There’s no need to worry about coverage or co-pays when you get your health insurance through John Lee Hooker and Van Morrison:
Thanks to Pat Thomas for rediscovering this Lester Bangs quote about Van Morrison‘s legendary 1968 album, Astral Weeks. “What Astral Weeks deals in are not facts but truths. Astral Weeks, insofar as it can be pinned down, is a record about people stunned by life, completely overwhelmed, stalled in their skins, their ages and selves, …
Here is a previously unreleased early 70’s Van Morrison recording, never been issued, (yanked from several releases), Van says, “It’s hard to work out why you didn’t put something out at the time. Usually it felt like it didn’t fit… When I was with Warner Brothers they were very minimalist.” – Pat Thomas is the …
In the summer of 1983, needing a break from my high-paying, but totally dead-end job at Kodak in Rochester, I asked for a month off and got it – and I bought my 19 yr old self a plane ticket and Euro-Rail Pass and set off to Europe. I brought a Walkman and just ONE …
I’ve always had to call into question not just the musical taste of someone who claims not to like Van Morrison, but their entire being. For me, it would be like saying that ‘I don’t like to breathe fresh air’ or ‘I prefer to live in a dark cold cave’ than enjoy a sunshine day. …
At Mississippi Records in Portland this past weekend, not only did I find a DJ promo copy of Veedon Fleece on vinyl for $4, but also Cahoots by the Band, which I never knew had this collab with the Belfast Cowboy. “Oh, Belfast cowboy, lay your cards on the grade Oh, Belfast cowboy, can you …
No artist ever did a better job of turning an innocent lip-synch into a monumental fuck-you. – Scott Schinder http://youtu.be/GiaYVr7Vg9M
Right about now, I could use a “cold wind in August” – it’s fairly warm in LA. August 31 is Van the Man’s birthday, I thought I’d celebrate with Van, joined by Dr. John on keys, and Mick Ronson on guitar, (one of my favorite power trios ever) filmed on Dutch TV in ’77. – …
Producer Ted Templeman remarked that he went through three engineers during the recording of the LP, due to Morrison’s “ability as a musician, arranger and producer”: “When he’s got something together, he wants to put it down right away with no overdubbing … I’ve had to change engineers who couldn’t keep up with him.” Morrison’s …
When asked: “What is a friend?” Aristotle replied: “One soul inhabiting two bodies.” In 1989, Dylan spent some time with Van Morrison in Athens, Greece. The two were at Philopappos (The Hill Of The Muses) on June 27, performing Van’s song “Foreign Window”, “it’s a song about suffering….it’s not about any one person or any …
Getting My First Listen To Van’s Live album from 1974. But now I see a link to Wavelength.- Live. Damn, I loved/still love that one. But hey, “We gaze out on.” – Ron Swanson
Tomorrow is the 35th Anniversary of The Last Waltz. According to the Wik, “The Last Waltz was a concert by the rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The Last Waltz was advertised as the end of The Band’s illustrious touring career,and the concert …
Indescribably beautiful: .
Upon hearing of East Portland Blog’s celebration of 2011 as “The Year of Van Morrison,” Tim Midgett registered his discontent with Van by sending me this link to a WFMU blog entry about Van’s curious 1967 recording sessions undertaken for Bang Records. http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/09/van_morrisons_c.html The entry is a few years old, and at one time it …
Obvious thoughts RE: “Year of Van Morrison” contrivance: 1. In high school everyone seemed to think that Morrison’s last name was “Van Morrison,” just like an older relative of Van Halen. 2. Mr. Morrison is very short, but this physical limitation did not prevent him from taking an adult-sized helping from the Communal Cocaine Pile …
Portland, OR January 2, 2011 – Ending months of negotiation and unbridled industry speculation, EastPortlandBlog.com announced today its decision to declare 2011 to be the “Year of Van Morrison” in East Portland, on the internet, and across the world. “We are delighted that our year-long celebration of Van Morrison, the man, his music and his …
. . The 1978 concert movie “The Last Waltz” was unusual for a couple of reasons. One, it was directed by Martin Scorsese and two, it was a farewell show for an enormously popular group that had all it’s original members living, no real drop in popularity, and no band members with outstanding warrants (no …
“Summertime in England” is from Van’s Common One album, his least popular and most misunderstood work. The song is typically 15 minutes in length, an incredible blend of jazz and gospel, suffering and bliss, and is best enjoyed live. Saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis has free reign in this 1980 Montreux Jazz Festival appearance. Love it! …
The passage below is from an interview with Greil Marcus posted on Blogcritics.org concerning “When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison“: “It is at the heart of Morrison’s presence as a singer,” Marcus asserts, “that when he lights on certain sounds, certain small moments inside a song…can then suggest whole territories, completed …
A lovely, dark, deep, vesperlike version of “Vanlose Stairway,” done by Van Morrison and crew for BBC Four: