Sunday, October 20, 2019

ROCKTOBER MusicFest - 4 (Or, Van Morrison Saves The Night!)

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This is my fourth contribution to MMQE's 'ROCKTOBER MusicFest' at 'Jingle Jangle Jungle'. Click HERE for more!
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In my second installment of this series, I stated that I thought Van Morrison's [link> 'It's Too Late To Stop Now' (1974) was unquestionably one of the very greatest live albums ever released. Truthfully, I'm not ordinarily a big fan of live albums and thus I don't have a lot of them in my music collection. ('It's Too Late To Stop Now'; The Band's 'Last Waltz'; Wes Montgomery's 'Smokin' At The Half Note'; 'The Dave Brubeck Quartet At Carnegie Hall'; Louis Prima's 'The Wildest Show At Tahoe'; and two live sets by The Pat Metheny Group.)
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To me, a good (or great) live album is when many (or most) of the songs performed live are superior to their studio-recorded counterparts. And that's why I think 'It's Too Late To Stop Now' is a great live album. The only song on the album that I don't feel was better'n the studio track is 'Listen To The Lion' (but even that one is fairly close). Bassist David Hayes once said: "When I speak to Van about that album, he still talks about it as having marked the peak of his career. He really feels he was on to something very special."
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At the bottom of this blog bit I am going to embed a 5-song playlist from the terrific live album 'It's Too Late To Stop Now'. (Psst! I really love the melancholia that pervades 'Wild Children' and the mention of James Dean's final ride.) But before you listen to those wonderful songs, I want you to see and hear Van Morrison saving the night.
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It was 1976, and The Band was performing their final concert, "The Last Waltz", with a bunch of invited musical guest stars. Levon Helm, The Band's drummer, wrote a very interesting book which I read years ago:
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On pages 264 and 265 of 'This Wheel's On Fire', Levon Helm wrote this:
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By now it was after midnight, and the crowd was subdued. The momentum of the show had been lost halfway through Joni's set [Joni Mitchell]. Richard Manuel turned the piano over to John Simon and began to sing "Tura Lura Lura", the Irish lullaby. Van Morrison (in a maroon suit) made his entrance amid much cheering - this was Van's first appearance onstage in more than two years - and The Last Waltz was suddenly revived with a spectacular version of "Caravan". John Simon conducted The Band and the horns as Van burned through his great song - "Turn it up! Little bit louder! Radio!" - complete with kick-steps across the stage at the end. Van turned the whole thing around, God bless him for being the showman that he is.
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I saw Van Morrison perform live in Los Angeles 3 or 4 different times and what I found was that when Van isn't really in the mood, the shows are pretty standard fare. But when Van IS in the mood, he's a doggone fantastic performer who puts on one of the greatest concerts you're ever likely to see and hear.
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So, let's take a look 'n' listen to Van-The-Man in 1976, when he came out and saved the night after Joni Mitchell put the crowd to sleep. And do as Van commands: "Turn it up! Little bit higher!" :
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'CARAVAN' - Van Morrison (from 'The Last Waltz')

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Alright, now that you are "in the mood" like Van, here is a 5-song playlist from Van's own 1974 live album 'It's Too Late To Stop Now' :
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Van Morrison - 'It's Too Late To Stop Now' (5 songs)


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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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21 comments:

  1. MikeOctober 20, 2019 at 7:53 PM

    Good stuff

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  2. Arlee BirdOctober 20, 2019 at 9:58 PM

    Can't say I've heard this live album, but that came out way before I started following Van and I never ran across it when I was buying his back catalog of music. I tend to eschew live albums. My peeves are excessive crowd noise and obligatory filler by soloists (especially drummers). But when they are good they are pretty damn good.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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  3. Mary BOctober 21, 2019 at 5:01 AM

    Howdy McStephen!

    4 posts about Van Morrison? People are gonna start yakking.. thinking that you're playing a one note song :) Can't ya play something fun like those boys from the beach? ;)

    I'm only giving you a hard time, no harm, no foul. Am learning lots about this Van Morrison dude. And enjoying the music.

    ~MMQE

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    1. Stephen T. McCarthyOctober 21, 2019 at 9:52 AM

      No worries, MMQE. I've been giving you a bit of a bad time, so payback is expected. ;o)

      However, my plan from the beginning was to run with Van Morrison until the point where I transition into The Band's "Last Waltz". And as you can see, we have reached that point.

      So, my next blog bit will feature songs from 'The Last Waltz' - another great live album. And that'll probably be my stopping point in "Rocktober".

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'

      Delete
  4. Debbie D. October 21, 2019 at 9:59 AM

    Thanks for sharing more about Van Morrison. I haven't paid that much attention to him, until now. Since I love going to concerts, I also like live albums. I BELIEVE TO MY SOUL is a favourite song. Van does it almost as well as Eric Burdon, another excellent live performer.

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    1. Stephen T. McCarthyOctober 21, 2019 at 3:26 PM

      Hey, DEBBIE, glad yer diggin' Van-The-Man!

      I had never heard Eric Burdon's version before, so I just went and listened to him with The Animals, and also a live version from 2008. Good stuffs.

      For me, though... this band behind Van... SMH... damn, was that a band!

      Now there's a good potential future BOTB for ya: 'I Believe To My Soul' - Eric Vs. Van, or Eric Vs. Van Vs. Ray (Charles). Sounds like a top-notch, world-class Battle to me!

      ~ D-FensDogG
      STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

      Delete
    2. Debbie D. October 22, 2019 at 11:13 AM

      Eric Burdon LIVE was and still is incredible! Here's a clip I recorded in 2014, when he was 73 years old: Watch►
      I like you BOTB suggestion! Definitely going to use it. Thanks!

      Delete
    3. Stephen T. McCarthyOctober 23, 2019 at 8:11 AM

      DEBBIE ~

      Wow! Pretty amazing for such an old geezer. He could still belt it out even at 73. I hope I still have that much life in me should I reach that age (which, actually, I hope I don't).

      I'm pleased as spiked punch that you approved of that BOTB idea. That should be a pretty good race, I would imagine.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'

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  5. CAACOctober 22, 2019 at 4:30 AM

    Stephen,

    Your Van-The-Man playlist puts me in a thoughtful state of mind this morning. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sometimes in my mewsic discoveries I come across some of his stuff and am often surprised that I had not heard it before but then I'm finding out that's true of a lot of mewsic. I guess it all goes back to what you're exposed to by the those around you. Growing up listening to the radio was limited because of where we lived. The recipition was terrible living in the valley of those WV mountains. My parents didn't have much money, so buying mewsic wasn't something I did. I rellied on listening to what others were tuned into and what I did hear I rarely paid a lot of attention to who did it. It's funny how I just wasn't wired that way to take notice. DH has an excellent memory of who did what and has more mewsic education/exposure than I only dream about. Maybe one day I'll catch up with him and all the other kids. :) Have a good day, my friend!

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    1. Stephen T. McCarthyOctober 23, 2019 at 8:08 AM

      Very true, CATHY.
      Growing up in Los Angeles, there certainly wasn't anything wrong with our radio reception, and we had all kinds of different radio stations playing almost every imaginable type of music.

      Plus, my parents both loved music and for the most part had slightly different preferences, so I got exposed to quite a bit of great stuffs at home as well, hearing the albums that my parents would play.

      Nevertheless, as a teenager, I was predominantly interested in Hard Rock, but that all changed for me in the '80s when the whole synth-pop thing became the rage, and I started looking for older music (i.e., Blues & Jazz), which I found I greatly preferred.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'

      Delete
    2. CAACOctober 24, 2019 at 7:36 AM

      Stephen,

      The older stuff is usually the best mewsic around. I admit that I got sucked in the disco sound but today I find it a bit hard to revisit. I prefer the classic rock and R&B mewsics from the 60s-90s over the trendy sounds of those times. Living in LA your exposure was probably a whole lot broader than mine ever would or could be. I'm quite a niave person if the truth be told. :)

      Delete
    3. Stephen T. McCarthyOctober 25, 2019 at 10:03 AM

      Well, naive ain't necessarily that bad. There are times I wish I didn't know all that I do. I read some nonfiction books that will haunt me until my final day on this planet.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'

      Delete
    4. CAACOctober 28, 2019 at 6:20 AM

      Stephen,

      Yeah, I'm learning being 'naive' isn't a bad thing. I guess I'd rather being naive than to know too much. Life is truly scary at times.

      Delete
    5. Stephen T. McCarthyOctober 28, 2019 at 9:38 AM

      Yes, CATHY, it is. But the good news is that You-Know-Who is returning soon.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'

      Delete
  6. Kim@StormsAndStardustOctober 22, 2019 at 4:47 PM

    Oh, this was SO GOOD. I think Van Morrison is one of those musicians who transcends genres (not in musical style, but as in many fans and musicians of almost any other genre also love Van's music.

    When I die, I hope I'm just cremated and scattered without any fanfare whatsoever, but if there is a memorial for me, I want his "Into The Mystic" played!

    Kim

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    1. Stephen T. McCarthyOctober 23, 2019 at 8:01 AM

      I'm glad you enjoyed this blog bit, KIM.

      Van was my very favorite musician for a lot of years and 'Into The Mystic' is definitely one of his classics. I actually own two CD copies of that song: the original studio recording from the 'Moondance' album, and of course the live version from 'It's Too Late To Stop Now'. Great stuffs!

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'

      Delete
  7. Sixgun McItchyfingerOctober 23, 2019 at 9:51 AM

    Still enjoying this a lot! I suspect that my enjoyment level (while still remaining elevated) will drop a bit when you transition to The Band.

    That Caravan vid was great!! He really was ON. I loved the reactions of the other musicians to the raw power of his voice. Although I do love Joni Mitchell, one of her songs/concerts would indeed be low-key affairs. She’s one to listen to if you are bolstering a melancholy mood or are very introspective.

    I never did see Van live, and that ship has probably sailed. I try. I have been on his email "tour notice" list for a couple of years and he has not left Europe in a long time, except ONE concert in Oakland (of all places) last year, and upcoming consecutive dates in Lost Wages. I am not really interested in making a special trip there, and it seems to me that playing Vegas will probably be low-key, lifeless, "sellout" kinds of performances.

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    1. Stephen T. McCarthyOctober 23, 2019 at 5:46 PM

      McSIXGUN ~

      There's definitely some good Band stuffs I intend to post here, so, yeah, I think you'll still enjoy it (especially if 'The Last Waltz' performances will be new to you).

      I've liked a few of Joni's songs, but there's something about her voice and the cadence in her singing that kind of makes most of her songs sound pretty much alike to me.

      Hmmm.... You might want to find another source for Van Morrison concerts, because FAE just saw him in Reno on October 2nd. She thought it was a great show. So, that ship may not have sailed just yet, after all.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'

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    2. Sixgun McItchyfingerOctober 23, 2019 at 7:15 PM

      HMMMMMMMM!!!!

      My SOURCE is VAN THE MAN HISSELF. I guess somehow I missed the Reno gig, but I just went to the website and as I thought: all his gigs in the future are in Europe or Vegas or that one place in Oakland the must have blackmail info on him. But I am glad to hear the name "Far Away Eyes," and I'm glad she enjoyed the concert.

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    3. Stephen T. McCarthyOctober 23, 2019 at 7:59 PM

      That's pretty odd that, other than Vegas and Europe, Van favors some joint in Oakland and does one gig in Reno. Oakland and Reno - somehow I suspect there's a connection...

      "I'll take 'Places Where STMcC Doesn't Want To Live' for $500, Alex."

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'

      Delete

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