Van Morrison in Ireland

Infobox music DVD
Name = Van Morrison in Ireland 1979
Type = Video
Artist = Van Morrison


Released = 1981
Recorded = February 1979
Genre = Various
Length = 56:28
Label = Hendring Ltd./Angle Films Ltd.
Director = Mike Radford
Producer = Rex Pyke
Reviews =
Last Video =
This Video = "Van Morrison in Ireland"
(1979)
Next Video = "Van Morrison The Concert"
(1990)

"Van Morrison in Ireland" is the first official Video by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1981 of a concert Morrison recorded while in Ireland two years earlier. The video also shows footage of the band while in Ireland and images of Belfast, including Hyndford Street and Cyprus Avenue. Brian Hinton believes "The band display a range of textures reminiscent of The Caledonia Soul Orchestra, first with the dark resonence of Toni Marcus' violin, then Pat Kyle's bright sharp tenor sax and finally Bobby Tench's prickly electric guitar". [Hinton, "Celtic Crossroads", p.215-216] This concert featured the band with which he had recorded the 1978 album "Wavelength", but it also included a horn section and Toni Marcus (the violinist who had been featured on his 1979 album, "Into the Music"). The concert had two songs from "Wavelength", the title track and a version of "Checking It Out". The rest of the songs had originally been recorded at least seven years earlier: "Saint Dominic's Preview" and two songs Morrison had performed and recorded when fronting the band Them —"Don't Look Back" and "Gloria".

Recording

The film consists of the performance of ten tracks in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It takes place in February 1979, the first time Morrison had played in Belfast since 1965. [ [http://www.vanmorrison.co.uk/?m=Content&Content(record_id)=b2950180e54389f3cf9d93ad908ac00e# Van Morrison Official Website] Film, Van Morrison in Ireland]

ongs

Brian Hinton's review of the whole concert:

They open with "Moondance", Katie Kissoon taking a verse, then a slightly ponderous "And It Stoned Me", then flow gracefully "Into the Mystic". As this is not 1970, they then come bang up to date with a rocky "Wavelength (song) ", the "poised blues" of "Don't Look Back" and a rolling "Wild Night". Katie Kissoon sings "Crazy Love", "with Kyle's flute circling, dipping and gliding off Peter Bardens' delicate piano phrasing". Van is back for "Checkin' it Out", with John Altham on baritone sax, then it's "Kingdom Hall" and a raft of classics, a jangly and ragged "Moonshine Whiskey", a controlled "Tupelo Honey". On "Saint Dominic's Preview", when Van reaches the line about "it's a long way back to Belfast city" the crowd explode, as do Van's lungs on "I've Been Working", blowing the guts out of his harmonica. Indeed they are part of the performance, adding to the inspiration. They shout fruitlessly for "Gloria", between a ten minute "Caravan" and a final encore of "Cyprus Avenue", where Van laughs, shouts, and falls to the ground. [Hinton, "Celtic Crossroads", p.216]

Track listing

All songs by Morrison unless noted

#Intro. - 0:47
#"Moondance" - 3:56
#"Checking It Out" - 3:08
#"Moonshine Whiskey" - 6:10
#"Tupelo Honey" - 6:09
#"Wavelength" - 6:20
#"Saint Dominic's Preview" - 6:46
#"Don't Look Back" (Hooker) - 4:26
#"I've Been Working" - 5:33
#"Gloria" - 3:41
#"Cyprus Avenue" - 9:32

Personnel

*Van Morrison - vocals, guitar
*Peter Bardens - piano, organ, synthesizer
*Bobby Tench - guitar, backing vocals
*Mickey Feat - bass guitar
*Peter Van Hooke - drums
*Herbie Armstrong - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
*Pat Kyle - tenor saxophone
*John Altham - alto and baritone saxophones
*Toni Marcus - violin, stroviola
*Katie Kissoon - backing vocals, vocals on "Moondance"
*Anna Peacock - backing vocals

Production

*Producer - Rex Pyke
*Sound - Mick Glossop
*Photography - Roger Deakins, Bill Marshall, Jeff Bains, Christopher Morphet

Notes

References

*Hinton, Brian (1997). Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison, Sanctuary, ISBN 1-86074169X

External links

* [http://www.vanmorrison.co.uk/?m=Content&Content(record_id)=b2950180e54389f3cf9d93ad908ac00e# Video: Moondance, 1979] Film, Van Morrison in Ireland
* [http://www.vanmorrison.co.uk/?m=Content&Content(record_id)=bcdf0ba5fecbc0ef8494bf0c7a15c7dc# Video: Gloria, 1979]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245538/ Van Morrison in Ireland @ IMDb]