Into the Mystic

Van's solo career began under the pop-hit oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single Brown Eyed Girl from his first album Blowin' Your Mind in June of 1967.  After Berns' death, Warner Bros. Records bought out his contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks in 1968.  Even though this album would gradually garner high praise, it was initially a poor seller; however, the next one, Moondance, established Morrison as a major artist, and throughout the 1970s he built on his reputation with a series of critically acclaimed albums and live performances. Moondance, featured here in its entirety, released 28 February 1970, became his first million selling album and reached number twenty-nine on the Billboard charts.  The style of Moondance stood in contrast to that of Astral Weeks.  Whereas Astral Weeks had a sorrowful and vulnerable tone, Moondance restored a more optimistic and cheerful message to his music.  The title track, although not released in the US as a single until 1977, received heavy play in FM radio formats.  Into the Mystic (title of this page) has also gained a wide following over the years. Come Running with Crazy Love as the B side, was the first single release and reached the American Top 40.  Moondance was both well received and favourably reviewed.  Lester Bangs and Greil Marcus had a combined full page review in Rolling Stone, stating that Morrison now had the striking imagination of a consciousness that is visionary in the strongest sense of the word.  Moondance established Van as a major artist.  The songs on the album quickly became staples of FM radio.  It has proven to be Morrison's most famous album, often appearing on many lists of best albums of all time.  Among other awards, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.  In 2003, it was ranked #65 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Over the next few years, Van released a succession of albums, starting with a second one in 1970.  His Band and the Street Choir released November 15th, had a free, more relaxed sound than Moondance, but not quite the same perfection throughout.  It contained the hit single Domino, which charted at number nine in the Billboard Hot 100.  Domino remains the most successful single of Morrison's solo career.  Two other singles from the album, Blue Money and Call Me Up in Dreamland; although less successful, still managed to reach the Billboard Hot 100. Tupelo Honey released October 1971, was well received in America charting at #27 on the Billboard charts and in 1977 it was certified gold by the RIAA.  The namesake for the album and its title track is a varietal honey produced from the flowers of the tupelo tree found in the Southeastern United States.  The recordings were as live as possible – after rehearsing the songs the musicians would go into the studio and play a whole set in one take.  His co-producer, Ted Templeman, described this recording process as the scariest thing I've ever seen. When he's got something together, he wants to put it down right away with no overdubbing.  This album produced the hit single Wild Night. Saint Dominic's Preview, released in July 1972, revealed Morrison's break from the more accessible style of his previous three albums and moving back towards the more daring, adventurous, and meditative aspects of Astral Weeks.  The combination of two styles of music demonstrated a versatility not previously found in his earlier albums.  Two songs, Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile) and Redwood Tree, reached the Hot 100 singles chart.  The songs Listen to the Lion and Almost Independence Day are each over ten minutes long and employ the type of poetic imagery not heard since Astral Weeks.

Hard Nose the Highway, released in August 1973, received mostly negative, reviews.  The album contained the popular song Warm Love but otherwise has been largely dismissed critically.  The following album Veedon Fleece, released February 1974, attracted only scant initial attention. &nbap;However, its critical stature grew markedly over the years and is now often considered to be one of Van's most impressive and poetic works.  You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push the River, exemplifies the long, hypnotic, cryptic Morrison with its references to visionary poet William Blake and to the seemingly Grail-like Veedon Fleece object. Wavelength, released September 1978, became at that time the fastest-selling album of his career and soon went gold.  The title track became a modest hit, peaking at number forty-two.  Making use of 1970s synthesisers, it mimics the sounds of the shortwave radio stations that he listened to in his youth.  The opening track, Kingdom Hall evoked Morrison's own childhood experiences attending church with his mother and foretold a religious theme that would be more evident in his next album, Into the Music. Into the Music, considered by AllMusic as the definitive post-classic-era Morrison, was released in the last year of the 1970s (August 1979).  On first release this album was hailed as a "comeback" after two lacklustre releases, charting at number twenty-one on the UK Album Charts in 1979.  Its reputation has grown since release and it is often regarded as among Van Morrison's greatest albums.  The single, Bright Side of the Road, was a joyful, uplifting song that would appear on the soundtrack of the movie, Michael.

Wanderin' Spirit
January, 2015
"Into the Mystic"

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