Van Morrison
Van Morrison left the Irish (Belfast) group Them! in '66. Despite artistic compromise, the group's fortunes had hardly changed so Morrison decided it was time to strike out on his own. Almost before he knew it he had his first major hit "Brown-Eyed Girl." Few performers have left a group and shot out of the gate faster. An album of Morrison songs "Blowin' Your Mind" was rushed out without the singer's knowledge to capitalize on the success. Morrison was obviously unhappy about the situation.
Originally, Morrison was signed to Bang Records, a label owned by Them!/Morrison producer Bert Berns. In late '67 Berns had a fatal heart attack. Feeling slighted over the "Blowin' Your Mind" album and seeing no further obligations to Bang with Berns gone, Morrison approached Warner Records who got him out of his Bang contract and signed him. Bang tried to cash in one more time with a "Best Of Van Morrison" album.
Morrison's prime began with "Astral Weeks," an album blending Folk, Rock, R&B and Jazz, released in '68. Four great albums "Moondance," "Van Morrison: His Band and the Street Choir," "Tupelo Honey," and "Saint Dominic's Preview," in '72, followed. Not bad. He slipped up a bit in the mid 70's but managed an excellent live album in '74 "It's Too Late To Stop Now." A pair of albums, "Wavelength" and "Into The Music" represented a late '70s comeback.
Morrison has kept an interesting, if not always Rockin', profile since. He has gone deep into Jazz, R&B, ballads and Swing. Morrison even recorded with the traditional Irish group the Chieftains.
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Catch Van Morrison in the late '60s and early '70s and you'll hear him in his peak. There is looseness with an unmistakable groove to his music. Starting with "Astral Weeks" ('68) through to "Saint Dominic's Preview" ('72) each album has gems, classics and full on kickers. In between are "Moondance," "Van Morrison: His Band and the Street Choir" with "Domino" and "Tupelo Honey" featuring the title track and "Wild Night." All of these albums are highly recommended. The live sets "It's Too Late To Stop Now" and "A Night In San Francisco" recorded two decades later, are both excellent and amply demonstrate Morrison's vocal talent. The mid '70s material is not very strong but in the late '70s Morrison is back on track with the "Wavelength" and "Into The Music" albums. By the '80s though Morrison mellowed focusing on his Jazz and R&B tendencies.
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