Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey
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Free Music Notes for Tupelo Honey
Free Music Review: Outstanding
Hit: 5 Stars
1971's Tupelo Honey is an excellent work, upbeat, celebratory even, possessing a great single and a great closer, though not quite on the level of Astral Weeks. But so what? The man made his masterpiece, and Honey is as good as second-rate work can be. "Wild Night," despite having been heard a million times, is still infectious, still grooves, and its classic status is deserved. The second track, "(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball" follows in the soul rave-up line, but "Old Old Woodstock" changes gears marevelously, a pastoral, perfectly constructed and played, slightly jazzy folk song, totally fresh, totally Van. The centerpiece, maybe the best thing Van has done, is the title track, "Tupelo Honey." A great love song, on a record that is basically itself a love song..."I Wanna Roo You" is basically a Dylan knock-off, nothing wrong with that, but looks pretty minor on this particular record, and When that Evening Sun Goes Down" is another upbeat, wholly pleasant song, but at this point we may feel that "Tupelo Honey" should have been sequenced at the end of the record, as the two songs immediately following it cannot be totally appreciated and give the impression of slightness. But the closer picks the album back up and ends it in a marvelous flouish of genre-hopping and energy, wherein Van does no less than promise to "promanade down funky Broadway 'til the cows come home" and provides Shane McGowan with material two decades later wherein "Ohh...she gives me Moonshine Whiskey ohh she gives me Southern love" becomes "Ohh...she give me Mekong whiskey, ohh she gives me Hong Kong flu." Alright. Free Music Review: Rare these days but worth the search
Hit: 4 Stars
It took me an age and a half to find a copy of this, and when I finally did it was a cassette - not exactly my preferred format, child of the CD/digital age that I am. It was well worth it, though. This fully exhibits Van's range and versatility. Right off the bat, the opening single "Wild Night" has him mixing country and R&B, a move that was probably seen as downright audacious at the time. It was a risk that paid off, though: it gave him an across-the-board standard, and easily one of his greatest songs. Many are quick to praise the Steve Cropper-inspired guitar riff, but the thing people forget about that I think deserves attention is the phased sax solo. It sounds wonderfully weird, almost otherworldly. The other big hit from the album was the slow, moving title ballad, one of Van's greatest love songs. The chorus is a hugely catchy burst of joy from a guy not known for being joyful, and again the sax solo is something wonderful. Another, more obscure track I find myself going back to a lot is "Old Old Woodstock", whose jazzy vibes and folksy atmosphere recall the positive elements of Astral Weeks; the weird genre-blenders "Straight to Your Heart (Like a Cannonball)" - a song that cannot be classified; the Irish country of "I Wanna Roo You"; and the funk-rock-soul suite "Moonshine Whiskey" also add a lot to the album. Even the generic boogie "When That Evening Sun Goes Down" is worthwhile because of the guitar solo. A couple songs don't really impress me: I'd be hard-pressed to remember anything about "Starting a New Life", and "You're My Woman" is an overlong, unimpressive track other than (once again) the sax parts. But all told, Tupelo Honey is pretty impressive. My third-favorite Morrison album, in fact, behind Astral Weeks and the tremendous Veedon Fleece. Since Van recently removed several of his albums from print, I'd advise you search your local used record store for a copy. It's really worth tracking down, and it's one of Morrison's best achievements. By the way, why'd he pick this one to go out of print? If he wanted to establish himself as more than "The Moondance guy", well this one really does that: it's got some country, some folk, even some rockabilly. If he was dissatisfied with his songwriting, I fail to see why: I love a lot of the hooks here. If it's just Van being Van, hey, whatever. Free Music Review: pure musical genius
Hit: 5 Stars
no one gets to my soul quite like Van Morrison. He is a true musical genius. "Tupelo Honey", i think, is one of his strongest vocal performances. that song gives me goosebumps....EVERY time i hear it.Free Music Review: Great CD
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD is hard to find. The seller had it in stock, it arrived quickly in beautiful condition.Free Music Review: Unbelievable
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one terrific CD. If you like Van Morrison than this is a must have for you.