Sir Van the Man

[A Lark Ascending]

Here Comes The Knight

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33109755

Edited June 13, 2015 by A Lark Ascending

[randyhersom]

A fabulous body of work. I've Been Working from His Band and Street Choir is a personal favorite. Well deserved.

[Bill Nelson]

When it comes to his concerts, an award for Honorary Asshole would seem to be more appropriate.

[Jazzjet]

As someone said this morning, you could never confuse Van with a ray of sunshine but musically he has produced a fine body of work, possibly more consistent than any others of his generation. His bootlegs alone provide a great overview of his career. 'Pagan Streams, recorded in Utrecht in 1991 is a good example.

[randyhersom]

When was your experience Bill? I saw a good one but understand he was an erratic performer early in his career.

[medjuck]

When it comes to his concerts, an award for Honorary Asshole would seem to be more appropriate.

I've seen him about 5 times and he's always done a good show.

[duaneiac]

I've seen him in concert three times. One was fabulous, one of the best concerts I've ever seen. One (when he had Sam Butera as his opening act) was good and the other (when he was touring with Linda Gail Lewis) was okay for the most part, but the highlight was when they did an explosive medley of 1950's rock and roll that really brought to life how fresh and vital and thrilling this music must have sounded to teenagers of that era.

[A Lark Ascending]

Van is a puzzle for me. His music rarely ventures very far from a standard soul/R'n'B/blues formula (occasional dashes of folk etc dropped in), his lyrics are often quite trite and for much of his later career quite misanthropic...and yet I love listening to him. There must be something in that voice. Even today when the range has reduced considerably I still get great pleasure from his records...just as well as I seem to have a lot of them.

I was listening to this in the car this evening:

"Going Down To Monte Carlo"

Goin' down to Monte Carlo about 25k from Nice

Goin' down to Monte Carlo about 25k from Nice

Got to get myself together, gotta get my head some peace

Sartre said that hell is other people, I believe that most of them are

Sartre said hell is other people, I believe that most of them are

Well their pettiness amazes me, even after I've gone this far

Goin' down to Monte Carlo, 25k from nice

Goin' down to Monte Carlo about 25k from nice

Gotta get my head together, gotta get my head some peace

Playing in the background some kind of phony pseudo jazz

Playing in the background in the restaurant, some kind of phony pseudo jazz

I don't care I'm trying to get away from people, that are trying to drive me mad

After everything I've worked for, not goin' to throw everything away

After everything I worked so hard for, I'm not goin' to give it all away

I just need to take a raincheck, I can't live to fight another day

Goin' down to Monte Carlo, 25k from nice

Goin' down, goin' down to Monte Carlo, still about 25k from nice

Got to get my head showered, got to find some release

Self absorbed? Moi?

Reading all that Blake and Yeats doesn't seem to have had much influence!

Edited June 13, 2015 by A Lark Ascending

[Milestones]

To my mind, Van is one of the great figures in music: rock, blues, folk, country, R&B, Celtic, jazz, etc. A truly gifted music artist, and if one places value on singers/musicians receiving knighthoods, it should have happened a long time ago for Van.

[StarThrower]

Never liked his singing. Sounds like he's got two tongues in his mouth. But I do dig some of the music.

As for the knighthood, it just doesn't seem right for rock n rollers. I'm with Keith Richards on this one.

[dicky]

it just doesn't seem right for rock n rollers.

Van never was that. The musical language he's created for over 50 years transcends categorization. The power of his voice will reach deep into your soul if you allow it.

[Milestones]

"Close Enough for Jazz"

[JSngry]

He's one of those guys who nowadays sounds better to me in the car than he does at home, which is no way a value judgement, because a lot of shit neither sounds good to me in the car or at hone.

Tell you what, though - if this doesn't sound good to you in your car, pull over, take a break, maybe let somebody else drive for a while.

And frankly, Veedon Fleece needs to be heard in the car, or whilst otherwise moving through space. That's music that essentially conflicts with the notion of finite and fixed, so get high, hit the road, put on headphones & blindfolds, hell, do all at once, just be responsible abut it. Otherwise, don't bother, no good will come out of it any other way

Now, having said all these good things, I have to be honest - I totally lost interest somewhere in the early 1980s. I kept reading all these gushing reviews and kept hearing all these kinda uninspired records with a "mood" and a voice that little by little kept decaying, and for my time, that voice is what makes it all mean something, not what it does, but how it does it (as Mr. Nessa so well described Booker Ervin, and Booker Ervin is another voice that best reveals itself listened to whilst one is in motion...these are vibrations, right? literally, and vibrations by definition are motion...and I think Lee Konitz made a record about motion, and a damn good one too, so that's Ervin & Elvin to consider at once, and, game over, physics FTW) It's also why I have never had any use for the Grateful Dead, really, noodly, sometimes better, playing, but DAMN those are some sadass no singing motherfuckers. So...life is short, right, and I had just gone through my James Brown Polydor nearly-completionist phase, and thank god for 99 cent used records, that's all I can say about that. I already knew who Pee Wee ellis was, and maybe someday. But maybe/probably not.

But as they say, shit happens, especially in life, and especially to voices, and what you get done before it does matters.

[Milestones]

For relatively latter-day Van, I strongly recommend Too Long in Exile, A Night In San Francisco, and Down the Road.

[A Lark Ascending]

I really like this one from about 15 years ago:

I like it when he drifts off into those countryside/seasonal reveries.

[paul secor]

Never liked his singing. Sounds like he's got two tongues in his mouth. But I do dig some of the music.

As for the knighthood, it just doesn't seem right for rock n rollers. I'm with Keith Richards on this one.

Was Keith ever offered a knighthood? Can't even imagine that.

[mjazzg]

I did have to check it wasn't April 1st. Not because Van deserves this award any less than anyone else just that it sits so oddly with my image of him as someone sitting curmudgeoningly outside the establishment. I'd quite like to witness the investiture (is that the correct term) as the idea of Van kneeling before anyone makes me smile broadly

After so many years producing such good music it's an accolade deserved. The run of albums from "Astral Weeks" to "Veedon

Fleece" is, for me, the strongest run of any non-Jazz artist. Every one is a stone cold winner

Coincidentally started today (before this news) by listening to "No Method, No Guru, No Teacher", "St Dominic's Preview" (Coonie Kay and Leroy Vinnegar play on a track each) and then "Wavelength". Three albums from different stages of his career but all three quintessentially Van and all three equally marvellous. I was reflecting whilst listening to it that for me "No Method...." is the last consistently great album he produced although I've not kept up beyond "The Healing Game".

I've seen him about live ten or so times and never been disappointed - hearing him play chunks of "Astral Weeks" about five years ago was sublime

Edited June 14, 2015 by mjazzg

[Steve Reynolds]

Fwiw, I listened to Jerry sing "Wharf Rat" this AM in the car (on a killer stock car stereo in my new 2015 Mustang) and for me I like his voice way more than Van Morrison. No doubt Bobby or Phil can't sing a lick, but Jerry Garcia is a singer of the highest order.

Fwiw, I never liked Van Morrison's voice or music one iota.

Just for me, of course.

[page]

Congrats to the new Knight. I had the honour to sing one of his songs with a big band as well as with a small combo. I like his voice, he goes into the category of raw attracting male voices for me, like the one of Tom Waits though that one has my preference. It shows life and that is what music needs to do for me. Emotion, anyone who can show that in his or her singing voice and make you feel that, has my admiration.

[mikeweil]

Never liked his singing. Sounds like he's got two tongues in his mouth. But I do dig some of the music.

Same here. It was very evident when Georgie Fame directed his band, who is a much better singer. That said, some of his tunes are classic, Moon Dance in particular.

[StarThrower]

Never liked his singing. Sounds like he's got two tongues in his mouth. But I do dig some of the music.

As for the knighthood, it just doesn't seem right for rock n rollers. I'm with Keith Richards on this one.

Was Keith ever offered a knighthood? Can't even imagine that.

It would be funny if he did get considered and dissed the queen. He did voice his opinions on the subject in interviews.

[paul secor]

Never liked his singing. Sounds like he's got two tongues in his mouth. But I do dig some of the music.

As for the knighthood, it just doesn't seem right for rock n rollers. I'm with Keith Richards on this one.

Was Keith ever offered a knighthood? Can't even imagine that.

It would be funny if he did get considered and dissed the queen. He did voice his opinions on the subject in interviews.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR4mSkshCA8

10 famous people who turned down a knighthood:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/29904/10-famous-people-who-turned-down-knighthood

Whatever one might think of Keith Richards, he can be a funny guy: "I wouldn't let that family (the royals) near me with a sharp stick, let alone a sword."

Edited June 15, 2015 by paul secor

[mjzee]

Van was honored at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony. I liked his remarks:

Morrison, the night’s final act, had a more practical take. Looking like a Blues Brother in his familiar black, with dark shades to match, he noted how songwriting royalties keep the money coming in during dry spells in his career and talked of convincing Buble to record a duet with him of Morrison’s hit “Real Real Gone.”

“So the name of the game is hustle,” he said.

NY Post

[ArtSalt]

My father was a big fan, indeed, once he caught onto the CD world his collection consisted on Van the Man and Bruce Springsteen only. Naturally, I never took to Morrison. But I caught him at the North Sea Jazz Festival a couple of years ago and was pleasantly surprised and he was joyous on stage and said it was the English press giving him a bad press.

[A Lark Ascending]

One thing you have to give Morrison is his hard work. He seems to be forever touring. A lot of his peers who are still active only appear every few years for a tour at ludicrous prices (sorry, that should read tickets that fetch the market rate).

He might look like he's resenting every minute but he must love the job.

...and said it was the English press giving him a bad press.

Quite likely. The British music press is notorious for its build 'em up, knock 'em down antics. It can deal with the newly emerged but really struggles with the developed career. You get the impression that many of the journalists bought 'My Generation' and took the lyrics as gospel.