Van Morrison - The Best Of Van Morrison

YOURZ

My first memories of Van the Man are of tracks like Brown Eyed Girl, Domino, Jackie Wilson Said and his Them classics, Gloria and Here Comes The Night, all of which featured in my parents playlists when I was a pre-teen.  I remember many late night parties running on high because of these and similar tunes.  Oh sure, it kept my siblings and I awake to hear the adults downstairs dancing and partying, but I'm grateful too because I got to hear these awesome, timeless songs.

He has written so many classics, it really is hard to pin down a single definitive track as a favourite.  I've always loved And It Stoned Me, for its alt-country styling and that it reminded me of the type of song Bruce Springsteen would love to have written.  Then there is the brilliant and beautiful Moondance.  Its an absolute classic and definitely a desert island mixed tape track.  The awesome horn section in Domino, which is pure Motown via North Ireland, is so good it sends a shiver up my spine just about every time I hear it.  Then there is Sweet Thing, which no doubt inspired Irish bands like The Waterboys and probably will continue to for generations to come.
Oh sure, he might have a reputation for being a cranky bastard.  But as far as I'm concerned, he has paid his dues and can be as curmudgeonly as he damn well pleases.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

I wish I could say I'd seen His Royal Grumpiness perform live sometime, but I haven't.  And this CD is just packed with reasons to brave his famous surly performances, to hear him sing these tunes.  Of course being a brown eyed girl myself I love Brown Eyed Girl - but it's a toss up between that and Domino as to my favourite tunes on the album.

But if I haven't seen Van the Man, then I can say I've seen the next best thing.  It's not well known outside the Antipodes, but right here in Sydney lives reclusive 80s-and-90s defying-categorisation indie star Louis Tillett.  And he does Van to a T.  I had the joy of seeing him on stage during a multi-musician tribute night a few years ago, where many in the audience were whispering and nudging to see him in the flesh.  it was almost as exciting as if the man himself had fronted for the evening.

What's your favourite Morrison song?  I can honestly say I love all of the songs on this album WITH THE EXCEPTION of  Have I Told You Lately which makes me throw up in my mouth a little - sorry about that.  (YourZ sez: I feel exactly the same way about it, my love)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.vanmorrison.com/ but there's nothing there!  Van obviously despises the interwebs...

James Hunter - The Hard Way

MINE

Listening to The Hard Way is a bit like dropping into an episode of Mad Men.  James Hunter effortlessly recreates the feeling of early-60s smooth American white-people's music - although sometimes with a hint of dangerous rock-and-or-roll.  It just makes me want to reach for a pitcher of martinis and light up a Lucky Strike.

Just how good is that show, anyway?  And what is it about American TV in the Noughties that it reinvented itself with these OMG scripts and fuck-off acting?  Right now I'm panting for the DVD of the latest series - too long to wait for it to be screened in the Antipodes.  But I'm also enjoying Dexter, as mentioned in our sidebars, and we just gulped down the entire four series of The Wire available here, plus the sheer excellence of Breaking Bad.... and we're still waiting for more spin-off goodness of Battlestar Galactica after the series ended (sob).

It used to be US television was far inferior to the British product.  But now YourZ and Mine(self) spend time nudging each other over the excellent sets and furnishings in Mad Men (we're both Eames-era junkies) - or gripping our seats in the rollercoaster writing of Breaking Bad - or checking our watches to see if we can squeeze in just one more episode of The Wire before bedtime.

But all this isn't telling you how I feel about this album.  And I'm not as passionate about it as I am about Mad Men.  I guess I don't mind it - but frankly I'd rather listen to some recordings of music from back in the day - like my Stax Collection - rather than new music sounding like it was recorded back in the day.  Oh, but that doesn't include Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, who can play at any party I throw from now till whenever.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN


YOURZ

I'm a sucker.  Just ask Mine.  She probably has countless examples of why I am, of this I have no doubt.  But at least I know what I am.  This can go part way to help alleviating losing great amounts of hard earned dollars to snake oil salesmen or con artists trying to sell me national monuments.  But put a pretty girl behind a counter who knows how to use her, erm, charms, and I've already paid for whatever she's trying to sell.

Such was the case when I walked into my local music store and the young, firm beauty behind the counter was sashying around while listening to The Hard Way.  In other circumstances, things might have gotten embarrassingly hard indeed.  Thank goodness for air conditioning and a modicum of self-control, let me tell ya.  The end result was predictable though; I walked out of the store with this CD in my hot and somewhat sweaty palms.

James Hunter is a Englishman who sounds like a lot of the old soul and RnB singers (the first, true and only RnB as far as I'm concerned).  He sounds like a lot of the music my parents loved and listened to when I was growing up, music I find weirdly comforting, given I'm generally a rock pig.  Hunter is talented, unpretentious and in possession of a very fine soul voice.  But what really sets him apart is he not only writes all of his own songs but he plays a mean guitar too.  The authenticity is undeniable and he has garnered fans in people such as Willy Nelson, Chris Isaak and Van Morrison, as well as nominations for a number of the more prestigious music awards.

Personally, I like the ska flavour of Carina, the rockin' Don't Do Me No Favours (the yelps he pulls off in this are pure joy) and the bossanova-flavoured She's Got A Way.  But it's the last track, Strange But True, which comprises only Hunter's vocals and an acoustic guitar that stays with me long after this recording finishes. 

As Mine said, this music would have no problem finding a home in the soundtrack of Mad Men.  Sure, it might have been done before, but James Hunter has a way of making it his own and wow, daddio, what a way it is.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP, shake up a dry martini and shimmy 'till dawn

For more information: http://www.jameshuntermusic.com/