Post by athompsen on Jan 20, 2004 23:10:02 GMT -5
Hello!
Long time, no post! I hope I'm not stealing anyone's thunder by doing an album of the day. If I did, please forgive me. I had some extra time so I wanted to chip in.
Today's pick is: (drumroll)
Van Morrison's Moondance
released in the year I was born, 1970
"Irish soul"...that is a great description of Moondance, the follow up to his equally wonderful album, Astral Weeks. Moondance takes a much different direction than the music that Morrison performed with his first group, Them, and his earliest solo work, which began in 1967 with his overplayed hit , "Brown Eyed Girl". Moondance delivers a track list that is heavy on horns, but has a lot of nice acoustic tunes also. The songs on the album showcase Morrison's versatility as a songwriter, and allows him to sing in that peculiar soulful style that identifies his vocals. I've always thought of his singing as a little "sloppy", and I guess that's part of his allure as a vocalist.
1. "And It Stoned Me"...This song is all about nostalgia--Morrison's lyrics tell a story from his childhood, complete with a reference to Jelly Roll Morton. The horn section perfectly compliments Morrison's laid back vocal style--he always used the studio trick of having his horns slightly out of tune to give them that live sound. A nice acoustic guitar solo is perfect.
2. "Moondance"...it's a jazzy tune that allows Morrison plenty of room to fit in a cool vocal performance. The piano and walking bass add to the jazz effect, and the subtle horns in the choruses are just plain masterful production.
3. "Crazy Love"...It's one of Morrison's prettiest ballads, and he manages a very delicate vocal delivery that is both touching and fragile. The female background singers sound like something straight off of a Motown recording.
4. "Caravan"...Morrison's garbled, sloppy vocal delivery really has a charm of its' own, and he can certainly emote on a song with soul stylings, such as this one. I think that when Morrison went into the soul genre, he never really revisited his earlier pop roots.
5. "Into The Mystic"...This is my favorite song on the album. This song has the flavor of a traditional Irish air...the lyrics are certainly mystical, and the musical arrangement has a distinct soul flavor. The keyboards and guitar...one of Morrison's finest vocal performances.
6. "Come Running"...A bouncy, upbeat tune with a bluesy piano that creates a nightclub feel. The saxes and the female background singers frame Morrison's rather manic vocals, and the song works well despite its' pretty simple formula.
7. "These Dreams Of You"...This one follows the same formula as the previous track, with the addition of a harmonica and bluesy electric guitar licks to add to the mix. By now Morrison has got the soul thing down pat.
8. "Brand New Day"...Another beautiful ballad...the piano is the musical focus of the song, and instrumentation is gradually layered onto the basic piano theme. Despite his sloppy delivery, Morrison really had a knack for singing a ballad, and the female background singers frame his lead vocals.
9. "Everyone"....it sort of departs from the theme that Morrison has set up on the album thus far. His vocals are good, but this one is undoubtedly the weakest track on the album.
10. "Glad Tidings"...Handclaps and a neat guitar riff. Traditional soul guitar licks sound like something straight out of Memphis, and the band really gets into a good groove deep into the song. This tune is a really satisfactory way to end this wonderful album.
Moondance seemed to give Van Morrison a new musical direction that he has followed to this day.
Long time, no post! I hope I'm not stealing anyone's thunder by doing an album of the day. If I did, please forgive me. I had some extra time so I wanted to chip in.
Today's pick is: (drumroll)
Van Morrison's Moondance
released in the year I was born, 1970
"Irish soul"...that is a great description of Moondance, the follow up to his equally wonderful album, Astral Weeks. Moondance takes a much different direction than the music that Morrison performed with his first group, Them, and his earliest solo work, which began in 1967 with his overplayed hit , "Brown Eyed Girl". Moondance delivers a track list that is heavy on horns, but has a lot of nice acoustic tunes also. The songs on the album showcase Morrison's versatility as a songwriter, and allows him to sing in that peculiar soulful style that identifies his vocals. I've always thought of his singing as a little "sloppy", and I guess that's part of his allure as a vocalist.
1. "And It Stoned Me"...This song is all about nostalgia--Morrison's lyrics tell a story from his childhood, complete with a reference to Jelly Roll Morton. The horn section perfectly compliments Morrison's laid back vocal style--he always used the studio trick of having his horns slightly out of tune to give them that live sound. A nice acoustic guitar solo is perfect.
2. "Moondance"...it's a jazzy tune that allows Morrison plenty of room to fit in a cool vocal performance. The piano and walking bass add to the jazz effect, and the subtle horns in the choruses are just plain masterful production.
3. "Crazy Love"...It's one of Morrison's prettiest ballads, and he manages a very delicate vocal delivery that is both touching and fragile. The female background singers sound like something straight off of a Motown recording.
4. "Caravan"...Morrison's garbled, sloppy vocal delivery really has a charm of its' own, and he can certainly emote on a song with soul stylings, such as this one. I think that when Morrison went into the soul genre, he never really revisited his earlier pop roots.
5. "Into The Mystic"...This is my favorite song on the album. This song has the flavor of a traditional Irish air...the lyrics are certainly mystical, and the musical arrangement has a distinct soul flavor. The keyboards and guitar...one of Morrison's finest vocal performances.
6. "Come Running"...A bouncy, upbeat tune with a bluesy piano that creates a nightclub feel. The saxes and the female background singers frame Morrison's rather manic vocals, and the song works well despite its' pretty simple formula.
7. "These Dreams Of You"...This one follows the same formula as the previous track, with the addition of a harmonica and bluesy electric guitar licks to add to the mix. By now Morrison has got the soul thing down pat.
8. "Brand New Day"...Another beautiful ballad...the piano is the musical focus of the song, and instrumentation is gradually layered onto the basic piano theme. Despite his sloppy delivery, Morrison really had a knack for singing a ballad, and the female background singers frame his lead vocals.
9. "Everyone"....it sort of departs from the theme that Morrison has set up on the album thus far. His vocals are good, but this one is undoubtedly the weakest track on the album.
10. "Glad Tidings"...Handclaps and a neat guitar riff. Traditional soul guitar licks sound like something straight out of Memphis, and the band really gets into a good groove deep into the song. This tune is a really satisfactory way to end this wonderful album.
Moondance seemed to give Van Morrison a new musical direction that he has followed to this day.
