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Rating:
FOR JUST THREE LETTERS... Why, one wonders, is God so cross-eyed? Why instead of taking Jim does He not take away this other Morrison at the time (after all, it was just about three letters, right? He could have turned a blind eye too, couldn't He? He already does it on so many other much more serious messes...). Yep, three letters that make an abyss. Because, without comparing with the singer of the Doors, who has little to do with it, our namesake Irish gentleman, let's face it, hasn't made a decent record or at least one that can be listened to in a single session from start to finish in ages. Nothing... with all the good spirit and willpower I set myself, I just couldn't play it on my compact for more than 20 minutes... it's stronger than me. I get hives, start scratching everywhere, think about unpaid bills, the shopping to do at SMA, crack my neck basically... this album bores me like few others. Why, I wonder? Have I become so picky, or is it the album that's the problem?!
For this third live album, Morrison (the surviving one) organizes two nights near home, indeed in San Francisco, in 1997. I warn you: the show will be the most redundant and "American-style" ever heard in the last 15 years! Among the musicians, many of whom are guests, Shana Morrison, his daughter, sings in just one track (bless her), the young Belfast singer Brian Kennedy who at times duets and at others takes the role of soloist. Georgie Fame, a jazz singer with a long career behind him, plays the organ and sings in one song. The super sexy little Dutch girl Candy Dulfer plays the alto saxophone, while Kate St. John alternates between tenor, soprano, and oboe. And there's also the old bluesman John Lee Hooker who joins in singing in the concluding Gloria. Another old colored singer, Jimmy Witherspoon (does that ring a bell?) sings in no less than four pieces. Unfortunately, he was at the end of his career (it's said he was recovering from throat cancer surgery). Junior Wells plays the harmonica, Ronnie Johnson and James Hunter the guitar, Teena Lyle the vibraphone, John Savannah the keyboards, Haji Ahkba the flugelhorn, Nicky Scott the bass, and Geoff Dunn the drums (and who cares, right? would say the malevolent DeBaserian with a heart of stone). Everyone has the chance to demonstrate their "skill," there are so many solos it seems like a competition to see who has it longer (in my opinion, people of that caliber SHOULD demonstrate class and skill in other ways... but that's another discussion that most will agree on), in a festive and friendly atmosphere that has the flavor of a Grand Country Fair, halfway between those pre-election American gatherings with curvy girls/majorettes and flags and those dubious taste American gimmicks for some special Mega Store Hollywoodian opening.
The double CD (damn... even double!!) lasts almost as long as four LPs, and you have no idea of the effort I had to endure to get to the end. Counting the number of tracks on the cover is a Herculean task because not only do medleys abound, but every now and then a new song is mentioned and abandoned, without leaving a trace in the liner notes (that then, to tell the truth, in the general slush you may or may not notice the "change"). The back of it bears the words "ballads blues soul funk & jazz" to give an idea of the menu inside the package, like the 5 euro CDs you find at Mondo Convenienza about sounds, nature, or the hits of Cristiano Malgioglio and the La Bionda brothers, which have to tell you what you're getting and what you'll listen to (remember Richard Clyderman or Fausto Papetti with the "relax-music" tags? My mother has a bunch of those). There is no lack of the usual pompous and bloated tracks "in the style of Van Morrison" and the circumstantial apotheoses that culminate with the historic phrase: "It's Too Late To Stop Now". In short, it's just impossible to resist an album of this kind. In the sense that if you manage to get through it on the first listen, the temptation to use the CD as coasters for a hypothetical service for 12 for my house is very strong (and they would fit quite well!). An embarrassingly poor album. First: Van's voice and energy are no longer what they once were (and I return to my old theory of the 5 albums that sooner or later someone will value). Second: while in the very first live "It's Too Late to Stop Now", the presence of a REAL band united and aware of creating something important was felt, here we have excellent entertainers/circus performers who have fun as they can by bringing each their contribution, sometimes narcissistic, most often redundant and self-celebratory, without style, without class but most often simple "raucous noise in C major".
Of course, what you say is obvious, time passes for everyone, my young tender-hearted debaserians will say, after all Van Morrison is the one who... and blah blah blah, about the merits or the alleged greatness OF TWENTY PLUS YEARS AGO. Too bad I'm judging a record already dull and long-winded in '97, let alone what a mummified Morrison's album TODAY could be. I don't even dare to think it, and if you try to make me listen to something from his latest production, I swear I will stick my fingers in my ears and go LA LA LAALLA LALA LALA LALLAAA LAALA LA LALLA (ad libitum).
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Did Ye Get Healed? (04:19)
(Van Morrison)
I wanna know did you get the feelin'?
Did you get it down in your soul?
I wanna know did you get the feelin'?
And did the feelin' grow?
Sometimes, when the spirit moves me
I can do many wondrous things
I wanna know when the spirit moves you
Did ye get healed?
I began to realise
It manifest in my life
In oh, so many ways
Every day I wanna talk about it
And walk about it
Everyday I wanna be closer
I wanna know did you get the feelin'?
Did you get it down in your soul?
I wanna know did you get the feelin'?
Did ye get healed?
I began to realise
Magic in my life
See it manifest in oh, so many ways
Every day is gettin' better and better
I wanna be daily walking close
It gets stronger when you get the feelin'
When you get it down in your soul
And it makes you feel good
And it makes you feel whole
When the spirit moves you
And it fills you through and through
Every morning and at the break of day
Did ye get healed?
03 I've Been Working (03:23)
I've been workin'
I've been workin' so hard
I've been workin'
I've been workin' so hard
I come home, tell you when
I've been grindin�
I've been grindin' so long
I've been grindin'
I've been grindin' so long
Been up the freeway, down the freeway
Up, down, back up again
I said, woman-woman-woman-woman
Woman-woman-woman, woman
You're gonna be so good
Woman-woman-woman-woman
Make me feel alright
Way ya walk
Way ya talk
Way ya walk
Way ya talk
Da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da
(Instrumental & horn solo)
I said, woman-woman-woman-woman
Make me feel so good
Woman-woman-woman-woman
Make me feel alright
Way ya walk
Way ya talk
Baby, talk
Baby, talk
Baby, talk
Way ya walk
Way ya talk
Baby, talk
Got the feelin'
Got the feelin'
Got the feelin'
Holdin' back too much
Holdin' back too much, ha
Holdin' back too much
Holdin' back too much
Holdin' back too much
Holdin' back too much
Holdin' back
Holdin' back.
08 See Me Through / Soldier of Fortune / Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin (10:17)
13 Tupelo Honey (04:01)
You can take all the tea in china,
put it in a big brown bag for me.
Sail right round all the seven oceans,
drop it straight into the deep blue sea.
*chorus*
She's as sweet as tupelo honey.
Shes an angel of the first degree.
She's as sweet, shes as sweet as
tupelo honey. Just like honey baby,
from the bee.
You cant stop us on the road to freedom.
You cant keep us, cause our eyes can see.
Men with insight , men in grid irons,knights
in armor bent on chivalry.
Shes as sweet as tupelo honey
Shes an angel of the first degree
Shes as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey baby, from the bee!
*MUSIC*
You cant stop us on the road to freedom.
You cant keep us, cause our eyes can see.
Men with insight , men in grid irons,knights
in armor bent on chivalry.
Shes as sweet as tupelo honey
Shes an angel of the first degree
Shes as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey baby, from the bee!
shes alright u know shes alright with me !
Shes as sweet as tupelo honey!!
Just like honey baby from the bee
Shes alright shes alright shes alright with me
REPEAT a couple times.
You can take all the tea in china,
put it in a big brown barrel for me.
Sail right round all the seven oceans,
drop it straight into the deep blue sea.
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