985492262

(US 2017, December 1)

"Versatile" is Van Morrison's 38th album, and follows the release of the excellent R&B and blues covers collection "Roll with the Punches" by less than three months. Like its predecessor, it's primarily a covers set, but its focus is on jazz and pop standards from the Great American Songbook with six originals added for good measure. Historically, these experiments haven't worked for rock artists: Rod Stewart delivered five overblown, badly sung collections from the canon, and Bob Dylan delivered five discs of highly idiosyncratic interpretations of the stuff. Even Boz Scaggs tried them with very mixed results. Morrison fares better than his peers due to experience - standards have peppered his set lists for decades. "Versatile" is not a pillar in his catalog, but it's not a cynical cash-in, either. Morrison surrounds himself with a septet that includes saxophones, trombone, keys, guitar, bass, and drums. Most of these tracks were recorded in hotel lounges in Ireland's County Down, adding to the slippery jazz feel. The canonical material proves a real interpretive challenge. Curiously, he opens the record with a throwaway new original entitled "Broken Record," that shows off his band's fingerpopping swing quotient but little else. He quickly recovers with a fine reading of the Gershwin's "A Foggy Day," showcasing his fluid phrasing and empathic lyric interpretation. His Chet Baker worship is well known, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he takes on "Let's Get Lost." His take is jaunty, offering tinges of Jimmy Rushing-inspired R&B while retaining its identity as a jazz tune. While his muted scat groove on Cole Porter's "Bye Bye Blackbird" is overly strident, he gives a polished, nuanced performance to the composer's "I Get a Kick Out of You." "Makin' Whoopee" contains a nice bluesy chart (Dave Keary's electric guitar playing recalls Grant Green's), but Morrison's vocal is uncomfortably stilted. Among his own tunes are two new ones - the punchy, Jimmy Witherspoon-esque "Take It Easy Baby" and the contemplative, nearly spiritual, modal, instrumental "Affirmation" with Sir James Galway guesting on flute - as well as beautifully rendered rearrangements of catalog material - "I Forgot That Love Existed," "Start All Over Again," and "Only a Dream." There is also a deeply satisfying arrangement of the traditional "Skye Boat Song" that melds Celtic soul with Celtic swing as Morrison's smoky alto sax leads the rest of the horn section's lithe groove. While he could have left off "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" as it adds nothing to the the canonical versions by Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, readings of "The Party's Over" "Unchained Melody" and the Gershwin closer "They Can't Take That Away from Me" are impeccable examples of Morrison's mercurial phrasing and limpid modern arrangements that make swing their top priority. "Versatile" has its flaws and will likely appeal most to longtime fans, but Morrison fully invests himself in each tune, singing them as if he wrote them. This is head and shoulders above similar efforts by his peers and a solid addition to his shelf. (Thom Jurek in AllMusic)

VAN MORRISON: "Saint Dominic's Preview"

Original released on LP Warner Bros K 46172

(US, July 1972)

While less thematically and sonically cohesive than Van Morrison's prior albums, "Saint Dominic's Preview" nonetheless hangs together on the strength of its songs, an intriguingly diverse collection which draws together the disparate threads of the singer's recent work into one sterling package. The opener, "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)," is pure R&B jubilation, while the title cut, although essentially a rewrite of "Tupelo Honey," is stunning gospel-pop; both "Listen to the Lion" and "Almost Independence Day," meanwhile, mark a return to the epic mystical explorations of Morrison's earlier work and offer a pair of his most primal performances. (Jason Ankeny in AllMusic)

VAN MORRISON Debut Album + Bonus Tracks

Original released on LP Bang BLPS 218

(US, September 1967)

Although Van Morrison's first solo album is remembered for containing the immortal pop hit "Brown Eyed Girl," "Blowin' Your Mind!" is actually a dry run for his masterpiece, "Astral Weeks". Songs like "Who Drove the Red Sports Car" look to that song cycle, even as "Midnight Special" nods to Morrison's R&B past. But it's the agonizing "T.B. Sheets" - all nine-plus minutes of it - that dominates this record and belies its trendy title and pop association. "T.B. Sheets" takes the blues and reinvents it as noble tragedy and humiliating mortality. It's where Van Morrison emerges as an artist. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)

VAN MORRISON: "Tupelo Honey"

Original released on LP Warner Bros WS 1950

(US, October 1971)

Another early seventies marvel from Van Morrison. Here you can hear him singing praise to love, marriage and the happy country life with his lovely wife Janet Planet (yes, these were the early seventies), after having fled the turmoil and jet-set lifestyle which brought "Moondance"'s overwhelming succes. The happiness wouldn't last very long of course. Janet fled back to the jet set and Van had to redescent from Lalaland to continue his tortuous career of touring and making records. This record is pure Americana. The music of The Band springs to mind. The funky "Wild Night" and sweet "Tupelo Honey" are true classics and "Moonshine Whiskey" is one of my personal favourites. Without the existance of "Moondance" and "St Dominic's Preview", this would have been Van's masterpiece of that period. (in AllMusic)