![]() ![]() This album really captures the euphoria, intensity and energy of an early James Brown performance which must have been akin to an evangelical experience.Īnd that’s just offstage. A rare trait in a live album but not in this case. Imagine a live album recorded on a shoestring budget almost 60 years ago still having the power and intensity to knock you off your feet when you listen to it. Shortly after this tour ended, Morrison sacked the entire Caledonia Soul Orchestra, went and recorded Veedon Fleece and disappeared for three years.Ĥ. Stand-out tracks are the stunning versions of ‘Caravan’ and ‘St Dominic’s Preview’, and the incredible rendition of the Ray Charles standard ‘I Believe To My Soul’, which he still performs. It comes at the end of that amazing creative run that began in 1968 with Astral Weeks, and all those classic albums are represented. Recorded between California and San Francisco with the 11-piece Caledonia Soul Orchestra, this is Van when he was at the top of his game. Van Morrison, It’s Too Late To Stop Now (1974) When I lived in my parents' house I used to regularly sneak a “funny cigarette” out the bathroom window before going downstairs to the front room where I’d put this on, switch off the lights, and listen to this really loud. ![]() The band, which features Doug Yule replacing recently-departed John Cale are in fine form and deliver great versions of classics such as ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ and ‘What Goes On’, plus some new songs that would later appear on the Loaded album. Recorded live in San Francisco during an extensive US tour using proper recording equipment, which for The Velvets is unusual. This period is very well documented in Alan Yentob’s Cracked Actor documentary. You can feel the tension and intensity coming through on the record. Musically, he’s transitioning into his ”plastic soul” period and there are new arrangements of old songs with a band featuring New York guitarist Earl Slick for the first time. The hydraulic chair he used during ‘Space Oddity’ went out of control during one gig, nearly killing him.ĭespite all this, the record is excellent. The show itself involved lots of props which didn’t always work. He was broke and suing his former manager, his personal life was all over the place, the band threatened to strike for more money, and there was cocaine… lots of it. Recorded over two nights in the Tower Philadelphia in 1974 during the Diamond Dogs tour. ![]()
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