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Revision as of 21:05, 9 December 2004 by Alfanje~enwiki (talk | contribs) (+es)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)George Ivan Morrison (b. August 31 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland), known as "Van", is a singer and exponent of so-called Celtic Soul. He was exposed to music from an early age, as his father collected American jazz albums, and his mother was a singer.
He initially came to prominence fronting the band Them, which he formed in 1964 and with whom he had a number of chart hits. Morrison became unhappy with increasing emphasis on the use of studio musicians, and left the band after a U.S. tour in 1966. He returned to Belfast, intending to quit the music business. Them’s producer,Bert Berns, persuaded him to return to New York and record solo. From these early sessions emerged one of his best-known songs, “Brown-Eyed Girl.”
After Berns’s death, Morrison started recording with the Warner Brothers label. His first album for them was Astral Weeks, considered by many to be his best work. Released in 1968, the album was critically acclaimed, but received an indifferent response from the public.
Throughout the rest of his career, he pursued a successful and idiosyncratic musical path. Among his other hits are Domino, Moondance, Wild Night, and Tupelo Honey.
Morrison has expressed a general disdain for the opinions of the press and critics. His work is thoughtful, often spiritual in nature, and combines elements of jazz, R&B, Celtic traditions, and stream-of-consciousness.
In 1990 he joined many other guests for Roger Waters' massive performance of The Wall in Berlin.
He performed a duet with singer Tom Jones on the 1999 album Reload.
Albums: (chronological)
- Blowin' Your Mind (1967)
- Astral Weeks (1968)
- Moondance (1970)
- His Band and the Street Choir (1970)
- Tupelo Honey (1971)
- Saint Dominic's Preview (1972)
- Hard Nose the Highway (1973)
- It's Too Late to Stop Now (1974)
- Veedon Fleece (1974)
- A Period of Transition (1977)
- Wavelength (1978)
- Into the Music (1979)
- Common One (1980)
- Beautiful Vision (1982)
- Inarticulate Speech of the Heart (1983)
- A Sense of Wonder (1985)
- No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986)
- Poetic Champions Compose (1987)
- Irish Heartbeat (1988)
- Avalon Sunset (1989)
- Enlightenment (1990)
- Hymns to the Silence (1991)
- Too Long in Exile (1993)
- A Night in San Francisco (1994)
- Days Like This (1995)
- How Long Has This Been Going On (1996)
- Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison (1996)
- The Healing Game (1997)
- Back on Top (1999)
- The Skiffle Sessions - Live In Belfast 1998 (2000; with Lonnie Donegan)
- You Win Again (2000)
- Down the Road (2002)
- What's Wrong with this Picture? (2003)
External links
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