40 Year Itch : Rocking His Gypsy Soul

    On July 10, 1974, a week after the Montreaux performance in which he played mostly songs unfamiliar to the audience, Van Morrison appeared on the German version of Rock Concert, Musikladen. He played "Warm Love" ( from Hard Nose the Highway) and "Into the Mystic" ( from Moondance) as well as a few of the tunes he played in Switzerland. When the upcoming Veedon Fleece met with a collective shrug from fans, Van would take a three year hiatus from recording.

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40 Year Itch : Van Plays Montreux

   Every so often, an artist reaches that point where they want to wipe the slate clean, ignore the hits that made them stars, and start all over again. On June 20, 1974 Van Morrison, looking  like John Denver's shaggier brother,  brought a stripped down band to the Montreux Jazz Festival and played a nine-song set. With the exception of the deep cut "Street Choir", all of the songs were unfamiliar to the audience. Listen closely and you can hear a lone voice screaming for "Wild Night". Not tonight. The audience doesn't look thrilled especially after they endure two straight instrumentals with Van playing sax. The band is made up of Crosby, Stills and Nash drummer Dallas Taylor, British Keyboardist Pete Wingfield and bassist Jerome Rimson.



   Here's your set list and eventual album on which the song appeared

1. Twilight Zone   The Philsopher's Stone ( a 1998 archival set)
2. I Like It Like That  Never Released ( written in Them days)
3. Foggy Mountain Top   The Philsopher's Stone
4. Bulbs   Veedon Fleece single
5. Swiss Cheese    Never Released ( instrumental with VM on sax)
6. Heathrow Shuffle   Never Released ( instrumental with VM on sax)
7. Naked in the Jungle The Philsopher's Stone
8. Street Choir   His Band and Street Choir
9. Harmonica Boogie

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40 Year Itch: Everpresent Everywhere

[Purchase]

   Recorded in both California and London with the ultra tight 11 piece Caledonia Soul Orchestra in the Summer of '73, Van Morrison's superb double live album It's Too Late to Stop Now was released in February of 1974. The string and horn section --and Van's fiery delivery--give even Morrison's Them era tunes an epic quality.

     The 1973 tour was put together to promote Morrison's first disappointing album, Hard Nose the Highway. (Only "Warm Love" can stand next to the high achievements of the man's early 70's work). Van pays tribute to his favorite soul artists by covering soul standards "Ain't Nothin' You Can Do" ( Bobby Bland) "I Believe To My Soul" ( Ray Charles),  " Bring It On Home To Me " ( Sam Cooke) "I Just Want to Make Love To You" ( Muddy Waters), "Help Me" and "Take Your Hands Outta My Pocket" ( both by Sonny Boy Williamson II)

   Morrison's goal: to make the best truly live album ever recorded. That meant no overdubs. And no "Moondance" because of a single bum note.

        This is Van Morrison at the peak of his form. But it wouldn't last. A restless and irritable bandleader, Van broke up the Caledonia Soul Orchestra after the '73 tour, divorced Janet Planet  and moved back to Belfast for the first time since 1966 where he wrote the 1974 album Veedon Fleece.

   But that doesn't come out until October so let's take a moment to relish the live album that marks the zenith of Morrison's  concert career.

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The Very Very Best of 1973's Greatest Hits Albums

As Christmas 1973 approached, record buyers bought friends and family members greatest hits albums released that year by such acts as The Carpenters, John Denver, The Beatles, Bread and Simon and Garfunkel. These were the best selling of the "Best of"s, stacked with hits we all know. But 1973 also provided music fans with far more esoteric compilations. Here's just a few:

Cashing in on Bowie's stardom, Decca releases four sides of Bowie singles B sides and his entire debut album. Notable, for Bowie's Anthony Newley impressions and the horrid "Laughing Gnome" which somehow climbs into the UK Top 10 in late '73.

Double disc collection pairing the first Move album with a collection of singles and B sides. Ignore the rest of the band's output at your own peril.

A very decent sampler of songs from Rod Stewart's first four album, Sing It Again Rod includes "Maggie May", "You Wear It Well" , "Handbags and Gladrags" and a classic album cover.

Six disc collection and informative liner notes make this a solid introduction to the world of jazz, with tracks ranging form the birth of jazz to the early 60's "free jazz" of Ornette Coleman.

Songs Van recorded in 1967 including the powerhouse title track, the hit "Brown Eyed Girl" and early versions of Astral Weeks classics like "Madame George and "Beside You". Released without Van the Man's approval. Deep cut choice is "Ro Ro Rosey".

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40 Year Itch: Van the Man Plays the Rainbow

For two nights in July of 1973 Van Morrison and his ultra tight 11 piece Caledonia Soul Orchestra played the Rainbow Theatre in London. This is the same band that would record the classic 1974 double live album It's Too Late to Start Now. The string and horn section --and Van's fiery delivery--give even Morrison's Them era tunes an epic quality. The 1973 tour was put together to promote Morrison's first disappointing album Hard Nose the Highway. (Only "Warm Love" can stand next to the high achievements of the man's early 70's work).

 A restless and irritable bandleader, Van broke up the Caledonia Soul Orchestra after the '73 tour but we have the live album and this show to mark the zenith of his concert career.

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