Van Morrison: Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast CD Track Listing

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Van Morrison Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast (1985)
Originally Released 1985\nCD Edition Released June 14, 1994\nRemastered CD Edition Released July 14, 1998\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Van Morrison is a legendary live performer, capable of invigorating, incendiary performances that can be utterly hypnotic, as the near-classic 1974 set It's Too Late to Stop Now illustrates. Released ten years later, Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast may not be as gripping, but Van wasn't as gripping a decade later, either. That's not to say he was past his prime, since he was still turning out fearless idiosyncratic records (and this, to be sure, fits right into that category). Still, he had become settled into a signature sound that may have been warm and filled with life, but it was so subtly shaded that it was primarily of interest only for the devoted. And that's what this record is -- an album for devoted fans, finding Van turning out passionate versions of latter-day tunes from "Full Force Gale" to "Cleaning Windows." Nothing particularly revelatory, yet it's a nice listen for those dedicated fans. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nWish I'd Been There, December 24, 1998\nReviewer: A music fan\nIt is very difficult (if not totally pointless) to choose a 'favorite' Van Morrison cd. The sheer volume of recorded work precludes such a choice. Also, works of art (and much of Morrison's recorded work is art) often defy such catagorization. That being said, I find myself returning again and again to this disc. The instrumental arrangements for the most part are spare yet the vocals very lush creating a sort of low-key ecstasy (if such a thing can be imagined) quite unlike almost any other of Morrison's recordings. The pairing of Van's voice with the synthesizers and trumpet of Mark Isham is inspired. These versions of 'She Gives Me Religion' and 'Vanlose Stairway' are absolutely inspired providing a thrilling emotional resonance rare even for Van. I never tire of this disc and recomend it highly.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nConcise,rich,warm, August 21, 1998\nReviewer: A music fan\nThis CD is a beauty. It's not quite the timeless classic that It's Too Late is... nor is it the sprawling (and hence, expensive) collection of live tunes that Night in San Francisco is. The Opera House show has certain concise, yet rich feel. It has been a favorite of mine for years and I highly recomend it!\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA soulful performance, December 27, 2005\nReviewer: Mark T (St Louis, MO)\nHe changes up some favorites and blows the doors off some others. Van plays sax like he sings--all growls and mumbles and suddenly soaring highs. And the words "wee wee wee" have never held so much soul. Pee Wee Ellis and Mark Isham make Van's most eclectic and versatile horn section ever and the rest of band is tight. Good recording quality. Great remastering. Highly recommended.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nGood, not great, vocal performance by Van, unfortunately, the band rushes the tempos of some of Van's best songs, September 24, 2005\nReviewer: Eric Andreasen "blues4eric" (Northern California)\nThe titles says it all, almost. The material on this CD is my personal favorite: "Beautiful Vision" (his masterpiece) and the "Into the Music" time period are well represented. However, the tempos almost all sound rushed (I feel like getting a pitch adjuster and slowing down the songs a half step), except some of the slower pieces still sound very good ("She Gives Me Religion", "Haunts of Ancient Peace", are standouts). All in all a good Van CD, which is better than most musicians best efforts. If the tempos were more relaxed, it would rank among his greatest work. As it is, it is the only other place I can get more of the wonderful "Beatiful Vision" material, which is by far my favorite Van music. 4 stars, I am usually a tough grader, and Van Morrison is way beyond what the average musician produces, yet the rushed sound of the performance and the lack of any real musical "stretching out" prevent this from ranking as an all-time classic recording.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nRave On, Van!, June 15, 2005\nReviewer: Ryan Black "BlackJaenPhotos" (Las Palmas, GC Spain)\nI am amazed that the reviews for this album are so low! Perhaps they are not ready for this album yet, that is what happened to me. \n\nI listened to this a couple of times 10,15 years ago and forgot about it. Recently, I found it in the back of a trunk and decided to listen to it again. It blew my mind. For me, Van is at his best live and Pee Wee Ellis is top notch on this album. \n\nThis album blows away all of the studio recordings of these songs which in comparison sound stiffled and artificial now that I have heard the real deal. If you like the track list, I don't know how you wouldn't like this album; this spiritual journey. Rave On, Van! \n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n"See the man with the stage fright...", December 19, 2003\nReviewer: The Sanity Inspector "the_sanity_inspector" (USA)\nNo, Van doesn't cover the old song by The Band, but on this live date his legendary nervousness onstage is constantly making itself felt. It sounds like he can barely keep from bolting offstage during the spoken part of "Rave On, John Donne", especially when he muffs his lines. "Oh what swine" instead of "Oh what sweet wine", but the friendly crowd didn't burst into laughter. In fact, in another part, they strike up a round of encouraging applause, as he's struggling to get a saxophone solo under control.\nSo that's the "warts", the "and all" is a good representation of where Van was in the mid-Eighties: free-form celtic mysticism in a supper-club soul-jazz setting. I don't mean that to be flip; Van had more "yarrgh" than ever, and he gets his vision across convincingly. Highlights include "Full Force Gale", with a slightly changed melody from the _Into The Music_ studio version, and with more kick, too. "Dweller On The Threshold" is really special, if too short. The mood pieces, including "Vanlose Stairway" and "Haunts of Ancient Peace" are sometimes undercut by Van's skittishness, but they too succeed.\n\nSo this is a milepost, a souvenir of where he was back then. There's nothing really raw on here, like "Cypress Avenue" on _It's Too Late To Stop Now_, let alone "Caravan" on _The Last Waltz_--his peak on legal live recordings, btw. But "Cleaning Windows" is a good, bouncing r&b number, a smart uptempo song to end this heavily into the mystic set. He almost sounds comfortable by the end.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA Masterpiece, June 15, 2000\nReviewer: A music fan\nI still remember it. I was driving somewhere in Orlando, late one evening, when the DJ of the local jazz radio station started to play Live at the Grand Opera House in its entirety. When I arrived at my destination I sat in my car, transfixed, and didn't even turn off the engine until I had listened to the very last note of the concert. I had never heard anything like it! The next morning I went out and bought the album and it has remained one of my favorite works of art to this day.\nThis CD is a work of art, by a man who is one of the most influential and prolific songwriters of all time. I also happen to think that this CD showcases Van at the zenith of his brilliant career. The Belfast show can be appreciated on so many different levels. The lyrics themselves are a religious experience.\n\nBut even if Van Morrison wasn't such an incredible poet/songwriter he would still be producing some of the most entertaining music ever created, simply because he continuously surrounds himself with the most talented musicians and back-up singers available. This CD is a shining testiment to that. The flow of the concert is remarkable, the musicians are all spot on throughout and the back-up singers all have voices that most front men would kill for. This is as close to perfection as I've ever heard.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe proverbial fly in the ointment..., June 10, 2000\nReviewer: Marc Keller (Philadelphia, PA USA)\n...of this live set is the back-up singers. While it pains me to write a less than stellar review of anything Van Morrison has produced (especially live recordings), this album frustrates me. The song selection is fine, the band sounds tight and focused, and Van's voice is in top form. Why, then, is the concert so irking to listen to? The reason is the back-up singers who manage to near ruin Van's songs, especially the It's All in the Game/You Know What They're Writing About couplet. Crooning "it's all in the game" in unison only serves to make the song sound trite and gospel-y, which is disappointing to me. It's redundant to go into more details of each instance of desecration on this album by the back-up singers, but let it be said that their presence is unwelcome. Van's voice has always been one of the most emotional and powerful in music history, and he is probably the *one* singer who only is harmed by additional voices that fall far short of his passion. Let this be a warning to those considering buying this album. While some listeners may enjoy the back-up singers, for myself they tainted what could have been a great live set. Of course this is not to completely discredit the album, and there are great performances of most of the songs, especially Rave On John Donne and Haunts of Ancient Peace. However, if you're looking for your first live CD, "It's Too Late To Stop Now!" is the paradigm of a Van performance showcasing his singing and his band's musicianship at their finest.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nOverlooked Masterpiece, March 18, 2000\nReviewer: A music fan\nThis is often described as the least strong live albums in Van The Man's catalogue, but it very well may be the very best. Its tremendous strength lies in the chorus, the soloists, the set, and Van's emotion shining through. Each nuance and sense of musical dynamics is as strong and precise as on any studio album. The album is worth 5-stars alone for the incredible performance of "Rave On John Donne". It is a great example and landmark depicting Van's style at this point in his career bringing sometimes-sleepy, stuidio songs to a new level.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\na live album, January 31, 2000\nReviewer: michael\nI'm shocked to be the first person to review this album.Its not his best live album, but if you like van morrison without the heavy blues and funk, this album is for you. This is classic van before he put on the black trench coat and became a blues brother. "cleaning windows", "rave on john donne", are some of the songs to look for. If you like van morrison then you will be happy with this album.\n\nHalf.com Details \nContributing artists: Mark Isham, Pee Wee Ellis \nProducer: Van Morrison \n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Van Morrison (vocals, guitar, saxophone, piano); Chris Michie (guitar); Pee Wee Ellis (flute, saxophone, background vocals); Mark Isham (trumpet, synthesizer); John Allair (piano, organ); David Hayes (bass); Peter Van Hooke, Tom Donlinger (drums); Katie Kissoon, Bianca Thornton, Carol Kenyon (background vocals).\n\nRecorded live at the Grand Opera House, Belfast, Northern Ireland on March 11th & 12th, 1983.\n\nAll tracks have been digitally remastered from the original master tapes.\n\nLIVE AT THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE BELFAST showcases Van Morrison's best material from the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this period, Morrison rarely performed the early 1970s songs ("Moondance," "Domino," etc.) for which he is best known. Instead, his sets favored newer, more spiritual numbers from albums like INTO THE MUSIC and BEAUTIFUL VISION. In fact, six of the eleven songs on LIVE AT THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE BELFAST first appeared on BEAUTIFUL VISION.\nThese live recordings--vital, inspired, and punchy--represent a marked improvement over the more subdued studio versions of these songs. Best of all are a revved up "Cleaning Windows," a Zen tribute to manual labor; "She Gives Me Religion;" and "Full Force Gale," a foot-stomping homage to unadulterated faith in God. Longtime James Brown sideman Pee Wee Ellis appears on saxophone and flute, and Van takes a stab at a sax solo himself, much to the audience's delight. Those looking for live versions of Van's early hits should check out IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW, a concert album recorded in 1974.\n\nIndustry Reviews\n4 Stars - Excellent - ...all kinds of flying joys to be kissed, all sorts of wonder to be sensed, all manner of musical marvelment.\nQ Magazine (05/01/1995) YEAR: 1985
This rock cd contains 11 tracks and runs 52min 17sec.
Freedb: 970c3f0b
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