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Rating:
It is always a great pleasure to listen again to important albums after some years, maybe not so famous and acclaimed but that somehow bring to mind distant memories of past times, pleasant and essential events of your life. This happened to me by listening again to an album by the great Van Morrison, famous Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician, released back in 1971, a rich and important period for the artist in question, "Tupelo Honey", the "Tupelo honey," a plant common in the southeastern United States, from whose flowers the sweet nectar is born.
At the time, Morrison was in Woodstock, where he led a serene and peaceful life with his then-wife, Janet "Planet" Rigsbee, a model and actress, married in '67 during the period of the great commercial success of "Brown Eyed Girl" which opened a cycle of great work satisfactions for the artist. Pressured by his record label (Warner Bros), Morrison had to release at least a couple of albums and some singles in a short time and decided to make some demos of country songs, which were supposed to form the backbone of his upcoming album. To complicate matters, the Irish artist had to move from the New York countryside due to the expiration of the rental contract of his house in Woodstock; the owner had decided to take back the property and, also pressured by his wife who wanted to get closer to her parents, the couple moved to Marin County, in the hills near San Francisco, a rural and quiet place, in a house surrounded by redwood forests, fields, ponds, and farmlands.
After moving to California, the singer-songwriter contacted various musicians to start the recordings; some had already collaborated with him in the past like percussionists Connie Kay (already in Astral Weeks) and Gary Mallaber (already a drummer in Moondance, where he also played the vibraphone). Other old collaborators joined, like saxophonist Jack Schroer and his wife Ellen on backing vocals, while more musicians were hired for the first time, given the difficulty of finding other members of the old band after the move to San Francisco.
Some songs already created in Woodstock made it into the album, others were born in a few days, while others had been written in previous years but had not found a place in his albums before. The record presents a blend of various musical genres, from country to soul, from pop to R 'n B; a "collage" of sounds and colors that highlight the great work done by Morrison and his extraordinary band. The album opens with one of his most appreciated tracks, "Wild Night," a mix of R 'n B, soul, and country, very sparkling and fun, which also achieved great commercial success in the States. Characterizing the song, already written some years before, is the rock 'n roll riff of guitarist Ronnie Montrose, which immediately gives liveliness and vitality to the track, which was theoretically supposed to be a slow folk ballad, later transformed by the band's work.
"(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball" became another successful single from the album, a mix between waltz and soul where Morrison highlights his extraordinary singing ability and "Old Old Woodstock," a jazzy track, a tribute to his life before the move, where the author highlights in the lyrics the theme of domestic happiness and the serene life that characterized him in that period. Following are the romantic and long ballads "You're My Woman" and the title track "Tupelo Honey," songs where Morrison somehow "shouts" his great love for his wife, thanking her for making him happy. "Tupelo Honey" is very reminiscent in rhythm and melody of "Crazy Love," another very successful track contained in "Moondance," but here the singer emphasizes with an even more energetic vocal performance all the happiness he feels at that time.
The beautiful "I Wanna Roo You (Scottish Derivative)" follows, a brilliant and engaging track, characterized by a nice interplay between McFee's steel guitar and Montrose's mandolin and the honky-tonk "When That Evening Sun Goes Down." The finale with a bang with "Moonshine Whiskey," a country rock song that speeds up at the end, probably dedicated to fellow artist Janis Joplin. On the album cover, Morrison is seen leading on foot the young wife sitting on a horse, on a country lane near their estate, while on the back cover the couple is leaning against the horse fence, with a black and white cat accompanying them, all of which testify to the very happy period they were going through, a period of serene life and family satisfactions.
The album was very successful but only in the United States, the adopted country of the Northern Irish singer-songwriter. A bit spoiling the harmony of the time were the stage fright, as Morrison could no longer find the calm and strength to be on stage. In front of so many people he felt uncomfortable and many tour dates were canceled because of this annoying problem, later resolved over time with smaller and quieter concerts in clubs and in front of a few people (the "Stage Fright" already described by other greats of American music of the period, "The Band"). The record is very compact and enjoyable, maybe it never reached the level of "Moondance" or "Astral Weeks" but the great voice of Van Morrison and the extraordinary skill of the musicians make it still fresh and fun today...
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Wild Night (03:33)
As you brush your shoes, stand before the mirror
And you comb your hair, grab your coat and hat
And you walk wet streets tryin' to remember
All the wild night breezes in your mem'ry ever
{Refrain}
And everything looks so complete
When you're walkin' out on the street
And the wind catches your feet
Sends you flyin', cryin'
Ooo-woo-wee, wild night is calling
Ooo-ooh-wee, wild night is calling
And all the girls walk by dressed up for each other
And the boys do the boogie-woogie on the corner of the street
And the people, passin' by stare in wild wonder
And the inside juke-box roars out just like thunder
{Refrain}
The wild night is calling
The wild night is calling
Come on out and dance
Whoa, come on out and make romance
Come on out and dance
Come on out, make romance
02 (Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball (03:42)
Well you know sometimes it gets so hard
And everything don't seem to rhyme
I take a walk out in my backyard and go
Do do loo do do, do do loo do do
Waiting for the sun to shine
And you know sometimes it gets so painful
Just like talking to yourself
When everything don't seem to have no rhyme or reason we all go
Do do loo do do, do do loo do do
Waiting for the sun to shine
We move along
Keep singing our song
Straight to your heart like a cannonball
La la ti da, la la ti da...
Doo do loo do do.....
Waiting for the sun to shine
Well you know, everyday we hear it through the grapevine
That's why I'm so tired of hearing it through the grapevine anymore
Because you hear it through the grapevine
It's just a dirty rotten waste of time, we go
Do do loo do do
While waiting for the sun to shine
We move along
Keeping singing our song
Straight to your heart like a cannonball
La la ti da, la la ti da...
Doo do loo do do.....
We move along
Keep singing our song
03 Old Old Woodstock (04:18)
Oh don't it get you
Get you when you're through
Feel the breezes blowing all around your coat
Oh don't it get you
When you gotta roam
Hear the children singing
'Daddy's coming home'
Going down to old old woodstock
Feel the cool night breeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Going down to give my baby a squeeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Feel the cool night breeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Way behind the shady trees
Here I come a swaggering
Way on over the ridge
See the water flowing way beneath the bridge
And my woman's waiting
By the kitchen door
I'm driving along
In my old beat up car
Going down to old old woodstock
Feel the cool night breeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Give my child a squeeze
Going down to old old woodstock
To feel the cool night breeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Way behind the shady trees
Listen, Oh don't it get you
Get you in your throat
Feel the breezes blowing
All around your coat
Lord don't it get you
When you're bound to roam
Hear your children sing
'Daddy's coming home'
Going down to old old woodstock
To feel the cool night breeze
Give my child a squeeze
Going down to old old woodstock
To feel the cool night breeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Way behind the shady trees
Going down to old old woodstock.....
06 Tupelo Honey (06:57)
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.
07 I Wanna Roo You (Scottish Derivative) (03:27)
Twenty-third of december
Covered in snow
You in the kitchen
With the lights way down low
I'm in the parlor playing my old guitar
Speaking to you, darling, to find out how you are
I wanna roo you, wanna get through to you
I wanna woo you, woo you tonight
I wanna roo you, wanna get through to you
I wanna woo you, woo you tonight
Come to me softly
Come to me quiet
Know what i'm after
I'm gonna try it
Snowstorm's on the way and we'll be stranded for a week
Come over to the window, look outside take a peek
I wanna roo you, wanna get through to you
I wanna woo you, woo you tonight
I wanna roo you, wanna get through to you
I wanna woo you, woo you tonight
You know i am lonely
And in need of your company
Oh, let your love light shine on down on me
And we can just sit here
Look at the fire
Watch the flames leaping higher and higher
Tea on the stove food in the pan
Ain't going nowhere and we don't have many plans
I wanna roo you, wanna get through to you
I wanna woo you, woo you tonight
I wanna roo you, wanna get through to you
I wanna woo you, woo you tonight
And you know i am lonely
I been in need of your company
Let your love shine on down on me
I wanna roo you, wanna get through to you
I wanna woo you, woo you tonight
I wanna roo you, wanna get through to you
I wanna woo you, woo you tonight
Woo you tonight, pretty baby
Woo you tonight, little darling
Woo you tonight, alright
Woo you tonight
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