Download: Van Morrison

Van Morrison

Born Aug 31, 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland Years Active Genres Rock Celtic Rock, Album Rock, Jazz-Rock, Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop/Rock, Folk- Styles Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary, Singer/Songwriter Instruments Vocals, Saxophone, Leader, Keyboards, Songwriter, Harmonica Reflective, Plaintive, Wistful, Romantic, Spiritual, Passionate, Autumnal, Tones Laid-Back/Mellow, Earthy, Exuberant, Intimate, Soothing, Cathartic Mercury (21), Warner Brothers (14), EMI (4), Import (3), Dressed to Kill Labels (3), Verve (2), Purple Pyramid (2) Charts & Click here for Billboard Chart Positions & GRAMMY Awards Awards See Also All Movie Guide Entry Product Purchase Click here to buy sheet music Internet links On-Tour - provided by musictoday.com Equal parts blue-eyed soul shouter and wild-eyed poet- sorcerer, Van Morrison is among popular music's true innovators, a restless seeker whose incantatory vocals and alchemical fusion of R&B, jazz, blues, and Celtic folk produced perhaps the most spiritually transcendent body of work in the rock & roll canon. While a notoriously difficult and eccentric figure whose steadfast rejection of commercial trends and industry fashions kept him absent from the pop charts for decades at a stretch, Morrison nevertheless enjoyed a massive cult following that grew exponentially throughout the course of his lengthy and prolific career. Subject only to the whims of his own muse, his recordings cover extraordinary stylistic ground yet retain a consistency and purity virtually unmatched among his contemporaries, connected by the mythic power of his singular musical vision and his incendiary vocal delivery: spiralling repetitions of wails and whispers that bypassed the confines of language to articulate emotional truths far beyond the scope of literal meaning. George Ivan Morrison was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on August 31, 1945; his mother was a singer, while his father ardently collected classic American jazz and blues recordings. At 15, he quit school to join the local R&B band the Monarchs, touring military bases throughout Europe before returning home to form his own group, Them. Boasting a fiery, gritty sound heavily influenced by Morrison heroes like Ray Charles and Little Richard, Them quickly earned a devout local following and in late 1964 recorded their debut single "Don't Start Crying Now." The follow-up, an electrifying reading of Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go," cracked the U.K. Top Ten in early 1965. Though not a major hit upon its original release, Them's Morrison-penned "Gloria" endures among the true classics of the rock pantheon, covered by everyone from the Doors to Patti Smith. Lineup changes plagued the band throughout its lifespan, however, and at the insistence of producer Bert Berns, over time session musicians increasingly assumed the lion's share of recording duties. A frustrated Morrison finally left Them following a 1966 tour of the U.S., quitting the music business and, returning to Belfast. After Berns relocated to New York City to form Bang Records, he convinced Morrison to travel stateside and record as a solo artist; the sessions produced arguably his most familiar hit, the jubilant "Brown-Eyed Girl" (originally titled "Brown-Skinned Girl"), a Top Ten smash in the summer of 1967. By contrast, however, the resulting album, Blowin' Your Mind, was a bleak, bluesy effort highlighted by the harrowing "T.B. Sheets"; when Berns released the LP against Morrison's wishes, he again retreated home to Ireland. After Berns suffered a fatal heart attack in late 1967, the singer was freed of his contractual obligations and began working on new material. His first album for new label Warner Bros., 1968's Astral Weeks, remains not only Morrison's masterpiece, but one of the greatest records ever made. A haunting, deeply personal collection of impressionistic folk-styled epics recorded by an all-star jazz backing unit including bassist Richard Davis and drummer Connie Kay, its poetic complexity earned critical raves but made only a minimal commercial impact. The follow-up, 1970's Moondance, was every bit as brilliant; buoyant and optimistic where Astral Weeks had been dark and anguished, it cracked the Top 40, generating the perennials "Caravan" and "Into the Mystic." The first half of the 1970s was the most fertile creative period of Morrison's career. From Moondance onward, his records reflected an increasingly celebratory and profoundly mystical outlook spurred on in large part by his marriage to wife Janet Planet and the couple's relocation to California. After His Band and the Street Choir yielded his biggest chart hit, "Domino," Morrison released 1971's Tupelo Honey, a lovely, pastoral meditation on wedded bliss highlighted by the single "Wild Night." In the wake of the following year's stirring St. Dominic's Preview, he formed the Caledonia Soul Orchestra, featured both on the studio effort Hard Nose the Highway and on the excellent live set It's Too Late to Stop Now. However, in 1973 he not only dissolved the group but also divorced Planet and moved back to Belfast. The stunning 1974 LP Veedon Fleece chronicled Morrison's emotional turmoil; he then remained silent for three years, reportedly working on a number of aborted projects but releasing nothing until 1977's aptly titled A Period of Transition. Plagued for some time by chronic stage fright, Morrison mounted his first tour in close to five years in support of 1978's Wavelength; his performances became more and more erratic, however, and during a 1979 date at New York's Palladium, he even stalked off-stage in mid- set and did not return. Into the Music, released later that year, evoked a more conventionally spiritual perspective than before, a pattern continued on successive outings for years to come. Albums like 1983's Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, 1985's A Sense of Wonder, and 1986's No Guru, No Method, No Teacher are all largely cut from the same cloth, employing serenely beautiful musical backdrops to explore themes of faith and healing. For 1988's Irish Heartbeat, however, Morrison teamed with another of his homeland's musical institutions, the famed Chieftains, for a collection of traditional folk songs. Meanwhile, Avalon Sunset heralded a commercial rebirth of sorts in 1989. While "Whenever God Shines His Light," a duet with Cliff Richard, became Morrison's first U.K. Top 20 hit in over two decades, the gorgeous "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" emerged as something of a contemporary standard, with a Rod Stewart cover cracking the U.S. Top Five in 1993. Further proof of Morrison's renewed popularity arrived with the 1990 release of Mercury's best-of package; far and away the best-selling album of his career, it introduced the singer to a new generation of fans. A new studio record, Enlightenment, appeared that same year,, followed in 1991 by the ambitious double set Hymns to the Silence, widely hailed as his most impressive outing in years. Following the uniformity of his 1980s work, the remainder of the decade proved impressively eclectic: 1993's Too Long in Exile returned Morrison to his musical roots with covers of blues and R&B classics, while on 1995's Days Like This he teamed with daughter Shana for a duet on "You Don't Know Me." For the Verve label, he cut 1996's How Long Has This Been Going On, a traditional jazz record co-credited to longtime pianist Georgie Fame, while for the follow-up Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison, he worked with guest of honor Allison himself. Morrison continued balancing the past and the future in the years to follow, alternating between new studio albums (1997's The Healing Game, 1999's Back on Top) and collections of rare and live material (1998's The Philosopher's Stone and 2000's The Skiffle Sessions and You Win Again). It wasn't until 2002 that an album of new material survaced, but in May his long-anticipated Down the Road was released. — Jason Ankeny Similar Artists: Nick Drake Tim Buckley Georgie Fame The Band The Chieftains The Black Velvet Band Hothouse Flowers Terry Callier Julie Tippetts Richard Thompson Elton John Dr. John Boz Scaggs Elvis Costello Cliff Richard George Harrison Sting Roots and Influences: Muddy Waters Bob Dylan Ray Charles Sonny Boy Williamson [II] Hank Williams Leadbelly John Lee Hooker Followers: David Baerwald Marc Cohn David & David Hothouse Flowers Thin Lizzy Cuby & the Blizzards Black 47 Jeff Buckley David Freeman John Keaney Mike Scott Austin DeLone Sophie Zelmani Waterdeep Jumbo Greg Tamblyn Ferroblues Nicolai Dunger Starsailor Clarence Bucaro Formal Connections: The Sweet Inspirations Them Bob Tench Bert Berns Shana Morrison Performed Songs By: Traditional Bert Berns Mose Allison Wes Farrell Hugh Murphy Sam Cooke Big Joe Williams John Lee Hooker Sonny Boy Williamson [I] Tommy Scott Ray Charles Charles Dawes Bert Russell Carl Sigman Deadric Malone T-Bone Walker Paul Simon Bob Dylan Jimmie Rodgers Worked With: Gary Mallaber John Platania Paddy Moloney Jeff Labes Mark Knopfler Cissy Houston Brooks Arthur Member Of: Them more Energizing, Exciting more Soothing, Relaxing Denser, Thicker Lighter, Freer Harsher, more Aggressive Gentler, more Peaceful Colder, Firmer Warmer, Softer Brighter, more Dynamic more Low Key, Calmer more Plain, Simple more Elaborate, Sophisticated Darker, more Pessimistic Lighter, more Cheerful more Sensual, Playful more Sober, Arranged Rock-Bred Singer/Songwriters - from: "Singer/Songwriters" map Country-Rock/Folk-Rock - from: "Pub Rock" map Major Rock Influences - from: "Jazz-Rock" map from Barnes&Noble, 1967 Blowin' Your Mind! Epic/Legacy 1968 Astral Weeks Warner 1970 Moondance Warner 1970 His Band and the Street Choir Warner 1971 Tupelo Honey Mercury 1972 Saint Dominic's Preview Mercury 1973 Hard Nose the Highway Mercury 1974 It's Too Late to Stop Now [live] Mercury 1974 Veedon Fleece Mercury 1977 A Period of Transition Mercury 1978 Wavelength Mercury 1979 Into the Music Warner 1980 Common One Warner 1982 Beautiful Vision Warner 1983 Inarticulate Speech of the Heart Warner 1985 A Sense of Wonder Mercury 1985 Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast Mercury 1986 No Guru, No Method, No Teacher Mercury 1987 Poetic Champions Compose Mercury 1988 Irish Heartbeat Mercury 1989 Avalon Sunset Mercury 1990 Enlightenment Mercury 1991 Hymns to the Silence Mercury 1993 Too Long in Exile Mercury 1994 A Night in San Francisco [live] Mercury 1995 Days Like This Mercury 1996 How Long Has This Been Going On Verve Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose 1996 Verve Allison 1997 The Healing Game Mercury 1999 Back on Top Point 2000 The Skiffle Sessions: Live in Belfast 1998 Pointblank 2000 You Win Again Virgin 2002 Down the Road Universal 1969 Best of Van Morrison [Bang] Bang 1974 T.B. Sheets CBS 1975 His Band and the Street Choir/Tupelo Honey Warner 1976 Van Morrison [1976] 1982 Moondance/His Band & Street Choir Warner 1982 This Is Where I Came In Bang 1985 Celtic Swing Phonogram 1985 Cry for Home Phonogram/Merc Moondance/Astral Weeks/His Band & The 1988 Wea x Street... 1990 The Best of Van Morrison [Mercury] Mercury, 1991 Bang Masters Epic 1993 The Best of Van Morrison, Vol. 2 Mercury 1994 Payin' Dues Charly 1997 New York Sessions '67 Recall 1997 Van Morrison [1997] Eagle 1998 Brown Eyed Beginnings M.I.L. 1998 Brown Eyed Girl [EMI] Amw 1998 The Philosopher's Stone Polydor 1998 Brown Eyed Girl [Digimode] Digimode 1999 Masters Cleopatra 1999 Super Hits Columbia/Legac 1999 The Bang Demos Lost Gold 1999 Millenium Collection Digimode 2000 In Session Dressed to 2000 The Early Years BCI 2000 Brown Eyed Girl [DJ Specialist] DJ Specialist 2000 Great Import 2000 The Early Years: 1967-1968 Metro 2001 The Great [Australia] Red X 2001 Brown Eyed Handsome Man Bianco 2001 Essential Van Morrison Purple Pyramid 2001 The Legends Collection: The Van Morrison... Legends 2001 Spanish Rose Neon 2001 Van Morrison Collection, Vol. 2 Dressed to 2001 Van Morrison Collection, Vol. 1 Dressed to 2002 Early Years [Brentwood] Brentwood 2002 The Complete Bang Sessions Purple Pyramid Best of Van Morrison [POL] POL The 1967 New York Sessions Empire Music 1990 Real Real Gone Polygram s 1999 Precious Time, Pt. 2 EMI s 1999 Precious Time, Pt. 1 EMI s 2000 I Wanna Go Home EMI s 2000 Back on Top, Pt. 1 [Import CD Single] Import s 2000 Back on Top, Pt. 2 [Import CD Single] Import s 2002 Hey Mr. DJ Universal s 2002 Meet Me in the Indian Summer EMI s Philosopher's Stone Pointblank s Blue Money/Wild Night Warner s Domino Warner s 1979 Live at the Roxy Warner 1986 Copycats Ripped off My Soul Northlake b 1989 The Concert [live] PolyGram v 2002 Every Night About This Time Rattle Snake b The Genuine Philosophers Stone One b Van the Man Highway High b

Brown Eyed Girl [EMI]

, Artist Van Morrison Album Title Brown Eyed Girl [EMI] Date of Release May 26, 1998 AMG Rating Genre Rock Styles Singer/Songwriter, Soft Rock, Folk-Rock, Pop/Rock, Blue-Eyed Soul Type compilation Time 41:03 Library View Click here to see this album in MARC format Product Purchase Click here to buy this album This brief hits collection includes a few of Morrison's more well-known songs, like "Brown Eyed Girl," "Madame George," "Spanish Rose," "I Send Your Mind" and "He Ain't Give You None." — Keith Farley review 1. Brown Eyed Girl (Morrison) - 3:05 2. Send You Mind (Morrison) - 2:52 review 3. The Back Room (Morrison) - 5:31 review 4. Joe Harper Saturday Morning (Morrison) - 4:17 review 5. Madame George (Morrison) - 5:18 review 6. Ro Ro Rosey (Morrison) - 3:05 review 7. Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye) (Berns/Farrell) - 2:59 review 8. He Ain't Give You None (Morrison) - 5:03 review 9. Spanish Rose (Morrison) - 3:53 review 10. Who Drove the Red Sports Car? (Morrison) - 7:50 11. - 2:01 The Band: Cahoots Rita Coolidge: Rita Coolidge Bread: Anthology The Carpenters: Song for You Regina Belle: Stay with Me Valerie Carter: Just a Stone's Throw Away Various Artists: Billboard Top Hits: 1982 The Beatles: Rubber Soul [US] Batdorf & Rodney: Batdorf & Rodney, Eric Clapton: Journeyman 1998 CD Amw 28414 EMI-Capitol Special 1998 CD 28414 Markets EMI-Capitol Special 1998 CS 28414 Markets 1995 CD Sony Special Products 28414]

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