Van Morrison, OBE (born George Ivan Morrison; 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are described as transcendental, while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are critically acclaimed and appear at the top of many greatest album lists.
Known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison started his professional career when, as a teenager in the late 1950s, he played a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands covering the popular hits of the day. He rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B band Them, with whom he recorded the garage band classic "Gloria". His solo career began under the pop-hit oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl" in 1967. After Berns' death, Warner Bros. Records bought out his contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks in 1968.
Even though this album would gradually garner high praise, it was initially poorly received; however, the next one, Moondance, established Morrison as a major artist, and throughout the 1970s he built on his reputation with a series of critically acclaimed albums and live performances.
Morrison continues to record and tour, producing albums and live performances that sell well and are generally warmly received, sometimes collaborating with other artists, such as Georgie Fame and The Chieftains.
In 2008 he performed Astral Weeks live for the first time since 1968. Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of soul music and R&B, such as the popular singles "Brown Eyed Girl", "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)", "Domino" and "Wild Night". An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, loosely connected, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz, and stream-of-consciousness narrative, such as Astral Weeks and lesser-known works such as Veedon Fleece and Common One. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic Soul".
Morrison has received considerable acclaim, including six Grammy Awards, being inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and appearing on several "Greatest Artists" lists.
Van Morrison ~ Moondance (1970)
Moondance is the third solo album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on Warner Bros. Records on 28 February 1970 and peaked at #29 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.
The album's musical style blends R&B, folk rock, country rock, and also jazz (most obviously on the title track).
The single released was "Come Running" with "Crazy Love" as the B-side, which peaked at #39 on the Pop Singles chart. "Crazy Love" was only released as a single in the Netherlands and did not chart. "Moondance", as a single was not released until 1977 and peaked at #92.
Moondance was critically acclaimed when first released and established Morrison as a major artist. The songs on the album quickly became staples of FM radio. It has proven to be Morrison's most famous album, often appearing on many lists of best albums of all time. Among other awards, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2003, it was ranked #65 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
Record and sleeve are in Very Good condition.
Original vinyl release, the album cover folds out, revealing A Fable, a short tale written by Morrison's then wife, Janet Planet. The fable pertains to a young man and his gifts.
Moondance
Studio album by Van Morrison
Van Morrison | Format: Audio CD
Album, CD HD 1/1
Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
Original Release Date: 1970
Released: 28 February 1970
Recorded: August–November 1969, A & R Studios (New York City)
Number of Discs: 1
ASIN: B000002KHF
Catalog No.: 3103
UPC: 075992732628
Genre: Rock, Jazz, Soul, Rhythm & Blues
Style: R&B, blue-eyed soul, folk rock, jazz, country rock, Celtic
Label: Warner Bros|Wea
Producer: Van Morrison, Lewis Merenstein
© Warner Bros. Records Inc.
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Track listings:
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1. "And It Stoned Me" |4:30
Released: February 1970
Recorded: Summer 1969, Warner Publishing Studio, New York City
"And It Stoned Me" is a song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It is the opening track on Morrison's third solo album, Moondance, which was released in 1970.
Van Morrison - vocals, guitar
John Klingberg - bass guitar
Jeff Labes - piano
Gary Mallaber - drums
John Platania - guitar
Jack Schroer - alto saxophone
Collin Tilton - tenor saxophone
2. "Moondance" |4:35
Released: November 1977
Recorded: A & R Studios, August 1969
"Moondance" is a popular song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is the title song on his 1970 album Moondance.
"Moondance" is one of the moon-themed songs used in An American Werewolf in London, a comedy-horror film released in 1981. It is heard during the sex scene between David Naughton (as David, the young man bitten by a werewolf) and Jenny Agutter (as Alex, his nurse and eventual girlfriend).
Van Morrison - vocals, guitar
John Klingberg - bass guitar
Jeff Labes - piano
Gary Mallaber - drums
John Platania - guitar
Jack Schroer - alto saxophone
Collin Tilton - tenor saxophone, flute
3. "Crazy Love" |2:34
Backing Vocals (Girl Singers): Emily Houston, Jackie Verdell, Judy Clay
Released: 1970
Recorded: August–November 1969
Van Morrison - vocals
John Klingberg - bass guitar
Jeff Labes - piano
Gary Mallaber - drums, vibraphone
John Platania - guitar
Judy Clay - background vocals
Emily Houston - background vocals
Jackie Verdell - background vocals
4. "Caravan" |4:57
Released: February 1970
"Caravan" was originally recorded on July 30, 1969 at Mastertone Studios in New York City with Lewis Merenstein as producer.
Van Morrison - vocals
John Klingberg - bass guitar
Jeff Labes - piano
Gary Mallaber - drums
John Platania - guitar
Jack Schroer - alto saxophone
Collin Tilton - tenor saxophone
5. "Into the Mystic" |3:25
Released: February 1970
Recorded: September–November 1969, at the A&R Recording Studios, New York City
"Into the Mystic" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance. It was also included on Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late To Stop Now.
Van Morrison - vocals, guitar
John Klingberg - bass guitar
Jeff Labes - piano
Gary Mallaber - drums
John Platania -guitar
Jack Schroer - alto saxophone
Collin Tilton - tenor saxophone
6. "Come Running" |2:30
Released: March 1970
Recorded: A&R Recording, New York City
"Come Running" is a song written by singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album Moondance.
"Come Running" was also the only song to survive the Astral Weeks demos for Warner Bros. in 1968.
Van Morrison - tambourine, vocals
John Klingberg - bass
Jeff Labes - piano
Gary Mallaber - drums
Guy Masson - conga
John Platania - guitar
Jack Schroer - alto saxophone
Collin Tilton - tenor saxophone
7. "These Dreams of You" |3:50
Released: February 1970
"These Dreams of You" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance. This song was also included on Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now.
Van Morrison - vocals, harmonica
John Klingberg - bass guitar
Jeff Labes - piano
Gary Mallaber - drums
John Platania - guitar
Jack Schroer - alto saxophone
Collin Tilton - tenor saxophone
8. "Brand New Day" |5:09
Backing Vocals (Girl Singers): Emily Houston, Jackie Verdell, Judy Clay
Released: February 1970
"Brand New Day" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance.
The song is described on the album as one of Morrison's "classic compositions", along with "Moondance", "And it Stoned Me", "Caravan" and "Into the Mystic". It features improvisation on Jack Schroer's alto saxophone and a backing vocal trio.
Van Morrison - vocals, guitar
Jeff Labes - piano
Gary Mallaber - drums
John Klingberg - bass guitar
John Platania - guitar
Jack Schroer - alto saxophone
Jackie Verdell - background vocals
Judy Clay - background vocals
Cissy Houston (Emily Houston) - background vocals
9. "Everyone" |3:31
Released: February 1970
"Everyone" is the penultimate track on Van Morrison's 1970 album Moondance.
The song is the fastest on the album. It is in 12/8 time and features more prominent acoustic guitar than other tracks on Moondance where the piano is the main instrument. A notable feature of the intro is a clavinet. A hard but sparse drumbeat is offset by a melody played on the flute throughout the song, including a solo after the second chorus.
Van Morrison - vocals
John Klingberg - bass
Jeff Labes - clavinet
Gary Mallaber - drums
John Platania - guitar
Jack Schroer - soprano saxophone
Collin Tilton - flute
10. "Glad Tidings" |3:42
Released: February 1970
Recorded: September-November 1969, A&R Recording Studios, New York City
"Glad Tidings" is the tenth and final song on Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison's 1970 album Moondance.
Van Morrison - vocals, guitar
John Klingberg - bass guitar
Jeff Labes - organ
Gary Mallaber - drums
John Platania - guitar
Jack Schroer - alto saxophone
Collin Tilton - tenor saxophone
Total Time: 39:34
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| DDD | Audio CD | CBR 320 Kbps/48.1 kHz/Stereo |
| File Size: 115 mb. | Pass: moondance |
All songs written by Van Morrison.
Artwork by (Design For Original Album Art): Bob Cato
Bass: John Klingberg
Congas (Congo Drum): Guy Masson
Drums, Vibraphone (Vibes): Gary Malabar
Engineer: Elliot Schierer, Neil Schwartz, Shelly Yakus, Steve Friedberg, Tony May
Executive Producer: Lewis Merenstein
Guitar (Lead And Rhythm Guitars): John Platania
Guitar, Vocals (Uncredited), Tambourine: Van Morrison
Photography (Photographer For Original Album Art): Elliott Landy
Piano, Organ, Clavinet (Clavinette): Jeff Labes
Producer: Van Morrison
Saxophone (Alto And Soprano Sax): Jack Schrorer
Saxophone (Tenor Sax), Flute: Collin Tillton
Written by Van Morrison
Recording:
After recording Astral Weeks in New York City, Morrison moved with his wife to a home on a mountain top in upstate New York near the village of Woodstock. Morrison began writing the songs for Moondance about ten months after the release of Astral Weeks. The musicians who played on the album were recruited from nearby with the recording sessions beginning in the summer of 1969. With the arrangements for the music only in his head, he entered the recording studio, where everything on the album except for the basic song structures came to fruition. Without musical charts and with help from the creative innovation of Jef Labes, Jack Schroer, and Collin Tilton, the album coalesced. All of the "tasteful frills" were generated spontaneously and developed in the A & R Studios in New York. Although most of the vocals were live, Morrison expressed in 1973 that he would have preferred to cut the entire album live. It was the first album where Van Morrison was listed as producer. He remarked, "No one knew what I was looking for except me, so I just did it." Lewis Merenstein (listed as Executive Producer) had brought in Richard Davis, Jay Berliner, and Warren Smith, Jr. from Astral Weeks for the first recording session, but Morrison, according to John Platania, "sort of manipulated the situation and...got rid of them all. For some reason he didn't want those musicians."
Shelly Yakus, the recording engineer for the album, recalled that Morrison told him to put "more bottom on his voice" but otherwise was "very quiet and really introverted" during the recording sessions.
Composition:
The combination of music and lyrics of the songs on the Moondance album comprised the first Van Morrison album that was highly accessible with various genres that blend jazz, soul, country, and blues.
The opening song, "And It Stoned Me", according to the singer, depicts a true tale of a day in his childhood. The lyrics show that the setting of the song is rural, including references to a county fair and mountain stream.
The title song is mostly acoustic but also includes electric bass and piano, guitar, saxophone, and a flute over-dub played softly behind Morrison's voice, which imitates a saxophone towards the song's end. Brian Hinton says, "This is a rock musician singing jazz not a jazz singer though the music itself has a jazz swing."
"Crazy Love" has Morrison's voice so close to the microphone, that a click of Morrison's tongue hitting the roof of his mouth is picked up. He sings in falsetto, producing a sense of intense intimacy, with the backing of a female chorus.
"Caravan" is about gypsy life and also about the radio. Morrison said, "I'm really fascinated by gypsies. I love them." Musically, one can discern a decided interplay between the guitar and singer's voice. The song opens with Jef Labes trilling on piano, the drum kit then comes in, whilst Morrison sings the line "And the caravan is on its way". The chorus consists of Morrison and the band singing "La la la la, la la la" repeatedly. John Platania then improvises around Morrison's voice: "(Morrison's) interplay with Platania's softly picked guitar touches the soul."
According to Morrison "Into the Mystic" was originally called "Into the Misty" but as he had thought there was "an ethereal feeling to it" he changed the name. Morrison has also said that some of the songs lyrics could have more than one meaning: "I was born before the Wind" could also be "I was borne before the wind" as well as "Also younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was one" being "All so younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was won". The song opens with Collin Tilton's tenor saxophone, made to imitate a foghorn blowing, and ends with the words "Too Late to Stop Now" – a phrase he would famously use to conclude concert endings in the 1970s. After a dynamic stop-start ending to "Cyprus Avenue", Morrison would bellow this phrase and then stalk from the stage. This phrase also served as the title to his acclaimed 1974 live album. These lyrics have also been used at the end of "Friday's Child" in his concerts.
In Morrison's words, "Come Running" is "a very light type of song. It's not too heavy; it's just a happy-go-lucky song." The song starts with Jef Labes improvising on piano. The two saxophones then split apart, playing different rhythms during the chorus, and come back together for "You gotta rainbow if you run to me".
The song "These Dreams of You" oddly manages to be simultaneously accusatory and reassuring. The lyrics cover such dream sequences as Ray Charles being shot down, paying dues in Canada, and "his angel from above" cheating while playing cards in the dark, slapping him in the face, ignoring his cries, and walking out on him.
Morrison says he was inspired to write "Brand New Day" after hearing The Band on FM radio playing either "The Weight" or "I Shall Be Released": "I looked up at the sky and the sun started to shine and all of a sudden the song just came through my head. I started to write it down, right from 'When all the dark clouds roll away'." Ritchie Yorke quoted Morrison as saying in 1973 that "Brand New Day" was the song that worked best to his ear and the one with which he felt most in touch.
"Everyone" opens with Jef Labes' clavinet in 6/8 time. A flute comes in, playing the melody after Morrison has sung four lines, with Jack Schroer playing the harmony underneath on soprano saxophone. Although Morrison says the song is just a song of hope, Brian Hinton says its lyrics suggest a more troubled meaning, as 1969 was the year in which civil war broke out in Belfast.
The album's closing song, "Glad Tidings", has a bouncy beat but the lyrics, like "Into the Mystic", remain largely impenetrable: "And they'll lay you down low and easy" could be about murder or love. Rolling Stone magazine reviewers Greil Marcus and Lester Bangs have suggested that the song is the most vital on the album by saying: "Perhaps 'Glad Tidings'... is the song that most makes one want to come back to this album without even thinking about it." In 2009, Erik Hage observes that "'Glad Tidings' is also a premonition of the future. For the next four decades, Morrison would continue to use a song here and there to vent about the evils of the music industry and the world of celebrity."
"The yang to Astral Weeks yin, the brilliant Moondance is every bit as much a classic as its predecessor; Van Morrison's first commercially successful solo effort, it retains the previous album's deeply spiritual thrust but transcends its bleak, cathartic intensity to instead explore themes of renewal and redemption." (Allmusic Ankeny, Jason. Retrieved 8 January 2010.)
"In Moondance, Morrison bursts forth in warm Technicolor. The Van Morrison that the public would come to know and recognize over the decades—Van the Man, the Belfast Cowboy, etc—essentially makes his first appearance on Moondance." (Erik Hage)
Reception:
Moondance was a commercial and a critical success with the album charting in the Top 30 in the US and #32 in the UK. While Blowing Your Mind! was recorded and released under Bert Berns's control and Astral Weeks was a commercial failure if lauded by most critics, Moondance represented Morrison's first success as an artist in control of his music and his band and it established him as a top selling singer-songwriter. Said to be an "extraordinary achievement", as of 2010, it had continuously sold well during the forty years since being released. It was listed by RIAA as 3x multi platinum in 1996.
In the San Francisco Chronicle, Ralph J. Gleason noted: "It is really in the quality of his sound that Van Morrison's impact comes through most strongly. He wails. He wails as the jazz musicians speak of wailing, as the gypsies, as the Gaels and the old folks in every culture speak of it. He gets a quality of intensity in that wail which really hooks your mind, carries you along with his voice as it rises and falls in long, soaring lines."
Jon Landau considered the album's only flaw to be that of perfection. "Things fell into place so perfectly I wished there was more room to breathe. Morrison has a great voice and on Moondance he found a home for it." Robert Christgau gave the album an A+ and reviewed it as: "An album worthy of an Irish R&B singer who wrote a teen hit called "Mystic Eyes" (not to mention a Brill Building smash called Brown Eyed Girl." Allmusic gave the album five stars and declared: "virtually every track exults in natural wonder, whether it's the nocturnal magic celebrated by the title cut or the unlimited promise offered in Brand New Day."
Rolling Stone's critics Greil Marcus and Lester Bangs jointly reviewed it and concluded: "Moondance is an album of musical invention and lyrical confidence; the strong moods of "Into the Mystic" and the fine, epic brilliance of "Caravan" will carry it past many good records we'll forget in the next few years."
NIck Butler wrote in a Sputnikmusic review: "This is Van Morrison's 6th Symphony; like Beethoven's equivalent, it's fixated on the power of nature, but rather than merely sitting in awe, it finds spirituality and redemption in the most basic of things. The pinnacle of Van The Man's career, and maybe, of non-American soul in general."
Awards:
Moondance was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and has continued to be a highly acclaimed album in the 2000s. Over the years, it has been featured on several prominent lists of best albums of all time. In 2001 the TV network VH1 named this album #32 on a list of the greatest albums of all time. In 2003, It was listed as #65 on Rolling Stones list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Moondance was voted #20 on the 2005 list of 885 All Time Greatest Albums by listeners on WXPN. In November 2006, CNN published their list of "The All-Time 100 Albums." Moondance was listed among the 100 albums along with Astral Weeks. In March 2007, it was listed as #72 on the NARM Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of the "Definitive 200". In December 2009, it was voted #11 top Irish album of all time by a poll of leading Irish musicians taken by Hot Press magazine.
In the Media:
The songs from the album have remained popular to the present day. "Moondance" was used over the love scene in An American Werewolf in London, and it was a recurring theme in August Rush. "Glad Tidings" was prominently featured in The Sopranos Season 5 finale ("All Due Respect"). "Everyone" was used over the closing scene and end credits of Wes Anderson's film The Royal Tenenbaums.
Covers of songs:
Several of the songs on the album, have been popular cover songs since its release in 1970, most prominently the title song, "Moondance" but "Crazy Love", "Into the Mystic" and "And It Stoned Me" have also been frequently recorded and performed live by popular artists. Cover artists of Moondance songs include: The Allman Brothers Band, Michael Bolton, Michael Bublé, Vicki Carr, Paul Carrack, Joe Cocker, Rita Coolidge, The Dead, Glen Hansard, Colin James, Helen Reddy, Rod Stewart and The Wallflowers. Duets were performed by Morrison with Ray Charles and Bob Dylan.
Packaging:
In its original vinyl release, the album cover folds out, revealing A Fable, a short tale written by Morrison's then wife, Janet Planet. The fable pertains to a young man and his gifts. The album cover was taken from a photograph by Elliot Landy, the official 1969 Woodstock Festival photographer.
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"Moondance"
Written by Van Morrison
Released: 1970 (album), 1977 (single)
Recorded: A & R Studios, August 1969
Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
Neath the cover of October skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
And all the nights magic seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush
Can I just have one a more moondance with you, my love
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love
Well, I wanna make love to you tonight
I can't wait 'til the morning has come
And I know that the time is just right
And straight into my arms you will run
And when you come my heart will be waiting
To make sure that you're never alone
There and then all my dreams will come true, dear
There and then I will make you my own
And every time I touch you, you just tremble inside
And I know how much you want me that you can't hide
Can I just have one a more moondance with you, my love
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love
Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
Neath the cover of October skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
And all the nights magic seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush
Can I just have one a more moondance with you, my love
Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love
One more moondance with you in the moonlight
On a magic night
La, la, la, la in the moonlight
On a magic night
Can't I just have one more dance with you my love...
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© Warner Bros. Records Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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