Track Listing

1. Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)
2. Gypsy
3. I Will Be There
4. Listen To The Lion
5. St Dominic's Preview
6. Redwood Tree
7. Almost Independence Day

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37951 in Music
• Released on: 1997-06-16
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Conceived in the wake of his bucolic classics, Moondance and Tupelo Honey, 1972's Saint Dominic's Preview sustains their mix of crisp R&B ("Jackie Wilson Said") and anthemic folk-rock ("Almost Independence Day") while insinuating a darker, warier spirit to Morrison's music. In what would amount to the first major instalment in an on-going cycle of digs at the music business, the title song pits the singer's authentic art against the false idols of the predators and sycophants surrounding him--a familiar Morrison theme decades on but given a soulful urgency here that makes it tough to dismiss as the ravings of a career curmudgeon. --Sam Sutherland

CD Description
One of Van Morrison's most enduring albums, ST. DOMINIC'S PREVIEW runs the gamut from irresistible MOONDANCE-esque pop-soul confections to ruminative, extended-improv workouts reminiscent of ASTRAL WEEKS. In fact, the album adequately represents the many sides of Morrison up to 1972. The sprightly R&B bounce of "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" kicks the record off with a sense of exuberance that nearly matches "Brown Eyed Girl" in irresistibility and infectiousness, recalling the singer's earliest recordings.
Yet the exploratory, mystical side of the singer is also here.On the moving, emotive "Listen To the Lion", for example, Morrison takes his experimental scatting style to new heights, working himself into a frenzy and emitting guttural, animalistic growls. There is an elegiac feel to tunes like "Almost Independence Day" and the title track; both are big, sprawling ballads that combine bittersweet sentiments with sweeping cinematic arrangements. Only a shade less great than the albums that directly preceded it, ST. DOMINIC'S PREVIEW captures Morrison still flush in the period of his greatest artistic focus and productivity.

Customer Reviews

Perfect blend of catchy pop and Celtic soul
Here Van Morrison has found the perfect balance between catchy, immediately accessible pop songs and the longer, atmospheric explorations that characterize his most serious work. The familiar Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile), a joyful celebration of life and music, opens this album of consistent quality and legendary songs. Gypsy is a tuneful rollicking number with a singalong chorus, whilst I Will Be There with its great keyboards and sax reverts to Morrison’s familiar R&B territory. The mystical excursion Listen To The Lion is a masterpiece of spiritual yearning where Van uses his voice as an instrument at times, moaning and growling along with the music. The title track is another gem, this time with a west coast country rock sound. The melodic Redwood Tree is followed by another of his classic pieces, the sprawling Almost Independence Day with its profound lyrics and soulful feel. St Dominic’s Preview is a brilliant album packed with great songs in a variety of styles that Morrison had mastered and made his own at this stage in his career.

Van Morrison at his very best
"Astral Weeks" is frequently listed as one of the finest albums of all time, but this album is much more listenable. This album has everything - from the feelgood tracks such as "Jackie Wilson Said" and "St Dominic's Preview" through sublime meandering adventures such as "Listen to the Lion" and "Almost Independence Day" to the sheer poetic and musical brilliance of "Gypsy" and "Redwood Tree".

This is a showcase album, as if Van's proclaiming to be the greatest songwriter of all time, and on this evidence you can't really argue.

In all honesty VM is not my favourite artist (I'm more into David Bowie, Lou Reed and Neil Young), but I would be hard pressed to name an album from any of them which surpasses "St Dominic's Preview".

If you've never been tempted to buy a Van Morrison album before, please do not hesitate to buy this - so many reviews on these web pages exclaim "you must have this in your collection", but very few releases can sincerely justify this. This album is one of the few.

A Saint Dominic's Review
Van Morrison's 'St. Dominic's Preview' was for me a startling discovery. The seven songs that comprise the album are as varied as they possibly could be, ranging from the tight, punchy R&B opening track, 'Jackie Wilson Said', to the sprawling, semi-improvised 'Listen To The Lion' and 'Almost Independence Day'. The title track itself is a brilliantly produced and executed song, telling a personal tale of life and of being in the music industry, and revealing how Van Morrison himself always felt like an outsider in the business ('They were flying too high to see my point of view')..

'Jackie Wilson Said' stands out as the explosive opening to the album, bursting with energy and raw passion. Although, it's not representative of the rest of the album at all... it's almost as if Van Morrison says after each song, 'Right, I've done that genre, let's move on to something else.', which is great for the album as the result is a tapestry of different styles and emotions. 'Listen To The Lion' is another highlight. Sung straight from the heart, I bet that after capturing this performance on tape, the producers gave Morrison a standing ovation. Van Morrison pushes himself to the limit, and the result is a fantastically emotional, yet stunningly simple song that flys by, despite being over 11 minutes long. The improvisation is a far cry from that you may have come to expect from the likes of 'Astral Weeks', which in comparison sounds rawer and less well planned, albeit qualities in themselves, I prefer this song over anything on 'Astral Weeks', a compliment indeed.

'Redwood Tree' again is classic Van Morrison, that is more similar to something you may find on 'Moondance', with a typical lyric about the simple things in life. 'Almost Independence Day' is another sprawling track that doesn't hit quite as hard as 'Listen To The Lion', but is still excellent. 'Gyspy' and 'I WIll Be There' are again highly listenable songs, but find it hard to compete when set against the standard of the other tracks on this album.

Little did I think when I bought this CD that it would be up there with the likes of my favourite albums of all time, but SDP is easily as high quality an album as anything by Bob Dylan, Neil Young or Paul Simon, and is easily accessible to the uninitiated, whom after a few listens to this, will no longer be.