Any Major Dude With Half A Heart

On August 31, Van Morrison will turn 80, and such landmark birthdays are always a good reason to put together a Songbook.

Morrison is one of those artists who are difficult to classify. The Belfast-born songwriter has dabbled in rock, folk, soul, blues, jazz, gospel, Celtic folk and so on to arrive at a sound that is very much his own. With his warm voice and arrangements, he has created singalong folk-pop numbers (Brown Eyed Girl), intimate love songs (Crazy Love), pastoral excursions (Into The Mystic), improv suites (Cypress Avenue), rambling meditations (Rave On John Donne), even prayers (Have I Told You Lately).

His songs often stay clear of rigid verse-chorus-verse formulas in favour of long, loose, looping progressions that reflect his jazz background. His acoustic folk-rock tends to incorporate horn sections, organs and fluid bass lines borrowed from soul music.

One of Morrison’s lyrical traits, especially on earlier works, was the use repetition to create an incantatory, almost trance-like intensity. A line or a word might be sung again and again, each time with a slightly different emphasis. In 1978, he told Rolling Stone that “every time I’m singing, I’m singing syllables. I’m just singing signs and phrases.”

This, as well as distinctive and versatile vocal characteristics such as his rhythmic off-the-beat phrasing and other idiosyncrasies, can pose a challenge to those who cover Van Morrison songs. Those who imitate his style risk sounding like a parody. It can be done, but it’s not easy to get it right.

So a good cover requires a new interpretation rather than attempting to duplicate Morrison’s unique phrasing and feel. And since Morrison’s melodies and phrasing are so loose, they can lend themselves to interpretation, much like jazz numbers — if the cover artist can find a way in. Doing so is to take a risk, which is why aside from a few obvious ones, few Morrison tracks have been widely covered.

One that has been much-covered is Have I Told You Lately, though I suspect that it is Rod Stewart’s treacly bastardisation of the song that provides the template for most of the covers, rather than Morrison’s original, which was a prayer addressed to God, not laying on the charm for the laydee in Rod’s life. It features here in Laura Fygi’s version, which lacks the smarminess of Stewart’s effort.

Quite a few of my Van Morrison favourites have, to my knowledge, never been covered, or not well enough for inclusion: Higher Than The World, Days Like This, Hungry For Your Love, Everyone, Astral Weeks, Queen Of The Slipstream, Domino, Immaculate Speech Of The Heart…

Still, that leaves us with 27 covers that pay tribute to the songwriting genius of Van Morrison.

As ever, the mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R, includes home-stoned covers, and the above text in PDF format. PW in comments.

1. The Band with Van Morrison – Caravan (1978)
2. Martha Reeves – Wild Night (1974)
3. Grady Tate – Moondance (1974)
4. El Chicano – Brown-Eyed Girl (1972)
5. Merry Clayton – Glad Tidings (1970)
6. Jackie DeShannon – And It Stoned Me (1971)
7. Ben E. King – Into The Mystic (1971)
8. Dusty Springfield – Tupelo Honey (1973)
9. Kim Carnes – Warm Love (1976)
10. Miriam Makeba – Brand New Day (1970)
11. Aaron Neville with Robbie Robertson – Crazy Love (1996)
12. Rumer – I Wanna Roo You (2011)
13. Shawn Colvin – Someone Like You (1996)
14. Bettye Lavette – Real Gone Gone (2018)
15. Dexys Midnight Runners – Jackie Wilson Said (Live) (1982)
16. Maria McKee – Lonely Sad Eyes (1993)
17. Santa Esmeralda – Gloria (1977)
18. Bo Diddley – I’ve Been Workin’ (1974)
19. Delbert McClinton – Bright Side Of The Road (1980)
20. Toni Brown & Terry Garthwaite – Come Running (1977)
21. Freddie Scott – He Ain’t Give You None (1967)
22. Johnny Rivers – Slim Slo Slider (1970)
BONUS TRACKS:
23. Ruby Turner – Checkin’ It Out (1981)
24. Laura Fygi – Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (1995)
25. The Flying Pickets – The Happiest Place In Town (1990)
26. Phoebe Snow – Madame George (1998)
27. Jeff Buckley – Sweet Thing (rel.2003)

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Previous Songbooks:
ABBA
Ashford & Simpson
Barry Gibb Vol. 1
Barry Gibb Vol. 2
Bill Withers
Billy Joel
Bob Dylan Volumes 1-5
Brian Wilson
Bruce Springsteen
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 1
Burt Bacharach & Hal David Vol. 2
Burt Bacharach’s Lesser-Known Songbook
Carole Bayer Sager
Carole King Vol. 1
Carole King Vol. 2
Chuck Berry
Cole Porter Vol. 1
Cole Porter Vol. 2
Elton John & Bernie Taupin
George Harrison
Gordon Lightfoot
Hank Williams
Holland-Dozier-Holland
John Prine
Jimmy Webb Vol. 1
Jimmy Webb Vol. 2
Jimmy Webb Vol. 3
Kris Kristofferson
Lamont Dozier
Laura Nyro
Leonard Cohen
Neil Diamond
Paul McCartney Vol. 1
Paul McCartney Vol. 2
Pete Townshend
Prince
Rod Temperton
Rolling Stones Vol. 1
Rolling Stones Vol. 2
Sly Stone
Steely Dan
Stevie Wonder Vol. 1
Tom Waits

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