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The Best of Van Morrison
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16 new or used available from £2.25
Average customer review:
Product Description
They very wisely opted against calling this GREATEST HITS for obvious reasons, yet such a good package of songs only highlights the fact that they all could have been massive hits. Maybe it's becaus Van is a very private man and unlike Phil Collins or Eric Clapton, does not grant interviews often. Yet he is up there with the greatest of all time. His catalogue is one of the finest in popular music, and in choosing abest of CD the choice will be ultra subjective. This gets near to the mark, even though there is no "Madame George", "Listen To The Lion" or "Tupelo Honey". There we are again, purely subjective. The alternative is to have a standing ordermade out to purchase one Van Morrison album for the next 24months.
Track Listing
- Whenever God Shines His Light - Morrison, Van & Cliff Richard
- Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)
- Brown Eyed Girl
- Bright Side Of The Road
- Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
- Moondance
- Here Comes The Night
- Domino
- Gloria
- Baby Please Don't Go
- And It Stoned Me
- Sweet Thing
- Warm Love
- Wild Night
- Cleaning Windows
- Did Ye Get Healed
- Dweller On The Threshold
- Queen Of The Slipstream
- Wonderful Remark
- Full Force Gale
- Brown Eyed Girl (2)
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #4532 in Music
- Released on: 1999-06-18
- Number of discs: 1
- Format: Original recording remastered
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Van Morrison reputedly wasn't crazy about the idea of a greatest-hits package, and this set's haphazard programming--which leaps from period to period, style to style, tossing in two key singles by his mid-1960s band Them--speaks of his lack of involvement. Still, it rivals Moondance as Morrison's most popular album, and for a reason: like that classic, it offers one deeply soulful, spiritually and musically thoughtful track after another. Much of his more "difficult" work is ignored here; in fact, Best of... gives us an intriguing picture of a Van who's almost eager to please. --Rickey Wright
Customer Reviews
STRING OF CLASSICS
This Best Of is a seamless compilation of Morrison's earlier work, from the bouncy Bright Side Of The Road through timeless songs like Gloria, Browned Eyed Girl, Jackie Wilson Said and And It Stoned Me, to his duet with Cliff Richard in the 1980s, Whenever God Shines His Light. It's hard to pick favourites from the abundance of quality songs collected here, but personally I most love Queen Of The Slipstream, And It Stoned Me, Jackie Wilson Said, Have I Told You lately and Gloria, a song that was covered by Patti Smith. All the styles of Van are covered here: Celtic soul, inspirational rock, moving ballads, soulful gospel, raunchy R&B and bubbly pop. These are all gems, songs with poetic lyrics and unforgettable melodies, all infused with true spirit. This impressive compilation would be a good starting point for those who wish to investigate this great singer and composer. I also recommend Best Of volume 2, for more sonic jewels from a later part of his career.
Buy it for "Wonderful Remark"
If you are already a fan of Van the Man you may not feel the need to buy this album. The main reason for doing so is the absolutely BRILLIANT version of "Wonderful Remark" - it is taken from the soundrack of "King of Comedy" and is much better than the version on Philosphers Stone, with wonderful snare drum and punchy horns. Van at his very best.
The best of the best
Indispensible. If you're not sure about Van Morrison, buy this and I guarantee you'll be hooked. Classics you'll recognise in an instant, such as Moondance and Bright Side of the Road, abound. And after this get Astral Weeks. Surely Beside You is one of the greatest songs of all time?
