Linden Arden POLL the Highlights--ILM Van Morrison Poll Results

Here we go...

22 ballots.
16 albums.
154 songs.

Albums first.

http://i.imgur.com/shqtYOI.jpg

Hard Nose the Highway
Tied for 12th place
One vote, 28 points

http://i.imgur.com/5D0TB7C.jpg

T.B. Sheets
Tied for 12th place
One vote, 28 points

just a guy with a guitar in his apartment feelin mad about the music business

Here's a surprise...

http://i.imgur.com/zvoTE3k.jpg

Tupelo Honey
Tied for 12th place
One vote, 28 points

just a lady on a horse goin for a walk with a guy who's mad at the music business

Is there a worse Van lyric than this bit from Old Old Woodstock?

And my woman's waiting
By the kitchen door
I'm driving along
In my old beat up car

Ford, Van. Ford rhymes so much better with door!

http://i.imgur.com/ymToaOq.jpg

Enlightenment
Tied for 11th place
One vote, 30 points

whoa!

great record

a surprise

Next one was the biggest revelation for me. I hadn't heard it until this poll, and it's fantastic.

gotta be Common One

http://i.imgur.com/XfjptVi.jpg

No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
Tied for 11th place
One vote, 30 points

i guess i was the only one vote for no guru. like an older, wiser, gentler veedon fleece

Yes. I'm not sure it would have cracked my top 5, but I do really love this record now.

http://i.imgur.com/J3Xp1PP.jpg

Avalon Sunset
Tied for 11th place
One vote, 30 points

a much better record than i remembered, really enjoyed revisiting it for the poll

"contacting my angel" is a+ drifting spiritual van

Oh man I messed that up already. That will be the first of many...

Correction

http://i.imgur.com/uMURN99.jpg

Avalon Sunset
Tied for 10th place
One vote, 33 points

http://i.imgur.com/YQ67HKd.jpg

The Angry Young Them
Tied for 10th place
One vote, 33 points

That was the last of the ties, and albums with just one vote.

oh i did not know them was eligible! not sure it would have changed my albums ballot tho

i think common one is gonna place way higher on ilm than it would anywhere else

http://i.imgur.com/abJjJAX.jpg

Irish Heartbeat
9th place
Two votes, 71 points

unbelievably gorgeous album that i didn't vote for no. 1

I nearly voted no guru. the title track live in 1990-ish was IMMENSE for me.

i think common one is gonna place way higher on ilm than it would anywhere else

not sure if true but I don't know one Van Morrison head who doesn't rank it high

http://i.imgur.com/KwJ0Lnb.jpg

His Band and the Street Choir
8th place
Six votes, 191 points

whoa

When an album as strong as Street Choir is only considered your 8th best, you know you're good.

going to enjoy this rollout, I'm a Van fan but i admit that i don't know much of his music beyond some early cuts and Astral Weeks/Moondance/Tupelo Honey -- the latter of which is the one i listen to the most, kinda surprised and intrigued by its low placement here.

really love Irish Heartbeat too

i was weirded out by the low placement of tupelo honey as well, but i didn't vote for it so lol

yeah i almost feel bad but you can only pick 5!

Yes. If it was a top ten albums, I think Tupelo would have fared better. It's safe to say that domesticated Woodstock lover man Van is not ILM's favorite.

Mild shocker ahead...

http://i.imgur.com/EZ6lLEI.jpg

Into the Music
7th place
7 votes, 200 points

big vote jump with the last two

into the music is perfect from start to finish

Yes. I included every album that got votes.

I figured Into The Music would be higher.

yeah, figured top 5 for sure

Without giving too much away, Into The Music is probably not weird enough for ILM Van voters.

idk man those last two tracks are p weird

i almost voted "steppin' out queen" as my no. 1 track bc it's just a perfectly-arranged, everything-in-its-right-place van song

yeah "you know" is v weird

http://i.imgur.com/iZXgDPh.jpg

It's Too Late To Stop Now
6th place
8 votes, one #1
277 points

way too low, best live album i've ever heard

was my #2, has grown even more in my estimation after the recent expanded version

I generally don't listen to live albums and have never listened to that one, though in the past year I've reversed course but I still only really listen to live albums by FM rock bands like UFO & Rainbow

(I do listen to live jazz albums tho)

i guess i should have referred to it as the best live rock album i've ever heard bc once you include jazz, yikes. but joan if you are ever feeling it it's too late is a master class in bandleading, and in also having the best band in the fucking world

The Cyprus Avenue on Too Late to Stop Now is so great I could plotz.

http://i.imgur.com/grD91Lh.jpg

Common One
5th place
10 votes, one #1
306 points

i was the no. 1, a few years ago i finally scored a copy of this record and it became sort of a ritual to zone out to it once a week; the bookends are so meditative that you feel like you're sinking into something incalculably vaster than yourself

also afaik van never got this fusion-y again so it's v singular in his catalog

It definitely represents the apex of weird Van. I'm usually OK with that but When Heart Is Open is where I get off.

I'm going to be curious to hear the Van fans' take on the last couple decades once this poll is complete. I'd only owned Days Like This (not sure why, and it was vv forgettable) and the Mose Allison tribute w/Georgie Famr and Ben Sidran, Tell Me Something.

nah man that's the deepest region of the mystic! xp

That one was pretty decent albeit probably too faithful to the source material.

ilm turned me onto Common One maybe a year ago, and I soon found a copy while stuck in san clemente for a few hours. I play it more than any other van album lately, and I am in love with harmonica Van on When Heart Is Open.

Van fans' take on the last couple decades once this poll is complete

Born To Sing No Plan B was a great discovery for me thanks to this poll.

Here's a surprise...

Magic Time is really good, Keep Me Singing is solid if not particularly notable

http://i.imgur.com/OPzqxea.jpg

Moondance
4th place
13 votes, five #1
452 points

great album that probably suffers from "led zeppelin IV" disease a bit

Yes. Plus side 2 is nowhere near as good as side 1. But not much is.

Moondance, you deserve more discussion but we need to move on.

http://i.imgur.com/u9tAJyL.jpg

Saint Dominic's Preview
3rd place
15 votes, one #1
474 points

straight fire beautiful album

This was my #1. Even though I Will Be There, Gypsy and Redwood Tree are minor Van, the others are about as major as he gets.

Yes. Plus side 2 is nowhere near as good as side 1. But not much is.

― kornrulez6969, Thursday, August 3, 2017 1:10 PM (fourteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

idk i think side 2 is nearly as good and the tracks don't suffer from the same overexposure. it's a classic album and earned a deserving #1 vote from me

side 2 of moondance could be blank and that record would still be a masterpiece

I'm a St. Dominic's dissenter, it never seemed in the same class as the others of that period

WILL VEEDON FLEECE BEAT ASTRAL WEEKS

Redwood Tree > Jackie Wilson Said

excuse me "gypsy" is NOT minor van

side 2 of Saint Dominic's is amazing. I learned from this poll that I don't like Moondance very much anymore.

side 2 of moondance could be blank and that record would still be a masterpiece

otm

Everyone is one of the best tracks!

But Glad Tidings!

Great rollout already.

Everyone is one of the best tracks!

― Gaspard de la Nuit: III. ScarJost (Sufjan Grafton), Thursday, August 3, 2017 1:31 PM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

But Glad Tidings!

― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Thursday, August 3, 2017 1:33 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm x2

van's records tend to open so strongly that i think i've unconsciously attached their initial notes and lyrics with specific times and places in my life. "half a mile from the county fair and the rain came pouring down" takes me right back to hearing moondance through my headphones while hanging out in my dad's office when i was 15; it was my first van record and it was one of the first times i had encountered a song that seemed to be conveying much more than the simplicity of its text implied. the "doo doo doo do do" in "jackie wilson said" also immediately converts me back into a 24-year-old who was pretty head-over-heels in love, which, even though it backfired p quickly afterward, is a v nice feeling to have preserved

You can probably guess the last 2. They were thisclose until the last day when one pulled ahead.

http://i.imgur.com/ZNL6h2J.jpg

Veedon Fleece
2nd place
17 votes, three #1
602 points

http://i.imgur.com/l2f4iFI.jpg

Astral Weeks
1st place
19 votes, 9 #1
696 points

696 points

nice/ecin

Recap:

12 Hard Nose the Highway--28 points
12 T.B. Sheets--28 points
12 Tupelo Honey--28 points
11 Enlightenment--30 points
11 No Guru, No Method, No Teacher--30 points
10 Avalon Sunset--33 points
10 Angry Young Them--33 points
9. Irish Heartbeat--71 points
8. His Band and the Street Choir--191 points
7. Into the Music--200 points
6. It's Too Late To Stop Now--277 points
5. Common One--306 points
4. Moondance--452 points
3. Saint Dominic's Preview--474 points
2. Veedon Fleece--602 points
1. Astral Weeks--696 points

Taking a break while I compile all the songs. Thanks for voting everyone, this has been more fun than a trip to Caledonia.

i'ma sail i'ma sail i'ma sail i'ma sail

"contacting my angel" is a+ drifting spiritual van

super true and I now regret that it didn't make my songs list. it is better than some of the ones that did.

I suggest you all go away and listen to all four volumes of Too Late... and have a jolly good think about what' you've done.

🖼

*It's Too Late To Stop Now
6th place
8 votes, one #1
277 points *

I forgot about this!

I fortuitously heard Veedon Fleece at exactly the right time, during a particularly low point in my life when my plans were all falling apart. I hear it as a deeply lonely, guilt-ridden album.

That top 5 matches mine exactly! Although I'm wondering now if I've underrated Saint Dominic's Preview

yeah for me VF, that's the one that a friend & I used to stroke our chins about whether it's a better record than AW. precisely for that reason. it's so down inside itself, it almost sounds like a secret.

"william blake and the eternals, standing with the sisters of mercy, looking for the veedon fleece" def feels like a lyric van pulled from the edge of sleeping and waking

alien sex fiend or gtfo

Although I'm wondering now if I've underrated Saint Dominic's Preview

For me, Saint Dominic's Preview just takes what's best about Astral Weeks and Moondance and fuses them together. I wish I had a more profound insight than that, but I gotta be me.

alien sex fiend or gtfo

playing "ignore the machine" right now...I have to say this music has not aged especially well

sadly otm

22 ballots is impressive, wish i Knew Van Morrison better so i could have voted. looking forward to watching this unfold. great start kornrulez6969.

Thanks! This has been a lot of fun. Van Morrison is a near-perfect act for an ILM poll. 50 years active, tons of albums, all different styles of music.

I finally compiled all the song ballots. We're going to do a Top 52 for reasons that will become clear when rollout begins.

yeah ultimately it had to be astral weeks for me
i remember reading about that album in a rolling stone "best albums of all time" special double issue and thinking about what it must sound like for years before i finally found it on CD.

it's one of those "classic albums" that can't seem to lose its magic to me, i still marvel and what they all accomplished

my only album not in the top 5 was Angry Young Them. I freakin' love that stuff.

Same Top 5 but in different order

in an ordered song-to-song match up, Into the Music takes Moondance by a 7-3 score

Cleaning Windows sounds like Dire Straits and is awesome. We should have delayed this poll by 1 year.

in ballerina, sounds like van's imploring you to try his ketchup <- I am sorry that you are seeing this garbage post instead of track #52

Just a few...

My team has been hard at work analyzing the data. We are ready to begin. The plan was to do the Top 50, but 51 and 52 both recieved #1 votes, so it felt right to include them. It's what Van would want.

http://i.imgur.com/yNa1Ugb.jpg

52. Country Fair
2 votes, 47 points
One #1 vote

http://i.imgur.com/5gHutpK.jpg

51. Coney Island
2 votes, 48 points
One #1 vote

Country Fair was my #1! I wasn't sure that anyone else liked this song. I suppose it may be too straightforwardly sentimental, but that mode is devastating after the long trip through outer space, if I may borrow from another's post. Or maybe people don't like the flute. I love that fucking flute. I also love how the bass riffs off Van's vocal rather than the other way around.

"contacting my angel" is a+ drifting spiritual van

Could we get a top 10 drifting spiritual van list at some point? would love to have more of that in my life.

Love the roll out so far. As noted above, allowing only top 5 albums might have led to lower placement of Common One, Into the Music and Tupelo Honey. If we could have turned it up to 6 albums I would have added Irish Heartbeat.

I wasn't the 2nd vote but Country Fair is great. I hear the flute as linking to traditional Irish music. Might even make it onto the drifting spiritual Van list.

would it be possible to note the album these tracks are originally on? asking cuz I am not super familiar with the discography

Yes good idea!

52. Country Fair
from Veedon Fleece
2 votes, 47 points
One #1 vote

51. Coney Island
from Avalon Sunset
2 votes, 48 points
One #1 vote

http://i.imgur.com/N8iGlC3.jpg

50. I'll Be Your Lover Too
from His Band and the Street Choir
3 votes, 53 points

http://i.imgur.com/xp3xYNz.jpg

49. Gypsy
from Saint Dominic's Preview
3 votes, 57 points

to be continued...

WKIW Van's 1970 band.

I voted for County Fair at 25 I think. sentimental Van is my favorite.

My Van Poll team is refreshed after some heavy rest and ready to resume...

http://i.imgur.com/sACX9TA.jpg

48. Glad Tidings
from Moondance
5 votes, 58 points

Nice.

http://i.imgur.com/tMEKm0T.jpg

47. Raglan Road
from Irish Heartbeat
4 votes, 62 points

way too low for glad tidings, had it in my top ten

And they'll lay you down TOO LOOOOOOOW in the easy

la la la la

This next one may be a surprise...

http://i.imgur.com/yNrktAe.jpg

46. Bright Side of the Road
from Into the Music
5 votes, 65 points

let's enjoy it while we can

I've started a Spotify playlist- it's collaborative, so fill your boots if I'm not around:

https://open.spotify.com/user/thepoacher/playlist/5DPeJd4pUzQMIQMBvzvU9M?si=aUl4MH8S

(Glad Tidings too low!)

Sweet, thanks for making that!

http://i.imgur.com/e9I9qNn.jpg

45. He Ain't Give You None
from Blowin' Your Mind
3 votes, 67 points

bright side of the road is van's "oh yoko"

If I'd voted, the take from the '90s Bang Masters comp would've been in my top 10, easily. I love the instructions he gives to the band after the false start ("should be freer"), and his "keep it there, keep it there" near the end.

xp

lol he looks like mac demarco there

http://i.imgur.com/u8Mv2bG.jpg

44 (tie). Real Real Gone
from Enlightenment
4 votes, 70 points

This is one of my favorite late-period Van songs.

Real Real Gone, you deserved more discussion. But we have to move on.

Here is the first from Astral Weeks. Can anyone guess what it will be?

beside you or slim slow slider

What brad said. I didn't vote for either.

http://i.imgur.com/cfA52zY.jpg

44 (tie). Beside You
from Astral Weeks
4 votes, 70 points

I'm not a fan of Beside You. Putting it 2nd on Astral Weeks doesn't do the album any favors (in my humble opinion).

http://i.imgur.com/Tj9u8uI.jpg

43 (tie). These Dreams of You
from Moondance
5 votes, 72 points

didn't vote for beside you, but it's pretty key to setting up Astral Weeks' mystery in my opinion.

the title track is a sweeping two-chord epic that whisks you up into the slipstream, but beside you is so foreign and disorienting--no rhythm to speak of, strange swirling folk instruments. accepting beside you is surrendering yourself into van's cosmic whims.

I voted for These Dreams of You, the bridge is majestic.

well HUSH-A-BYYYYYYYE

xp excellent articulation of why I voted for it, thx

Here's a good one I discovered from this poll...

http://i.imgur.com/q9WjK0Y.jpg

43 (tie). In the Garden
from No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
5 votes, 72 points

Forgive the typo in the next pic, this song is from 1965 not 1988.

http://i.imgur.com/Hnx7W0u.jpg

42. Here Comes the Night
Them! single--1965
6 votes, 73 points

http://i.imgur.com/yXIqo5A.jpg

41. Haunts of Ancient Peace
from Common One
6 votes, 77 points

love that song

Common One obviously is a lot slicker and more fusion pro but I think it's also the closest he ever got back to the spiritual world he channels on astral weeks

Here comes a fairly big surprise...

http://i.imgur.com/rTmIqdY.jpg

40 (tie). Tupelo Honey
from Tupelo Honey
5 votes, 78 points

loving the 45 picture sleeves

Thanks. I was sure this would be in the top 20. Tupelo Honey is clearly not an ILM favorite.

http://i.imgur.com/WOhOemG.jpg

40 (tie). Dweller on the Threshold
from Beautiful Vision
5 votes, 78 points

http://i.imgur.com/nrb1C04.jpg

39. I've Been Working
from His Band and the Street Choir
6 votes, 79 points

correction

39 tie. I've Been Working
from His Band and the Street Choir
6 votes, 79 points

http://i.imgur.com/aWQdXNM.jpg

39 (tie). Bulbs
from Veedon Fleece
5 votes, 79 points

aw i'm glad "dweller on the threshold" and "bulbs" made it even though i didn't vote for either

http://i.imgur.com/jj6Giw3.jpg

38 (tie). Everyone
from Moondance
5 votes, 82 points

man moondance is having a rough time

let's enjoy it while we can

Help me share my load

Here's one that's too low...

http://i.imgur.com/g8igBcf.jpg

38 (tie). And the Healing Has Begun
from Into the Music
6 votes, 82 points

http://i.imgur.com/4JYAat3.jpg

37. Contemplation Rose
from The Philosopher's Stone
7 votes, 83 points

both of those tracks are amazing

Going to be interesting to see brad's ballot

http://i.imgur.com/cMGiOwJ.jpg

36. Baby Please Don't Go
Them! single
5 votes, 85 points

"And the Healing Has Begun" has marvelous violin.

We were just a few points away from having this poll get truly mysitical...

http://i.imgur.com/F3gjnFU.jpg

35. Cleaning Windows
from Beautiful Vision
7 votes, 92 points

It would have been incredible to have Van prophetically predict this song's placement, "Number 36."

hi my name is van i love to clean windows and hate on the record industry

http://i.imgur.com/Ig2jwEA.jpg

34. Mystic Eyes
Them! single
6 votes, 94 points

http://i.imgur.com/UgiW8Ei.jpg

33. Redwood Tree
from Saint Dominic's Preview
5 votes, 102 points

http://i.imgur.com/BBqWUuO.jpg

32. Wavelength
from Wavelength
6 votes, 103 points
One #1 vote

OK that's it for today. We'll finish up on Monday.

Recap:

52. Country Fair
51. Coney Island
50. I’ll Be Your Lover Too
49. Gypsy
48. Glad Tidings
47. Raglan Road
46. Bright Side of the Road
45. He Ain’t Give You None
44 tie. Real Real Gone
44 tie. Beside You
43 tie. These Dreams of You
43 tie. In the Garden
42. Here Comes the Night
41. Haunts of Ancient Peace
40 tie. Tupelo Honey
40 tie. Dweller on the Threshold
39 tie. I’ve Been Working
39 tie. Bulbs
38 tie. Everyone
38 tie. And the Healing Has Begun
37. Contemplation Rose
36. Baby Please Don’t Go
35. Cleaning Windows
34. Mystic Eyes
33. Redwood Tree
32. Wavelength

glad to see redwood tree make it, love the scat singing at the end

"Wavelength" is the closest he came to an American pop hit after the early seventies.

Maybe but "Have I Told You Lately" did fine; Rod's version went higher I think.

C or D: Smoking moodily in front of vaguely new-wavey-colored crayon scribbles

...while thinking about how much record companies suck

You know, I've long had a nagging feeling about the graphic style of the Wavelength cover - the teal and purple swipes. I finally figured out what it reminds me of.

https://nouvellegamine.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/nagel08.jpg

Damn, now I wanna hear Van cover "Rio".

agree that "and the healing has begun" feels greater to me but I don't get to gripe since I assigned equal points to all the songs on my ballot

It's a small shame that "Everyone" didn't get a boost in popularity after Tenenbaums like some of the other Wes Anderson cratedigger cues of the era ("Making Time", "Ooh La La", even "Me & Julio...") did.

The Wavelength photo was by Norman Seeff, but the design looks like Judith Jacklin, who did the hand-tinted photos of hosts and musical guests that were used during the commercials on Saturday Night Live. (ehh...just checked wikipedia and she's not the designer, but that cover looks just like the SNL photos of the era.)

I love "Real Real Gone", glad to see I'm not the only one. I first heard it on a Dylan bootleg from the 90s.

xp i voted for Everyone at #2, and Tenenbaums was a big reason why

Originally he wanted to use "Sloop John B", and there are a few fan-made cuts on youtube subbing it in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y44jSgtwTkY

predictably i like "everyone" much better in that scene

not a beach boys fan?

Feel like my pre rollout ambiguous post to kornrulez about coming through delayed the rollout so it didn't finish Friday as intended. Sorry all.

Not at all. I was going to do all the tracks today but the thread was dead all morning and early afternoon. I can do more this evening if there's any interest.

not a beach boys fan?

― Gaspard de la Nuit: III. ScarJost (Sufjan Grafton), Friday, August 4, 2017 12:05 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

eh i am but "everyone"'s got kind of this walking rhythm that works unsurprisingly well with a slow motion shot of people walking

http://i.imgur.com/CREizJG.jpg

31 (tie). Wonderful Remark
Greatest Hits / King of Comedy
7 votes, 105 points

That was high on my ballot, one of my very favorites.

http://i.imgur.com/duKJlYP.jpg

31 (tie) Warm Love
Hard Nose the Highway
7 votes, 105 points

Maybe but "Have I Told You Lately" did fine; Rod's version went higher I think.

― okapi paste (Ye Mad Puffin),

only on the A/C chart maybw

Van's version, that is. Stewart's was a massive hit (it peaked at #2).

Ok. I still can't stand it, not least because it depends on the laziest rhyme ever, love/above.

Glad to see some Them in the roll out. The list is a good mix of all the different Van sounds.

Xpost Tupelo Honey. I had a lot of 70s Van on my ballot but not much from TH and not the title song. Not really sure why ... maybe I don't think she's an angel.

TIL that "Why Must I Always Explain" is the same chord progression as "Tupelo Honey."

man in the garden is a jam, though it gives me catholic mass flashbacks. Strange that kozelek is using that di acoustic guitar sound on recent albums.

No track so far has had more than 7 votes.

Song with the highest votes/points ratio to date: he ain't give you none.

Try to guess the Top 5. Nobody will get it right.

^give us a hint, how many in top 5 from each decade.

top 5 are the Way That Young Lovers Do, You Don't Pull No Punches, Cyprus Avenue, Into the Mystic, and Bein' Green

ok probably not "Bein' Green" but maybe "Listen to the Lion"

Madam George has to be in there!

ok probably not "Bein' Green"

it ain't easy bein' "bein' green"

G-L-O-R-I-A-!

it's gonna be alright!

I blew it not voting for You Don't Pull No Punches, I'm a moron.

So yeah, it's Bein' Green.

Not close

Two Songs About Hating The Music Business + Two Songs About Women + One Song About Leaves Falling On Women Who Hate The Music Business

http://i.imgur.com/7VfH5hM.jpg

30. Tir Na Nog
from No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
5 votes, 106 points

fuck yes I'm gonna bump that one right now

God this song is so wonderful

it really is. my no. 4

listening to "in the garden" now & remembering when I saw Van on Avalon Sunset his piano dude - may have been Mose Allison? - stomping all over the transcendent vibe in the dorkiest but also kinda best way: Van went deep into the refrain, everybody in the house down in that spiritual vibe - no guru - no method - no teacher - just you and I and nature and the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost- there was a very vocal contingent of Christians in the crowd, earlier in the evening when he'd done "Whenever God Shines His Light" he'd sung "He heals the sick / and He heals the lame / and He says that you can do it, too, in Jesus Christ's Name" (in the track there's no "Christ), a whole swathe of the audience down front erupted in cheers - so In the Garden peaks, Van's got pretty much everybody in that garden, it's us & Van and the Trinity, what a vibe - and Van exits, stage left, the band still playing - and dude at the piano smiles huge and exuberantly into his mic goes: "No guru, no method, no teacher -- just Van the Man!" which is kinda like

lol

wonderful

I saw Mose Allison play in 1997-ish and he gushed at length about how grateful he was to VM for the Tell Me Something album and the difference between a songwriting royalty check for a Van Morrison album vs. a Mose Allison album.

that is wonderful jclc

re: Tenenbaums

Early cuts of the movie had it end with the Anthology version of "I'm Looking Through You" (and starting with the actual "Hey Jude" instead of Mothersbaugh's cover) but they couldn't get the rights

Love that story, JCLC. And I think Tir Na Nog has been my best find of the poll.

We're starting up again in 5 minutes.

http://i.imgur.com/ppgUCLK.jpg

29. Moondance
from Moondance
6 votes, 108 points

wooooowwww

this low

Let me revise

29. Moondance
from Moondance
6 votes, 108 points
One #1

If it weren't for that #1 vote, the song Moondance would have been in the high 50s.

http://i.imgur.com/DLWXf5w.jpg

28. Who Was That Masked Man
from Veedon Fleece
8 votes, 120 points

^^ the peak of Veedon Fleece

tbh if it were possible to vote for "linden arden" and "masked man" as a suite i would've

van's falsetto is totally devastating

i would also like to say that the cadence with which van sings the chorus of "wonderful remark" is one of my favorite things in all of music and is a weird bittersweet moment in an otherwise relentlessly bitter song

it's like he's forcing himself to admit an inconvenient truth

Which Wonderful Remark?

older recording on philosopher's stone

http://i.imgur.com/xCph3sX.jpg

27. Snow in San Anselmo
from Hard Nose the Highway
7 votes, 137 points

I still haven't heard this album!

oh well it's pretty good!

http://i.imgur.com/CummLiW.jpg

26. Steppin' Out Queen
from Into the Music
7 votes, 143 points

I like this song, but I was surprised by how high it placed.

i'm surprised by its placement too but i am very enthusiastic about it, this song was very high on my ballot and is one of his most perfect songs imo; the way the chorus rhythm switches up every two bars (and in general the incredible drumming on this song!!!), the backing vocals, the bridge which feels like it's trying to escape the rest of the song, etc. etc. etc.

not to mention the explosive... viola (?) solo

otm on the drumming.

how's the sequel?

I would have been happy with Steppin' Out as #1. Alternative take is great as well.

i love the sequel a lot too. into the music is already a very long record but i sorta wish the full "steppin' out queen" were on it anyway

What is this full Steppin' Out Queen?

http://i.imgur.com/RT5hQ2r.jpg

25. Cul De Sac
from Veedon Fleece
6 votes, 144 points

Part 2 on The Philosopher's stone, it's awesome

that tension between the horns and the strings is so great on Queen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrSn1QhN1lE

come in my garden and let's look at the flowers

"cul de sac" was my no. 3 and for reasons i expressed back in the voting thread it is so so so so so so so good

Here's one you may know

http://i.imgur.com/l3r5WMZ.jpg

24. Brown Eyed Girl
Single
10 votes, 153 points

what's this

wow so low

when 15, I played this for a girl I liked that had brown eyes and now I want to vomit when I hear it. good song!

Here's another you may know. And this is definitely too low.

nice couplet

http://i.imgur.com/nomtkit.jpg

23. Domino
from His Band and the Street Choir
11 votes, 158 points

all live versions of this song are generally on fire

I always imagine Van wailing the Genesis song.

http://i.imgur.com/o8RVHta.jpg

22. Fair Play
from Veedon Fleece
11 votes, 159 points

Another gem.

i like to contrast "fair play" with "snow in san enselmo" in that "snow" is very clearly intended to imply a spiritual vastness within a terrestrial scene and is thus thoroughly packed with jazzy variations and digressions and a choir to represent this vastness and it rules but in the way that sometimes extremely overwrought things rule. "fair play" i think does the exact same thing without moving much at all, it just sort of slopes gently like a hill, though there's some free association by the piano and the (extremely buzzy) bass. very little happens but listening to it you feel like something magnificent is unfolding

That's true.

Into the top 20...

I mean top 21...

http://i.imgur.com/4vjd0Nc.jpg

21. The Way That Young Lovers Do
from Astral Weeks
8 votes, 164 points

here's where i admit that i first heard this song through the jeff buckley cover

fair play to you

Now into the top 20

http://i.imgur.com/iQcDXDY.jpg

20. Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)
from Saint Dominic's Preview
12 votes, 171 points

this made the very end of my ballot but at one point was my favorite song of all time

boom boom boom

Let it all hang out

bop shoo bop. shoo bop shoo bop.

I couldn't even begin to count the amount of times I've tried to use Reet in Words with Friends, yet it never counts. Sad!

Best horn section ever recorded.

http://i.imgur.com/6DlJF5C.jpg

19. Slim Slow Slider
from Astral Weeks
10 votes, 193 points, one #1 vote

This is just a doozy of a song.

And where I admit that for years I thought Jackie Wilson was a Dexys track (thanks to seeing them play it in the Young Ones' toilet).

this is one of the two astral weeks songs i ended up voting for, mostly bc of this performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN14cvbC8CY

http://i.imgur.com/upNRRUV.jpg

18. T.B. Sheets
from Blowin' Your Mind
9 votes, 208 points

what'd you guys think of the extended outro for "slim slow slider" that finally came out on the last astral weeks reissue? was ... interesting.

http://i.imgur.com/EzA1nD7.jpg

17. Streets of Arklow
from Veedon Fleece
10 votes, 209 points, one #1 vote

what'd you guys think of the extended outro for "slim slow slider" that finally came out on the last astral weeks reissue? was ... interesting.

― tylerw, Monday, August 7, 2017 12:05 PM (twelve minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i like that the scary part doesn't fade out and just gets scarier; the remaining improvisation flowing into van's "glory be to him" is really strange but great imo

it's prob my favorite song on astral weeks at this point though it def did battle with "sweet thing" on my ballot. for years i didn't know what to make of it

Here is one that is definitely too low...

http://i.imgur.com/I29vIHJ.jpg

16. Wild Night
from Tupelo Honey
9 votes, 216 points

Recap:

52. Country Fair
51. Coney Island
50. I’ll Be Your Lover Too
49. Gypsy
48. Glad Tidings
47. Raglan Road
46. Bright Side of the Road
45. He Ain’t Give You None
44 tie. Real Real Gone
44 tie. Beside You
43 tie. These Dreams of You
43 tie. In the Garden
42. Here Comes the Night
41. Haunts of Ancient Peace
40 tie. Tupelo Honey
40 tie. Dweller on the Threshold
39 tie. I’ve Been Working
39 tie. Bulbs
38 tie. Everyone
38 tie. And the Healing Has Begun
37. Contemplation Rose
36. Baby Please Don’t Go
35. Cleaning Windows
34. Mystic Eyes
33. Redwood Tree
32. Wavelength
31 tie. Wonderful Remark
31 tie. Warm Love
30. Tir Na Nog
29. Moondance
28. Who Was That Masked Man
27. Snow in San Anselmo
26. Steppin’ Out Queen
25. Cul De Sac
24. Brown Eyed Girl
23. Domino
22. Fair Play
21. The Way Young Lovers Do
20. Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile)
19. Slim Slow Slider
18. T.B. Sheets
17. Streets of Arklow
16. Wild Night

lol appreciate actual Arklow street pic. A truly magical place!

Ha, thanks! I ran out of Veedon Fleec pics. There's only so many times ya can look at Van with Irish Wolfhounds.

Anyway, Wild Night. That is a hell of a song. It was very high on my ballot.

huh yeah i thought "wild night" would be top ten

Am I the only person who considers Mellencamp and Meshell's cover excellent?

hm let me see

you've never heard it?

Yes, it's great. It's hard to mess that song up, but they certainly deliver. That was John Mellencamp's last big hit, I think.

And into the Top 15. Let's start it off with a masterpiece...

you've never heard it?

― the Rain Man of nationalism. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, August 7, 2017 12:40 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i believe i caught the beginning of the video several times in 1994 and switched channels for fear of my parents coming in

it's good though i wish someone other than mellencamp were singing it

http://i.imgur.com/bp3e4Lm.jpg

15. Almost Independence Day
from Saint Dominic's Preview
10 votes, 233 points

yeah this song is... idk how to describe it

Up and down the San Francisco Bay...

This next one beat out Almost Independence Day by a whisker...

http://i.imgur.com/jZI1dyM.jpg

14. Listen To The Lion
from Saint Dominic's Preview
14 votes, 234 points

I am surprised that Streets of Arklow is a top 3 Veedon Fleece song here

unless there are more surpises

I should not be surprised. It is fantastic.

It just feels more like a segue between the linden arden/masked man suite and the album's centerpiece

http://i.imgur.com/CfMo4Pu.jpg

13. You Don't Pull No Punches But You Don't Push the River
from Veedon Fleece
14 votes, 250 points

tooooooo looooooow

Wow half my ballot just showed up in today's rollout, including every single Veedon Fleece song that placed

too low!

I was just listening to "You Don't Pull No Punches But You Don't Push the River" in the car.

Prediction: #1 is the only one that no one will say "too low" about.

http://i.imgur.com/jp0XiJI.jpg

12. Summertime in England
from Common One
14 votes, 278 points, one #1
26 points for live version, Glastonbury 1987

astral weeks is an amazing album, but this is outrageous

my no. 1, wayyyyyyyyyyyy too low

"irish heartbeat" hasn't placed yet (will it?) so there's hope for my ballot yet (?)

is this thread title a spoiler?

Too low...

xxp that's a little disingenuous of me i guess, my tastes are v well represented in this poll

Christ, what a track.

oh yeah "summertime in england" makes me cry, every single time, when it gets to the "it ain't why why why it just is" part

http://i.imgur.com/6QQXSPY.jpg

11. Gloria
Them! single
12 votes, 281 points, two #1 votes

it's weird i was expecting this one to land at 10 or 11

was it van who said if you threw a guitar down the stairs it would eventually play the chord sequence of "gloria"

Can you dig the top ten?

The first time I listened to It's Too Late To Stop Now (about 3 decades after I should have first listened to it), when he went into "Gloria" I thought, "Ugh, why does he have to cover this cliched war-horse...oh wait...he WROTE this."

http://i.imgur.com/9iKJ0FT.jpg

10. Ballerina
from Astral Weeks
12 votes, 299 points, one #1 vote

i love how much van straight up screams through the them material

step right up

and at least four astral weeks tracks to come, lol

And it's getting late, yes it is, yes it is.

Take off your shoes!

grab the ketchup!

http://i.imgur.com/2fbayde.jpg

9. Sweet Thing
from Astral Weeks
16 votes, 310 points, one #1 vote

Well.

this song is so BEAUTIFUL

SUGAR BAAAABY

With your champagne eyes and your saint-like smile

I say we stop here today. I want suspense created as inexorably as Van pausing over a syllable in It's Too Late...

Sweet thing made my top ten

I say we stop here today. I want suspense created

It's too late to stop now.

http://i.imgur.com/3JPZsat.jpg

8. Madame George
from Astral Weeks
15 votes, 336 points, two #1 votes
14 points for T.B. Sheets version

I have no idea what at least one of these top 7 will be

I have no idea what at least one of these top 7 will be

― Gaspard de la Nuit: III. ScarJost (Sufjan Grafton), Monday, August 7, 2017 2:18 PM (fifty-seven seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

justice for "i forgot that love existed"

jk

Here is my #1.

http://i.imgur.com/Wncvh9k.jpg

7. Saint Dominic's Preview
from Saint Dominic's Preview
15 votes, 345 points, one #1 vote

This is just the greatest song.

as we gaze out on

it really is, and it never gets old

as we gaze out on

When I was compiling the votes, I played it on repeat for about 30 minutes and it sounded better every time.

Plus Van coins a new phrase in it, no regrettiance. So much more sophisticated than "no regrets."

Way upon...

http://i.imgur.com/3jBEWnI.jpg

6. Cyprus Avenue
from Astral Weeks
15 votes, 345 points, one #1 vote
23 points for It's Too Late To Stop Now" version

the avenue of trees

and I'm conquered in a car seat

Not a thing that I can do

This was a song I read about in great detail before ever hearing, in that Lester Bangs anthology from the 1980s. It did not disappoint.

obvious point but it's extremely worth watching him tear this shit up live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKuM5oKk0es

Yes. And of course, the version on It's Too Late To Stop Now is off the charts intense.

Before any ballots came in, I figured this next song would win in a landslide. It did not.

title track?

http://i.imgur.com/wjGopMT.jpg

5. Into the Mystic
from Moondance
15 votes, 379 points, two #1 votes

oh yeah god how had i forgotten

also a good time to share this unreal performance!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpPSBzGEklE

Iiiiiiiiii wanna rock youuuuur gypsy souuuuul

This was a song I read about in great detail before ever hearing, in that Lester Bangs anthology from the 1980s.

Same.

I believe that must be Janet Planet on that Into The Mystic sleeve.

She sells handmade jewelry on etsy, you can visit her store below.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/lovebeadsbyjp

Now, every ILM poll worth its salt has a Sway, ie a relatively obscure album track that charts unusually high. It's named after the immortal Rolling Stones song from Sticky Fingers.

It's time for Sway.

http://i.imgur.com/10a6gtw.jpg

4. Linden Arden Stole the Highlights
from Veedon Fleece
16 votes, 382 points

I found this image on the website of a graphic designer.

https://jakenewton.wordpress.com/2012/11/24/linden-arden-stole-the-highlights/

and they put his fingers through the glass!

What the hell does that line mean?

that poll pun push

Check this song out. It’s on, in my opinion, Van’s second best album, Veedon Fleece.

when jake's right, jake's right

particular song i wish weren't hanging somewhere outside of the top 52: "you're my woman"

also "irish heartbeat"

are we done with Common One and Into the Music tracks?

http://i.imgur.com/1j8wony.jpg

3. And It Stoned Me
from Moondance
17 votes, 383 points

And It Stoned Me is one of the best songs by anyone ever.

Just like Jellyroll

half a mile from the county fair, and the rain came pouring down

stoned me just like a-goin' home

god there was such an immediate connection when i first heard this song, probably right when i heard the two harmonizing saxophones in the chorus

love the piano solo, like raindrops on a tin roof

It was neck and neck with these last two up until the last day.

hand me down my great coat

http://i.imgur.com/SwkoAsy.jpg

2. Caravan
from Moondance
18 votes, 410 points, three #1 votes
84 points for It's Too Late To Stop Now

http://i.imgur.com/l8DWB1D.jpg

1. The Midnight Special
Them! single 1967
21 votes, 666 points, 18 #1 votes

lmao

congrats to "astral weeks" even as i was pulling for "caravan"

Yeah I don't know what is up with you guys, Them's version of The Midnight Special blows.

http://i.imgur.com/hIXoJOG.jpg

1. Astral Weeks
from Astral Weeks
16 votes, 450 points, three #1 votes

Recap:

52. Country Fair
51. Coney Island
50. I’ll Be Your Lover Too
49. Gypsy
48. Glad Tidings
47. Raglan Road
46. Bright Side of the Road
45. He Ain’t Give You None
44 tie. Real Real Gone
44 tie. Beside You
43 tie. These Dreams of You
43 tie. In the Garden
42. Here Comes the Night
41. Haunts of Ancient Peace
40 tie. Tupelo Honey
40 tie. Dweller on the Threshold
39 tie. I’ve Been Working
39 tie. Bulbs
38 tie. Everyone
38 tie. And the Healing Has Begun
37. Contemplation Rose
36. Baby Please Don’t Go
35. Cleaning Windows
34. Mystic Eyes
33. Redwood Tree
32. Wavelength
31 tie. Wonderful Remark
31 tie. Warm Love
30. Tir Na Nog
29. Moondance
28. Who Was That Masked Man
27. Snow in San Anselmo
26. Steppin’ Out Queen
25. Cul De Sac
24. Brown Eyed Girl
23. Domino
22. Fair Play
21. The Way Young Lovers Do
20. Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile)
19. Slim Slow Slider
18. T.B. Sheets
17. Streets of Arklow
16. Wild Night
15. Almost Independence Day
14. Listen To The Lion
13. You Don’t Pull No Punches But You Don’t Push the River
12. Summertime in England
11. Gloria
10. Ballerina
9. Sweet Thing
8. Madame George
7. Saint Dominic’s Preview
6. Cyprus Avenue
5. Into the Mystic
4. Linden Arden Stole the Highlights
3. And It Stoned Me
2. Caravan
1. Astral Weeks

Thought it's be Days Like This.

1. Bein; Green
from Hard Nose The Highway
22 votes, 699 points

surprisingly few isolated performances of "caravan" on youtube but this one has high kicks AND high jumps!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrVvayRFMeA

voted for too late to stop now's caravan as number one.

the ultimate live performance of any song.

Here is every other song that received votes. Highest first...

Brand New Day
Crazy Love
Whenever God Shines His Light
You Know What They're Writing About
Orangefield
Vanlose Stairway
Irish Heartbeat
You’re My Woman
Kingdom Hall
Full Force Gale
Have I Told You Lately
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Moonshine Whiskey
Queen of the Slipstream
I Forgot That Love Existed
In the Days Before Rock and Roll
Rave on John Donne
Rough God Goes Riding
Take Me Back
Wild Children
Not Supposed To Break Down
The Lion This Time
Someone Like You
Virgo Clowns
Drumshanbo Hustle
Old Old Woodstock
So Quiet in Here
My Lonely Sad Eyes
Call Me Up In Dreamland
I'm Tired Joey Boy
Marie's Wedding
When Heart Is Open
Avalon of the Heart
Goin Down To Monte Carlo
Sometimes We Cry
Thanks for the Information
I Can Only Give You Everything
Purple Heather
A Sense of Wonder
Friday’s Child
i’ll be your lover too
Ivory Tower
she moved through the fair
the burning ground
Celtic Ray
Come Here My Love
It’s Ain’t Easy Bein’ Green
It's All In The Game
On Hyndford Street
OneTwo Brown Eyes
You Gotta Make It Through The World
Hard Nose the Highway
I'm Not Feeling It Anymore
Oh The Warm Feeling
Flamingos Fly
In Tiburon
September Night
Days Like This
foreign window live Glaston87
Gypsy Queen
Higher Than the World
I Paid the Price
Come Running
Spanish Rose
Wild Honey
I Put A Spell On You
The Great Deception
All For Myself
Troubadours
Angeliou
Heavy Connection
Joe Harper Saturday Morning
Comfort You
Did Ya Get Healed
Don't You Know
Take It Where You Find It
Crazy Face
Satisfied
She Gives Me Religion
Street Choir
4% Pantomime (The Band)
Star of the County Down
You Make Me Feel So Free
Celtic New Year
Naked in the Jungle
Richard Cory
Spirit
the master’s eyes
Cry For Home
If I Ever Needed Someone
Precious Time
santa fe/beautiful obsession

My friends, it has been a pleasure to run this poll. I'm now completely sick of Van Morrison and will not listen to him voluntarily for a couple years. But still, no regrettiance!

Now if you'll excuse me, the record company has paid out for the wi-yee-ine.

half a mile from the county fair, and the rain came pouring down

one of the greatest opening lines ever. It's like *boom* and you're there

Thanks for running this poll
Madam George was my personal no.1 but you get up into that territory and all these songs are incredible, singular works of art it's hard to call it

Thanks Kornrulez for running a fabulous poll. I was one of Astral Weeks #1 votes. Can't say that I would have predicted it would top the poll or even top the AW songs in the poll. Love that Linden Arden got the Sway vote, so well deserved. Not much to argue with in the results, the man has a lot great songs.

thanks so much for doing this man. I don't do these ballot-submission polls -- or haven't, anyway -- but I had a lot of fun following this. these were my picks, I gave them all equal weight.

into the mystic
astral weeks
sweet thing
raglan road
in the garden
cyprus avenue
the way young lovers do
bright side of the road
stepping out queen
queen of the slipstream
the burning ground
linden arden stole the highlights
you don't pull no punches, but you don't push the river
caravan
and it stoned me
summertime in england
rough god goes riding
she moved through the fair
ballerina
madame george
wild night
domino
vanlose stairway
whenever God shines His light on me
and the healing has begun
moondance
sometimes we cry
brown-eyed girl
goin down to monte carlo
tupelo honey

agreed, this was fun! thanks for running the poll. ranked poll:

Gloria
Sweet Thing
Into The Mystic
And It Stoned Me
Virgo Clowns
Warm Love
Linden Arden Stole The Highlights
Stepping Out Queen
(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball
Real Real Gone
My Lonely Sad Eyes
Old Old Woodstock
Purple Heather
Whenever God Shines His Light
Ivory Tower
Someone Like You
I'm Not Feeling It Anymore
In The Garden
Days Like This
Saint Dominic's Preview
I'll Be Your Lover, Too
Fair Play
Kingdom Hall
Haunts Of Ancient Peace
Country Fair
Take It Where You Find It
She Gives Me Religion
Sometimes We Cry
So Quiet In Here
Cry For Home

thank you so much kornrulez! here's my ranked ballot

Summertime in England
Irish Heartbeat
Cul de Sac
Tir Na Nog
Almost Independence Day
Linden Arden Stole the Highlights
Caravan
Steppin' Out Queen
Wonderful Remark
Take Me Back
Avalon of the Heart
Thanks for the Information
Saint Dominic's Preview
Orangefield
I Forgot That Love Existed
In the Garden
You Don't Pull no Punches, But You Don't Push the River
You're My Woman
Rave On, John Donne
And the Healing Has Begun
Sweet Thing
Slim Slow Slider
Cleaning Windows
So Quiet in Here
Contemplation Rose
A Sense of Wonder
And it Stoned Me
My Lonely Sad Eyes
Wavelength
Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)

albums
Common One
"...It's Too Late to Stop Now..."
Veedon Fleece
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
Into the Music

My list and commentary.

1. Full Force Gale
2. Listen to the Lion
3. Madame George
4. Jackie Wilson Said
5. Wild Night
6. Almost Independence Day
7. Cleaning Windows
8. Into the Mystic
9. Tupelo Honey
10. Someone Like You
11. Did Ye Get Healed?
12. Domino
13. Crazy Love
14. Give Me the Rapture
15. You Don’t Pull No Punches, But You Don’t Push the River
16. Wonderful Remark
17. And It Stoned Me
18. When the Leaves Come Falling Down
19. Fair Play
20. Queen of the Slipstream
21. Enlightenment
22. Caravan
23. Here Comes the Night
24. Sweet Thing
25. I’d Love to Write Another Song
26. In the Garden
27. And the Healing Has Begun
28. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
29. Moondance
30. Gloria
31. Mystic Eyes
32. Real Real Gone

awesome poll, thank you kornrulez

Tracks (ranked)
Caravan (Live)
Everyone
Stepping Out Queen
Cyprus Avenue
Linden Arden Stole the Highlights
Glad Tidings
Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)
The Way Young Lovers Do
Cul De Sac
Sweet Thing
Here Comes the Night (Them)
Streets of Arklow
And It Stoned Me
Astral Weeks
Redwood Tree
Into The Mystic
You Know What They're Writing About
Listen to the Lion
These Dreams of You
Spanish Rose
I've Been Working
Fair Play
Friday's Child (Them)
Saint Dominic's Preview
Warm Love
Mystic Eyes (Them)
Contemplation Rose
Who Was That Masked Man
Summertime in England
If I Ever Needed Someone

ALBUMS
Moondance
Veedon Fleece
Astral Weeks
St. Dominic's Preview
Into The Music

Thanks, kornrulez! awesome poll. glad you started at 52.

Songs:
Country Fair
Ballerina
Almost Independence Day
Summertime In England
You Know What They're Writing About
You Don't Pull No Punches, But You Don't Push the River
Saint Dominic's Preview
Madame George
Cul De Sac
When Heart Is Open
Tir Na Nog
Astral Weeks
Fair Play
Haunts Of Ancient Peace
Stepping Out Queen
Cyprus Avenue
Linden Arden Stole the Highlights
Sweet Thing
Who Was that Masked Man
Wild Children
Redwood Tree
Snow In San Anselmo
Listen to the Lion
Troubadours
Dweller on the Threshold
Bright Side of the Road
Everyone
You Make Me Feel So Free
Spirit
Into the Mystic

Albums:
Veedon Fleece
Astral Weeks
Common One
Saint Dominic's Preview
Into the Music

Albums
1 Astral Weeks
2 It’s Too Late to Stop Now
3 Veedon Fleece
3 Common One
4 St Dominic’s Preview

Songs
1 Madam George
2 Lindon Arden Stole the Highlights
3 Caravan
4 Summertime in England
5 Snow in San Anselmo
6 Astral Weeks
7 Into the Mystic
9 Listen to the Lion
10 And it Stoned Me
11 Cyprus Avenue
12 The Way Young Lovers Do
13 The Lion this Time
14 Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)
15 Domino
16 Streets of Arklow
17 It’s Ain’t Easy Bein’ Green
18 Rough God Goes Riding
19 Haunts of Ancient Peace
20 Gypsy Queen
21 Come Running
22 Fair Play
23 In Tiburon
24 Tupelo Honey
25 Full Force Gale

26 Slim Slow Slider

27 Orangefield

28 Glad Tiding

29 Ballerina

30 Celtic New Year

My ballot

Astral Weeks
St Dominic's Preview
Linden Arden Stole The Highlights
Slim Slow Slider
You Don't Pull No Punches But You Don't Push The River
Caravan
Cleaning Windows
Wild Night
Almost Independence Day
Listen To The Lion
Not Supposed To Break Down
Ballerina
Bulbs
Contemplation Rose
And The Healing Has Begun
It's All In The Game
Who Was That Masked Man
Here Comes The Night
Cyprus Avenue
Brown-Eyed Girl
Gloria
And It Stoned Me
Into The Mystic
Higher Than The World
Irish Heartbeat
Friday's Child
Moonshine Whiskey
I've Been Working
Wild Children
Mystic Eyes

this Belfast 79 show rules

an odd thing I noticed a while back is how "St Dominic's Preview" kinda borrows the tune of "The Wind Cries Mary," and "Bulbs" swipes the line about the streetlights turning blue.

That was brilliant, thank you.

Spotify playlist is all up to date: https://open.spotify.com/user/thepoacher/playlist/5DPeJd4pUzQMIQMBvzvU9M

My ballot:

Albums

Astral Weeks
Too Late to Stop Now
Veedon Fleece
St Dominic's Preview
Moondance

Tracks

Madam George
Ballerina
Into the Mystic
Summertime in England
St Dominic's Preview
Cyprus Avenue
And it Stoned Me
Redwood Tree
Listen to the Lion
Sweet Thing
The Way Young Lovers Do
Glad Tidings
Tir Na Nog
Astral Weeks
TB Sheets
Contemplation Rose
Fair Play
Wavelength
Almost Independence Day
Gloria
Brown-Eyed Girl
Take Me Back
Caravan
Steppin Out Queen
And the Healing Has Begun

yeah thanks for running this, it's been a spiritual journey

(slightly O/T but just to reiterate w/thanks: as a former van sceptic of many puzzled years' standing, brad's essay on 80s VM has totally and i assume permanently swung me into the mancamp) (currently loving the weird buzzy instruments on COMMON ONE, which i choose to believe are druidic vuvuzelas)

(obviously POLLS are still bad and you should all feel bad)

"druidic vuvuzelas" is excellent; thank you mark s for providing me with my next band name

I'm so glad everyone enjoyed this. Like the best ILM polls, I discovered a ton of great new music here, like the No Guru album and the absolutely fantastic song Goin Down To Monte Carlo (Thanks Joan Crawford Loves Chachi)

I can't believe I'm the only one who voted for Satisfied. It sticks out on Common One, but it's really incredible.

My ballot:

Saint Dominic’s Preview
Astral Weeks
Almost Independence Day
And It Stoned Me
Sweet Thing
Wild Night
Domino
Wonderful Remark
Cyprus Avenue
And the Healing Has Begun
Gloria
Into the Mystic
Slim Slow Slider
Ballerina
Listen to the Lion
Linden Arden Stole the Highlights
Real Real Gone
TB Sheets
Celtic Ray
Moonshine Whiskey
Brown-Eyed Girl
Caravan
I’ve Been Working
Streets of Arklow
Full Force Gale
Jackie Wilson Said
Satisfied
Goin Down To Monte Carlo
You Know What They’re Writing About
Moondance

Albums:
Dominic
Astral
Moondance
Into the Music
Band Street Choir

the poll results spotify thread is a really enjoyable listen

I want to think this thread for getting me to listen to Van again. Im high af right now and Astral Weeks is kicking my ass. Years since Ive heard it as a teen and I did not get it then at all. It took intervening years of listening to jazz, now it makes sense. Some of the songs have an almost symphonic structure as well. Veedon Fleece also rules. You ppl rule. Thanks for this thread.

I hadn't listened to Astral Weeks in many years either and... yeah, it is overwhelming.

Got my hands on the Glastonbury set. Holy shit what a band. I've mostly avoided boots, and now I'm wondering at my stupidity. Are there any other obvious Van ones I should get?

Is there a 'best boots of evah!' thread somewhere?

this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y-CsUw_-AY

(hat tip to tylerw)

Definitely get the Pacific High Studio set. And if you haven't gotten volumes 2, 3 and 4 from It's Too Late, by all means, pick that up as well.

xps to Chinaski

Your favourite bootleg -as in 'Unofficial Live Recording-

Watching this 74 Van Morrison show and he covers Dylan's "Just Like A Woman" and after "please don't let on that you knew me when" instead of "I was hungry and it was your world" he mutters "I was weird.... everybody was....." Van the Man #1

In the '71 Pacific High Studio version of "Just Like A Woman" (which, after a slow first 3 minutes, really gets intense) on the second time the "please don't..." line comes up he says "I was weird... and you were weird, too." Van must have liked that spin.

an odd thing I noticed a while back is how "St Dominic's Preview" kinda borrows the tune of "The Wind Cries Mary," and "Bulbs" swipes the line about the streetlights turning blue.

― JoeStork, Monday, August 7, 2017 9:47 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

will never unhear this now

lol yeah the verse chords are the same in wind cries mary and st. dominic.

I can't be the only person who thinks of Wish You Were Here when listening to Almost Independence Day (of course in this case, van's version came first)

In the '71 Pacific High Studio version of "Just Like A Woman" (which, after a slow first 3 minutes, really gets intense) on the second time the "please don't..." line comes up he says "I was weird... and you were weird, too." Van must have liked that spin.

― that's not my post, Monday, August 14, 2017 11:35 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

haha that's funny, it seemed so off the cuff

there's really a great amount of well shot full Van concerts on YouTube

yeah, it's nice -- for a while there his people were super vigilant about scrubbing any/all vids ...

via Midnight Bootlegs, a 1990 set in FLAC: https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/bf6mkTXx4Oyx2bb4rfBro1As2R9yHsF9l7f88drsUcY?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&mgh=1

Man, just listened to Into the Music properly for the first ever, probably. Dexys entire career for a start, but more.
I saw Van maybe 20 times, work related, between 1988-2000ish. I know most of those 80s records from seeing him live, must pick up No Guru, Poetic Champs etc.

born to sing: no plan b is just the loveliest record. the horns are so wonderful

but does no plan b refer to born, sing, or both

who knows, at least a third of the record is a critique of capitalism so

because of this poll back on top and the healing game are now two of my absolute favorite van records