Van Morrison
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher - Mercury 1986
Tracks: 1. Got to Go Back / 2. Oh the Warm Feeling / 3. Foreign Window / 4. A Town Called Paradise / 5. In the Garden / 6. Tir Na Nog / 7. Here Comes the Knight / 8. Thanks for the Information / 9. One Irish Rover / 10. Ivory Tower
Comments:
At first listen there are no the great musical surprises on Morrison's 1986 album "No Guru No Method No Teacher". Several of the songs seem quite similar and may sound much like something you've heard before from Morrison. However, this in no way means that it is a weak or uninteresting album. The music is as always tasteful and Morrison's vocals are in fine shape - a little more hoarse one previously heard on some songs. The instrumentation is quite varied, with eg. various wind instruments.
As usual Morrison bases his song writing to varying degrees on folk and blues, often with a touch of jazz.
For me, there are only few songs on this album that really stand out. The two folkish "In the Garden" and "One Irish Rover", which include fine acoustic guitar, giving an ease that may be missing on other pretty slow songs on the album.
My favorite, however, is the upbeat, very melodic and catchy "Ivory Tower" that sounds a lot like a 1960s hit.
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