Opening with "Ballerina," Morrison plays a wide platter of material that encompassed his entire career, which at that point had been known to the musical public for over a decade. "Streets Of Arklow" leads into a soulful read of Bob Dylan's "Just Like A Woman." "Try For Sleep," which is more of a Morrison obscurity, is used as a warm-up for "Into The Mystic," one of his best known and most beloved songs.
Things really heat up after that. "I Just Want To Make Love To You," the Willie Dixon blues classic, is lava-hot,…entire summary
David Hayes - bass
Jeff Labes - organ, keyboards
Van Morrison - vocals, guitar
Jack Schroer - piano, saxophone, horn
David Shaw - drums
James Trumball - harmonica
Ralph Walsh - guitar
Dorothy Morrison - vocals
Bill Combes - vocals
Van Morrison, known for suffering from stage fright throughout some of his career, was in his live musical prime from 1973- 1979, and he was simply brilliant on stage. This show at San Francisco's Winterland was essentially a local gig for Morrison, who had moved from his native Ireland to the Bay Area in the late 1960s. Morrison had just released his brilliant Too Late To Stop Now triple live LP and was finishing a whirlwind world tour when he came back home for this intimate and powerful show.
Opening with "Ballerina," Morrison plays a wide platter of material that encompassed his entire career, which at that point had been known to the musical public for over a decade. "Streets Of Arklow" leads into a soulful read of Bob Dylan's "Just Like A Woman." "Try For Sleep," which is more of a Morrison obscurity, is used as a warm-up for "Into The Mystic," one of his best known and most beloved songs.
Things really heat up after that. "I Just Want To Make Love To You," the Willie Dixon blues classic, is lava-hot, and just when the audience sounds like it is going to tear the roof off, Morrison slows it down with a dreamy version of "Moondance," which today has become an enduring pop standard.
"Wonderful Remark," known from the Martin Scorcese film, King Of Comedy, is another highlight, as are "Warm Love," "Caravan / You Don't Pull No Punches," and an 11-minute version of "Cyprus Avenue."
Fans of his British Invasion years will really enjoy "Here Comes The Night" and "Gloria," his best known songs from his old band, Them. All in all, this show, which runs for nearly an hour and a half, is a wonderful testament to one of blue-eyed soul's most beloved and timeless performers.
Read more about Van Morrison in Crawdaddy!:
"Van Morrison: Keep it Simple"
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