Van Morrison - Avalon Sunset
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Van MorrisonEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1989-05-19
Music Label: Polydor / Umgd
Soundtracks:
- Whenever God Shines His Light
- Contacting My Angel
- I'd Love To Write Another Song
- Have I Told You Lately
- Coney Island
- I'm Tired Joey Boy
- When Will I Ever Learn To Live In God
- Orangefield
- Daring Night
- These Are The Days
Free Music Notes for Avalon Sunset
Free Music Review: Great cover, unimpressive album
Hit: 2 Stars
Okay, I know I'm setting myself up to get lambasted here, but whatever. I just don't understand why this is universally revered. Some of it's nice, and it's always listenable, but it's also overwhelmingly dull.
Good news first: I like the two big hits as much as anybody. "Have I Told You Lately" is a bit on the sappy side, but it's also heavy on the melodic side, and Van sings well on it. "Whenever God Shines His Light", a duet with Cliff Richard (of the skiffle group Cliff Richard and the Shadows, best known for being abruptly knocked off the charts by the best band in the world - y'know, those four moptops from Liverpool - while they were riding high), is my favorite. Richard himself sounds a bit too much like a white guy trying to sing reggae (not tht I mind reggae, but white guys shouldn't sing it), but other than that it's a fine track with a nice piano part. I also like the organ solo on the testimonial "When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God?", though it's a bit too long at five minutes; and the blues "I'd Love to Write Another Song" does display a bit of energy and a fun horn part. Now, "Another Song" and "Live in God" combined aren't as good as "Whenever God Shines His Light", but whatever.
So, now to the bad half. "Coney Island" is simply impossible to listen to. It's Van narrating about his life in Ireland in an impossibly heavy Irish accent. So heavy, in fact, it would probably be considered racist if Van weren't Irish. I mean, he sounds like the leprechaun from that cereal Lucky Charms. At least it's only two minutes long, unlike the SIX devoted to "Daring Night", a six-minute snoozefest which, despite not being an abomination like "Coney Island", is still awful because it's six minutes of boring. At least "I'm Tired Joey Boy" is only two minutes of boring. Unlike "Contacting My Angel" - its five minutes seem like five HOURS because NOTHING HAPPENS AT ALL. Pure mood can only get you so far.
Oh yeah, another problem? Van's forgotten about lyrics. I mean, they're present, but they're so inconsequential that they're not worth discussing. Or else they're repetitive, one or the other. "Orangefield" is pretty much "Then we walked in the orangefield then we talked in the orangefield then we made love in the orangefield then we ding-dong-ditched Old Man Jenkins in the orangefield then we..." okay, I made all those lyrics up, but they all end with "In the orangefield!" I am aware this happened in the orangefield! I can just look at the title and find that out. I know it's a petty thing to complain about, but it gets on my nerves, that's all. And it's got no musical merits either. "These Are the Days" is, other than "Coney Island" (and possibly "Daring Night"), my least favorite song on the album. Now, the Van of old could've pulled that one off. He would've put so much enthusiasm into it that it would actually sound like the song of boundless optimism it clearly wants to be. But it's sterilized here, so forget it. Furthermore, the ending is SO AWFUL. Van sings "These are the days", and some backup singers moan whatever comes to mind. Blerf.
Look, I'm aware that this is the sacred cow to end all sacred cows when it comes to Van's post-Into the Music career. But you want my thoughts? Pick up anything Van put out from Astral Weeks up to Veedon Fleece - my favorites are Astral Weeks, Moondance, Tupelo Honey, St. Dominic's Preview, and Veedon Fleece. Those are a LOT more satisfying than this. Van may have found God, but he lost me.
Avalon Sunset Poster
When R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe wrote "That's me in the spotlight / Losing my religion," he could have been singing about Van Morrison, the man who lost his three times within a decade. In the end, though, Van returned to Christ and found himself rewarded with his first British Top 20 hit. With its sparse piano hook and Cliff Richard's guest vocals, "Whenever God Shines His Light" is a misleading beginning for an album awash in the kind of sentimental orchestration that might hurt one's teeth were it not for its perpetrators' almost childlike wonder. Cynics, then, needn't concern themselves with love songs like "Have I Told You Lately" and "Orangefield"--both of which suggest that, despite his renewal of faith, Morrison's muse isn't purely metaphysical. Even better is the spoken-word reverie "Coney Island," in which a grown man can be heard extolling the virtues of potted herrings. Naturally, it's the best thing here. --Peter PaphidesBlues Music CDs
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