Enlightenment (Van Morrison) (LP 3276 - 3284)

Van Morrison  Enlightenment  (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1990) ****  

Van Morrison  A Night In San Francisco  (2CD, Polydor Records, 1994) ****

Van Morrison  The Philosopher's Stone  (2CD, Polydor Records, 1998) ***    

Van Morrison & Linda Gail Lewis  You Win Again  (CD, Virgin Records, 2000) *** 

Van Morrison  Down The Road  (CD, Exile Records, 2002) ****   

Van Morrison  Magic Time  (CD, Exile Records, 2005) ****  

Van Morrison  Keep It Simple  (CD, Exile Records, 2008) ****  

Van Morrison  Keep Me Singing  (CD, Exile Records, 2016) ****  

Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco  You're Driving Me Crazy (Vinyl, Exile Records, 2018) ****  

Genre: Celtic soul, folk rock, jazz 

Places I remember: Music club, The Warehouse, Fives, Hope collection, HMV.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Enlightenment, Celtic New Year (Magic Time)

Gear costume: Real Real Gone (Enlightenment); Help Me (A Night in SF)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: The nineties started with a continuation of the Celtic soul that Van had been releasing in the eighties to great effect. But Enlightenment is also infused with his R&B past. There's a greater grit and toughness to many of the songs that is noticeable if you play the albums in sequence as I'm doing for these posts.

It kicks off with the upbeat/ up-tempo Real Real Gone. I'm putty in his hands from here on in, especially as his next song is the title song. The rest of the album, while not quite ever matching those first two songs, glides by beautifully on majestic wings. This is one of my favourite studio albums of the nineties.

The third live album I have is from shows in San Francisco and Petaluma in December 1993. Van is in showband mode for this date. The plethora of guests joining in the fun were Candy Dulfer, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells and Jimmy Witherspoon as well as Morrison's daughter, Shana Morrison. James Hunter and Brian Kennedy helped out with the vocals and Georgie Fame was also present.

It's a lively rocking set that includes a number of cover songs, often in medleys. For instance, Help Me is joined with Green Onions and is devastating! 

The Philosopher's Stone is a compilation of unreleased material from 1969 to 1988. It's a nifty collection that traces an alternative Van universe. Highlights: an alternative take of Bright Side Of The Road and High Spirits (with The Chieftains). Awkward moments are the falsetto singing on some songs and the alternative version of Real Real Gone - give me the original any day.

I missed quite a few late nineties albums before the next featured one on this blog, and I only have You Win Again thanks to a donation from Lindsey Hope.

You Win Again is a bit of a weird one. A duet album with Jerry Lee Lewis' sister. They kick up their heels in a fittingly rumbustious fashion given they are basically celebrating Jerry Lee on the album. 

Gail's piano playing is like her brother's style and her singing is appropriately down-home country. It's enjoyable enough for what it is, the band is loose as a long-necked goose and on the money throughout, but this is not an essential Van Morrison album.

Down The Road was one I picked up cheaply from the sale bins at The Warehouse in the days when they stocked CDs and even vinyl. It was a lucky purchase because it's a great sounding album - warm and nostalgic in tone, and musically it successfully mixes R&B with jazz and bits of country.  

Highlights aplenty on this album, with the fifties style swing of Hey Mr DJ, the lovely pace of Steal Your Heart Away and his version of Georgia On My Mind being standouts.

Magic Time is another fine album. I became aware of it because of a spot on Later...With Jools Holland. He performed Celtic New Year and I needed to buy the album. Boy, I'm glad I did. It's 2005 and he's been at it a while by this time, but he sounds vibrant and in the pocket throughout. 

All his various styles and strengths are on display. Evening Train needs a special mention. I enjoy his Sonny Terry like whoops and hollers around the harmonica solos. Always makes me smile. This is followed by the big Sinatra style of This Love Of Mine. Very cool!

Keep It Simple is as eclectic in style as his other post 1990's studio albums. There are elements of jazz, folk, blues, Celtic, country, soul and gospel on display.

Having said that, it sounds pretty cohesive and was a popular album for him in America. Although, there was no one brilliant song like Celtic New Year.

Keep Me Singing was another very successful album. It's the album you want to put on late in the evening and let it soak into your skin. By no means is it easy listening - just laid back, jazzy, warm and cool and easy to listen to. Again, there as no one killer track, just Van doing Van.

My final album (so far) is a collaboration with jazz organist/trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco, called You're Driving Me Crazy.

It's a great collaboration with Joey's jazz combo. The album was recorded in two days apparently, and that freshness is in the grooves of eight tracks from Morrison's catalog and seven standards. According to the AllMusic critic - 'Of the three successive recordings done in this way, this one stands head and shoulders above for its inspired performances and choices of material'.

Where do they all belong? And that's it for now. I'd certainly pick up the albums I'm missing if I happen upon then in Real Groovy's sale bins, but I'm pretty sure I have the cream in my collection. 

The two volume best of compilations give you one type of look but really Van is an old school album guy, so you are best to check my ratings for the essential ones to start with, if you haven't yet caught up with one of music's absolute legends. Van is the man!

Haunts of ancient peace (Van Morrison) (LP 3269 - 3275)

Van Morrison  Common One (Vinyl and CD, Mercury Records, 1980) *****  

Van Morrison  Beautiful Vision (Vinyl, Mercury Records, 1982) ****

Van Morrison  Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart (Vinyl, Mercury Records, 1983) *****

Van Morrison  Live at The Grand Opera House Belfast (CD, Mercury Records, 1984) ***

Van Morrison  Poetic Champions Compose (Vinyl, Mercury Records, 1987) ****

Van Morrison & The Chieftains  Irish Heartbeat (Vinyl, Mercury Records, 1988) ***

Van Morrison  Avalon Sunset (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1989) ****

Genre: Folk rock, Celtic soul

Places I remember: Marbecks Records, JB Hi Fi, The Warehouse, Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Haunts Of Ancient Peace (Common One)

Gear costume: Someone Like You (Poetic Champions Compose)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Van started the eighties on an artistic/ creative high with Common One. Haunts Of Ancient Peace is a superb song. He's deeply into his creative muse on this song and I for one love listening to it. The rest of the album is very jazzy in its approach - some distance away from his late seventies albums, and all the better for it. 

Common One is like Veedon Fleece and Saint Dominic's Preview for me - an inspired set of songs performed brilliantly. 

Beautiful Vision builds on the peace achieved by Common One (no coming, no going) and Van produces an excellent set of songs.

He concentrates on the Celtic folk and song/poem stylings that poked through from time to time prior to Common One, but really thrust forward on Haunts Of Ancient Peace. The leisurely pace is very welcome. There is no strident hectoring present throughout these early eighties' albums.

Try side two of Beautiful Vision for instance. He extols the virtues of a simple activity (cleaning windows), then he presents four beautiful songs - Vanlose Stairway, Aryan Mist, Across The Bridge Where Angels Dwell, finishing off with the soothing calm instrumental Scandinavia.

Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart (a title that harks back to Listen To The Lion) carries on the feel of Beautiful Vision to great effect. I can even live with the synths. 

I especially love the continued use of instrumentals: Connswater, Celtic Swing come on side 1 to provide texture, and the title track on side 2 has a beautiful melody. Van's sax playing is really distinctive - very breathy/earthy. All that plus Rave On John Donne. What a great album - the culmination of the early eighties 'spiritual Celtic soul' period from the soul in wonder.

Like It's Too Late To Stop Now before it, the live album recorded in Belfast is a good punctuation mark to a stage of his career. I used to have the vinyl version but I sold it because it had too many of the mid paced ruminations on it and the version of Rave On John Donne sounds perfunctory compared to the inspired studio version. For me, the set needed some more pep - like Full Force Gale which really stands out.

I missed a few albums around this time, but picked up the scent again with Poetic Champions Compose, mainly for Someone Like You. What a song that is! Only Van can do this kind of heartfelt thing with sincerity and aplomb.

Critics have described the album's mood as calm and optimistic, and I think that's accurate. Van believes he writes his best stuff when he's in those moods. There is a lovely warmth to this album and the mid-tempo songs glide by effortlessly.

Irish Heartbeat was a collaboration with The Chieftains. It's pretty earthy and raw, which is as it should be for this material (basically it sounds eminently suited to beer drinking activities so grab a six pack of stout won't you). Highlights: Star Of The County Down; I'll Tell Me Ma.

Avalon Sunset was next after the Irish reset. It ends the decade on a high. There are many career highlights on this album: Whenever God Shines His Light (with a terrific co-vocal from Cliff Richard); Have I Told You Lately?; and Coney Island.

Where do they all belong? The nineties to just lately is next. He's been tough to follow in the last few years - so many albums, and so many different styles.

Sun slow slider (Van Morrison) (LP 3258 - 3268)

Van Morrison  Astral Weeks  (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1968) ****  

Van Morrison  Moondance  (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1970) *****  

Van Morrison  His Band And The Street Choir  (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1970) ****

Van Morrison  Tupelo Honey  (Vinyl and CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1971) *****

Van Morrison  Saint Dominic's Preview  (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1972) *****

Van Morrison  Hard Nose The Highway  (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1973) ***

Van Morrison  It's Too Late To Stop Now  (2CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1974) ****

Van Morrison  Veedon Fleece  (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1974) *****

Van Morrison  A Period Of Transition  (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1977) **

Van Morrison  Wavelength  (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1978) ***

Van Morrison  Into The Music  (Vinyl, Mercury Records, 1979) ***

Genre: Folk rock, rock, pop, Celtic soul 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records, Fives, Spellbound Wax Company.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Redwood Tree (Saint Dominic's Preview)

Gear costume: Warm Love (Hard Nose The Highway), Saint Dominic's Preview

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Van the man! For some a genius, a firebrand, a grumpy old guy, a visionary even. I don't really know too much about his personal life, aside from what he's shared in his songs over the years, and even his musical life is a bit of a mystery to me. But I keep coming back to him and I keep interested in his back catalogue.

I have a lot of Van Morrison's albums (well over 20), but I am way off being a completist. He is extremely prolific - more so in recent times and he left me behind some time ago, in terms of my keeping pace with his releases. 

For the sake of sanity, I'll split the posts into three editions - this one is sixties/seventies albums, and the next will cover the eighties. Finally, the third will concentrate on the nineties onwards.

He remains a big name, and one who has released a lot of important albums. Starting (for me) with Astral Weeks - widely hailed as a seminal work of art. I struggle with it. Mainly I struggle with gaining an emotional foothold in it. It's pretty and beautiful and wafts along, but I just don't get what the fuss is all about.

The AllMusic review says that, '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.' Okay. Fair enough, but I much prefer Moondance!

That one is a five-star classic all the way. Every song is a gem and it never ever wears out its welcome. Basically, he abandoned the jazzy moves of Astral Weeks and adopted a livelier approach that incorporated a variety of styles - soul, jazz, pop, Irish folk and rock music.  

I could have put each song on the highlights section above. A fab/gear album.

The follow up, His Band And The Street Choir, was his second album in 1970 and maybe he stretched things a bit thin. It's a relaxed set, but I prefer the burning intensity of Moondance if push comes to shove. Domino is a great song and leads off the album superbly.

Tupelo Honey is one of my favourites. Van is in love and wants to celebrate that fact on the album. That gives it a warm glow that I really like. It's also pretty earthy - I Wanna Roo You leaves nothing to the imagination. Tupelo Honey, Wild Night, Old Old Woodstock (where he and then wife Janet 'Planet' Rigsbee lived) and Moonshine Whiskey are all solid gold Van classics.

Saint Dominic's Preview is a great, great album. Like Moondance, another five-star classic, every song a masterpiece. Diverse styles again make up the album, but for me, it's his first fully realised inspirational/spiritual album because the diversity includes the majestic Listen To The Lion.

The title track and Redwood Tree are also inspired/perfect pieces of music. He was touched by the divine on Saint Dominic's Preview. A feeling he would return to again and again in the following years.

Hard Nose The Highway is an album I took ages to buy. I'm not sure why. The cover is brilliant, and I knew of the album for sure but maybe I read a slightly negative review and it put me off. 

It feels like lesser Van Morrison to me in 2025, so I'm not upset that I 've been missing out on enjoying a classic all these years. 

That said, the title track is a good one and Warm Love is one of his best, but elsewhere he's straining for good material, proved by the inclusion of two cover songs that don't really add too much.

Live though, wowsers! It's Too Late To Stop Now is a double live album from 1974 and Van is on fire as he runs through his back catalogue. 

It's not all brilliant (I could do without this version of Cypress Avenue), but it's near as dammit. 

Veedon Fleece was his eighth studio album and a real return to top form. The stream of consciousness approach is an echo of Astral Weeks, but I much prefer this soulful Celtic-centric approach. It rings true and has depth. 

Although he'd broken up with Janet Planet (indeed - divorced her), I don't get the sense of this being a bitter break up album (Blood On The Tracks/Here My Dear it ain't). Instead, it's quiet, thoughtful and a kind of forgotten gem in his catalogue. 

Favourite song: Bulbs. but it seems wrong to single out one song because the whole album hangs together as a coherent whole.

Van is extremely prolific, so a gap of nearly three years is a big deal in his world. He did appear with The Band at The Last Waltz doing Caravan in the movie, but that was it before the next album.

That was A Period Of Transition, which was (and is still) an underwhelming piece of work. The title (with lower case writing) and his various bored poses on the cover seem to sum things up well. What to do, what to do?

He livens up on side two with Joyous Sound and that points to what could have been, but, on the whole, this is meat and potatoes Van - a tentative, laid-back period of transition after years of being at the cutting edge with help from Dr John (who he'd performed with at The Last Waltz). For me, it's his weakest album of the seventies.

As revealed by lead off song, Kingdom Hall, Wavelength revealed that a poppier approach was the way forward after his period of transition. Like his previous album, it's a pretty relaxed affair with  mid-tempo songs and ballads carrying the day.

It's not a major album in his catalogue but at least it's fun and swinging. He's allowed right?

Into The Music is his last seventies album. He ends the decade with a strong set of songs: Bright Side Of The Road and Full Force Gale set the scene. The choice of instruments and personnel is interesting - tabla, violin etc; Ry Cooder on one song - all add to the experience.

Where do they all belong? The eighties and beyond is next up.

She has to be loved (Jenny Morris) (LP 3257)

Jenny Morris Shiver (CD, WEA Records, 1989) ***  

Genre: NZ Music, pop 

Places I remember: Hope collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: She Has To Be Loved

Gear costume: Saved Me

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I can appreciate Jenny Morris (and She Has To Be Loved was a great single) but I was never a big fan.

That said, I kept this CD of her second album when it was offered to me, even though it has all the 1989 production values that I hate.

It's a very NZ-centric album with Land Of The Long White Cloud AND Aotearoa appearing on the track listing. It's also widely held up as her best album, so make of that what you will.

Where do they all belong? A curiosity from a long time ago.

Jigsaw/jingle (Mats/Morgan Band) (LP 3255 - 3256)

Mats/Morgan Band  On Air With Guests (CD, Ultimate Audio Entertainment, 2002) ***  

Mats/Morgan Band  Thanks For Flying With Us (CD, Cuneiform Records, 2005) ***  

Genre: Alt-rock 

Places I remember: Keegan Purdy gave me copies of these two albums.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Wenji (Thanks...) (Not on your usual platforms)

Gear costume: Alive In Enskede (bonus track on Thanks...) (Not on your usual platforms)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Mats/Morgan Band features Swedes Morgan Ågren and Mats Öberg. Morgan is a drummer/composer and Mats is a keyboard player/composer. The band is a showcase for their virtuosic skills which often takes on Zappa like complexity. Indeed, that's why Keegan gave me these CDs - they have a history of collaboration with Uncle Frank.

Their own music is difficult to categorize, containing elements of jazz, electronic music, waltz, dance music, avant-garde/free jazz, techno, rock, progressive and modern classical music. It's not an easy listen (Jacky asked me to take it off when I played it again for this blog entry).

Nothing from their prolific career is on Spotify.

Where do they all belong? An interesting sidebar, but not for the faint hearted.

Impact (Patrick Moraz) (LP 3254)

Patrick Moraz  The Story Of I  (Vinyl, Charisma Records, 1976) ** 

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: Little Red Bookshop

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles/ Gear costume: Best Years Of Our Lives

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I'm not exactly sure why I bought this. I'm not a big fan of synths as I've often stated, but I make exceptions for Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman, and Jean-Michel Jarre.

It was worth a punt on Patrick Moraz' first solo album because I have the Refugee album, and the albums he did when in Yes and The Moody Blues.

It's a concept album (I don't get it really - something about ascending a tower but then I lose the plot) and the music is all very busy - in a frenetic and noisy kind of way, and not really my cup of tea.

Where do they all belong? I don't have any desire to add to my Moraz collection but I'll hang onto The Story Of I and see if I ever come back to it. Who knows.

Citadel (Bass Communion) (LP 3253)

Bass Communion   Cenotaph  (CD, Tonefloat Records, 2011) *****  

Genre: Ambient

Places I remember: Fopp

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles/ Gear costume: Cenotaph

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Bass Communion is a solo venture by Steven Wilson (Blackfield, No-Man, Porcupine Tree, and solo) and this is his nineth album as such.

I am a big fan of all his music and Bass Communion is no exception. I find Cenotaph extremely relaxing. If you're after calm at the end of the day - try this.

Where do they all belong? I've tried to find other Bass Communion albums without success so far.

Rock the nation (Montrose) (LP 3248 - 3252)

Montrose  Montrose (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1973) ****  

Montrose  Paper Money (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1974) ***  

Montrose  Warner Bros. Presents Montrose! (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1975) *** 

Montrose  Jump On It (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1976) ****  

Ronnie Montrose  Open Fire (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1978) ****  

Genre: NZ Music, pop 

Places I remember: HMV

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Bad Motor Scooter (Montrose); Let's Go (Get On It)

Gear costume: Make It Last (Montrose)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Consider that cover for the first album, Montrose, for a bit. Men with shirts off is a hard rock sub-genre right. Doesn't bode well.

The band is named after lead guitarist Ronnie Montrose but is probably best known for giving Sammy Hagar his start (he of Van Halen, Chickenfoot and a solo career).

The boys play hard rock with a lot of spirit. Their debut features a good set of 1973 style rock songs (that's a positive btw), and Sammy's vocals are already impressive, as is Ronnie's guitar work.

Second album, Paper Money, wasn't as strong as the debut but it does have its moments. The slowed down version of The Stones' Connection is an interesting avenue and I Got The Fire has an excellent Ronnie Montrose riff and committed vocals from Sammy. If the whole album had been as good as that effort, it would have been a five-star classic. On the whole though, it's patchy and it has synths (Grrrrr).

Warner Bros. Presents Montrose! was next, but without Sammy Hagar who had clashed with Ronnie on the previous album. New vocalist Bob James (no, not the jazz fusion guy) and a keyboardist had joined the band, so the signs weren't great.

This is a cohesive album and it has all the right moves and Bob is a good rock vocalist...but it doesn't have Sammy.

Jump On It is better for it being Bob's second album. He sounds more distinctive and confident. The first two songs are great and set it up for a pleasurable experience.

Ronnie's guitar moves are great from Montrose to Get On It. He always turns up. I don't have the band's final album before they split. But I do have Ronnie's first solo album - Open Fire.

It starts with an orchestral overture which isn't always a great sign. But when he opens up on second track - the title song, I can relax. 

Edgar Winter helps out and it's an extremely successful instrumental enterprise (Ronnie had clearly had enough of vocalists). He tries a mixture of styles on for size and proves adept at them all. Go Ronnie! What a talented, under-appreciated guy.

Where do they all belong? The band is kind of a hidden gem in the hard rock stakes these days, but they reward rediscovery on at least two of their albums above.

When the train comes along (Reverend Garry Davis) LP 3246 - 3247)

Borich 'n' Tilders  The Blues Had A Baby (Vinyl, Eureka/RCA Records, 1980) ****  

Reverend Gary Davis   Children Of Zion (Vinyl, Heritage Records, 1985) ****  

Genre: NZ Music, blues

Places I remember: Little Red Bookshop

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Something To Work On (Borich 'n' Tilders)

Gear costume: Bad Books (Borich 'n' Tilders) (YouTube)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I came across these two blues albums recently in the Little Red Bookshop while waiting for my brother to arrive for a catch up.

Kevin Borich is joined by Dutch Tilders in Borich 'n' Tilders. They both play guitar and Dutch handles the lead vocals. They play some cool electric blues on this set - think George Thorogood and The Destroyers style.

I've been after the Rev Gary Davis at Newport album for a long time and was thrilled to find Children Of Zion - a live recording from 1971. It's not super rare or anything, it's just an excellent set from the master. His singing and acoustic guitar work is earthy and real.

Where do they all belong? Two ends of the blues spectrum - NZ electric guitarist Borich and the venerable Reverend Gary Davis.