VAN MORRISON
Ain't nothin' but a stranger in this world George Ivan Morrison was born in Belfast in 1945, son of a jazz and blues fan.
By the mid-sixties he had two Top 10 UK hits - ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ and ‘Here Comes The Night’ with the group Them. The group split up after a long US tour, but it didn’t take long for Van to be back in the US to record ‘Brown-Eyed Girl’ (US Top 10).
It was his ‘Astral Weeks’ album which made him stand out. It was a passionate, emotionally-charged work with lengthy songs, full of memories, of a world now on the brink of change (the Northern Ireland troubles were just around the corner). ‘Moondance’ is very much a lighter offering, spiritually uplifting with tales of love, jazzy and easy listening, compared to ‘Astral Weeks’.
Van has taken us on a long and winding journey through the last five decades, exploring many avenues. From his tribute to his R&B mentors in ‘It’s Too Late To Stop Now’, an in-concert selection, backed by the Caledonia Soul Orchestra, to his ‘Veedon Fleece’ - written on a sabbatical - capturing spirituality.
Religion and the idea of love featured heavily in Van’s 1980s work. ‘Have I Told You Lately’ is the ultimate love song, ‘Queen Of The Slipstream’ is up there too.
The 90s saw him collaborate with a wide range of musicians, from Cliff Richard to Elvis Costello. He even wrote a few songs for Tom Jones, quite a change in direction. The duet with Cliff even brought a Top 20 single in the UK, ‘Whenever God Shines His Light’.
In the past few years, he has still been producing a huge volume of work. He is able to marry the ideas of love, life, death, religion, poetic thought, Celtic themes, and produce the ultimate in thought provocation.
Van and Kevin have a lot in common, from their contempt for the media to their pride in their Irish roots. They have both rebelled religion, only to return to it at a later date after a turbulent and soul searching period.
Lyrically, their songs stir up the same emotions - from confessional to nostalgic.
VM has been more prolific than KR, but essentially they are cut from the same cloth. Their music is so deep, and powerful, and spiritually uplifting .
Van has used improvisation to add a mind-blowing dimension to some of his songs, particularly notable in ‘Almost Independence Day’ with Van shouting, whispering, praising. Kevin has used this method himself throughout his career to further enhance the depth of meaning to a song.
The ‘Calendonian Soul’ sound, as first produced by Van in the 70s was all too evident on Too-Rye-Ay. I think a cover of ‘Jackie Wilson Said’ confirms just how strong an influence he was at that particular time.
Listen to ‘Madame George’ (Astral Weeks) and ‘Into The Mystic’ (Moondance), and you will see why Van has been so inspirational to Kevin. These two songs were chosen by him on R2’s Tracks of my Years at the end of last year. Like Van, and many of us here, Kevin Rowland ‘Ain’t nothing but a stranger in this world’ (Astral Weeks).
Written by Nicola
