a r t i s t : Van Morrison
t i t l e : Astral Weeks-Live at the Hollywood Bowl
d a t e : 2009
l a b e l : Listen to the Lion Records
g e n r e : Rock
r l s. d a t e : Feb/2009
t r a c k s : 10
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 92,4 MB
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Van MorrisonMulti-award winning soul singer and musical legend
Van Morrison is set to release "Astral Weeks: Live at the
Hollywood Bowl," an in-concert reworking of his historic 1968
gold-certified solo album. Recorded live over two nights at
the Hollywood Bowl this past Nov. 7 and 8, the album marks the
premiere release on Mr. Morrison's new EMI-distributed label,
Listen to the Lion Records. "Astral Weeks: Live at the
Hollywood Bowl" arrives in stores Feb. 10, 2009. A
double-vinyl edition with three bonus tracks (including a live
version of "Gloria") arrives in stores the same day.
The concerts marked the first time Mr. Morrison ever performed
"Astral Weeks" in one complete concert set. Joining him was an
orchestral string section and a band composed of world-class
musicians, some of whom played with Van on the original Astral
Weeks sessions 40 years ago. Tracks on the CD include: "Astral
Weeks/I Believe I've Transcended," "Beside You," "Slim Slow
Slider/ I Start Breaking Down," "Sweet Thing," "The Way Young
Lovers Do," "Cyprus Avenue / You Came Walking Down,"
"Ballerina," "Madame George" and two bonus tracks, "Listen to
the Lion / The Lion Speaks" and "Common One."
The Hollywood Bowl concerts gave me a welcome opportunity to
perform these songs the way I originally intended them to be,"
says Mr. Morrison, who amazingly held only one rehearsal prior
to the concerts. "There are certain dynamics you can get in
live recordings that you just cannot get in a studio
recording. I love listening to live recordings. You get the
whole thing right there, unabridged, raw and in the moment.
There was a distinct alchemy happening on that stage in
Hollywood. I felt it."
To rework "Astral Weeks," Mr. Morrison added his signature
stretching of songs in a manner unlike any before by creating
new sections of songs live on stage. As producer of the
record, Morrison insisted there be no post-production
engineering. It is straight up raw from the Hollywood Bowl
stage - pure resonant sound.
"These songs are timeless and as fresh today as the day they
were written, actually even more so," Mr. Morrison added . "I
was happy to perform them at the Hollywood Bowl and delighted
to release a live album which really captures the essence of
the original for today's audiences with every taste in music.
It's got it all, jazz, blues, folk, classic. You name it."
Van Morrison
Fans and critics present at the Hollywood Bowl those two
nights grasped the momentous nature of the concerts. Rolling
Stone Magazine noted that Mr. Morrison "took charge of the
music with the authority that comes with four decades of
performing. It seemed that once he breathed in the perfume of
these eight songs, he didn't want them to end - and looking at
the enraptured crowd, he wasn't the only one." Added the Los
Angeles Times, "Transcendence is what Morrison has been after
with his music from the beginningà the wondrous youthful
timbre of his voiceà has evolved over the years into a richer,
fuller instrument, with every bit of its remarkable elasticity
very much intact."
Unbeknownst to Mr. Morrison at the time he planned the
Hollywood Bowl shows, the concerts coincided exactly with the
40th anniversary of the release of "Astral Weeks." He took it
as a sign this project was destined to be. Universally
regarded as one of the most important albums in pop music
history, "Astral Weeks" broke new ground with its experimental
free-flowing arrangements and deeply reflective songs. Mr.
Morrison's motivation to rework the music was to get back to
his original signature sound: a blend of jazz, blues,
classical and folk unique to Van Morrison.
Both Bowl shows were filmed in high-definition, and will later
be available as a commercial DVD concert film. Due to
overwhelming demand, Mr. Morrison will perform "Astral Weeks"
again, in show at the Theater at New York's Madison Square
Garden, on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27 & 28. Accompanied by
two different bands, Mr. Morrison will play two sets per show:
one of "Astral Weeks" cover to cover, the other of rarely
played Van Morrison classics. He may even pull out rare gems
"TB Sheets," "Mystic Eyes," "Who Drove the Red Sports Car" and
"Baby Please Don't Go."
A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Mr. Morrison is
responsible for some of the greatest recordings of the last
fifty years. A Belfast native of proud Scottish heritage, he
grew up listening to American music with his parents, his
favorites artists being greats like Ledbelly, Mahalia Jackson,
Lightnin' Hopkins and other legends of blues and soul. With
more than 200 of his compositions featured in major motion
pictures over the years, Mr. Morrison was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame by the late Ray Charles in June 2003.
As Mr. Morrison said, "I'm not just a singer. I am a soul
singer." His "Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl" proves
exactly that, over and over again.
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01-Astral Weeks-I Believe I've Transcended [09:56]
02-Beside You [06:00]
03-Slim Slow Slider-I Start Breaking Down [07:45]
04-Sweet Thing [05:38]
05-The Way Young Lovers Do [03:19]
06-Cyprus Avenue-You Came Walking Down [05:59]
07-Ballerina [09:45]
08-Madame George [08:44]
09-Listen To The Lion-The Lion Speaks [07:45]
10-Common One [06:40]
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71:31 min