Van Morrison

Van Morrison – What’s Wrong with This Picture? (Remastered) (2003/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:03:40 minutes | 733 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Legacy Recordings

“What’s Wrong with This Picture?” is the thirtieth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released on 21 October 2003 by Blue Note Records.

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Van Morrison – Wavelength (Remastered) (1978/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:02:18 minutes | 1,32 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Legacy Recordings

Wavelength is the tenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, and was released in the autumn of 1978. The album has a different musical sound from his previous albums, leaning towards a pop rock sound with prominent electric guitars and synthesizers. Wavelength was Morrison’s best selling album at the time of the original release. Mick Glossop, Bobby Tench and Peter Bardens were given credit for special assistance in production.

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Van Morrison – Versatile (2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:08:25 minutes | 1,24 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Exile

Van Morrison never had to choose between rock, blues, rythm ‘n’ blues, soul and jazz, since he created his own style, the Van Morrison style; that is to say a subtle blend of rock, blues, soul and jazz… Sometimes, however, the septuagenarian bard from Belfast insists a bit more on one of those genres. Like here with Versatile, where the mood is definitely jazzy. Only three months after having released Roll With The Punches, in which he covered soul and blues wonders penned by Sam Cooke, Bo Diddley or Little Walter, this time round he revisits classics that have become legends of the blue note. In this return to the basics, Van The Man sings the Gershwin brothers (A Foggy Day and They Can’t Take That Away From Me), Cole Porter (I Get A Kick Out Of You) and some essentials like Let’s Get Lost (popularized by Chet Baker), Bye Bye Blackbird, Makin’ Whoopee, The Party’s Over, Unchained Melody (magnified in the last century by the Righteous Brothers) and I Left My Heart In San Francisco which was one of Tony Bennett’s greatest hits. It’s a 38th studio album that the master of the blue-eyed soul tackles with some serenity. His crooner voice is no longer his same voice from his 20s or 30s, but he manages to make each and every one of his sentences endearing, poignant even. There’s nothing revolutionary here which could compete with his masterpieces Astral Weeks, Moondance or Veedon Fleece, but a great feeling of serenity anyway. That’s not so bad in a way…

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Van Morrison – Veedon Fleece (Remastered) (1974/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 56:30 minutes | 1,21 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Legacy Recordings

The pick of the second batch of Morrison reissues, 1974’s Veedon Fleece brought down the curtain on a hugely prolific period of his career and was followed by three years’ silence. Arguably, Van scuttled off to lick his wounds, as much of the record recounts his divorce from wife Janet Planet, in particular Who Was That Masked Man? and Fair Play.

It’s a spartan set of songs, perhaps closest to Astral Weeks in terms of his previous output, although the emotional momentum is understandably more personal, the lyrics even more obtuse. The country-esque Bulbs lifts the spirits temporarily, but the overall mood is downbeat. Not that that’s a bad thing. Bonus tracks are limited to two alternative takes, as is the case with the rest of this month’s Van revivals; Common One, Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart, No Guru No Method No Teacher, Live At The Grand Opera House, Enlightenment, A Night In San Francisco and The Healing Game.

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Van Morrison – Too Long in Exile (Remastered) (1993/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:17:40 minutes | 1,64 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Legacy Recordings

Too Long in Exile is the twenty-second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. The album was produced by Morrison and draws on urban blues and soul jazz sounds, including collaborations with John Lee Hooker and Georgie Fame. Released in 1993 by Polydor Records, Too Long in Exile received positive reviews from most critics and reached number four on the UK Albums Chart.

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Van Morrison – Three Chords And The Truth (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:07:38 minutes | 1,38 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Exile

Does the cliché of the artist improving with time, just like good wine, apply to Van Morrison? For several years now, the old bard from Belfast has been unstoppable, publishing up to two albums a year. With Three Chords and the Truth (his sixth in four years!), he proves it is possible to have both quantity and quality. Composed of 14 previously unpublished songs (not covers, as was often the case on his previous records from the 2010’s), this 2019 vintage encapsulates all of Van The Man’s art. His unique style of jazz and blues tinged with gospel soul is supported by a refined, warm instrumentation. With his slick double bass, groovy vintage organ, raspy brass and inimitable voice, Van Morrison carries on carving his own path and the result often touches the sublime. His old guitarist Jay Berliner (found on Astral Weeks, his 1968 masterpiece) even brings a delicate touch to the record. And Bill Medley from The Righteous Brothers sings with him on Fame Will Eat the Soul. Ultimately, Van Morrison is never a parody of himself, and the pleasure that making music brings him at 74 years old is more than obvious. – Max Dembo

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Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:08:56 minutes | 1,47 GB | Genre: Blues, Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Exile Productions Ltd.

The prophet has returned! Van Morrison, he who brought us the timeless Gloria and Brown Eyed Girl, steps back in time for his new album The Prophet Speaks. The Irish bard delves into the world of jazz, blues and rhythm’n’blues with his renditions of classics from John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke, Willie Dixon and Soloman Burke, to name but a few. Such are the talents of Van The Man that he even includes six of his own compositions (Got to Go Where The Love Is, 5am Greenwich Mean Time, Love Is Hard Work,Spirit Will Provide, Ain’t Gonna Moan No More and The Prophet Speaks) within the genre of jazz’n’blues’n’soul.

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Van Morrison – The Philosopher’s Stone (Remastered) (1998/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:33:19 minutes | 3,14 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Legacy Recordings

The Philosopher’s Stone is a compilation album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison released in 1998.

The songs released on this thirty-track album were previously unreleased outtakes from 1969 to 1988. The album features twenty-five songs that had never been released and alternative renditions of “The Street Only Knew Your Name” (Inarticulate Speech of the Heart), “Wonderful Remark” (The Best of Van Morrison), “Real Real Gone” (Enlightenment), “Joyous Sound” (A Period of Transition), “Flamingos Fly” (A Period of Transition) and “Bright Side of the Road” (Into the Music).

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Van Morrison – The Healing Game (Remastered) (1997/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 58:20 minutes | 1,18 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Legacy Recordings

Originally released in 1997, The Healing Game marked an important transition for Van Morrison. After a period of crafting romantic ballads that found mainstream success, Van felt once more compelled to revisit the jazz and rhythm and blues-inspired style that influenced his earliest work. To achieve this, he assembled a killer new band that included saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis, Georgie Fame and bassist Alec Dankworth.

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Van Morrison – Saint Dominic’s Preview (Remastered) (1972/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 41:38 minutes | 835 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Legacy Recordings

“Saint Dominic’s Preview”is the sixth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in July 1972 by Warner Bros. Records. Rolling Stone declared it “the best-produced, most ambitious Van Morrison record yet released.”

The diversity of the material on the album highlighted Morrison’s fusing of Celtic folk, R&B, blues, jazz and the singer-songwriter genre. “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)” and the title track were blends of soul and folk, while lesser known tracks such as “Gypsy” and “Redwood Tree” continued to display a lyrical celebration of nature’s beauty. Also on the album were two lengthy tracks, “Listen to the Lion” and the closing “Almost Independence Day” which were given primal, cathartic and intense vocal performances from Morrison. These tracks were similar to the songs on his 1968 album, Astral Weeks.

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Van Morrison – Roll With The Punches (2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:03:22 minutes | 1,24 GB | Genre: Blues
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Exile

Van Morrison’s 37th studio album – sees him simultaneously hand-picking a selection of rhythm and blues classics (by the likes of Bo Diddley, Mose Allison, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Lightnin’ Hopkins among others) and recording a set of new self-written songs. It’s an album that features raw, intimate interpretations of some of the cornerstones of rock’n’roll alongside five new numbers by one of our most consistently brilliant recording artists.

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Van Morrison – Poetic Champions Compose (Remastered) (1987/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 48:10 minutes | 1020 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Legacy Recordings

“Poetic Champions Compose” is the seventeenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1987 on Mercury Records. It received generally positive reviews from critics, most of whom viewed it as adequate mood music.

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Van Morrison – Pay the Devil (Remastered) (2006/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 46:15 minutes | 498 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Legacy Recordings

15-track album from the Belfast Cowboy in which he has drawn upon the greats of Rhythm & Blues to create his own distinctive & influential blend of soul & Celtic influences, recording a compelling mix of his favorite country compositions as well as a few equally strong originals that more than earn their place among such distinguished company.

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Van Morrison – No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (Remastered) (1986/2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:00:21 minutes | 1,26 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Legacy Recordings

“No Guru, No Method, No Teacher” is the sixteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison.

The album was recorded at Studio D and Record Plant Studios in Sausalito, California in 1985 with Jim Stern as engineer. The basic takes were recorded at Studio D with Chris Michie, Jef Labes, Babatunde Lea (credited as “Baba Trunde”), David Hayes and Morrison. Overdubs, guitar solos, strings and back-up vocals were added at the Record Plant with the masters taken to Townhouse Studios in London. Overdubs with Ritchie Buckley on saxophone, Martin Drover on trumpet and oboe played by Kate St. John were added in the London studio.

The album title is evocative of a 1966 quotation by Jiddu Krishnamurti: “…there is no teacher, no pupil; there is no leader; there is no guru; there is no Master, no Saviour. You yourself are the teacher and the pupil; you are the Master; you are the guru; you are the leader; you are everything.”

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