Into The Music by Van Morrison, Revisited.

 

It is a lazy Sunday afternoon and I am listening to Into The Music by Van Morrison. If somebody asked me to name the last Van album where every single song was a classic, In all honesty I would have to say Into The Music. This is what I said about it a long time ago.........

Sometime in the mid 1970's I bought my first Van biography. It was a paperback by the late Richie Yorke called Into The Music. I do not know what happened to it, maybe I sold it on my bookstall. At the time I thought it was not very good. Probably because it was the only biography Van ever actually co-operated with, I think Richie had to be careful what he said. A few years later Van bought out an album called Into The Music and my first thought was that it wasn't an original album title, being the same as the book and a play on words of Into The Mystic. However, on hearing the contents it was apparent that after his hiatus of the mid-70's Van Morrison was back on top form. I think after the disappointing reception of A Period Of Transition Van had to make a commercially successful album, which he did with Wavelength and the success of that album gave him renewed confidence to try something more adventurous. He did this brilliantly with Into The Music producing an album packed with great songs and achieving great critical acclaim at the same time. 

The album begins with a very optimistic upbeat song, the very catchy Bright Side Of The Road. This song gave Van his first hit single in Britain since the days of Them. I like Katie Kissoon singing in the background and the harmonica and when Van does that growly voice which is a bit like Louis Armstrong. Let’s enjoy it while we can because it goes by in the twinkling of an eye. The upbeat feel continues with Full Force Gale. This is very spiritual and Christian. I will find my sanctuary in the lord', sings Van. The great Ry Cooder plays slide guitar on this one. A great song for Sunday mornings, or any morning, for that matter. Steppin’ Out Queen is next. Queens crop up quite a lot in Van songs, Joe Harper Saturday Morning also mentions queens, and Queen Of The Slipstream of course. It is a great song as is Stepping Out Queen, Part 2 on the Philosophers Stone album. Mark Isham’s piccolo trumpet gives a very medieval feel to Troubadours. Van’s friend Robin Williamson plays tin whistle on this song. He was to play quite a role in Vans spiritual journey in subsequent years. 'And for every man all across the land and from shore to shore, they came singin' songs of love and chivalry from the days of yore'.

Pee Wee Ellis.

Rolling Hills is again very up tempo with lots of Yeahs and whoo's from Van who threatens to dance a jig among the rolling hills. Toni Marcus plays a nice viola on this track. Toni plays an important role in making the sound of this album, playing violin, viola, mandolin and straviola. You Make Me Feel So Free is a song I have come to associate with Brian Kennedy in subsequent years because he sings a great cover version on the No Prima Donna album. Pee Wee Ellis excels himself on this track with a nice solo. It was a lucky day for Van when Mark Isham recommended Pee Wee to him. The first six tracks are great, but then Van steps up from great to sublime with the last four tracks starting with Angelou. I have heard it suggested that Van might have got the name from the famous American author Maya Angelou who wrote I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. I have never heard of anyone else by that name. This is a romantic song with its images of Paris in the month of May. I spent a few months in France in 79 and met lots of interesting people so this song struck a chord with me when I first heard it. I especially like the talking interlude in the song. ‘Walkin' on a city street who would think you could ever be touched by a total stranger, not me but when you came up to me that day and I listened to your story it reminded me so much of myself. It wasn't what you said but the way it felt to me, about a search and a journey just like mine’.

Toni Talia Marcus.

The next song And The Healing Has Begun is almost as good as it gets with Van. I would put it in the top five Van Morrison songs of all time. Toni Marcus is magnificent on this track. It's All In The Game is a Companion song to You Know What They're Writing About. When Van sings the two songs together it becomes his Master class. Among Van afficionados this song has become simply known as 'Game'. The song itself has an interesting history. The original music was written by an American Vice-President called Charles Dawes in 1912. Lyrics were added by  Carl Sigman in 1951. It was recorded by Tommy Edwards and got to Number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic in 1958. Both Cliff Richard and the Four Tops had hits with it before Van recorded it and made it his own. It is Toni again who excels on this song with her haunting violin. It is a shame she was not in his band for longer. The song flows seamlessly into You Know What They're Writing About. The words Meet me down by the pylons has a very personal resonance for me because at Worthy Farm there is a line of pylons which go right across the site towards the Tor in the distance and the first time I saw Van at Glastonbury in 82 these words suddenly took on new meaning for me. They seemed strangely prophetic. Van Morrison has made some great albums and wonderful songs since 1979, but I do not think for sheer consistency and quality he has quite matched the brilliance of Into The Music. This album personifies the healing power of music.