Tag Archives: Van Morrison
Darkness at 40
It’s a new year with a number of birthdays, anniversaries and notable dates to ponder. Yesterday we celebrated Elvis Presley’s birthday and today we’re noting that Bruce Springsteen’s 1978 guitar opus, Darkness on the Edge of Town, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2018. There will likely be more noise about the album when its [...]
Not Sham Rock
Lately I post a From The Archives selection to my social media on Fridays, but this Friday is St. Patrick’s Day and I wanted to share this great doc about Irish rock music. I originally discovered the BBC gem The Irish Rock Story: A Tale of Two Cities at the Nashville Public Library. It’s a [...]
Brown Eyed Breakthrough
This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Van Morrison’s breakthrough solo hit, “Brown Eyed Girl.” Nowadays the song’s ubiquity and relative lightness have diminished its power in comparison to the rest of Morrison’s imposing catalog. But “Brown Eyed Girl” offers Morrison’s first great synthesis of imagery from Morrison’s Northern Ireland homeland with the propulsive [...]
Wild Horses
I already posted about Patti Smith’s debut album, Horses, turning 40 this year. I noted that I hadn’t seen much news about it, but notices have recently started popping up, and I’m glad to see that the year won’t pass without more light being held up to this seminal song cycle which begins with the [...]
Astral Weeks at 45
Van Morrison joined the British Invasion with Them until he left the band to meet Dylan and the folk rock revolution head-on with his first great masterpiece, Astral Weeks. Here’s what Rolling Stone has to say about this epic, emotive music: Van Morrison never sounded more warm and ecstatic, more sensual and vulnerable, than on [...]
