It's Too Late to Stop Now

Van has always been a twat - however he may have become a mumbling ballsack as he got older, here he shows how brilliant he was. Songs get stretched out like a pair of old trousers. Soulful vocals, brilliant musicians and a crowd that's ready for a great show. One of the greatest live albums of all time. Best Tracks: Into The Mystic; Bring It On Home To Me; St Dominic's Preview

Fantastic collection and performance of great, soulful, bluesy songs

'And it's ever present everywhere / And it's ever present everywhere.' So sings Van the Man on 'Warm Love,' one of the essentials from Hard Nose. When belted on this live recording it yet obtains new significance: 'ever present' is precisely how I'd describe this album. Morrison, tho always in some sort of flow state or rambling and scatting mindfulness, is particularly 'in the moment' here. While you'd want any live experience to be about the occasion, many live records do not manage to capture that here-and-now quality, but this one does brilliantly. Not only does Van sing w/ a 'it's too late to stop now' sensibility, but the backing musicians (e.g., the trumpet on 'I Believe to My Soul') achieve a verve not even Van attains in the studio.

## In-Depth Review: *It’s Too Late to Stop Now* by Van Morrison Van Morrison’s *It’s Too Late to Stop Now*, released in 1974, is widely considered one of the greatest live albums in rock history. Capturing Morrison and his Caledonia Soul Orchestra at their creative and performative peak, the album stands as a testament to the power of live performance, the emotional depth of Morrison’s songwriting, and his unique approach to musical authenticity. This review examines the album’s lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, concluding with a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## **Lyrics** Morrison’s lyrics, both in his original compositions and his interpretations of covers, are marked by a blend of poetic mysticism and direct emotional expression. The live context amplifies the immediacy and vulnerability of his words. Songs like “Into the Mystic” and “Cyprus Avenue” showcase Morrison’s ability to evoke nostalgia, longing, and transcendence through evocative imagery and elliptical storytelling. The performance of “Cyprus Avenue,” in particular, is often cited for its emotional intensity and the way Morrison’s voice becomes a vessel for both personal memory and universal yearning[2][6]. His vocal delivery often transcends the literal meaning of the lyrics. Morrison employs vocal techniques such as stuttering, scatting, and stretching syllables, turning words into pure sound and feeling[2][4]. This approach blurs the line between language and music, making the lyrics feel both deeply personal and open to interpretation. --- ## **Music** Musically, *It’s Too Late to Stop Now* is a masterclass in live arrangement and ensemble performance. The album features an 11-piece band, the Caledonia Soul Orchestra, which includes a full string section—a rarity for live rock albums at the time[3][7]. The arrangements are lush yet dynamic, moving fluidly between genres: R&B, soul, jazz, blues, and rock. Key tracks like “Domino,” “Caravan,” and “I’ve Been Working” are driven by tight, energetic rhythms, punchy horns, and intricate interplay between band members. The band’s responsiveness to Morrison’s cues—his stops, starts, and spontaneous vocal outbursts—creates a sense of tension and release that is palpable throughout the album[4][6]. The extended versions of “Caravan” and “Cyprus Avenue,” which close the album, are particularly notable for their dramatic build-ups and cathartic climaxes, showcasing both the band’s virtuosity and Morrison’s charismatic leadership[7]. --- ## **Production** The production of *It’s Too Late to Stop Now* is defined by its commitment to authenticity. Unlike many live albums of the era, Morrison insisted on no studio overdubs or post-production fixes. What you hear is exactly what happened on stage—mistakes and all[3][7]. This approach lends the album a raw, unfiltered quality that enhances its emotional impact. The sound quality is exceptional for a live recording from the early 1970s. The mix is spacious and immersive, with a “three-dimensionality” that allows listeners to feel as if they are present at the performances[5]. The vocals are front and center, capturing every nuance of Morrison’s delivery, while the instruments are balanced to create a sense of depth and immediacy. --- ## **Themes** *It’s Too Late to Stop Now* is thematically rich, exploring ideas of nostalgia, spiritual longing, and the redemptive power of music. Many of the songs reflect Morrison’s fascination with memory and place—“Cyprus Avenue” and “Into the Mystic” evoke a sense of yearning for lost innocence and transcendence[1][2]. The inclusion of covers such as “I Just Want to Make Love to You” and “Bring It On Home to Me” situates Morrison within a broader tradition of soul and R&B, highlighting his reverence for musical history and his ability to reinterpret familiar material with fresh emotional depth[5]. The album also grapples with the tension between control and surrender. Morrison’s performances are meticulously crafted yet feel spontaneous, as if he is channeling something beyond conscious intention. This dynamic is particularly evident in the way he interacts with the band and audience, creating moments of communal ecstasy and introspection[2][6]. --- ## **Influence** Since its release, *It’s Too Late to Stop Now* has been hailed as a benchmark for live albums. Initially, it did not achieve major commercial success, peaking at No. 53 on the Billboard charts, but critical acclaim and its enduring reputation have elevated it to classic status[7][8]. The album has influenced countless artists in the realms of rock, soul, and singer-songwriter traditions, setting a standard for live performance authenticity and emotional intensity. Its refusal to rely on studio trickery or overdubs has inspired a generation of performers to prioritize live musicianship and honesty over technical perfection. The album’s blend of genres and its sophisticated arrangements have also contributed to the evolution of live concert recordings, demonstrating that live albums can be as artistically significant as studio efforts[7]. --- ## **Pros and Cons** | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | Unmatched vocal and emotional intensity from Morrison[2][4] | Some may find the lack of studio polish exposes minor performance flaws[3][7] | | Rich, dynamic arrangements by the Caledonia Soul Orchestra[3][6] | The album’s length and extended jams may test the patience of casual listeners | | Exceptional sound quality and immersive production for a live album[5] | Initial commercial reception was lukewarm, possibly due to its ambitious scope[7] | | No overdubs—pure, authentic live performance[3][7] | Absence of certain fan favorites (e.g., “Moondance” omitted due to a minor mistake)[3][7] | | Captures Morrison at his creative peak, blending genres seamlessly[4][7] | Some critics argue that the spontaneity is partly constructed, with regularized ad-libs[6] | | Setlist balances Morrison originals with transformative covers[5] | Some listeners may prefer the conciseness of studio versions over live improvisation | --- ## **Conclusion** *It’s Too Late to Stop Now* endures as a landmark in live music, capturing Van Morrison and his band at a moment of extraordinary creative synergy. Its strengths lie in the raw emotional power of Morrison’s vocals, the richness of the arrangements, and the integrity of its production. The album’s thematic depth and genre-blending approach have made it a touchstone for artists and fans alike. While its uncompromising approach to live recording may reveal occasional imperfections, these are far outweighed by the album’s sense of immediacy and authenticity. For listeners seeking a vivid portrait of an artist at the height of his powers—and a blueprint for what live albums can achieve—*It’s Too Late to Stop Now* remains essential listening.

Fantastic album. Van the Man! It’s always too late!

Love everything Van Morrison

This is so good. The band is amazing. Van is amazing. The production is a amazing. Well deserving of its 93 minute runtime.

Into the mystic…. No contest

Van may be an ahole as a person but he's a treasure as a song writer and musician.

Yay Van!! 5

I expected not to like this but enjoyed it more than I thought. The band is tight as hell and the horns, strings and piano all get their turns to shine. Van's singing also sounds great. There's a nice variety between the songs as well, from jazzy ballads to more rocking songs. I can see why this is held up as a great live album, it was a very pleasant surprise for me

Van the man! Normally a 1.5 hour live album would get a big eye roll from me but this was fantastic

A great live double album. I really enjoyed this as Van Morrison has such a unique style of singing. Timeless songs.

Großartig!

This one of those rare stellar live albums. Van Morrison may be an asshole but back then he could really put together a tight live band. No overdubs or select tracks. Just hit record and sell the album. That’s how bands should do live albums.

Never dissapoints!!!

Amazing Van. A category of music all of his own

Great blues rock album

This is the 26th album I’m rating. I think I’ve heard that name before but I know nothing about Van Morrison. Hopefully this is great. Also, I’m pretty sure this is rock based off of vibes. Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do - Adding to my Playlist. Good thing this is actually good. I was worried this was going to be another shitty live double album like Space Ritual. Warm Love - Adding to my Playlist. This is fantastic a double album this good could definitely enter my top 15. Into the Mystic - Adding to my Playlist. This is really really good. These Dreams of You - Adding to my Playlist. Very safe song. I Believe to my Soul - Adding to my Playlist. Feels like Ray Charles. I’ve Been Working - Adding to my Playlist. Slave breeding. Help Me - Adding to my Playlist. Sounds like Sonny Boy Williamson the II. Wild Children - Adding to my Playlist. Live double albums are either incredible or terrible. This is incredible. Domino - Adding to my Playlist. I don’t even know what to say anymore these songs are great. I Just Want to Make Love to You - Adding to my Playlist. This is from 1954? Bring It On Home to Me - Adding to my Playlist. These songs are just great. Saint Dominic’s Preview - Adding to my Playlist. This albums feel weirdly familiar. Take Your Hand Out of my Pocket - Adding to my Playlist. Saxophone makes everything better. Listen to the Lion - Adding to my Playlist. This is pretty long and pretty good. Hear Comes the Night - Adding to my Playlist. Pretty cool. Gloria - Adding to my Playlist. This is probably the worst song. Caravan - Adding to my Playlist. I hate long songs but this is good enough to overcome my hatred. Cyprus Avenue - Adding to my Playlist. Live albums always have long songs and I hate it. All in all I liked 18/18 songs. I went into this with low expectations due to my previous experience with Space Ritual but this was fantastic. At 92 minutes I believe this is the longest album I listened to and it is one of the best. It is going into my top 20.

Would loved to have seen Van around this time. Just equality stuff. These days it seems like you have to deal with a terrible voice and that fact that he’s a crotchety old man with questionable opinions. Simpsons: No

Great live album. Crisp vocals, great blues and soul elements throughout, Van Morrison has always been great and nothing like a 1:30 live performance to show it.

Yet another live album, but I found myself enjoying It's Too Late to Stop Now. It helped I already enjoy Van Morrison's work. Morrison brings a calming and joyful energy to his studio albums. The energy he brought to this concert is no less joyful but also energetic and fun. His live rendition of "Gloria" is so lively and has a bit of a call-and-response with the audience--way better than his original recording with Them. The studio version of "Domino" is downright boring compared to the live version! But his voice can still be just as tender and evocative compared to the studio albums, which may be most obvious on "Into the Mystic" or "These Dreams Of You." Sometimes I feel the inclusion of live albums on this list are another version of greatest hits, which seems to miss the point. Not only is the energy different but the arrangement too. The string instruments in "Caravan" are beautiful, bring a different vibe, and give me life. That's another song Morrison improved with this live recording. Perhaps the best compliment I could give to a live album is that I'd love to see Van Morrison live. He's fifty years older now, but I'd have a grand time if he was only half as good as on the recording.

Amazing live record. Van at his greatest. Production is superb s is the selection of songs. A MUST listen!

4,5/5 but I'm giving 5 because spotify played live version which I couldn't believe

I often wonder about spending more money on a concert ticket than it would take to buy the band’s entire repertoire; Van the Man’s album shows us why. Each song is taken in a perfectly new direction, creating a new experience. His understanding of jazz makes his blues truly unique. The first record and the last couple of songs are masterpieces. And no overdubbing!!

When a 90 minute double album is this easy to listen to 2 times through, I guess that makes the rating pretty clear. While Van Morrison is great live, it's the accompaniment of the Soul Orchestra that puts this over the top for me.

It is absolutely remarkable how similar his studio and live voices are as somebody with such a unique singing voice

I was going to give this a more critical review but it’s too late to…

I'm a little surprised by the number of negative and outright harsh reviews. Maybe there is something I'm not tapped into. It's probably the scientology connection. He seems like a weirdo for sure, but this performance is a total jam.

Didn't actually listen to all of this but I really enjoyed it!

Right up my alley

Van at his peak.

My fondest memories with my dad is driving down the California coast singing Van Morrison. **chefs kiss**

Incredible presence, unstoppable energy

holy carp it is long but it is a jam session the whole way through. best song is caravan in my opinion

I am not usually a big fan of live albums but this is an exception to that. 5 stars or A-.

Best live album we've had in 200+ albums. Sound is impeccable Vocals spot on Band is funky What a treat this was. 4.6

Best of the best!

Nice

All around great performance, so..yeah...5...why not.

Captures the sound and excitement of Van Morrison’s live show well and has a lot of his hits. I think he might have been missing a line or two of booger sugar though because his live recording from The Last Waltz with The Band was way more hype.

Easiest 5. Incredible performance.

Wow, 1001 has picked a gem

Great live album

Just a great live album for the summer

Wow!!!! One of the best live albums ive ever heard!! I was blown away, wish i was there!!

Jag älskar, älskar, ÄLSKAR Van The Man. Varje låt är ett mästerverk. Men det här är en liveskiva. Varför då? Skit samma. Den är bra ändå.

Även om jag inte är någon konnässör så har jag lyssnat en del på Van Morrison till och från och jag gillar honom, även om han ibland är lite ojämn. Hade dock inte stött på denna. Men HELVETE vad bra den var. Brukar inte lyssna så mycket på liveskivor så det kanske inte säger så mycket, men det här var det bästa livelyssningen jag någonsin upplevt. Karln är ju helt enastående bra live. Han är verkligen den bästa versionen av sig själv genom hela skivan (även om det såklart har med urvalet av låtar att göra också) och det är ren glädje att lyssna från start till mål, trots att den är lång. Otroligt bra band han spelar med också. Solklar femma och den bästa/mest överraskande lyssningsupplevelsen så här långt här.

Stellar keys work in this album. And who doesn't like Van Morrison?

I like a few Van Morrison or Them songs, but this album is all about the band. His voice helps of course. It's not even really about the songs, few of which really stand out for me, but largely because the quality is consistently very high. It's just a really good time. What a live performance. Basically a blueprint for the 70s blues soul live experience. With a really strong finish.

Van Morrison is a musical genius, but attending live performances can be frustrating. Here's this amazing concert, and he doesn't say one single word to the crowd. With all due respect, that's wrong. I saw him once and said that was enough. I will always listen to his music, I don't need to see him live.

"It's Too Late to Stop Now" is a live double album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. The songs were taken from performances in LA, Santa Monica and London during a three-month tour with an 11-piece band, the Caledonia Soul Orchestra, which included a horn and string section. It was recorded at what's said to be his best phase as live performer. The album is considered among the best live albums ever. It did reach #53 in the US. The album begins with a cover of Bobby Bland's "Ain't Nothin' You Can Do." Hanndclapping, piano and a big sound with the horns. Van just belted it out. The strings, guitar and horns combine for a great version of "Into the Mystic." I love the horn sound when Van sings "When the fog horn blows. A top notch performance by Van too. "I've Been Working" showcases how funky this band can be. A wah wah guitar adds to an album highlight. One of my favorite songs on the album is "St. Dominic's Preview." All sections of the band are rollin.' Guitar, horns and piano. The album ends strong with side four. Van really gets the crowd going with two Them songs , "Here Comes the Night" and "Gloria." The band picks up the pace in the first song. The violin really shines. In the second song, there's hand clapping as Van leads a rousing version. "Caravan" is one song which combines the jazz, soul and blues of Van's music. He does a great job of playing off the strings and the strings off him. The album closer is a 10-minute version of "Astral Weeks'" Cypress Avenue." It's another song with Van improvising with the musicians as he builds and slows down the song and gets the audience involved. It's his most jazzy song on the album. An absolutely majestic ending with the horns. This is a great album with the music being both loose with the improvising and tight with band and instruments. Both Van and the musicians give each other space to improvise and perform and play off each other. It reminded me of Frank Sinatra and his band on "Songs for Swingin' Lover!." That is rare to come across. The musical styles included blues, soul, funk and jazz. The song selection is varied with covers, songs from Them and songs from all of Van's solo album excluding "Tupelo Honey" and "Blowin' Your Mind!" Yeah, I would say this up there with the best live albums I've heard.

This guy's voice has power and I think the backing band is tight

-love -great album for background music/dorm music

Look, I know Van Morrison is a shitty person, but this music reminds me so much of my childhood -- I love his voice, the piano, the horns, the strings, all of it.

One of the best live albums ever. Life affirming romp.

The people who saw these shows got a treat. I would've been stoked to see these gigs. The band is on fire. I had a good friend who was into Van and I listened to a lot Van's catalog on road trips. A whole concert filled with bangers. Easiest 5 star album on the list.

This is an exceptional live album capturing Van Morrison at the peak of his powers. A fine selection of his best songs backed by an immaculate band, plus brass and strings. The recording quality is top notch too

Van at his best, backed by the transcendent Caledonia Soul Orchestra. What a shame that such a great artist is such an awful human being.

Jako dobar live

Van Morrison pushes me into so many conflicting emotions. Some of his albums are overrated wailing (Astral Weeks, 2 Stars) and others show his powers as a singer and composer. This very bluesy but powerful and uplifting albums is one of the better. In fact, it's a masterpiece and deserves its title as one of the best live albums ever recorded.

Great love chill

Awesome!

This is a live album? God damn...

can’t believe this mf is irish 10/10

tolles album, tolle musik zum hinhören!

Excellent as usual

Goddamn if this ornery Irishman didn't release one of the quintessential live albums of my lifetime. That's not over praise. That's just fact. Most songs sound better live than they do in their original recorded versions. This is simply a marvel. One of the more pleasant late surprises this list has offered.

kinda think most of his music is too samey but he's got a lot of energy so it's fun to hear him perform anyway

Phantastic!

Awesome album! Van is a maestro!

I was dreading a 90-minute live album, but I was in for a pleasant surprise. So many emotions and different musical genres played here! This would have been great to see.

This was fantastic. Very long but fantastic. Looking it up on wiki I think the original was just a double album and we've got a 3 volume set on spotify which I think is waaaaay longer but it's hard to tell so I just listened to the whole thing. It's great. I love Van. His songs are energic but also calming and nice, some really cool rock and roll but then nice folky stuff. Just cool.

Van the Man! Awesome live album. Great mix of soul and rock.

Van The Man in his full glory with several tracks from Moondance. This might be the tightest band ever captured on a live record, and the entertainment value is through the roof for the entire 90+ minutes duration.

Backed by an unbelievably tight band, Van the Man does what he does best. For 90 minutes straight. What a treat.

I wish Morrison wasn't such a lame troll. I really enjoy his music.

Van the Man awesome as always

Love Van Morrison!

Me encantó el directo y su música un verdadero descubrimiento.

Didn’t fancy it this when it came up but it’s brilliant.

Un titán Van Morrison en directo. Vinilo.

A fantastic album!! Like the Wiki article said, the performance is so good that even some mediocre studio tracks come to life in this concert recording! This will 100% be in my regular rotation.

One of the best live albums and for good reason. Distinct and powerful vocals throughout, great covers as well as originals. Guitar and keys on point throughout the album. Not much else to say.

Super groovy live album. Swingt heerlijk.

Genius! If you don’t appreciate how good this gig must have been. Listen to more Van Morrison and appreciate how much he changed and orchestrated every track to make it unique. Education in live performance

I listened to this music during a corporate meeting at work today. Pretty good jam, made the meeting pretty enjoyable overall

Long but beautiful, I'll keep going back to it to absorbe it

I've never heard a singer's voice sound so similar between their studio and live performances. The live performances of his songs are so much jazzier than his studio work too. This is a really awesome album that I'm glad I found through this book. Favorite tracks: I Just Want to Make Love to You, Caravan, Cyprus Avenue

Great album

Fantastic live album, really accurate to his studio recordings but feels much more full, alive, and energetic, expressing unique flairs to make everyone stand out. It turned me on to so many deep cuts whose studio versions I had overlooked for too long. Hardly any weak points. Personally, I'd still prefer to listen to Astral Weeks and Moondance for the coherent album experience. But this is about as good as I'd expect a live album from Morrison, or for that matter anyone in his vein of baroque-folky pop music.

Admittedly I only know of Van Morrison by his most famous song, “brown eyed girl”, and nothing else. I instantly became a fan of his listening to this live album and I will be seeking out more of his discography. This was an amazing recording. I generally dislike live albums due to poor quality, but this exceeded my expectations.

Can't believe this is nearly 50 yrs old.

I'm always kinda lukewarm on Van Morrison but this one is different - my favourite Van record by a longshot; probably the only one (maybe aside from Moondance) that I'd seek out and/or recommend. Just a fantastic (perfect??) live recording - upbeat and engaging, and the tracks are actually *better* live with the full band. Love it, even at the length - if anything the 2nd half is better. Personal highlight: "St Dominic's Preview" 9/10 5 stars. (oh and p.s. fk Van Morrison for what he's become)

Un titán Van Morrison en directo. Vinilo.

Spellbinding

Incredibly tight band and a great performer

I’ve been listen’ so hard! What a nice live! Want to listen more albums to understand if it is the best album of Van. Let’s take the Van and ride to nowhere.

IMO one of the best live albums.

5/5

9th June 2023 Listened during the day on Friday while getting the house ready for Godparent weekend 1 w Sav and Sally and Seb and Justo. Loved this, made me want to listen to more of him. Played him all weekend! Now see where Nathaniel came from.

Got a soft spot for van Morrison, quite sentimental to me. Thought this was really good. I've moaned about live albums being on this list many times, but thought this was great. Forgot it was live for large portions. Apparently a grumpy fucker, but seemed jovial enough in this live act. Probably won't come back to this specific album, but do like Van the man.

A delight. A cosy, warm delight.

You know, "It's Too Late to Stop Now" has kinda become my motto for the 1001 Albums project at this point. I have 93 albums left after this one. I can't stop when I'm so close to the end! Besides, I still have good albums waiting for me. I know that because this was one of them. I had a good time with this! I guess I'll start by addressing the elephant in the room though. This thing is long. 90-minute live albums aren't the best experiences you can get with music, but when the performances are as good as they are on this Van Morrison live album, you can't be that upset. I liked the 2 Van Morrison studio albums quite a good deal, and while I didn't enjoy this as much as either of those two, I still enjoyed what I heard quite a bit. Van's voice was still pretty good at this point in his career. His backing band was on point with these shows. The energy is really something special. The production is honestly great. This genuinely sounds like a studio album at times. Normally I'd complain about live albums feeling redundant on this list, but when only 4 of the 18 songs on this album are from the studio albums also on the list, there really isn't that much redundancy here. I mean, I probably wouldn't keep it on my 1001 Albums list, but I get why it's here. This is just a great live album from a pretty good artist in his prime. Sure it's long, but if I was there at this show, I feel like I would've had an amazing time. That experience would probably be a 9/10 or something, but the live album experience is good too. It's probably around a 7/10 or so, which equates to a decent 4/5 from me.

Ugh I’m getting so sick of this… here’s my obligatory rant: LIVE ALBUMS DO NOT BELONG ON THIS LIST!!! They should have their own list. Live albums have different parameters for quality compared to studio albums. It’s not fair that live albums are on the list cause they are usually greatest hits albums to some degree combined with how do I compare this to a studio album where they get more time and focus to get the music perfect when live music can at times be messy. So again, this shouldn’t even be on the list. That being said I really loved this album. It’s a great blues rock album. There’s atonement of great songs including “ain’t nothing you can do”, “warm love”, “domino” (probably my favorite on the album), “bring it home to me”, “saint dominics preview”, and “take your hand out of my pocket”. Seriously what are we doing? Like this album is infinitely better than the last Van Morrison album but it still doesn’t belong here….

I still think live albums are a cop-out but I do love Van Morrison

Twee dingen waar ik echt een beetje moe van word: - een dubbel album - een live album Van Morrison doet het allebei op 1 album... Outkast en Stevie Wonder hebben voor mij bewezen dat het mogelijk is om een goed dubbel album te maken. En er staat op deze lijst ook een goed live album(Niet Stop making sense van Talking Heads want redenen??) Dus ik probeer hier nog wel blanco in te gaan. En ja het is prima? Er zit best wat jazz invloeden in, het zorgt met de lange solo's enzo er wel voor dat ik redelijk geinteresseerd ben en blijf. De zanger klinkt ook best wel prima(Is dat Van Morrison? Geen idee eigenlijk) Er staan heel veel saxofoon solos op, ja die pakken me natuurlijk altijd wel. Daarnaast is de energie bijna voelbaar. Je hoort dat Van Morrison er wat dat betreft wel echt voor gaat. Denk dat de voordelen van een live concert hier niet echt opwegen tegen de nadelen. Vaak hoor je dat de recording gewoon flink minder is bij een live optreden, maar dat is hier echt niet het geval. De band klinkt strak en de zang klinkt ook gewoon echt goed. Is het te lang? Ja eigenlijk gewoon wel. Maar moet eerlijk zeggen dat het album me alles is meegevallen. Ik denk dat de live uitvoering ook wel echt wat toevoegt op dit album. Prima, interessant jazzy folk rock blues album. En dan vergeet ik vast nog wat genres. Lange zit, maar zeker de moeite waard. Ik neig toch een beetje naar 4 sterren, puur omdat ik verbaasd was over hoe relatief snel het album voorbij was. FAVO: Ive been working, Saint dominics preview, Caravan

White boy blues

1. "Into the Mystic" 2. "I Believe to My Soul" 3. "I've Been Working"

Now THIS is how you do a live album. Good blend of hits, deep cuts, and covers. Just the right amount of jamming. Great dynamics, great voice, great instrumental performances with varied instrumentation.

He sounds a lot better here than he did when I saw him live last year. The live setting brings extra energy and room for improvisation that isn't really there on the studio albums. It's a bit of a long seat through and not every song really grabs my attention, but it's a beautiful piece overall. Probably not a necessary inclusion but definitely not a bad one.

Well… I sure want to give this a 2 or 3 just to be snarky. I mean it’s BOTH a double album AND a live album. Not. A. Fan. And Van Morrison has THREE albums on the list. I mean… really? Do I really NEED that much Van Morrison in my life? But… damn it. This is good. I can’t deny the man. It’s good. His live versions are actually better than the recordings I know too well. Arrrrrghhhhhh! Damn it. 4 Boolean: yes…

Van Morrison is awesome. I think his live performances are a good argument for cocaine use

A bit bloated, there was some stuff that could’ve been cut. That said, it is a fantastic album. I thought the two big hits, Domino and Gloria, were kind of weak live. I thought those would be the best ones, but they were both just okay. The band was terrific and I loved the horns.

Before today I only knew Gloria and Brown Eyed Girl — not really a fan of either. I was pleasantly surprised that this album is far more bluesy and the aforementioned songs. His band sounds fantastic — the soloists really shine. Overall it’s surprising how good this sounds for a 1970s live recording.

I'm not like a die-hard Van Morrison fan or anything, so I wasn't going to be surprised if this 1.5 hour double album felt like a chore. But it didn't. This is great live music. Each musician on that stage was locked into the same flow state, guided by the music itself. That's the real gold of this album to me. I chose closer Cyprus Avenue for my playlist, but Wild Children was a close second.

despite him being a miserable old git when I saw him live, this is a classy album

It certainly is. I guess one thing I'm learning from this is that I hate double albums, and find very few of them to be even slightly worth it. The best part of this album is in its live nature. There's a real warmness from the crowd who are into it, the orchestra is going off, and damn does it all come together so good. I can't say I think much of Van Morrison's singing but everything around it works so well that I can see how someone could fall in love to this album. I(t's just too damn long, every song began merging together and the similarities between them became more and more obvious. Which is unfortunate because I think the individual songs here are great. A few of these songs also have the detriment of being done better elsewhere (Gloria, I just Want to Make Love To You). I think it just edges out a 4 for me.

gostei bastante por mais q seja um live album, to de olho top hall da fama...

After a few listens (and comparisons to the studio recordings), I'm convinced this is the best way to listen to many Van Morrison songs. Faves: Warm Love, These Dreams of You, Bring It on Home to Me, Saint Dominic's Preview

Good

Incredible live album by Van the man. This one kind of gets forgotten when talking about the greatest live albums of all-time, but it deserves to be up there with Live at Leeds or At Filmore East. Van Morrison at his peak as a live performer. 4.5

Great stuff. It took me years to appreciate his music. Huge fan now.

i got in plenty little digs about Van's white-boy soul in my Moondance review, but the songs are given some much-needed breathing room here, played by a cracking band, and sung by a the most crowd-pleasing version of a notorious old crank. warm, rolling, lovely stuff, but never entirely without depth or bitterness

I think there's been a festival of fours recently, but I guess I can't help that. 4/5.

Это было долго и не обязательно. Надоели лайвы. Но ладно, все равно прикольно.

I have seen VM live once and he's a great performer. This album just doesn't meet my very high expectation. I'd easily give a 5 to many of his albums (Poetic Champions Compose is one of my favourites). This one, just about a four. I just don't like it that much.

A shame to get this one before eg Astral Weeks, which i assume resides in the list somewhere, and sounds NOTHING like this Absolutely brilliant production for live recording, brass section great, sent into the mystic into lowkey transcendent territory. That said I probably would not have felt this way if it appeared 85 minutes into the album, but enjoyed this a lot more than expected despite the length 👀

banger

Not a huge fan of Van Morrison, but this live set is pretty good, even if a bit too long.

Must have been great to be there in person.

(81/100

This is a very solid live album, with lots of great players playing Morrison's soulful music along with a few covers. Liked Songs Added: Ain't Nothin' You Can Do Domino Listen To The Lion

A good one

Normally I'm not a fan of live albums but this is an exception to my rule. Van's the man.

Sounds like a good show to have been at

Van Morrison is a unique sound- you’ve got to really enjoy that sound to endure all 93 minutes of a live album. I like Van Morrison, especially the upbeat style of his charted sings like Domino and Brown Eyes Girl, but a lot of his catalog sounds the same, and if you don’t really live that Bluesy style you’re going to be skipping some of these tracks. Still mad respect for the Van the Man.

A nice collection of live songs from Van and his band. One of the better live albums I've listened to. Soul filled and emotionally delivered gems from his musical repertoire.

Actually liked this album. Not sure why I have a soft spot for Van Morrison.

I hate the reviews on this site sometimes. “1 STAR I HATE LIVE ALBUMS!!!!!!” How hard is it for people to have an open mind, especially on a challenge that is supposed to introduce you to new music. Live music is an art, the same as studio music. Even though the full concert experience can’t be captured on a recording, there’s still a magic. This album is extremely impressive, tight playing, great sound quality, and a great set list. What’s even more impressive is that there is no overdubbing, which was standard for live albums at the time. Though the song selection is very good, some songs do drag a bit. Also Van Morrison’s singing can be very unintentionally funny (or at least I assume it’s unintentional). For example: “I gave you… alldemoneyIhadindebank” 4/5

Rv

20/04/2026 I actually didn't think this was too bad. I guess my mum was right about Van Morrison after all. Spotify listeners: 11 million

Not a big van morrison fan.

This is #day618 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's my third and final record from Van Morrison, a live one this time around. I've noticed that live albums are something folks often don't enjoy as much on this journey, but, hey, listening to this one, what's not to like? It's a great way to drop into a concert setting and instantly get transported to another place and time. Stom Making Sense, Devotional, just to name a few... It's Too Late to Stop Now is an excellent performance that blends blues, jazz, rock, and whatnot. The whole thing sounds as smooth and tight as you'd want it to. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day619.

Really liked most of this album. The instrumentals were incredibly well done and the singing was great. Felt like the last couple songs dragged but otherwise a phenomenal experience.

A disappointing human, but I really dug it! 4.

Never knew of it. Super bluesy on the numbers that weren’t hits. It’ll be played often :)

8/10 Never listened to Van Morrison before but damn his vocal performance here is really impressive.

Super fun vibes, weirdly nostalgic for something older than my mom

Loved it all the way through. It’s not rock of ages or the last waltz, but there are some amazing jams in it.

Perfect album for a slow morning in bed with a good book. Love it!

Voz impecable, que rico álbum. todo fluye perfecto y armonioso, estoy kicking my feet in the air el 70% del tiempo. live, laugh, blues. Primera vez escuchando a Van Morrison, digging it.

great

Wat een lekker live album. Jammer dat ze er in staan, Maar dit is echt goed

I would enjoy this album way more if Van wasn't such a pretentious douchebag. But personality aside, hot damn does the man know how to lead a band.. energy is ripping from top to bottom.

He doesn't sound like the miserable fucker everyone says he is? He sounds quite upbeat actually. The wind section adds nothing, but overall this is a great live album.

I'm a big fan of his first 3 albums. Good lyricist and great energy to his music. This live album has terrific energy and his voice is perfect for the lyrics he is singing. Put this on and just enjoy.

It's not a mess. It has some interesting sound choices. I don't know about mandatory listening but sure, something like this in the list, why not. This is in the like 900s of 1,001. High 2 low 3.

Double album? Oh no! Live album? You're kidding? These are not good signs. Luckily, its a good album.

It’s kind of weird that he only played two or three songs from Moondance I’d be a little pissed if I was at this show. I don’t know, maybe I’m a little biased. I had a girlfriend when I was 23 and Moondance was our bed time music. This is a good live album but it could be better. It’s a little better than The Black Album.

This live album was very well done. I didn't recognize any of these songs as big Van Morrison hits, but it was really good. The backing band is awesome and obviously Van Morrison is SUPER talented. The strings were really impressive Liked Songs: "Ain't Nothin' You Can't Do" , "Warm Love" , "These Dreams of You" , "I've Been Working" , "Help Me" , "Domino" , "Bring It on Home to Me" , "Saint Dominic's Preview" , "Take Your Hand Out of My Pocket" , "Here Comes the Night" , "Gloria" , "Caravan"

Van Morrison has such a distinctive voice. This was a great album.

This was a really good live album! I enjoyed it quite a bit!

Jazzy, high production value, Van Morrison, fantastic!

I think all the Van Morrison originals on this album are great. Accompanied by orchestra elements. But what really sticks out in my mind is the blues standards of "I Believe to My Soul" and "I Just Want to Make Love to You". I'm a big VanFan, his early 70s Laurel Canyon produced albums tend to be ear candy and orgasmical pieces of music. But I never once listen to his live music unless you count The Last Waltz. This was a really good treat, hot as hell, great sound and production. The blending of audience sounds and of course those blues standards really make this album pop. I reccomend to all those who like this type of music, and if you're looking for a change. Anyway I was gonna give it 5 stars but I remember, in "Listen to the Lion" Van says sodomy like 30 times. I'm not stupid I know he's saying 'side of me'. But he couldn't do a pick up vocal of him not saying it as sodomy? Its so apparent and I can't let this go without consequence. Unbelievable. 4/5

Pleasant and chill album that had lovely playing and singing in it. It also sounded fantastic. Personally this was not something that I would listen day to day basis but I do see myself getting back to this one day.

What a showman Van is! He’s like a human horn. And he just knows how to dance around with his voice and interact with the instruments around him. Points deducted as usual for comprehensibility, but this is a lot of fun.

So comfortable. I didn’t expect to think much of this album but it’s lovely.

Not quite a greatest hits album, but a lot of stuff I know and like plus some cool covers. His voice is in fine fettle, the band is great. He’s an asswipe these days, but this is still a solid 4.

A lot of pleasant songs

Thoroughly enjoyable listening!

The thing is this man kinda sucks but he’s also so good. If I met him in real life I’d projectile vomit before he’d finished the first sentence but the music is phenomenal. This has a certain energy which comes both from an exuberant live performance and also just having a sick backing band. The only song that didn’t grab me was, interestingly, Into the Mystic which I usually highly rate. Just feel like it had more energy in the studio.

With the first track of each album, I am beginning to tell whether or not I am going to look at each song and break them down individually. Sometimes, though, the first track just stumps me, for a couple of different reasons. In this case, I really can't tell what the reason is with "Ain't Nothing you can do". I get the sense however that each track is going to sound very similar. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but if that 'thing' being repeated isn't hugely enjoyable, then it's going to feel like a slog. Even in the opening minute of "Warm Love", I remain stumped as to whether or not I am listening to something I enjoy. It's got all the pieces, but I'm not sure they are tying together in a satisfactory way for me. However, I am always down to give each album in its entirety a fair crack. "I believe to my soul" was fantastic, the way the instruments meet the same hard-hitting cadence of Morrisons voice; really cool. The strings, piano and subtle guitar of "Wild Children" create a gorgeous backing to Morrisons vocals. "I just want to make love to you" also had an incredible swagger in it's instruments and vocals that made it a joy to listen to. My first observation was wrong it seems, as this has become more enjoyable as times goes on. "Gloria" with it's gospel vibe and crowd interaction was really fun and the upbeat nature of "Caravan" despite the rise and fall in it's tempo was a delight. However, I can't help but compare it to the one other live album I've heard so far, which I think has spoiled me: Cash's Folsom Prison album. He has Charisma, but it's of a different type; Morrison isn't quite as... *cool* as Cash. For that, it's gonna be stuck at 4. Sorry Morrison!

Okay, losing track of reading “the greatest live album of all time” in every live albums description on here. Double album also unsettles me, but was pleasantly surprised by Moondance on here. Let’s see… …Impressed from the off. Great voice and performances all round and great energy and tightness too. It is good, but there is a little something of it blending into one somehow too. Obviously great to be there and live, but maybe different evaluating as an album 🤷🏻‍♂️ But great musicianship all round. Similar to moondance, got my fill fairly early and as side 1 comes to a close and enjoyed it. Not sure I need side 2, but let’s see. Didn’t get round to side 2. Probably will come back to it and maybe hits the 4* so far

I was already familiar with this album. I am a big fan of live albums in general, and Van Morrison in particular is known to put on a great live show. That is documented very well here. He is a great front man and vocalist, and the band is on point. The song selection is great, and the album itself flows nicely, providing a realistic concert experience. I would listen again for sure.

I think Van Morrison is ... W A Y more interesting and actually better than I already thought, which was that he was a step above and kind of in his own niche genre. Kind of singer/ songwriter kind of folk, kind of soft rock... kind of jazzy, but ALL of it! I might be the type to get ... mildly sick of the same distinct voice but not really for one album and most certainly not taking his LYRICAL songs in isolation, his instrumentals! (of course with his band!) are fantastic, even a bit magical TBH. So there it is! Yeah, this is WAY worth discovering!

Cool live album Standout songs: I Believe to my soul Saint Dominics Preview Cyprus Avenue

Not too bad. Kind of long. But I mean I guess it's a live album. So understandable length. I just wish I didn't know how crappy of a person he is now.

Great live album, nothing quite like Van Morrison

Chill

Thought there wasn't supposed to be live albums on here, but it's Van the Man, so I'll let it pass

4.5

Very good live album. Fantastic instruments/musicians - some tracks a bit long in parts.

Van the man! Et veldig godt livealbum som minner om de bedre livegreiene fra The Band (som han har spilt med) og Bruce Springsteen i sin prime. Blir genuint glad av å høre denne versjonen av «St. Dominic’s Preview». Det er liksom mer gamp enn i studioversjonen. Og den fela (?) i bakgrunnen! Bandet er forøvrig helt supert. De spiller Morrison god hele veien, som like greit lirer av seg en hitparade. Eneste grunnen til at albumet ikke når helt opp er når han roter seg borti boogiewoogie og bluespastisjer. Det er ikke UMULIG at plata hadde gjort seg bedre som singel-LP

En helaften! Jeg blei litt svett når jeg så hvor langt dette albumet er, men det funker!

I listened to this album in a few different sittings throughout my workday, from walking the facility with a skip in my step to swaying my chair back and forth in my chair at my desk. Now this is the kind of energy I wanted from Van Morrison when I was getting ready to listen to Astral Weeks! I hadn't considered whether or not any live albums would make their way onto this list; I would have assumed not, seeing as such albums tend to be excluded from such conversations, but I am pleasantly surprised to see that these projects are still up for consideration on a list such as this one, as I believe there are many different live albums which could warrant a placement (At Folsom Prison, Stop Making Sense, and Alive 2007 as examples). This album does give me the same hesitance I have with most live albums though, as I wonder whether I would be getting more out of the experience if I knew more of Van Morrison's songs going in. Don't get me wrong, this album is still incredible; Van Morrison's skill and charisma as a showman is clear as day, and I'm always a sucker for full-band instrumentation with a horn section. The cover songs here all work incredibly well too, in exactly the ways which The Rolling Stones' self-titled album did not; both albums even feature covers of the same exact song (I Just Want to Make Love to You), and Vam Morrison makes it his own in a way that the Stones just didn't manage to. While I absolutely loved listening to this album, I wish I got to experience it with enough knowledge of his work to allow me to hear the variations in performance which he brought to these live versions of his songs. One day I'll come back to this album when I've finally taken a deeper dive into Van the Man, and I can only imagine how gratifying that experience will be. Highlights: Ain't Nothin' You Can Do, Into the Mystic, I Believe to My Soul, I've Been Working, Help Me, I Just Want to Make Love to You, Bring It on Home to Me, Saint Dominic's Preview, Take Your Hand Out of My Pocket, Here Comes the Night, Caravan, Cyprus Avenue

Pretty fun album overall despite not knowing a lot of his catalogue

As much as I dislike live albums being in this list, this one was a bop. Lots of fun tracks and great energy.

4.5. A little too much filler.

Love sitting here listening to this album, I’ve never made a point to listen to Van Morrison, but the whole time I could not stop tapping my toe and feeling the music.

Debí prestarle más atención cuando lo oí, pero música y voz muy agradables . Merece una segunda escucha

He sounds as good live if not better... That's rare.

Solid

I am skeptical of live albums being considered "must listen" but after sitting through this one I totally get why. The depth to these tracks and pure energy behind some of these songs was electric. It's clear Van Morrison was on the top of this game at this point. I'm also super impressed at the production of this in the early 70's. Every time I listen to Van Morrison I enjoy it but rarely think to go back. This album will be a good place to start in the future.

Even a hater like me likes this.

The last of the three Van Morrison albums in this collection, and easily the only one that needed to be included, even if it kind of violates the no-compilation rule. Van Morrison's legacy has been (rightly) clouded by a lot of serious character flaws and outright offensive behavior, but he definitely shines as a performer and orchestra leader on this album, and I'm glad for him and all his many fans that we has able to channel his musical talent and soul so well in the tour that produced this double album (itself apparently a reality for Van Morrison's notoriously mercurial nature). It's nice too that he included a number of cover songs representing his musical influences, although those are probably some of the weaker tracks on the album (especially "I believe to my soul"); it's a bit surprising given the unevenness of some of those tracks that he refused to include either "Moondance" or "Brown eyed girl" on the album due to perceived imperfections in the various recordings (and an insistence on avoiding any studio-based cleaning up of the recordings). I also liked it that he included some of his earliest work with Them; I don't think I ever put it together that it was him singing on the classic "Gloria" (or "Here comes the night" either). An impressively strong live album that feels like a single performance, despite being cobbled together from three different venues across several dates.

Superb. Much better than I’d anticipated

This album screams Van Morrison to me. Pretty good, I enjoyed the listen. I appreciate the live recordings, they showcase what a great artist he is.

Great!

Reminds me of my dad

4/5 Good live album. Love me some soul, and I appreciated the solos from the band.

Really great. Odd vocal choices at times but adds to live feel

Really cool concert for an artist that I hold in high regard. Wasn't my most focused listen, but was probably a baller concert to be at.

Personally think it's kind of whack to include concert albums on here especially because they include songs that we have already heard. But good god Van Morrison would have been incredible to see live in concert.

I'm only going to listen to the original as the full album is now almost 4 hours long. That was a pleasant listen! Van Morrison does really have a great voice and the music was on point.

I like his pronunciation of shirt. “Shoit”

A fun listen of all the hits.

wow, what an incredible backing band. Those horns! Those strings! Peak Van.

I didn't think that this would be a very good album because usually live performances are a bit meh, but I enjoyed having this in the background and really didn't mind it having two discs, which is usually annoying when the album isn't great. Overall, quite an enjoyable listen, it was nice, and the instrumentals made you move a little bit even.

Pretty fun live record. I'm pretty neutral on Van Morrison, but the energy of the performance was pretty infectious. The background on this tour is interesting and you can really hear the improvisational aspects come through. 3.5/5

This didn't have many Van Morrison songs I was that familiar with, but I did like it quite a bit. It seems like a great period for his live act at the time. The crowd was engaged, and there were a lot of showy bits. Really solid live set. 3.5/5

Was rereading some of the more recent reviews of this album, and some folks seem to have been very bored by ole Van here. I'll be honest here, I grew up a Van Morrison fan, and not just your run of the mill "Brown Eyed Girl" enjoyer. Yes, this puppy is loooooong, but it is largely a celebration of this force on stage (or drunk force on stage). I've critiqued some other albums for being repetitive or redundant, and while Van does cover a lot of similar ground here, there's enough of a mix of talent, passion, and pizzazz to make this a smooth hour and a half for me. As always, great supporting band, and Domino always gets me going

Great surprise,, could change to a five after several listens.

I don't love live albums but this wasn't too bad!

I love him.

I’m not a huge fan, but this is about as good as Morrison gets. Plus, holy shit, the Caledonia Soul Orchestra belts out some incredibly tight music. I found the guitar, piano and horns to be particularly pleasing, but the spring quartet brings depth to many tunes that I wasn’t expecting. Like all good jazz, you could hear just enough improvisation to make familiar tunes to feel unique, the proverbial catching of lightning in a bottle. With respect to Morrison, you can hear his passion and expression throughout. He sings with the music, responding to the band. No overdubs here, apparently, and it is hard to see how they would work as well as the immediacy you hear from the live recordings. The sound quality, from recording to production, is outstanding for any live album, but especially for one recorded in 1973. Individual instruments were clear and sharp. The soundstage was simply enormous, the epitome of 3D music. I recommend sitting in that sweet spot, cranking it up, closing your eyes and just being present with this one. Shit, I’d listen to this record again just to appreciate its beautiful production. I was initially skeptical about a double album, but I didn’t ever get bogged down or bored during my listens of this record. Apparently, this record is regarded as one of the best live rock recordings of all time, so it is worthy of its place on this list. This was a great discovery. I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. Maybe my opinion of Morrison was colored by later releases? In any event, I will be listening to it again in the future. Color me surprised.

Van Morrison is great. Live albums are annoying. Minus one for that and I initially subtracted another for the truly unlistenable version of Into the Mystic. But regained for the excellent renditions of These Dreams of You and Domino.

Gran álbum en vivo. Gran voz, grandes músicos, gran vibra

Wasn’t looking forward to this live double album from Van Morrison but enjoyed it more than I thought. Brilliantly produced and the band have got it. Lovely horn section.

I liked this more than I would have imagined. I’m not a huge fan of Van Morrison but this was quite a fun listen. It’s pretty long, but it was good to study to. Surprising 4 stars from me.

I've never listened to this album (70). Must have been nice to be there.

I can hear it’s a great album, but I’m not a fan myself.

Ugh, a double-disc live album is not something that should be on this list, period. We’ve also had quite a few albums running over 1.5 hours this week, so I was a bit weary going into this. It was quite good as live albums go. Van Morrison’s hits are strong, and his covers of soul staples are decent as well. I can’t shake the feeling that this is a “best of” album by Van Morrison, since there are multiple songs from different albums. Also adding songs by other artist makes it kind of a jukebox album. The band is really tight, good solos, nice mixing, that horn section is gold and it really brings something new to the songs. I like Motown and soul, and I gave Moondance a 5, so it isn’t surprising that I enjoyed this. Still, I don’t think this should be on the list but it is a good album. Going to give it a 4 star.

Excelente Álbum, 8.5/10. Me gusta el estilo blues que tiene

Very soulful and vibrant performance

A solid listen but a bit long.

Very vibrant and groovy..

Had no idea the "brown eyed girl" guy went this hard. More investigation needed.

This is good. The orchestra are fabulous and Van sounds like he is having a blast, as do the crowd. A good mix of covers and originals. I’m not a huge fan of live albums and this is a bit long.. I’m saying 4 stars though

Tremendous, elevates the studio versions in lots of places

I was the surprised by the way this album walked between jazz and soul.

I wasn't a fan of the other Van Morrison album I listened to, but this one was pretty cool.

Fun and smooth, from the covers to the original songs, the focus is on the addictive sound of the music As far as live albums go it's not too affected by being live, it has a good quality and it's enjoyable as a normal album experience, with some extra energy towards the end

Not sure why people don't like this. Had this been recorded in a studio and not live, I probably wouldn't have liked it as much. Hearing a live album can sometimes amplify songs to how the crowd reacts.

Generally a big fan, I hadn't heard this particular record. It's good. It seems to be an accurate reflection of the performance from the artist at this point in time, which is what one wants in a live recording. (It doesn't seem to have a ton of processing or overdubbing.)

Ça s'écoute gentiment, même si les arrangements orchestraux sont un peu pompeux.

Just background music to me. I don't get it.

-i actually really enjoyed this album

Gets good after 3 songs

Gets better with multiple listens. Classic rock music. Can't go wrong with it.

Nice album, but too long for 5 stars

Never been a big fan, but I can appreciate it

An all-time great "white boy soul" voice, who at his height was an electric performer. He may have turned into an irascible crank in old age, but back at the time of this record he was an irascible genius performer. A crack band behind him that can handle soul, blues, jazz, funk. These must have been amazing shows to have been at.

I generally like Van Morrison and this album is no exception. I think he takes the jazz and soul music, mixes it with some jam band fun and creativity and adds his own kind of soft rock musicality to it. It's super easy to listen to and just gives me the warm fuzzies. This live show is energetic and Morrison brings it to life. He put his Van Morussy into it and it elevates it.

7/10

Enjoyed this quite a lot but I didn’t find many standout hits on the first listen.

Pretty good live album

Pretty good for what it is. 3.5

fun! horns are great

Long album, but really lovely. Debating giving a 5 but didn’t feel this was entirely a no skip album. Breaks were needed to make it though.

a great melodic writer and singer

I don't always appreciate Van Morrison. A couple of his hits are great, but the full albums I've heard aren't really that compelling. I also don't really love live albums, but this one is pretty solid all around. When I saw this was a double album I was expecting a chore, but it was pretty good all around. I'm giving this a 4, though just because I can understandand and appreciate how this is a good album, for fans. It definitely showcases Van Morrison's best side. Personally, I don't love Van Morrison and likely won't listen to this again.

A real Van Morrison

too long and too live, but Van Morrison is and always will be a great songwriter, I didnt recognize most of these songs yet I still enjoyed this a lot! Cut the runtime in half and it wouldve been an even better entry.

Normally live albums are awful and this one is waaaay too long but Van Morrison wrote some great songs so there’s lots to enjoy at least

Highlight Song/s: Warm Love and I Believe to My Soul This album was surprisingly tolerable, and it wasn't half bad! I shuddered when I saw it was 90 minutes long especially as the previous album was 75 minutes I just wasn't wanting another long one, but it was mostly fine. The songs were a nice mix of rock, pop and jazz. I definitely enjoyed the first side more than the second side.

Van Morrison's songs are fine. The performance however? Yeah, I can see why this is on the list! Solos that make me question if I can even call myself a musician, this band was just dripping with feel. Tasty, tasty stuff

I liked this

Smooth and easy to listen to, though the songs got long toward the end.

Good old Van. These are classic songs played in classic fashion. I mostly let it fade into the background, especially considering the double length, but he’s always enjoyable. (3.5 stars)

I don’t generally like live albums but man the band was on point and the sound levels were perfect. I don’t want to live in a world that doesn’t have Van Morrison.

Great live album, sounds great. Love the different versions of familiar hits and the deep cuts that were added. The band is fantastic and Van's singing stellar.

Cool live album but Maybe a bit long for this project. Probably could’ve been 45 minutes and cut some of the slow blues songs. Some of my faves: Into the mystic. Domino. Listen to the Lion. Caravan. Cyprus Avenue.

Nice live album by Van Morrison. It highlights the jazzier elements in his style. He has a great band here with a lush, rich sound. The production on the live recording is excellent.

I like Van Man a lot, but i prefer the studio albums of these songs. Into the Mystic is my pick of the bunch

I think "Brown Eyed Girl" is the only Van Morrison song I know, so this was all new to me. Not my go-to type of music, it was overly long (duh, double-album), I generally prefer studio over live albums, the middle of the album really blended together, and I'll never listen to this again...but I can't deny that this was pretty damn good. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this album. I'm a sucker for the piano. 3.9

Lovely display of what rock can be

this performance was amazing, his vocals are on point and the vibes are great

4.5/5

A soothing and romantic listen. Simply an epitome of white music, which has it’s ups and downs. All in all, not bad music, simply not innovative enough. All songs blend into each other like the whole album is one track, ultimately making the experience quite boring actually. However, the energy is pleasant and the instrumentation familiar and warm. Definitely a hallmark album for its sound and time.

it was great!!

7/10

SEND HELP!

I generally don't care for live albums but this one worked for me. Van's work translated well and he and the band sounded great. It's a bit long but this was an enjoyable listen.

too short

Liked it! Had good soul. Want to check out other VM recordings now.

Nice jazzy

It's a great live album though i quibble that it's a combo of multiple shows over different nights. I prefer one show as opposed to this kind of chery picking. On the other hand, this is a dude at the height ogf his powers with a backing band that elevates all the songs

Van Morrison nos presenta una noche de canciones muy bien tocadas, con una banda acompañante que vibra a perfecto unísono con su distintiva voz Es largo, ya que es un show completo, pero al ser de un artista de culto para cientos de bandas que lo siguieron, es una performance entretenida, dinámica y llena de standards de blues & rnb (Gloria, I Just Wanna Make Love to You) Perfecto para acompañar una tarde, un solido 7.5-8/10

Really great live album. A lot of the songs are essentially blues tracks but the production and performances take this to a 4 for me

NOT USUALLY A BIG FAN OF LIVE ALBUMS, BUT THIS IS VAN DOING HIS THING REALLY WELL. WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT TO SEE THIS GUY IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES FOR SURE.

I was expecting to hate this as a 90 minute live album by a weird Covid crank. However, this was actually surprisingly soulful, blues-ey and fun. Still too long but I had a nice time with it.

wow awesomsauec. live irlantilainen pikku viherkääpiö hyppii lavalla ja laulaa ja naurattaa kaikkkia. taputtakaa taputtakaa kun mini-irlannin poika tulee ja vihasena jalat käy vaan lavalla tömisee tömiseee hahahahaha sanoo yleisö laula jotain !! laula jotain sanoo yleisö.. jesterille annetaan käskyjä kuka tahansa saa hekotella ja vaikka tappaa jos haluaa mutta ei kukaan tapa.. kukaan halua kylän hassuttelijaa tappaa mutta on sallittua .. ei oikeuksia narrilla saa potkia lyödä vittu hakata palasiksi mutta ei kukaan halua jos kunhan vaan naurattaa ja kertoo vitsejä niin pysyy ihan turvassa ei tarvi hakata riekaleiksi.. o just wnat tom kae love t o uy

Good

This year, I have fallen in love with live albums. Starting with Natalia Lafourcade's (not on this list), then to Fela Kuti's and now this! There is a magic behind hearing an artist perform on stage in front of their fans, this live album encapsulates that. The energy was infectious. While I do feel like the album is a little long, I had a great time listening to the band jam & the vocals. I'm teetering between a 3 and a 4, but landed on a 4 because of the instrumentation and funky soul of the album. :)

I Want To Rock Your Gypsy Soul 1001 Albums Generator 74 (07/15/2025) It's Too Late To Stop Now is a live album from the legendary Belfast cowboy. Van Morrison puts on an incredible performance and his band does a great job too. This album features a great mix of folk, rock, and blues and the first disk is especially amazing. The last three songs are also great, with the last two being about 10 minutes a piece and letting the band just jam out. Favs: I Believe To My Soul Gloria Caravan Least Fav: I Just Want To Make Love To You

Remarkable sound quality for a live album in the 70's. The band is tight, Van's voice is stellar and there is just an energy to the performances.

Van has many an undeniable banger. However this album meanders just a bit too much (particularly in the first half of disc 2). Overall a great time but not quite a five star.

we've got some real straight blue-eyed soul rock on this album, audio taken from a few different tours he had around that time. this guy's singing like his life is depending on it. this live album is pretty nice i suppose! it's always a treat to hear live performances that sound solid from beginning to end... but i wouldn't say it's too special. it feels like the kind of sometimes hammy performance you'd see at the mgm grand in las vegas.

We melden het maar weer. Live-albums = valsspelen. Dat naast me neergelegd: Dit is een kwalitatief hoogwaardig optreden. We hoorden op de studio albums al dat de man kan zingen (als hij wil). Dat blijkt niet afhankelijk van een studio waar je makkelijk een stukje over kan doen. Live houdt hij anderhalf uur stand. (Wat voor mij wel weer iets te lang is.) Ik heb het bij de studio albums ook al opgemerkt. Van Morrison weet dat hij een goede stem heeft, maar hij is niet egoïstisch en gaat voor het geheel. Hij trekt de aandacht zeker niet weg van de instrumenten en zorgt ervoor dat alles sterk samengaat. Reden om de sterren naar boven af te ronden.

Wederom een live-album, ik vind daar iets van. Van Morrison heeft wel een reputatie qua live-optredens voor zover ik weet, want dat vertelt de Snor altijd. Of de man is knorrig en raffelt ongeinspireerd de show af, of hij heeft er zin in en is het fantastisch. Ik mag aannemen dat als ze dit op vinyl persen dat hij er wel enigszins zin in had. Gelukkig horen we dat ook wel gelijk in het begin, de beste man heeft er zin in en doet ontzettend zijn best. Soms iets teveel en komt het theatrale wat hij in zich heeft naar boven. Ik vermoed dat hij zichzelf ook verschrikkelijk goed vind. Alleen ik vind slechts de nummers fijn als het bluesy en/of funky is. Ik heb zowaar geen problemen met de toeters, want die maken het best swingend. De rustige nummers komt het theatrale teveel naar boven. Al met al is het wel een aardige mix, zoals het hoort in een live concert natuurlijk. Ik heb weinig moeite om het uit te zitten en vind het zelfs wel fijn op de achtergrond terwijl ik aan het werk ben.

Van Morrison has some soul to him! I didn't realize it. I genuinely enjoyed listening to it! I feel like there were moments when I couldn't 100% understand him, but I felt the emotion. I love a horn section.

Although I dont think albums lists should be included in best album lists (To me it should be studio albums) This was an amazing one making me realize how good van morrison is and what a great performer. I never liked his music until I heard this. Really good

kinda fire??? would be nice on vinyl i bet 3.5

I feel like if I went to a Van Morrison concert and he didn’t even play Brown Eyed Girl I would be pissed. The band is really tight here. Very good live album.

Live VM, great backing band with horns and strings, lots of blues, excellent

Great live album.

I don't normally like live albums, but this us an excellent exception. His band is really tight and reminds me of the Blues Brothers band which came later (especially the talking trumpet and lead guitar conversations). Van is channeling James Brown for some of his vocal deliveries. I like the remake of Ray Charles' I Believe to my Soul.

I will admit to some degree of concern when I saw this was a 92-minute long live album, despite the fact that I think Van Morrison’s run of albums leading up to these performances is amongst the best in popular music. I find live albums to generally be made up of not as good versions of studio tracks recorded as if they were performed at the bottom of a swimming pool filled with mud. This was anything but. The recording sounds crisp and clear and while the performances differ from the studio versions, they are just different, not worse. This album had energy and verve, the band sounded great, and the performances added to the original material. There wasn’t really a bad moment in the entire 92 minutes. This is a great live album and I’m glad to have heard it.

A live double-album sounds like the stuff of mediocrity (at best), but I listened to this on my (fittingly two-parted) long walk and it made for a fabulous companion.