Another
     
    

    
     
      One
     
    

    
     
      Of
     
    

    
     
      These
     
    

    
     
      Things
     
    

    
     
      By
      Kirby
      Ferguson
     
    
   
   
    
     
      After
      covering
      Elvis
      Costello
      last
     
     
      week,
      since
      I
      have
      no
      one
      else
      to
     
     
      review,
      I
      have
      decided
      to
      cover
     
     
      the
      career
      of
      Van
      Morrison.
      Like
     
     
      Costello,
      Morrison
      has
      a
      pretty
     
     
      tough
      catalogue,
      not
      too
      many
     
     
      stinkers
      here.
      I
      recommend
      his
     
     
      early
      Warners
      material
      over
     
     
      anything
      on
      God’s
      green
      earth.
     
     
      For
      the
      curious,
      Moondance
      isthe
     
     
      ideal
      introduction,
      but
      any
      of
      his
     
     
      first
      five
      albums
      will
      astound
      you
     
     
      (though
      in
      different
      ratios)
      with
     
     
      their
      spine
      tingling
      dynamics
      and
     
     
      deceptively
      powerful,
      surging
     
     
      arrangements.
      Several
      albums
     
     
      have
      been
      left
      out
      here
      simply
     
     
      because
      I
      haven’t
      heard
      them
      -
     
     
      nor
      do
      I
      care
      to
      (except
      for
      the
     
     
      live
      set,
      It’s
      Too
      Late
      To
      Stop
     
     
      Now).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Them
      Featuring
      Van
      Morrison
     
     
      (Compilation)
      -
      Archetypal
      blues
     
     
      rock.
      The
      roots
      of
      what
      he’d
     
     
      become
      are
      right
      here;
      the
      disc
      is
     
     
      fascinating
      if
      only
      for
      that.
     
     
      Contains
      one
      of
      Van’s
      best
      rock-
     
     
      ers,
      ‘“Gloria,’’
      as
      wellas
      ‘“Baby
     
     
      Please
      Don’t
      Go,’’
      ‘‘Here
      Comes
     
     
      the
      Night’’
      and
      ‘‘Mystic
      Eyes.”’
     
     
      Some
      may
      be
      disturbed
      by
      the
     
     
      fact
      that
      Morrison
      would
      never
     
     
      again
      return
      to
      the
      almighty
     
     
      guitar.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      T.B.
      Sheets
      (Compilation)
      -
      The
     
     
      transition
      piece
      between
      Them
     
     
      and
      the
      Warner
      years.
      Fairly
     
     
      standard
      r&b.
      Features
      Van’s
      best
     
     
      known
      -
      though
      far
      from
      defini-
     
     
      tive
      -
      song,
      ‘‘Brown
      Eyed
      Girl’’
     
     
      and
      the
      critically
      revered
      (though
     
     
      I
      don’t
      know
      why)
      title
      track,
      a
     
     
      song
      about
      Morrison
      watching
      his
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      February
      20,
      1992
     
    
   
   
    
     
      girlfriend
      die
      of
      tuberculo-
     
     
      sis,
      which
      he
      broke
      down
     
     
      in
      tears
      after
      recording.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Astral
      Weeks
      -
      My
      favour-
     
     
      ite
      album
      ofall
      time.
      Too
     
     
      beautiful
      for
      words.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Moondance
      -
      Van’s
      mos!
     
     
      accessible
      album.
      A
     
     
      perfect
      piece,
      excellent
     
     
      from
      top
      to
      bottom.
      His
     
     
      most
      successful
      mar-
     
    

    
     
      .
      riage
      of
      yearning
      spiritu-
     
     
      ality
      ala
      Astral
      Weeks
      to
      soul.
      ‘‘Caravan’’
      is
      one
      of
     
     
      his
      greatest
      songs.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      His
      Band
      and
      the
      Street
      Choir
      -
      Continues
      in
      much
     
     
      the
      same
      vein
      as
      Moondance.
      It
      lacks
      the
      ebb
      and
     
     
      flow
      of
      that
      album
      in
      exchange
      fora
      (fairly)
      good
     
     
      time,
      soul
      atmosphere.
      Not
      quite
      the
      equal
      of
      that
     
     
      album,
      but
      few
      are.
      For
      me,
      ‘‘Crazy
      Face’’
      and
     
     
      **Virgo
      Clowns’’
      stand
      out.
      Contains
      several
      of
     
     
      Van’s
      minor
      chart
      successes
      in
      ‘“Domino,’’
      ‘‘Blue
     
     
      Money’’
      and
      ‘‘Call
      Me
      Up
      In
      Dreamland.’’
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tupelo
      Honey
      -
      Another
     
     
      solid
      effort,
      but
      the
      pain
      is
     
     
      gone,
      Van
      sounds
      likea
     
     
      happy
      hippy
      here.
      *‘
      Wild
     
     
      Night’’
      is
      one
      of
      his
      better
     
     
      up-tempo
      numbers
      (never
     
     
      his
      specialty).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Saint
      Dominic's
      Preview
      -
     
     
      Van
      gets
      divorced
      and
      it
     
     
      proves
      to
      be
      the
      saviour
      of
      his
      art.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      7,
      Gypsy...
      Regs
     
     
      wood
      Tree’’
      and
      ‘*]
      Will
      Be
      There’’
      are
      functional,
      —
     
     
      but
      the
      rest
      ranks
      amongst
      his
      best
      work.
      ‘‘Jackie
     
     
      Wilson
      Said
      (I’m
      In
      Heaven
      When
      You
      Smile)’’
      is
     
     
      his
      best
      rocker.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hardnose
      the
      Highway
      -
      Lambasted
      by
      the
      critics,
     
     
      this
      is
      really
      not
      that
      bad.
      I’
      ll
      take
      this
      over
      the
      best
     
     
      of
      his
      eighties
      work
      anyday.
      True,
      it’s
      sometimes
     
     
      nauseating
      (“‘Snow
      In
      San
      Anselmo’’)
      and
      frequently
     
     
      forgettable,
      but
      ‘‘
      Warm
      Love,”’
      the
      title
      track,
      ‘*‘
      Wild
     
     
      Children’’
      and
      ‘‘
      Purple
      Heather’’
      work
      fine.
      And
      the
     
     
      voice
      is
      at
      its
      best,
      which
      may
      be
      enough
      in
      itself.
     
     
      Morrison’s
      Goat’s
      Head
      Soup.
      Take
      that
      as
      you
      will.
     
    
   
   
    
     
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