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Colinx
20-05-2008, 22:00
Has any one tried the van morrison re issues, part 2 is about due for release, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first batch, so it's time for me to get the wallet out again.

Filterlab
20-05-2008, 22:16
I have to say I'm completely in the dark as far as Van Morrison goes, never heard anything by them/him?

What's the musical style?

Alex D
20-05-2008, 23:37
I have to say I'm completely in the dark as far as Van Morrison goes, never heard anything by them/him?

What's the musical style?

Just to respond to this thread... I don't know which reissues you're talking about!
In regards to what to hear by The Van, I guess you couldn't go wrong with Moondance. Astral Weeks can be a bit meandering for the tastes of some, although it's definitely my favorite. Moondance is by far the most accesible of the great The Van albums. Another album that could be a good introduction (without recommending the greatest hits) is the live album It's Too Late To Stop Now from the early 70's.... some of the versions there are the definitive.
Ok, so what's the musical style? Heeeeee....
It's a mixture of (Old) R&B, Soul and Jazz, all held up by a voice that's soulful as it is nasal and freewheelin'... but if you get it it's great! That's why I recommend you get his more 'structured' albums first, like Moondance.
Anyway, that's my 2 cents...
:gig:

Alex D
20-05-2008, 23:47
Oh, and it's Him, people like me, when they try to be cool (yeah, really sad, I know) call him The Van. But he used to be in a band called Them (no, really!) which had timeless hits like Gloria and Here Comes The Night.

Colinx
21-05-2008, 17:08
Van Morrison is not any style, if you get what he does he is the style, very eclectic mix of music, as was said above some albums are structured, others are a melange of music.

these are the re masters I was referring to http://www.recordstore.co.uk/vanmorrison/

Ali Tait
21-05-2008, 17:19
They look good! Will have a punt I think.

Mike
21-05-2008, 17:36
Astral Weeks can be a bit meandering for the tastes of some, although it's definitely my favourite.

Mine too!..... somewhat strangely, the man himself cannot abide the thing!!! :scratch:

Alex D
21-05-2008, 18:09
Mine too!..... somewhat strangely, the man himself cannot abide the thing!!! :scratch:

... first, from the perspective of an artist that doesn't want to be pigeonholed, which I guess is the underlining thread of his whole career.
But secondly, and I guess more importantly, it is you could argue, a very juvenile album. Does this make it less important or compelling? I think not. But I can understand why he couldn't stand it.

Mike
21-05-2008, 18:29
Don't expect a remastered version of Astral Weeks. Apparently Mr Morrison made off with the original master tape's muttering something along the lines of "over my dead body".

Allegedly!

:scratch:

Alex D
21-05-2008, 18:57
while wasting the royalties buying garden gnomes as gifts for Jools Holland! (true story)

Prince of Darkness
21-05-2008, 19:27
while wasting the royalties buying garden gnomes as gifts for Jools Holland! (true story)

Well, at least he didn't throw it away on something useless.:lolsign:

Filterlab
22-05-2008, 11:51
...Moondance is by far the most accesible of the great The Van albums. Another album that could be a good introduction (without recommending the greatest hits) is the live album It's Too Late To Stop Now from the early 70's....

I think I'll plump for Moondance or the Greatest Hits; I'm not much for live albums.

Phil Bishop
22-05-2008, 21:06
Filterlab,

I am shocked - never hear anything by Van Morrison - you really must do something about that! There is a relatively recent compilation that is a good intro (2 CD or 3 CD set), but compilations never do such an artist justice as some of his best work is his less well known.

My first Van album was Astral Weeks and I found it hard to get into. But in 1989 or thereabouts I bought "Avalon Sunset" and that sent me on my way to basically buying all his stuff. There are some turkeys, but not that many. Essentials, in my opinion, are Astral Weeks, Moondance, Into the Music (underrated), Too Late to Stop Now (possibly the best live album ever and a great recording) and Avalon Sunset. A moody bu**er (apparently), but a genius!

Iain Sinclair
22-05-2008, 21:18
Filterlab,

I am shocked - never hear anything by Van Morrison - you really must do something about that! There is a relatively recent compilation that is a good intro (2 CD or 3 CD set), but compilations never do such an artist justice as some of his best work is his less well known.

My first Van album was Astral Weeks and I found it hard to get into. But in 1989 or thereabouts I bought "Avalon Sunset" and that sent me on my way to basically buying all his stuff. There are some turkeys, but not that many. Essentials, in my opinion, are Astral Weeks, Moondance, Into the Music (underrated), Too Late to Stop Now (possibly the best live album ever and a great recording) and Avalon Sunset. A moody bu**er (apparently), but a genius!

Saint Dominic's Preview is another must-have, IMO.

The Grand Wazoo
22-05-2008, 23:31
Am I the only person on this planet who thinks VM is reclining rather too heavily on the comfy upholstery provided by his earlier successes? (An Irish Mcartney perhaps?). 4 or 5 relatively entertaining albums & a couple of undeniable classics (in the true sense of that word) do not excuse the crap that has come dribbling out of him since.....Someone really should have a quiet word.

Still I've learnt something now. It's not been all in vain - as long as you like it, that's fine by me. It's earnt it's place in the album racks.

Phil Bishop
23-05-2008, 08:16
Grand Wazoo, I agree to an extent, but considering his long career he has produced many fine albums - I agree about Saint Dominics Preview and his collaboration with Chieftans also worth of merit. Later albums - Healing Game, etc, still fine. Hard to think of anyone else who has such a long relatively consistent record - maybe Neil Young, Paul Simon. Unfortunately, McCartney has done nothing decent as far as I can tell since Band on the Run, Dylan is erratic, etc. To me, Van is class. He does not appear to seek publicity, is still experimental and still blends that Irish spiritual mystique into his music - amazing how he can use the same themes, words through several albums and still sound fresh IMHO.....and the voice is still unique!

Filterlab
23-05-2008, 08:51
Filterlab,

I am shocked - never hear anything by Van Morrison...

Believe me, there's too much music and too little time!

Alex D
23-05-2008, 10:32
Believe me, there's too much music and too little time!

I was watching the other day a documentary on youtube about record collectors and (I'm sorry if anyone here is (like) one of them!), guys (no women, duh) who had enormous collections, in the tens or hundreds of thousands, and what struck me were three things: first, that no one considered themselves 'collectors', they were all there 'for the music' (even though they had lots of records they had never heard or heard once but maybe not in its entirety); second, that they realized that it was impossible to get your hands on everything that was ever printed, even within one area of music; and thirdly, that even though they realized it, they did their best! I guess collecting something (and record collecting in particular) must be one of the most melancholic activities as it's a never-ending quest... yes, I know, it can be fun along the way, and you can set yourself certain goals, but unless you say STOP at some point there will always be that next goalpoast. Could it be that the reason why it's so important to share your collecting obsession with someone else, so it doesn't turn into something solipsistic and depressing? Could it be that that makes us so passionate about showing other people WHY the music that we hear is so important, valuable and possibly life-changing?
So, Filterlab, I agree completely with you, there's too much music and too little time... but everybody SHOULD hear Van Morrison's Moondance! He he ;):lol::smoking:

Filterlab
23-05-2008, 11:02
Good post matey.

To be honest I stopped worrying a long time ago whether or not I'd hear all the music I wanted to hear. Nowadays I play my favourites a lot of the time as I know I'm going to enjoy them. Occasionally I dip into the stuff that I don't play often just to see if the music now sounds better or worse than I remember - sometimes it's a case of "why did I never listen to this more?" and sometimes it's a case of "what on earth was I thinking buying this toss?!".

Even in the relatively short time of being into hi-fi (21 years) my musical tastes have changed wildly - I suppose one could say 'grown up', some stuff I listen to now I'd have never even considered ten or maybe even five years ago. Occasionally I do listen to the 'clubby' tunes I was into in my late teens, but not for long! Whilst it sounded good banging out at 120dB across a room full of scantily clad girls through a mist of nightclub cannabis based smoke whilst under the influence of several behaviour modifying substances, it has little musical merit these days.

As a consequence of getting older and wiser to music, I have a lot of ground to cover in terms of listening to a variety of musical styles that I'd never considered previously. But is that a problem or a worry? No, that's the whole damn point, and fun it will be!

Phil Bishop
23-05-2008, 21:28
OK, Rob, not much time....so let's compromise....just listen to "Into the Mystic" off Moondance (3-4 minutes long) and if it does not blow you away then ....well, I don't know what! Amazing voice, great production, marvellous song....an all time classic. Go on....give it a go!

On a related subject, regarding listening, don't you find you go through phases ... for a long while now, nothing apart from Bob Marley has really satisfied. Perhaps that is why my bass units are playing up? Phil.

tfarney
29-05-2008, 13:29
I have to say I'm completely in the dark as far as Van Morrison goes, never heard anything by them/him?

What's the musical style?

You'll find Van Morrison in your local CD store under the category labeled "Celtic/Blues/R&B/Jazz/New Age/Folk/Country/Soul Singers."

Which of course makes a recommendation for an introduction rather difficult. To get any kind of a feel for who Van Morrison is, you'll need Astral Weeks, Moondance, It's Too Late To Stop Now, Into The Music, Avalon Sunset, No Guru, No Method, No Teacher, Back On Top, and Pay The Devil. That will give you an overview, but hardly the entire picture. What kind of music do you like/listen to? It would probably be easier to start there. Or you could simply skip your next component upgrade and buy his catalog instead.

Regarding the re-masters, I haven't heard them, but much of Van's catalog was well-mastered to cd in the 80s and 90s. I'm not sure I'd want to mess with them much. There are a few that are flat or thin sounding - not digital or harsh, just dull, and I hope whoever is doing the re-masters does a good job with them.

Tim

Mike
29-05-2008, 15:05
I have to say I'm completely in the dark as far as Van Morrison goes, never heard anything by them/him?


Hmm... I bet you have actually, even if you're not aware of it! :lolsign:


Brown eyed girl maybe? ;)

http://www.last.fm/music/Van+Morrison/_/Brown+Eyed+Girl

Filterlab
29-05-2008, 15:14
Yeah, heard that one. You're probably right Mike, but the same could be said about a lot of big artists I guess, advertising is probably most likely where too. :)

How's the soldering btw?

Mike
29-05-2008, 15:17
Soldering is going great!

Your cables were done last weekend, but being a lazy tw@t I've still not gotten my arse down to the post office! :(

Filterlab
29-05-2008, 15:32
:lol:

Whenever mate, I'm in no hurry (although I have built a new stand for my DAC as it'll sit closer to the computer). :)

Donald Hanson
09-06-2008, 22:53
Saint Dominic's Preview is another must-have, IMO.

IMO too. It may be my favorite of a collection of eleven or twelve. I've been feeling the need to do some Van shopping for some time now.

Colinx
15-07-2008, 10:03
The second batch of re-masters arrived last week, I'm pleased to say that the level od mastering is up with the first set. Having compared the re-mastered CD';s with Vinyl, its tempting to say that IF CD's had been this well sorted from the outset, then CD would possibly have given Vinyl a harder time in my house than it has.

Alex D
15-07-2008, 10:44
Well... I've got a friend who's a recording engineer and a big vinyl fan, but when confronted with the question "vinyl or cd?", he always says "I'll go with a good mastering job!". Which I guess, is absolutely true. I'll have to check those Van reissues apparently... damn! Why do they keep scavenging in my wallet!!?

Beechwoods
17-07-2008, 19:58
I've a friend who's a big big Van fan. He tells some great stories about how temperamental he can get, especially when folks start calling out for songs at his shows. He's been known to storm off if there's one too many person shouting for one of the classics while he's trying to get through one of his newer pieces!

I saw him a few years back at Malvern Forums and it was a great gig, but there was palpable tension when someone shouted out for 'Moondance' in the middle of his 'blues and jazz' sequence at the start of the set. Luckily he stuck it out and we got 'Moondance' to boot. The 'Moondance' album is superb, IMO, very chilled out, very good place to start. 'And It Stoned Me' and 'Caravan' are complete classics. Listen alongside 'Solid Air' by John Martyn for a spliff-tastic night in :lol:

snapper
17-07-2008, 20:55
The 'Moondance' album is superb, IMO, very chilled out, very good place to start. 'And It Stoned Me' and 'Caravan' are complete classics. Listen alongside 'Solid Air' by John Martyn for a spliff-tastic night in :lol:


:smoking:


You could always buy his old studio,to be really authentic.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=753

Beechwoods
17-07-2008, 21:27
Ah ha! 'The Church With No Bell...' if I'm not mistaken. Shame it's only 1 bedroom :)

snapper
17-07-2008, 22:13
It's got one bell,beachy.

Beechwoods
17-07-2008, 22:48
Ah yes! You're right. I was going by memory of the story a pal told me of how the album came about - to raise money to buy the church... naturally my brain insisted you'd only do this in the event that there weren't any bells on it... as it was Mr Martyn was blessed with one very nice bell, which only needed a bit of a polish. I'm more a fan of his early stuff I'd say :doh:

Marco
18-07-2008, 08:44
Beechy, David is the Martyn-meister. Quite literally, what he doesn't know about him isn't worth knowing :)

I think he's even got one or two of his records...

;)

Marco.

Beechwoods
18-07-2008, 13:51
Thanks for the heads up :) I'll remember not to tangle with him on JM related matters in future!

Mike
18-07-2008, 16:31
I think he's even got one or two of his records...

;)

Marco.

Hmm... I seem to have rather more than that! ;)

Marco
18-07-2008, 16:56
Clue (in case you hadn't noticed): there was a teensy hint of irony in my above statement ;)

Marco.

Mike
18-07-2008, 17:09
Err... ditto. Hence the winky smiley!

SteveW
18-09-2008, 22:31
sorry to say i missed this thread..
However, in our local Borders this week and spotted Avalon Sunset at £7.99 on this re-issue series.

Now, I hesitated for a bit cos I love old Van (even if he is a miserable old git and his studio band do unmentionable things to his harmonicas)..
I have most of his albums on vinyl and cd.

What caught my eye though was the sticker on the front saying the remastering was done at 96k/24 bit, so I forked out just to see if this really made a difference.

It does.
Keep listening to tracks and detail, musical information that wasn't apparent before. Bugger... thankfully they are all at mid price.