Half standards/half originals. I wasn’t even going to bother with yet another new Van Morrison record, but I’m glad I did. The originals are better than the standards, but there is some killer Van gibberish in “Unchained Melody” and “Affirmation” is gorgeous in that, “where the hell is he going” way of old. Highly recommended!
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Van
Half standards/half originals. I wasn’t even going to bother with yet another new Van Morrison record, but I’m glad I did. The originals are better than the standards, but there is some killer Van gibberish in “Unchained Melody” and “Affirmation” is gorgeous in that, “where the hell is he going” way of old. Highly recommended!
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Sal, don't mean to threadcrap the Van post but I've been meaning to give you a heads up on these two guys, both Jason Falkner protégés (JF produces both and performs as well).
Bent Van Looy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJTKnR303aw
Anne Soldaat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhpiWbF6tsc
Being a big JF fan, these guys fit in nicely to my musical rotation. Randy
Hey, I'm glad there's someone else out there who likes "Versatile". Coming so soon after "Roll With the Punches" I was surprised the old chap had another disc out hot on its heels. "Punches" felt like a bit of a musical shot in the arm whereas I feel "Versatile" plays like an homage to Van's jazzy roots. Even at this stage of his career Van the Man isn't just dialing it in; there's some real emotional heft and depth in the performing and song-craft.
Agreed that both discs have some real delights. Although I cannot stand the opening track 'Broken Record'. My continued rant is on the length of albums. Both are just a bit too long. I wondered if these might have worked as a single disc, with a jazz side and a blues side. Regardless, it is good to hear Van when he gets inspired.
Troy,
My friend said the same thing about "Broken Record." I love it because it reminds me of old Van, when he gets into that trance. "Workin/workin/workin/workin/workin" or "you/youyouyou/youyou/youyouyouyou."
Randy, that Bent Van Looy is great!! Thanks for the heads up. Working on Anne Soldaat. Singing voice is not happening for me on first go.
Sal,
I get that, and I like the examples you mentioned. But when he starts on the broken record repeat, I reach for the track skip button. I think it sounds too much like a broken record. So I guess Van wins after all. But I still go to track 2.
Hello all...no, please remain seated,
Van and I lost touch with each other some years back (...but I know, it’s my own damn fault). But Unchained Melody is my “Wichita Lineman” league of great songs. So, I listened with trepidation. Holy-moley, you’re right! Killer jibberish by the Belfast Lion. When the horns picked up about 2/3rds of the way in, I half-expected he would shout “Jack!!!” by way of introducing a 16 bar tenor solo. Since that didn’t happen I’m forced, more in sorrow than in anger, to deduct a half-star.
Lovely, lovely version. Thanks for the turn on.
Regards, RichD
OK, you moved me back into the "yes" camp on this record (speaking about the jazz set, not so much the blues LP that preceded) by Van. I'm a huge Van fan, and generally buy it all these days, but wasn't excited about what I saw as perhaps a genre exercise, and with songs picked that I wasn't excited about, on paper anyway.
But your comments, and you focusing in on a few songs of interest, got me back on board - I'm picking "Versatile" up this weekend. The arrangement on "Affirmation" reminds me of some of the ones on what I think is his great "lost" record that nobody talks about, the badly-titled "Poetic Champions Compose." PCC is in my Top 5 Van records, and that "Versatile" seems to veer that way works for me.
Sal, I was pleasantly surprised that the the set held together as a nice listening experience. Although I could have gone with one or two less "Broken Record" shout outs. I guess I was most surprised with some of the standards (not all) where I thought Van really added value in his interpretation.
Joe
I think his repeating "broken record" might be my favorite thing about the song. It's soooo very Van.
All this broken record stuff reminds of the time my vinyl copy of Moondance got a glob of something on it that made it skip in an interesting place.
It was during the 2nd verse of the song Moondance, and here's how it sounded until I removed the glob:
"...well I want to make love to you tonight, I can't...tonight, I can't... tonight, I can't... tonight, I can't..."
My Elton "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" had a skip in Bennie & The Jets.
"You know I read it in a maga-zay-EEN, zay-EEN, zay-EEN, zay-EEN!"
Affirmation is gorgeous!
C in California
Two good ones from Van The Man!
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