Van Morrison - The Philosopher's Stone
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Free Music Notes for The Philosopher's Stone
Free Music Review: Oh What a Joyous Sound!
Hit: 5 Stars
THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE is proof positive that Van Morrison is almost as bad at choosing which songs to release and which to leave in the vaults as Paul McCartney is. (Paul should really release a collection like this too, but that's another story altogether.) Comprised of unreleased songs spanning the years from 1971-1988, this is a two-disc, two-and-a-half-hour windfall that belongs in the collection of any serious Van Fan.
The first CD plays better than the second as a whole, mostly because the recordings collected here cover a shorter span - specifically the period between 1971 and 1976 - lending it, if not a sense of cohesion, then at least a more uniform sound. Highlights? "Madame Joy" is a buoyantly nostalgic look back at that girl every boy wanted. The emotionally shattered "Not Supposed to Break Down" viciously indicts society's demands that we keep our emotions locked inside. The eight-minute original version of "Wonderful Remark" far outstrips its latter-day counterpart in its airy grace. "Drumshanbo Hustle" is the product of Van's by-now familiar disdain for the record industry, but is much sharper and generally better than his bitter screeds of the 90s. The searing funk of "Naked in the Jungle" forms the backdrop to one of Van's most intense vocal performances. The title of the slight-yet-touching "Lover's Prayer" says it all; same goes for the breezy "Laughing in the Wind". And that's not even half of Disc 1.
After the release of 1974's VEEDON FLEECE, Van Morrison went on hiatus until 1977. Over the course of these years, reports surfaced that Van was in the process of recording a new album, but nothing came of these rumours. Many of these sessions are present here, spread out over the end of Disc 1 and the beginning of Disc 2. And if Van Morrison had indeed made an album with these songs, it would have easily been his best album since ST. DOMINIC'S PREVIEW, and would have retained that title until 1979's masterpiece INTO THE MUSIC.
Disc 2 is, as mentioned above, somewhat more uneven, but a treasure trove of great songs nevertheless. It kicks off with this set's lost masterpiece, "The Street Only Knew Your Name". This flawless gem of a song would seem to foreshadow Van's nostalgia obsession of the 80s and 90s, but its sound and peerless vocal performance are pure 70s Van. The disc then progresses through a pair of blues covers and alternate takes of songs from A PERIOD OF TRANSITION and INTO THE MUSIC, with a great new cut (the pensive "I Have Finally Come to Realize") thrown in for good measure. This brings us up to the 80s, where the highlights are fewer but the quality is still high: the straight-up R&B of "Street Theory", Van's cover of Robin Williamson's poetic "For Mr. Thomas", and "High Spirits", a suitably rousing leftover from the Chieftains collaboration IRISH HEARTBEAT, especially stand out from this period.
Van Morrison is one of the most prolific writers, recorders, and performers in all rock music. He's released almost an album a year since 1970, and it's clear from THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE that he had, and probably still has, even more just waiting in the vaults. And not just odds and ends either; the vast majority of the selections are fully-formed, well-performed songs that, for whatever reason or another, Van simply chose not to release. Just another testament to the staggering talent that is George Ivan "Van the Man" Morrison.
Free Music Review: The greatest living vocalist on planet earth period
Hit: 5 Stars
For a so called B side/un-released song collection this is ridiclously good. Van is a seminal arist for the more mature music ears. Only a place like Ireland with its love for music and the arts could produce a mystic, poetic genius like this.
He is a rare artist that puts the corporate music biz to shame. His concerts sell out in minutes without any promotion and i think he has even surpassed his hero Bob Dylan. We will be telling our kids about the genius of Van morrison. He is the best white soul/blues singer on earth today. On his last tour the tickets for his concert in nashville sold in 12 minutes. Long live Van. We need him to keep going to shame the no talented teenyboppers and MTV sellouts.
Free Music Review: The Street That Knew My Name
Hit: 4 Stars
Somehow I had either forgotten and/or misplaced my Phil Stone CD
and played it this past week. The years have gone by so quickly and Van's catalog has always been impressive.....so the headphones came out and I was again transformed... to another place and time and then back again to today.
I have read all 35+ reviews and agree with most all in some way or another but I do feel that PS is a masterpiece in so very many ways. Van shouts, growls...has the eternal "Fire in his belly" and brings us a sense of the blues and funk and gospel. As has come to be expected, VM had the presence of mind to use musicians of such stellar quality....especially the brilliant piano work of Jef Labes to forge this expensive gem.
As was noted by another reviewer, it is worth it alone for the superb, as yet unmatched, soulful version of "The Street...."
Damn!!!, what a sound, what charts, what a sax, a "Joyous Sound"
that no one save for Ray Charles has ever exhibited on vinyl.
I just love this mans' music.
Free Music Review: Van's Greatest Song Is Here
Hit: 4 Stars
Buy it for The Streets Only Knew Your Name, the finest Van Morrison composition and performance of all time and one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. If you've never heard the forgettable version he released on Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, avoid it like the plague. If you have heard that, this version will make you forget you ever did.
Rest of the record is quite good as well for a collection of outtakes, especially Madam Joy, Really Don't Know, and Mr. Thomas.
Free Music Review: As 'bootleg' collections go, the music is really solid
Hit: 4 Stars
Van Morrison, one of rock's finest songwriters and arguably it's finest singer, crafted a number of strong albums, and that's where most should start. However, once you get through ASTRAL WEEKS, MOONDANCE, and the rest, if you still want more, PHILOSOPHER'S STONE is an excellent set to get. The packaging is a bit lacking (incorrect dates and lyric transcriptions, and even though Van wrote track-by-track notes, he decided not to include them), but as far as content goes, this is an excellent selection of unreleased studio material. Unfortunately, it doesn't include any content like demos or outtakes before the 1970's (hopefully there will be a Volume Two that includes them), but what's here is surprisingly consistent. Even the weaker material like "Twilight Zone" is enjoyable for Van's singing.
Few artists merit collections like these, because in order for them to work, one has to be prolific and, more importantly, shelve 'rejects' that hold up to their best work; this set fulfills both requirements. A strong, early version of "Wonderful Remark" arguably trumps the released version. "Madame Joy" and "Contemplation Rose" are beautiful tracks that could've salvaged HARD NOSE THE HIGHWAY (one of his weakest albums); so could've "Drumshanbo Hustle," an angry, vitriolic song against the music industry that miraculously transcends its bitterness. Then there's "Naked Jungle," possibly his greatest stab at funk, and excellent compositions like "The Street Only Knew Your Name" and "I Have Finally Come To Realize" that disprove the notion that he had trouble coming up with new material in the mid-70's (trouble releasing it, but not writing and recording it). Even better is "Crazy Jane On God," which was meant for release but had to be temporarily shelved for legal reasons (based on a Yeats poem, he didn't get permission to use it); in less capable hands, it could've been a pretentious disaster, but it's surprisingly accessible and works very well here.
It's an expensive set at $30, and for that reason, I'd recommend this only if you've already explored his best work: the early classics with Them, ASTRAL WEEKS, MOONDANCE, ST. DOMINIC'S PREVIEW, VEEDON FLEECE, IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW, and INTO THE MUSIC, for starters. If your appetite is still strong by that point, than PHILOSOPHER'S STONE will definitely come in handy.