Van Morrison

Van Morrison – Days Like This (Remastered) (1995/2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

“Days Like This” is the twenty-third studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1995 (see 1995 in music). It is a diverse group of songs offering a variety of moods and styles. It ranked No. 5 on the UK album charts and was nominated for the Mercury Prize.

One of music’s true originals, Van Morrison’s unique and inspirational musical legacy, is rooted in postwar Belfast.

Born in 1945 Van heard his Shipyard worker father’s collection of blues, country and gospel early in life. Feeding off musical greats such as Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Muddy Waters, Mahalia Jackson and Leadbelly he was a traveling musician at 13 and singing, playing guitar and sax, in several bands, before forming Them in 1964. Making their name at Belfast’s Maritime Club Them soon established Van as a major force in the British R&B scene.

Morrison’s matchless vocal and songwriting talents produced instant classics such as the much covered ‘Gloria’ and ‘Here Comes The Night’. Those talents found full astonishing range in Van’s solo career. After working with Them’s New York producer Bert Berns on beautiful Top 40 pop hit ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ (1967), Morrison moved to another realm.

With one of the most revered catalogues in music history and his unparalleled talents as composer, singer and performer Morrison’s past achievements loom large. But, as throughout his extraordinary career, how that past informs his future achievements and still stirs excitement and keen anticipation.

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Van Morrison – Common One (1980/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

Common One is the twelfth studio album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1980. The album was recorded over a nine-day period at Super Bear Studios, near Nice, on the French Riviera. Its title comes from the 3/4 section of the song “Summertime in England”, where Morrison sings the lyrics “Oh, my common one with the coat so old and the light in her head”. Morrison has cited Common One as his favorite of his own albums.

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Van Morrison – Born to Sing: No Plan B (Remastered) (2012/2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

For his return to Blue Note Records after a several year hiatus, Van Morrison is back to his soulful mix of rhythm and blues, jazz supplemented by horns, with a bit of rock, blues, and Celtic swing. Never an artist easy to pin down, Van continues to satisfy with a mix of his curmudgeonly (fully appropriate to me) lyrics about the money-hungry, greedy recording business, and his feeling of wanting to be left alone with the guarding of his privacy (“If In Money We Trust” “End of the Rainbow“ and “Educating Archie“) balanced by a sweet sentimentality for the early days of Rock and Roll, the 1950s, with a healthy dose of spirituality (“Pagan Heart,” “Retreat and View” and “Open the Door to Your Heart.”) Van is like your cool uncle, whose taste you respect, but you know you have to give him “his distance.”

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Van Morrison – Blowin’ Your Mind! (Remastered) (1967/2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

It was a brand new day for Van Morrison when the Belfast, Ireland legend cut Blowin’ Your Mind!, his spellbinding 1967 debut solo album! Fresh from a string of smash singles fronting British Invasion heroes Them, Van rode “Brown Eyed Girl,” one of the all-time great teen-angst tales, to the top of the charts, then sailed off into the mystic with haunting, slowed-down classics like “He Ain’t Give You None,” “T.B. Sheets” and “Who Drove the Red Sports Car.” Blowin’ Your Mind! is a hypnotic tour de force that ranks with the very best material Van Morrison ever recorded.

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Van Morrison – Beautiful Vision (Remastered) (1982/2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

Morrison’s 13th studio album was released in 1982. The album continued his departure from R&B favoring Celtic folk and jazz influences instead. Many songs on the album are based on the teachings of theosophical writer Alice Bailey, while others show Morrison’s Celtic heritage.

When Morrison returned with his next album, there was still a jazzy element to the tunes, but this time he was embracing a Celtic sound as often as not (and we’re not just saying that because the first song on the album was entitled “Celtic Ray”). It may not be the most commercial album in his catalog, which caused some consternation among those on the business side of Morrison’s career, but as its title implies, it’s a beautiful one, and “Cleaning Windows” is arguably one of the best singles he released in the ’80s.

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Van Morrison – Back on Top (Remastered) (1999/2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

“Back on Top” is the twenty-seventh studio album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in 1999. This album marks a slight return to the forms of music he is most known for: blues and R&B. Upon the album’s release, Rolling Stone reviewed it as “one Monet and nine Norman Rockwells”, the “Monet” being “When the Leaves Come Falling Down” which it called a masterpiece.

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Van Morrison – Avalon Sunset (Remastered) (1989/2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

Avalon Sunset is the nineteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison.

The album opens with “Whenever God Shines His Light”, issued as a successful single that charted at No. 20 in the UK and was a duet with Cliff Richard. The album contains the religious ballad “Have I Told You Lately”, which became a hit single for Morrison, reaching #12 on the Adult Contemporary Charts and was a bigger hit for Rod Stewart in 1993. This song was included on Morrison’s 2007 album, Van Morrison at the Movies – Soundtrack Hits.[citation needed] Brian Hinton compares the idyllic female in “Orangefield” to Beatrice in the Divine Comedy.

Phil Keaggy covered “When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God” on his 1993 album Crimson and Blue.

On Avalon Sunset, Rob Sheffield wrote, Morrison sang about God and love in a scat-influenced style, set against a musical backdrop of mellow folk rock. According to Donald Clarke, the album combined “religiosity and Celtic feeling, a sort of superior New Age music”.

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Van Morrison – Astral Weeks: Live at the Hollywood Bowl (Remastered) (2009/2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

The sixth live album of Morrison’s career had to be something special to stand out among its predecessors, and this track-bytrack concert re-creation of perhaps his most acclaimed studio release doesn’t disappoint. Don’t, however, expect a carbon copy of what went before, as its maker has seemingly put greater effort and energy into this project than he has most of his more recent studio albums.

Liberally daubing fresh light and shade onto such familiar material required a steady hand and, with some confidence, Van reveals previously hidden dynamics to Astral Weeks that time and budget constraints may have denied him back in 1968. The original album’s guitarist, Jay Lerner, is on hand to embellish his earlier work, the addition of lush strings elevates some songs to new heights, while Morrison himself has come up with “epilogues” to a handful of song (the title track and Cyprus Avenue in particular), propelling their storylines into unchartered territory.

Naysayers may wince at the very thought of tampering with purity or perfection, but Morrison, an artist so often described as “spiritual”, has been savvy and self-respectful enough to keep the spirit intact.

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Van Morrison – Astral Weeks (1968/2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

Chart History/Awards
– One of Rolling Stone‘s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
– One of MOJO‘s “100 Best Albums.”
– One of NME‘s “Greatest Albums of All Time.”
– Inducted into the Gramy Hall of Fame in 1999.

1968’s Astral Weeks remains not only Morrison’s masterpiece, but one of the greatest records ever made. A haunting, deeply personal collection of impressionistic folk styled epics recorded by an all star jazz backing unit, its poetic complexity earned critical raves. It is included on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” MOJO’s “100 Best Albums” and NME’s “Greatest Albums of All Time.” Standouts include “Sweet Thing,” “Cyprus Avenue” and “The Way Young Lovers Do.”

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Van Morrison – A Sense of Wonder (Remastered) (1985/2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

A Sense of Wonder is the fifteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison released in 1985. On first release, original pressings had to be recalled when the W. B. Yeats estate refused to allow Morrison’s musical version of the poem “Crazy Jane on God” to be included, as they believed his poems should only be set to classical music. Morrison substituted “If You Only Knew” for the Yeats’ recording. (Later, perhaps due to Morrison’s efforts, Yeats poems would be put to rock settings on a whole album).

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Van Morrison – A Period of Transition (Remastered) (1977/2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

A Period of Transition is the ninth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music). It was his first album in two-and-a-half years, largely forgotten or overlooked by most casual fans. At the time of its release it was received with some disappointment by critics and fans: “Most were hoping for a work of primeval vocal aggression that would challenge the emerging élite of Morrison pretenders, whose ranks included Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Phil Lynott, Graham Parker and Elvis Costello.” However, the album is still notable for several major compositions, including “Heavy Connection”, “Flamingos Fly”, “The Eternal Kansas City” and “Cold Wind in August”.

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Van Morrison – A Night In San Francisco (1994/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

A Night in San Francisco is a live album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1994. Guest artists were Candy Dulfer, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells and Jimmy Witherspoon as well as Morrison’s daughter, Shana Morrison. James Hunter and Brian Kennedy helped out with the vocals and Georgie Fame was also present.

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Van Morrison – ..It’s Too Late to Stop Now…Volumes II, III & IV (Live) (2016) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · September 21, 2022 · Comments off

Often cited as one of the best live albums ever made, Van Morrison’s original „..It’s Too Late to Stop Now…“ has been remastered in 24-bit high-resolution audio for the very first time in history.

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Van Morrison – What’s It Gonna Take? (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · June 15, 2022 · Comments off

“What’s It Gonna Take?” is the follow-up to Van Morrison’s 2021 release – the 28-track double album Latest Record Project, Vol. 1 – and is further evidence of the rich creative vein one of the world’s greatest artists is currently on.

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