Monday, February 19, 2018

Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, & The Blues



People who don't like the blues tend to complain that it all sounds the same. I've heard the same said about Van Morrison. Hell, I've said it about Van Morrison. There are clumps of records, spread out over various eras of Morrison's career, that feel interchangeable. Yet there is always something, like his version of the oft-covered "St. James Infirmary," found on his disappointing Blue Note release, "What's Wrong With This Picture?."

I thought I never needed to hear another version of "Infirmary," and then Van turns in a bone chilling performance. When Van is good, he is transcendent. And the same can be said about the blues.

"Too Long In Exile," Van's 1993 effort, is as important to my listening as both "Astral Weeks" and "Moondance." I am sure personal circumstances add to the charm of this record, as I had just opened my shop and just about any new release was exciting. But also, there was a great story told to us by someone in Van's camp about the version of "Gloria" on this record. Recorded as a duet with John Lee Hooker, Van instructed John Lee on a number of takes, to just "vamp," a call and response, so to speak. And so it began:

Van:
Gonna shout it all night
John Lee:
A soul sender
Van:
Gonna shout it everyday
John Lee:
Real, real, real love, now now
Van:
Shout it now, shout it now
John Lee:
Love, love, love, real, real, real
Van:
What's her name?
John Lee:
BESSIE MAE!

The version of "Gloria" has become my personal favorite, not only because it truly packs a wallop, but that story feels truer than ever when you hear John Lee spell out her name, a number of different ways.

"G-L-L-O-A"
"G-O-L-I-A"
"G-R-R-O-L"

This is the real thing.

"Too Long In Exile," also features Georgie Fame, Van's more than occasional side man, and a legend in his own right.

And, it features the song I posted up top, "I'll Take Care Of You," a perfect example of what Van can do with the blues to elevate it higher than just "sounding the same." The way he delivers the line,"Yeah, having no doubts in my mind, just exactly what I'm gonna do," which takes place between 2:22-2:28, is worth the price of admission.

9 comments:

ge said...

Till We Get The Healing Done
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbIlXz1neik
=my go-to cut off this alvin,
something re the way the chorus chords hit that unending-feeling ascending pattern
w/ the held organ note
and the sorta-scientological holy spirited lyrics

Anonymous said...

personal favorite is Ball and Chain for whatever thats worth!! i actually go back to this one fairly often!

Anonymous said...

I had to reevaluate my feelings about Van Morrison when on some early PBS show including the Byrds, ShaNaNa and the Airplane, Bill Graham declared Van the most intense performer Bill had ever seen. Now I make sure to check out each release that's available for nuggets. My favorite one that I would have otherwise missed is "Rave On, John Donne."

as for the blues, well it's all in the performance, isn't it?

A walk in the woods said...

Yeah, love that version of "Gloria." Speaking of "What's Wrong With This Picture" though, the key song on that record is "The Meaning Of Loneliness" - absolutely one of Van's best songs of the last 15 years, and in fact one of my favorite Van songs ever.

rick said...

Love the live version of RaveOn, John Donne. Just brilliant.

kevin m said...

Yep, love this version of Gloria!

perruca said...

maravilloso disco

Chris Collins said...

Van was on a hot streak at this time. I loved "Enlightenment", "Avalon Sunset" and "Hymns To the Silence". I still listen to all of these albums regularly. This duet has always been magic to me. It might be my favorite version of this almost-perfect song.

Troy said...

Agreed that this was a terrific, inspired period for Van. There was a live concert from the Beacon Theatre in the late 80s with his great band plus John Lee Hooker, Mose Allison, and others. It was only on VHS, never on DVD. Fantastic show. Too Long in Exile came out a few years later.