Remembering Now Van Morrison

• 1 Down To Joy 03:38
• 2 If It Wasn’t For Ray 03:18
• 3 Haven’t Lost My Sense Of Wonder 05:28
• 4 Love, Lover and Beloved 05:13
• 5 Cutting Corners 03:06
• 6 Back To Writing Love Songs 03:58
• 7 The Only Love I Ever Need Is Yours 02:36
• 8 Once In A Lifetime Feelings 04:39
• 9 Stomping Ground 05:16
• 10 Memories And Visions 06:47
• 11 When The Rains Came 06:19
• 12 Colourblind 03:32
• 13 Remembering Now 05:19
• 14 Stretching Out 08:52
• Total Runtime 01:08:01

Info for Remembering Now

Van Morrison, blue-eyed soul shouter and wild-eyed poet-magician at the same time, is one of the true innovators of popular music. He is a restless seeker whose evocative vocals and alchemical fusion of R&B, jazz, blues and Celtic folk have produced perhaps the most spiritual work in the rock'n'roll canon. Subject only to the whims of his own muse, his recordings cover an extraordinary stylistic terrain, yet maintain a cohesiveness and purity almost unrivalled among his contemporaries. What unites them is the mythic power of his unique musical vision and fiery vocals: spiralling repetitions of laments and whispers that skirt the boundaries of language to articulate emotional truths that go far beyond the scope of literal meaning.

"With Remembering Now, Van Morrison returns to the transcendent, uncategorisable rhapsodies that make him unique," a statement said . "Soul, jazz, blues, folk, country - this is music in conversation with all of them but limited by none.

"It’s rich with hallmarks of classic Van Morrison, from dominant themes of love in spirit with the great ‘Someone Like You’ (the escapist romance of ‘Once In A Lifetime Feelings’, the self-deprecating candour of ‘The Only Love I Ever Need Is Yours’) to specific references to locations from his youth in the title track and ‘Stomping Ground’. The title of another song, ‘When the Rains Came’, echoes a lyric from his classic ‘Brown Eyed Girl’."

"I also believe these songs will translate well within a live setting, with the juxtaposing gentle groove of the music successfully being brought to life. And whilst, at the start of the album we’re met with songs which blend into one, as we enter the second half of the album everything feels more defined, offering musicality which shifts between angelic soundscapes to a hauntingly moody prowess which, dare I say, could belong on a Nick Cave album.

Another particular highlight along these lines is his voice, still carrying that definition which lays somewhere amongst a modest passion for the lines he’s written, strong in the way it leads the songs.

It feels like Morrison has once again found his feet within his songwriting, with the album being the first of newly written material since 2022’s What’s It Gonna Take? It is great to see an artist of such legacy and stature still delve into songwriting, continuing to convey their musical passion." (Leah Simons, silentradio.co.uk)

Van Morrison, vocals
Richard Dunn, Hammond organ
Stuart McIlroy, piano
Pete Hurley, bass
Colin Griffin, drums, percussion

Van Morrison
One of music’s true originals Van Morrison’s unique and inspirational musical legacy is rooted in postwar Belfast.

Born in 1945 Van heard his Shipyard worker father’s collection of blues, country and gospel early in life.

Feeding off musical greats such as Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, Muddy Waters, Mahalia Jackson and Leadbelly he was a travelling musician at 13 and singing, playing guitar and sax, in several bands, before forming Them in 1964.

Making their name at Belfast’s Maritime Club Them soon established Van as a major force in the British R&B scene. Morrison’s matchless vocal and songwriting talents produced instant classics such as the much covered ‘Gloria’ and ‘Here Comes The Night’.

Those talents found full astonishing range in Van’s solo career.

After working with Them’s New York producer Bert Berns on beautiful Top 40 pop hit ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ (1967), Morrison moved to another realm.

Recorded over 3 days with legendary jazz musicians Astral Weeks (1968) is a still singular album combining street poetry, jazz improvisation, Celtic invocation and Afro Celtic Blues wailing.

Morrison would weave these and myriad other influences into the albums that followed in quick succession.

Reflecting on new life in America on the joyous Sinatra soul of Moondance (1970) and the country inflected Tupelo Honey (1971) he summoned old spiritual and ancestral life in the epic St Dominic’s Preview (1972) closer track Listen To The Lion.

Double live album Too Late To Stop Now (1973) highlighted Morrison’s superlative performing and bandleader skills. Mapping out a richly varied musical course throughout the 70s he shone among an all-star cast including Bob Dylan and Muddy Waters on The Band’s Last Waltz.

Indeed, borne of his Irish Showband instincts, the magic of the live performance has been a consistent feature of Morrison’s career.

Settling back into life in the UK in 1980 he released Common One an album centring on Summertime In England an extraordinary invocation of literary, sensual and spiritual pleasure the song would often become a thrilling improvised centrepiece to his live shows.

Steering his own course throughout the 80s on albums such as No Guru, No Method, No Teacher he claimed Celtic roots with The Chieftains on Irish Heartbeat. Teaming with Georgie Fame brought new impetus to his live show while Avalon Sunset saw him back in the album and single charts by the decades end.

Van Morrison continued to advance on his status as a game- changing artist through the 90s and into the 21st century.

Awards and accolades - a Brit, an OBE, an Ivor Novello, 6 Grammys, honourary doctorates from Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster, entry into The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and the French Ordres Des Artes Et Des Lettres - attested to the international reach of Van’s musical art.

Yet there was never any suggestion that Morrison, one of the most prolific recording artists and hardest working live performers of his era, would ever rest on his laurels.

Collaborations with, among others, John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, Lonnie Donegan, Mose Allison and Tom Jones confirmed the breadth of his musical reach.

Morrison’s visionary songwriting and mastery of many genres continued to shine on albums celebrating and re-exploring his blues, jazz, skiffle and country roots.

The influence of the musical journey that began back in Post War Belfast stretches across the generations, and Morrison’s questing hunger insures that the journey itself continues.

Constantly reshaping his musical history in live performance, Morrison reclaimed Astral Weeks on 2009’s album Live At The Hollywood Bowl.

The subtitle of Van Morrison's latest album, Born to Sing: No Plan B, indicates the power that music still holds for this living legend. "No Plan B means this is not a rehearsal," says Morrison. "That’s the main thing—it’s not a hobby, it’s real, happening now, in real time."

With one of the most revered catalogues in music history and his unparalleled talents as composer, singer and performer Morrison’s past achievements loom large. But, as throughout his extraordinary career, how that past informs his future achievements and still stirs excitement and keen anticipation.

This album contains no booklet.