The 1980's were a golden age in Van Morrison’s career as far I am concerned. My Van fandom was at its height during this decade. The 80's produced eight consistently great studio albums and one admirable live album. I’ll concentrate on the studio albums here. Van’s first album of the decade was Common One released in August 1980. It was recorded over a nine-day period in the south of France. The rock music critics didn’t like it, mainly because they didn’t understand it. It had nothing to do with rock music. Van was moving towards a free jazz sound influenced by New Age thinking and trying to induce a meditative state in the listener. It was not a great commercial success, but I think over the years Common One has come to be regarded as one of Van’s most important albums. I would say that Haunts of Ancient Peace, Summertime in England, and the fifteen minutes When Heart Is Open are my favourite three tracks on this great album.
Common One only reached number 53 in the UK charts, so I think Van felt he needed to come up with a more commercial sound next, which he did with Beautiful Vision released in February 82. Van lived for a short while in Denmark with his northern muse Ulla Munch which inspired some of the tracks on this album. His Celtic background inspired Celtic Ray. Also, Van introduced an instrumental track Scandinavia which he was to do on other 80's albums. He even told an interviewer Stephen Davis that he was considering making an instrumental album. This was because of his growing interest in the healing power of music to change consciousness. Other songs show an interest in Theosophy and other esoteric subjects. There are many great songs on the album. My favourites are Celtic Ray, Northern Muse (Solid Ground), Dweller on the Threshold, She Gives Me Religion, Cleaning Windows and Vanlose Stairway.
I don’t think Inarticulate Speech of the Heart in March 83 reached the heights of Beautiful Vision, but it is still an excellent album which again contains some splendid atmospheric instrumental music. L Ron Hubbard is thanked on the cover, but I bet Van regrets putting that in. In the 80's he was dipping into all kinds of spiritual avenues which often didn’t lead anywhere. Rave On John Donne and Irish Heartbeat are among my favourite tracks. A Sense Of Wonder in 1985 continued Van’s mystical spiritual adventures in fine form. Tore Down A La Rimbaud is one of my favourite Van songs, and the title track is excellent as well. I think No Guru, No Method, No Teacher from July 86 is possibly Van’s greatest album of the 80's. I always think of it as his Krishnamurti album because the album title comes from a talk by Jiddu Krishnamurti who was another influence on Van’s spiritual quest. I would put In The Garden in the top five of Van’s greatest ever songs. Got To Go Back is another personal favourite, and Foreign Window, A Town Called Paradise, Oh The Warm Feeling Tir Na Nog and One Irish Rover are all first-rate songs.
I think that Poetic Champions Compose in 1987 started life as the instrumental album that Van was planning because it contains three wonderful instrumentals Spanish Steps, Celtic Excavation and Allow Me, but then Van changed his mind and added songs. The album has two of his greatest love songs Queen Of The Slipstream and Someone Like You. I also think that Alan Watts Blues and Did Ye Get Healed are great songs. Van then took a little break from his New Age musings to have some fun and recorded Irish Heartbeat with The Chieftains. It was a great success. There are only two Van songs along with eight traditional Irish songs. Although On Raglan Road was a poem by Patrick Kavanagh set to a traditional Irish tune The Dawning Of The Day and Luke Kelly sang the definitive original version, I still consider Van’s version as one of his best songs of the decade. Carrickfergus is also brilliant. I will certainly give this album a listen tomorrow on St Patrick’s Day .
Van ended the 80's in fine style with Avalon Sunset, which was a pastoral nature inspired triumph. It contains one of his greatest ever love songs Have I Told You Lately, and almost every other song is also great, including Coney Island, I'm Tired Joey Boy, When Will I Ever Learn to Live in God, Orangefield, Daring Night and These Are the Days.
So, what are my favourite ten Van
songs of the 1980's? I hope I haven’t overlooked a brilliant song. He recorded
so many great songs, to just choose ten is nowhere near enough. Another day, this
list might be different, but I would say, in reverse order.
10…. Cleaning Windows.
9…. Did Ye Get Healed?
8…. She Gives Me Religion
7…. Haunts Of Ancient Peace.
6…. Tore Down A La Rimbaud.
5…. Got To Go Back.
4…. Have I Told You Lately?
3…. On Raglan Road.
2…. Queen Of The Slipstream.
1…. Congratulations to IN THE GARDEN Van Morrison’s best song of the 1980s! (See video below)…..What do you think?
