What a distinct pleasure it is to honor Van Morrison on his 80th birthday today, August 31. As I sit down to write, I’ve put Van on the speakers, starting with his album Saint Dominic’s Preview, which came out in 1972. By then I was already a huge fan — an understatement if ever there was one — having fallen in love with his voice years earlier, listening to Astral Weeks until the grooves were no more, then Moondance and His Band and the Street Choir, every album reinforcing my impression of a musician who could do anything, and did as his career moved forward, never doing anything the same thing twice. And that became my obsession with his music. I’ve written many words on this affliction, including “Astral Weeks Live: A Fan’s Notes” about the year Van took his seminal Astral Weeks on tour beginning in November 2008. The book is the story of my year on the road, following him around. What a year it was for the fans. I’ve also written an autobiography of sorts about me and Van, heavy on my joy and rapture at experiencing Van Morrison live, called the incomplete “Van Chronicles.”
To my way of thinking, the world has received plenty about Van from me, at least in terms of words. That won’t stop me in the future, but for today, I would like to simply sit back and listen to the music. But before we do that, a few housekeeping items. To celebrate Van’s 80 years, I’ve chosen eight songs across the decades. There is no lack of sets of eight I could have chosen from. I’ll call this set “contemplative Van.”
First up is “Redwood Tree” from Saint Dominic’s Preview, released in 1972. About a boy and his dog …
The 70s were productive years for Van, and he ended the decade with the glorious Into the Music. One we wish Van would sing more often is “Angelou”– ah, love and Paris …
During the 80s, Van’s interests turned to philosophy and religion, at least as reflected in his studio output. Sense of Wonder from 1984 is representative, but the song I’ve chosen is Van’s cover of Ray Charles’ “What Would I Do?” — ethereal in its beauty …
1986 gave us No Guru, No Method, No Teacher, from which I’ve chosen “Foreign Window,” which if nothing else, will please all Van fans, who undoubtedly would prefer to hear Van sing it live than to listen to it on YouTube, but some things are out of my jurisdiction …
From Enlightenment in 1990, comes “So Quiet In Here,” one of Van’s prettiest songs, the kind where you want to kick back, pour yourself a glass of wine and relax and let Van take you away …
The double CD Hymns to the Silence appeared in 1991, and several of the songs embedded themselves in Van’s setlist during those years. Van had a great band, and he put on some stellar shows with them. “Village Idiot” made it to the setlist three times, but is not a unanimous favorite among the fans; however, it is one of mine …
Yikes, I’ve got only two spots left, with 35 more years to cover in Van’s career. The first one is easy. On February 26, 2000, I was sat in the Barbican Theatre in York, England, and out of the blue at the end of the show, lead guitarist Johnny Scott asked us if we wanted to hear something more. We all yell YES YES YES, and in due course, for the first time live, we heard “Fast Train.” There are many, many moments at Van’s shows over the years that reach the heights, and that was one of them. I don’t mind reliving that moment right now …
To close out our little contemplative Van session, I leave you with “Memories and Visions” from his latest album, Remembering Now, released earlier this year. The man never stops, and for that, I am most thankful …
Happy birthday, Van! See you soon, I hope.
Leave a Reply