Van Morrison 70!

megafan

& What an Artist... & What a catalogue....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-lOyh5wBEk

Jesus Wept

is he doing catalogs now

megafan

[QUHOTE=Je suis Mario;96807514]is he doing catalogs now[/QUOTE]


Hah jaysus.. just enjoy his music!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCDZzf4ragg

Jesus Wept

love a bit of van music. the whole turning his back to the audience thing though - glad I didn't make the mistake of going to see him live, I'd probably throw something at him

fantastic music though

Into The Blue

megafan wrote: »

Je suis Mario wrote: »

is he doing catalogs now

Hah jaysus.. just enjoy his music!!

You're a credit to your name.

Menas

Grumpy auld shyte. But 'Moondance' and 'Astra weeks' were great albums.

Badly Drunk Boy

He's only 70? I was never mad about him...

melodies

turning back to the audience - sometimes people get crippled with nerves and especially musicians - so it's a kind of protection thing. My uncle was a great fiddle player then became reclusive and incredibly shy. Took ages to coax him back to playing in public and the first time he played on stage after the reclusive stage, he semi-turned his back to the audience - rather, he turned to face the other musicians for comfort

galljga1

Menas wrote: »

Grumpy auld shyte. But 'Moondance' and 'Astra weeks' were great albums.

Veedon Fleece also, Tupelo Honey, Avalon Sunset, ah look, to save time, everything he has output apart from maybe some of the more cheesy stuff with the Chieftains.
Best Van bargain (someone's going to mention a cheap Hiace they bought from the Mc Ginleys in the eighties) I picked up was a double cassette of The Philosophers Stone for a euro. Excellent stuff and all outtakes. The mans a genius.

Autonomous Cowherd

I am mad about him He would be my desert island artist as I would grow tired of everyone else eventually..
The love songs, the unashamedly spiritual anthems, the sexy grinding growls...mmmmmmmm . Perhaps he is considered a bit middle of the road or something, but I reckon he is a tremendous and unique artist and we should be super proud of him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uAnzY0EV-M

Happy Birthday Van. Rock on!

Menas

galljga1 wrote: »

Veedon Fleece also, Tupelo Honey, Avalon Sunset, ah look, to save time, everything he has output apart from maybe some of the more cheesy stuff with the Chieftains.
Best Van bargain (someone's going to mention a cheap Hiace they bought from the Mc Ginleys in the eighties) I picked up was a double cassette of The Philosophers Stone for a euro. Excellent stuff and all outtakes. The mans a genius.

I have never heard, or heard of, any of those albums!

Could you recommend me one album (apart from Astral weeks and Moondance) and I will give it a listen to? Always open to new (ie old) music!

melodies

melodies wrote: »

turning back to the audience - sometimes people get crippled with nerves and especially musicians - so it's a kind of protection thing.

Or, possibly, he's just a grumpy utterly miserable old b*****ks.

Now, I haven't heard about him being nervous...

Autonomous Cowherd

Deleted User wrote: »

Or, possibly, he's just a grumpy utterly miserable old b*****ks.

Now, I haven't heard about him being nervous...

Oh come on now.

He is very reclusive and i would imagine shy. Nor is he fake or going to put on a stardust smile so that judgmental silly billys can feel happy that he is a nice guy. He is an artist - he did not have to sell anyone his soul or his time or become a national treasure so that anyone could feel they owned a piece of him. I would prefer if artists were all as authentic. Even if he grumpy, so what? Does he owe anyone a different mood than the one he is in? Do any of us?

galljga1

Menas wrote: »

I have never heard, or heard of, any of those albums!

Could you recommend me one album (apart from Astral weeks and Moondance) and I will give it a listen to? Always open to new (ie old) music!

It would have to be Veedon Fleece for me which in my opinion is his number one album, not the popular opinion but just mine. Streets of Arklow is a sublime song.

Menas

galljga1 wrote: »

It would have to be Veedon Fleece for me which in my opinion is his number one album, not the popular opinion but just mine. Streets of Arklow is a sublime song.

Cheers, I will go get that!

NachoBusiness

Menas wrote: »

Grumpy auld shyte. But 'Moondance' and 'Astra weeks' were great albums.

Apparently he wrote most of the songs on that album sleeping rough in the back of a Vauxhall.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

He's young yet. I think you either love or dislike Van. I personally was never a fan. An odd track on the radio is fine but I couldn't listen to a whole album of him.

Autonomous Cowherd

Autonomous Cowherd wrote: »

Oh come on now.

He is very reclusive and i would imagine shy. Nor is he fake or going to put on a stardust smile so that judgmental silly billys can feel happy that he is a nice guy. He is an artist - he did not have to sell anyone his soul or his time or become a national treasure so that anyone could feel they owned a piece of him. I would prefer if artists were all as authentic. Even if he grumpy, so what? Does he owe anyone a different mood than the one he is in? Do any of us?

Ah now, he is infamous for his foul mood and charisma deficit.

You are absolutely correct, it doesn't matter at all. But let's not dress it up as shyness.

NachoBusiness

All that stuff with Gigi Lee was tragic and somewhat bizarre in parts. Certainly hasn't led a boring life.

Was really surprised The Healing Game wasn't a more successful album than it was. For around a year it was the only album I played I liked it that much.

Love this promo clip from 50 years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5FBWOB_nGM

megafan

Galljga1... Downloaded Veedon Fleece earlier today & an album I've passed over but been listening to it all day & your right it's one of his best.... & little played??..... Thanks for info!!!!

mf B-)

Cold War Kid

Better than the Dylan original. Just heartbreakingly gorgeous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L50OJ3iIkw

Cold War Kid

This makes me fall in love with this pretty island each time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPfybDTJ-Bo

mojesius

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0DJ8hWgNes

Love Van the Man. This is my fave tune of his.

rubadub

Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »

He's only 70?

Gloria was recorded when he was 18 or 19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0aHmMfZTEw

when I was young I thought it was some guy at least in his 30's or 40's. Same with Spencer Davis Group, who I always thought was some black dude at least in his 40's or 50's from the deep south singing, rather than a 18 or 19 year old from birmingham UK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxA3atHD2QM

LuckyLloyd

Veedon Fleece possibly my favourite record of his.

The longevity of Astral Weeks is incredible though. Apparently up to recently it continued to sell similar volumes to its year of release. A real favourite amongst me and my friends who discovered it first more than three decades after it was recorded.

mikedoherty99

Does he still clean windows ?

Summer wind

Happy 70th Van! From Irish Heartbeat to Precious Time to Here Comes The Night to Gloria to Have I Told You Lately and loads and loads more. I'm a big fan and to me Van is truly The Man.

waraf

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Veedon Fleece possibly my favourite record of his.

The longevity of Astral Weeks is incredible though. Apparently up to recently it continued to sell similar volumes to its year of release. A real favourite amongst me and my friends who discovered it first more than three decades after it was recorded.

+1 on Veedon Fleece. Most of Van's albums (including this one) became available on Spotify last Friday.....just in case people weren't aware.

Rory Gallagher

I think that his perfomance of Caravan in 'The Last Waltz' was the best thing in the film(next to Dylan obviously)

Moondance is one of my favourite albums of all time, I'm not that mad about Astral Weeks but I still find it enjoyable to a certain extent.

megafan

Van Morrison playing today 31/8/15 in Belfast... on Cyprus Ave!!

NachoBusiness

mikedoherty99 wrote: »

Does he still clean windows ?

I heard he was in Belfast bar one night and someone starting talking about how good he used to be at cleaning windows when he was young and he really took offence to it.

The guy initially apologized but then turned around and told him to go home and get his window shine box.

Wasn't pretty.

diomed

Happy birthday, Van.
It isn't just the lyrics. Its the way he goes on and on bull****ting to the music.
I love the end to Madame George (Astral Weeks). Any other singer would have ended the track five minutes earlier.

megafan

Link to BBC recording of Van's 70th birthday gig last night on Cyprus Ave, Belfast http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0681pb7

waraf

megafan wrote: »

Link to BBC recording of Van's 70th birthday gig last night on Cyprus Ave, Belfast http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0681pb7

His BBC4 gig was bloody good too. Not feelin' it no more (at 8m24s) is a particular highlight for me

Oops - just realised that the OP posted this link too. D'oh

Mesrine65

megafan wrote: »

& What an Artist... & What a catalogue....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-lOyh5wBEk

What a narky auld bollocks :eek:

RayCon

Can't stand him.

Cold War Kid

He does come across as a narky bollocks, and some of his stuff just drones awn n' awn... but it's got that something. I loathed him when younger - found him boring and dreary as fuq, but I've started to appreciate him in the last few years. Madame George is fantastic to me now - thought it was an absolute dirge when I first heard it. Into The Mystic is beautiful.
He is deemed a soul artist, but I think he's more of a soul-folk kinda artist - along the lines of Nick Drake.

There was one of those The Story Of Irish Rock programmes on RTE last night (originally shown on BBC Northern Ireland earlier this year). Van came across very well I thought. Some fecking great, passionate musicians have hailed from this little rock.

galljga1

NachoBusiness wrote: »

I heard he was in Belfast bar one night and someone starting talking about how good he used to be at cleaning windows when he was young and he really took offence to it.

The guy initially apologized but then turned around and told him to go home and get his window shine box.

Wasn't pretty.

Never bust a wise guy's balls.

tipptom

NachoBusiness wrote: »

I heard he was in Belfast bar one night and someone starting talking about how good he used to be at cleaning windows when he was young and he really took offence to it.

The guy initially apologized but then turned around and told him to go home and get his window shine box.

Wasn't pretty.

Great story,sounds like a Joe Pesci character in Goodfellas.

Cold War Kid

Love love this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QzDWIOUnM0

DEFTLEFTHAND

Great backcatalogue, whatever about all the stories over the years of Van being a genuinely nasty piece of work you got to respect the guy as a musician.

NachoBusiness

Cold War Kid wrote: »

Love love this one.

Yeah, beautiful song. Waterboy's cover of it is a gem also.