Reviews (page 3 of 7)
This was good live Van Morrison. Love all of it.
I do like me some Van Morrison from time to time. I thought this live album was a really good sampling of some of his music and styles. The sound quality was excellent as well, and if not for the applause, you could hardly tell it was a live album. Just a really sweet sounding record. My only complaint, is that a couple of the songs are needlessly long, but this is true with almost any live album. But still, It’s an easy four stars for me.
This is a great live album. Everyone seems to be really feeling it and having a good time, and there's a good mix of hits, deeper cuts, and covers of other people's songs. I'm not a big enough fan of Van Morrison's music and vocal style to rate this 5 stars, but I can appreciate how well executed it is
Live Van, which is pretty good all told. It's not brilliant though, and you do slightly wonder if the magic that Van Morrison bottled during Astral Weeks was a bit of a one off, never to be repeated. That's not to say that it isn't good stuff, because of course it is, but it's not the special vibe that he's capable off.
Just the perfect background to any situation
Did it have to be a double album, Vannie?
Great live stuff from the period before he gotten eaten by his own massive ego.
Excellent but occasionally a little loungey, too bad this guy got brain worms
Not a big fan of live stuff but this was very good, tight performances and great choice of songs. Bit long even for a double but still worth listening to Like how he did threw some classic soul covers into the setlist as well
Long, but great production for a live album. Some of the songs sounded better than the album version. Maybe not necessary on this list but not bad. Light 4.
This is a really good live album. Great versions of some of his biggest hits delivered with lots of soul. Too bad he’s such a jerk.
I really enjoyed this album but it shouldn't be on the list. Van Morrison is a great singer and proves it here, but these aren't different enough from the studio recordings for my to justify a space on this list.
Van the man - I was raised on VM and I listen to him often.
I'm never too sure about live albums but this really slapped and I'm shocked how into it I got
За той період який, я пишу про "видатні" альбоми, я дійсно встиг полюбити блюзові, джазові та соулові живі записи. І цей альбом Van Morrison не став виключенням. У цей період Morrison був на піку своїх емоцій, адже знов почав активно виступати. Саме з цих натхнених виступів і був зібраний цей альбом. Його особливість, як, між іншим, і інших видатних блюзових живих записів - це неповторне відчуття передачі "сирої енергії" та чутливості яку передає нам виконавець, що підкреслюється раптовими імпровізаціями, та реакцією залу на них. У випадку ж Morrison, який виступав разом з гуртом Caledonia Soul Orchestra, це ще і неперевершена робота музикантів, що були максимально "чисто" та детально записані. Гурт звучить неймовірно зібрано й зосереджено, гітара малює "м’які обриси", а ось духові вже малюють деталі, та напевно є тут головним елементом, що утворює атмосферу. Вражає також і динаміка, завдяки якій, ми за лічені секунди отримуємо переходи від R&B та джазу до фолку та госпелу, і при цьому - жанри не витісняють один одного, а навпаки, намагаються співіснувати наскільки це можливо. Ну і ще раз, мабуть, похвалю "деталізацію" запису - немає жодної, навіть маленької деталі, яка б намагалася від тебе втекти. Усе звучить гостро, чітко й водночас ефемерно, наче транс, з якого не хочеться виходити. Та і взагалі, без такого шикарного музичного супроводу, Van Morrison, ні в якому разі, не зміг би нам подарувати такі "блискавичні" та "яскраві" імпровізації.
A great old album. Personally I've taken a shine to "A Night In San Francisco" over this one as I think it contains more energy and musicianship, but Van has always been able to put together a band, and a show.
Why is he singing with a Carribbean accent lol I can't lie though, this had me tapping my foot at times. Turns out some of this was recorded a few streets away from me, neat.
If I ever host a fancy evening dinner party this is exactly the sort of thing that would go on
solid live album. I didn't need 2 discs though
little bit too long but god damn van morrison goes hard here, so insanely energetic and fun
Baš dosta dobar album, fino mi je sjeo! Jedino mi je malo predug, ali pošto je bar bilo ugodno za slušati, preživjela sam 😁 Finih 4/5, 7/10.
As far as I've understood, Van Morrisson is not a charming man. This performance however!
This was dope. 4.5
Fun 70’s Van Morrison
I love Van Morrison anyway, but the live band with him steals the show here. Strings and brass are beautifully performed to some of his best works.
i'm not sure if i'm even listening to the correct version but gotta love the hits!
Favorite Track: I’ve Been Working
Random thoughts: * Damn! Hearing Van live is so awesome. I wish I had heard him live in person many years ago. I don't think it would be the same today. * Hard to listen to Van and not think about his shitty politics today. However, you have to separate the art from the artist. I still listen to R Kelly and Michale Jackson. I'm going to judge the art by itself. * The first three tracks had me hooked! * I started to lose steam in there a few times but from Here Comes the Night all the way to the end was some great work captured for posterity's sake. * I'd never heard Cyprus Avenue before but Van really brought it for the closer! * I'll be choosing this one again instead of Moondance or his greatest hits the next time I'm in the mood for some Van Morrison.
I just love the covers on this album—Van does an excellent job bringing the energy. However, the album feels a bit uneven, especially when compared to Van Morrison’s classic tracks like Into the Mystic.
Maybe not my favorite versions of some of these songs, but the whole record had good energy to it. The last two tracks were a bit self indulgent and I wish i had skipped them.
Cool.
Bit long but good vibes
I really enjoyed this - would listen again.
4 - enjoyed
Good vibe
Two childhood friends of mine are living in my childhood neighborhood with mattresses for houses. We are in trouble for having pills. Soon I'm being hunted by this guy who is supposed to be my girlfriend's ex husband and his mother neither of whom I recognize. It's starting to fade but they used basically toy robots to chase me down but I tricked them. I end up in an apartment where I've been in contact with another friend who's always been kind of a bully. He was after. Land deeds that were recipes named for songs and could be sliced like cake
Soulful vocals and intense live energy
Wonderful performer, terrible human.
Pretty decent for a live album
Awesome album and while I'm not a HUGE fan of Van Morrison, his live performance and crazy soul/blues is captured amazingly well in this album, which I have never heard in full before. Incredible musical performance and he leaves it all on stage. Loved him covering some songs which I have never heard before either. Just a great album and perfect representation of what he was all about.
So this was amazing. First off, I LOVEEEE live music. Secondly, anytime I hear Van Morrison, I get taken back to when I was a kid spending summer days/nights at my uncles in Indiana. The radio was always playing Van Morrison, so this takes me back to when everything was simpler. Mix that with my love for live music… not to mention him covering Sam Cooke (one of my favorite singers of all time)… all I can say is, I’m all for it!
Today's entry in "separating the art from the artist" was a real delight. I love Van Morrison's music, and this is a great live version of a bunch of tracks. I will likely return to this, even if it didn't deliver on my sky-high expectations heading into it.
I really enjoyed listening to Van Morrison's "Moondance" as part of this project, so I was excited to see this pop up. I was less excited when I realized it was a double live album. That said, this album is actually really quite stellar for a live album. Van Morrison has great vocals on this album and his backing band sounds fantastic. The production for this album is really good, too; I wouldn't have guessed this to be from the 70s. It is also worth mentioning that SO many of the songs on this album were written by Morrison; I'm not sure how often his name gets mentioned as a great songwriter, but this album which compiles so much of his work from across his career really shows that fact off. I still question why so many live albums, and in this instance, why THIS live album is included on this project, but nonetheless, I did enjoy it, and I owe this project for my recently found appreciation for Van Morrison.
7/10
Great live album. Great sound. Fantastic energy. This one and the 3 other volumes 1001 album worthy: Yes - 18/32
Super!
Hell yeah. Just good vibes
Super super awesome. He murdereddd
Really good for a live album. A little ling but very strong overall.
Previously rated: Moondance (4/5) Astral Weeks (2/5) ********************* Thankfully not much crossover with the boring (imho) Astral Weeks. Too bad no Moondance or Brown Eyed Girl. What is here is nice for the most part. The band is great, he sounds good with that distinctive voice. Some of the longer tracks dragged a little. I didn’t like the repeated “inside of me” that sounded like “sodomy” over and over. I will add it to the list to listen to again.
very good live album, enjoyed the sound and the band instruments.
I guess I like van morrison
I like Van, but typically can only handle so much at a time. This was pretty good, though. 3.5* rounded up.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
This is my favorite kind of live music - it's well done, the songs are still very similar to the versions you already know & love, with a bit of riffing on the themes.
This is Van Morrison we are listening to. Great album especially with the live atmosphere. I'm a big fan of his music.
Super talented guy and unique voice though I'm generally not a fan of live albums, I thought this was engineered quite well. Outside of this this was solid though I detected at least one cover (I Believe to My Soul) which always cheapens the album. 7/10
first listen it's a great album mixed great
I pushed play on this expecting to hate it. So maybe because I had the lowest of expectations, especially because I haven’t really enjoyed most of the live albums on this list, this was a pleasant surprise! I really liked it! It’s not revolutionary. But maybe because it’s mostly a straight ahead record without a lot of crowd work it worked. Good recording. 4/5
Really enjoyed this. Van the Man live!
This is very good on its own terms and one can listen to Van all day and so likes the prompt here. Honestly one thinks grumpy, expansive studio Van is more than man than frontman Van is. There are other of his albums one would prefer to have on this list. Say The Healing Game or personal fave Enlightenment. The band is almost too tight and polished as it distracts a bit from the vocals, and Van seems to be painting a bit by numbers, bouncing along to the playing, rather than these deep expansive articulations and growling passions that one gets off the studio work. So, great with asterisk one supposes.
Love me some Van Morrison.
It's Too Late to Stop Now is a 1974 live double album by Van Morrison, originally released in 1974. I'm typically not a huge fan of Van Morrison. I usually gravitate to his jazzier stuff and I'm not very familiar with his mid-70s work. I found myself really grooving to this. It's way more funky than I expected, and Van does funk pretty damn well. His voice still sounds like that drunk guy in the back of the pub but it just works with these tracks. The backing band is super tight and have a ton of presence. Specifically the bass player. His lines are just so groovy. The production is so good too. It sounds like it was recorded at a fairly intimate venue. Probably going to revisit some Van Morrison records now.
Man I bet this was great to go to. Listening was a joyous experience. Not sure if it should even be repeated - I don’t wish to find the flaws.
Great blues rock and distinguished vocals. The musical performance is sultry and groovy. Has some upbeat tunes and also some more low-key, vibe-out kind of tunes. What a great show this must have been to be a part of.
A rootin and a tootin bluesy good time, this album is, fortunately peppered with so many feel-good Van Morrison moments as well. Tracks like "Listen to the Lion" to name one, really hits in that crunchy grassroots blues roock comfort-music range that Van Morrison kills it at so much.
Great example of a live album being better than the studio!
Much better than I thought it would be, there are few more layers
This album hit SO GOOD for me yesterday.
cool jazzy-blues live album when Van wasn't grumpy !
First listen. Pretty good.
Great, Great, Great live album. Vinyl must have!
It has amazing lyrics and I enjoy the freedom it uses with instruments of choice.
Klasse Album, das man gut auf einem langen Lauf hören kann.
A really good album, I liked Ain't Nothing You Can Do and I Just Want To Make Love To You the most.
Wild Children and Listen To The Lion are lovely. Domino and Gloria are bangers. He has a good live band and he brings the right energy!
When I saw this was a double album, my hopes weren’t particularly high. Luckily, I liked this a whole lot. Big fan of the jazz and blues vibe of this and it kept me engaged for over 90 minutes, which is not easy to do.
4 maybe 5
7/10
I'm not usually one for live albums, but when done well they can be great. The band is tight, and the energy is way better than on the album versions of some of these songs. It's a bit long, but it's a great performance.
I like van! not at all as toolish as i thought. 4
Doesn't seem available on Spotify. But must be at least a 4
if you played this album for me and then told me it was Van Morrison i wouldn’t believe you. brown eyed girl van morrison???? he’s cool?!?!? never woulda guessed
I had always heard a lot of positive comments about this album and I can't say they were wrong. I don't know if I would consider it one of the best live albums of all-time, mostly because it's hard to do a 2-CD live album and not have areas drag at points. Side 2 can drag a bit for me in the middle with the longer songs, but overall this is really good. I have had issues with live albums being in this book because I felt most of the material was already present and the live album did not add much more than duplicate really good versions of the songs. That's not necessarily the case here, as many of these songs are covers and/or are in different versions than the studio version. I enjoyed this album, even if I can't give it 5 stars.
The first half of this album I was not really there for the view that this is an exceptional live album with version of his songs that are significantly superior to the studio versions. Also, not there so much for R and B Van (ie Ray Charles) with the plethora of covers scattered through the first half. However it picks up significantly with the stunning take on St Domics Preview and from there on in the hype is justified.
There’s something sexy about this one. Van Morrison isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I really enjoy his music. For the time period the production of the live tracks was outstanding.
Better than I remembered
Really good live performance. Van Morrison has a good voice, and the band plays great. Liked the first disk more than the second. Standouts: Warm Love, I Believe to My Soul, I’ve Been Working, Wild Children, Saint Dominic’s Preview, Caravan.
4.25
It's a great album. I really enjoyed listening it. It's one of these artist that I knew I should listen too one day.
Back in the day I doubt anyone imagined him turning into the rancid old crank he is now, but it's about the songs not the singer. So instead of getting wound up by The Man, relax & enjoy his lovely music.
Excellent live album. Van in his prime, excellent band who are super tight and have excellent tone
Pretty good. I wish there were more of my favorite songs on there but I liked it a lot.
live works well for his music
van Morrison Stan ✊ really enjoy the live album 4 him
Was listening to this in the car and got through the first three songs and then into the mystic just played 12 times I have no clue what I did and why that happened but I didn’t realize til Kailey pointed it out LOL. Anyways I love Van Morrison and this album is great
Grumpy, soulful and magical in pretty equal measures
Van the man. Caravan and Bring it on Home are my favorites. Not all of my favorites are on there, but goof though he became, he's a hell of a singer, songwriter, and showman. I like the new caledonia orchestra, strings and horns are where its at. Night shoit!
Great liveshow.
It was great!
Helt ait
I am not a fan of live albums nor particularly familiar with the oeuvre of Van Morrison, but despite its hefty runtime I thought this was great. Good soulful voice, band are precise yet somehow sound effortles, the overall vibe is warm and inviting. Will definitely come back to this one.
So solid. Just a little long.
Very chill
Fun and dancy!
Another surprising live album banger
Finally and album that doesn’t suck. Easy 4
Nice enough
Van the man. Vibrant, electric, and entertaining throughout. A perfect album to throw on in the background while hanging on the patio. The fact that it's a live album deserves some credit as well. 8/10 (4/5)
A very good live album!! 4 ⭐️
Pretty great live album. Good energy
Jag diggar Van Morrison..gillar soundet å sången. Warm love är riktigt grym. Många bra låtar. Ganska jämnstark. Gör inget att det är live, men lång. Men var mest najs å ha lurarna.
Domino is a bop. Hella jazzy and bluesy. and this guy is white?!?
First off, I am ASTOUNDED by the warmth of the recording. It doesn’t sound like a live recording at all in quality. The energy in the audience is infectious as Van Morrison leads them first on a whirlwind of blues and funk firing on all cylinders. The latter songs go more into “adult contemporary,” with shades of Billy Joel and Bob Seger, but I still had a fun journey. You can tell that the band had this connection and spark on this tour, and as a live album, the quality here may be unmatched.
Smooth and blues inspired. Great warm live sound. It’s something to appreciate when if it’s not every day listening.
Sounded like every other Van Morrison album.
Fab live album. I keep coming back for more and more. Delivers exactly what you'd hope!
Too long for my liking, but for a live performance I would have been into this. I'll come back to this album for sure
Double live album from the 70s. Oh dear. But. This is very well recorded. Not precisely sure why it's on the list, but I did enjoy this way more than I expected.
In my view live albums don't belong on this list, but this one was excellent. Lots of enjoyable songs, especially in the beginning.
It’s too late to stop now… is it? I wondered. As much as I wanted to hate the length of this record and the routine reaction of Van to the audience (the “thank you” after just some lines in the beginning of a song is a bummer). I must admit it is a great album and performance. I do not like live albums on this list etc. In the end only the quality of an album remains.
One of the best live albums I’ve heard!
We had two Van Morrison albums already and yet, this is definitely not what I expected. In general, I'm not a fan of live albums and most times I would much rather just listen to the studio recordings of the same tracks. But what I didn't expect at all was for this to be a full-on soul concert instead of a pop/folk/rock concert as Van Morrison's studio recordings are. Weird, but also unexpectedly good.
So good!
Really decent album! I didn't know any of the songs from it, but every track was a real pleasure to listen to. Van Morrison has a great voice, very powerful and with such a wide range. One of the better live albums on this list, really good choice.
Amazing voice, great concert recording, classics from the songbook, tight band bashing it out. What's not to enjoy?
Having not heard much Van Morrison before, this felt like a fantastic intro to his wider discography. Fantastic live shows
Better than I thought it would be.
While I've seen Van Morrison live, an experience that I never fail to mention was one of the great disappointments of my concert-going career (he was a total prick), that was over 40 years after this recording, and he's in great voice here. The band is tight, and the energy is right. My only complaint is that, at over 90 minutes, it goes on a little long. That said, it's a pretty great live double album. Perhaps not quite essential enough to warrant its place on a future revision of the 1001 Albums list, but I'm still glad to have heard it.
A really cool example of a style of music that doesn't really exist anymore. Big band, big energy, powerful voice. Some of the songs go on a little too long. But that can be expected with a live album
Genuinely didn’t expect to like this but Van Morrison can fucking belt
Still don’t love live albums, but ever since Morrison appeared on this site once before, I’ve found myself really enjoying his music.
I enjoyed this a lot.
Pretty pretty pretty good live album
Blue-eyed soul. Lots of songs. Tight band.
Van Morrison has a great voice for smooth, romantic blues numbers, as on show on this lovely live double album. It's a shame he now uses that voice to spout conspiracy theory rants as a fully paid up member of the tin foil hat brigade, but it's good to be reminded that he was once a great live performer. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Ain't Nothin' You Can Do Date listened: 07/04/24
Wikipedia calls this one of the greatest live albums ever made. Although I don't know if I can go that far, you can definitely feel the electricity from the band. They are definitely "on". What's interesting is that some of the songs that we know well ("Domino") sound different, but still feels "right". The band reminds me a lot of the Blues Brothers band, actually. It's interesting that there's a box set of this same band with performances that are (supposedly) vastly different from this album, but just as good. This was such a fun album to listen to. Really enjoyed it.
We were heading for the top! Side A is an awesome, bluesy, rock n roll good time. Tons of fun, people ripping solos and playing well together. Side B slows wayyy down. Think sitting on a picnic blanket on a lawn at a stadium slow. Not necessarily bad, but not nearly as fun. All that being said, this is a great collection of musicians, and the songs that are good are really, REALLY good. Some fall flat/run on too long, but I'm overall pretty pleased with this one. They also did a good job keeping out the surrounding live noises, except when appropriate. Fav tracks: I've Been Working, I Just Want to Make Love to You, Warm Love
GREAT live record. Not much else to say really. More listens would probably give me a chance to pick some favourites/etc but for right now I just want to leave it at "this is a great live record"
It’s not fair, really. These are some terrific live performances. That’s performances plural. Like several other live albums on the list, it’s not a single performance. So even though Morrison and his band were completely on fire for this tour, it seems unfair to put together a kind of greatest hits live album and consider it for this list. And that consideration doesn’t seem to exist at all for anything after 1990 (with the exception of Nirvana’s “Unplugged”), though there are lots of pre-90s live albums. Does it really matter how or where an album was recorded? Live on stage or over time in a studio? In one take in one studio, or over many months in different studios? I dunno, it still seems unfair somehow to consider live albums, and to pretty exclusively consider older live albums.
This is the best Van Morrison album on the list. There is an energy to this live album that is missing from the studio recordings.
Van Morrison delivers again. After our third and final VM album, I may have an answer to the question. You know, when you’re talking to someone and they ask what you’ve been up to. And you say, “well there’s this book, 1001 albums you should hear before you die. And this guy made a website that…” Yada yada yada…eventually the person asks you what the biggest surprise/discovery/take away is from the experience. VM has such a command of the room on this live album. He (and The Caledonia Soul Orchestra) delivery the energy and whip the crowd up. And they just as easily bring the mood down to a whisper with the crowd anticipating his every word. The story goes that VM didn’t put much into live shows but that he was into it, and at the top of his game, for this tour. One of the aspects I respect the most is that VM allowed no studio over dubs for the album. In fact he kept a couple of his more successful songs off the album due to errors in the recording. My answer to the question could be that I’m a Van Morrison fan. His offerings are 3/3 for me. I like them all. Of course there are many other discoveries that stick out too, but VM is a highlight for sure.
Album 359 of 1001 Van Morrison - It's Too Late to Stop Now Rating : 4 / 5 Not too many live albums I'm big on. I can add this to the list of those that I do enjoy. The clarity is such that I wonder if it is all live. Great tunes, great performance. Makes you want to be there.
A great time. Gotta revisit.
one of the best live albums.
A great live document of Van Morrison's skill as a performer and the soulfulness of his voice.
Actually a pretty great listen for a live album, they're not usually my preference. 4.5
ваще приятненько
Я возмущен! Трек Cyprus Avenue не посвящен Кипру!!! А так довольно приятный джаз рок. Очень крепко и кайфово Алкоальбом: потягиваешь красное вино и куришь сигару
Чувак конечно жжёт... для меня всё ещё удивительно, что он взял и переехал из Европы в Америку и начал писать в жанре, для которого он как бы вроде по всем параметрам абсолютно чужой! Это сильно, релокант 1000lvl C другой стороны, ну приятно слушать конечно, да, энерегично, но что-то гипер цепляющего я не услышал
Terrific live set! Great energy, great playing, great versions of the songs. Those 92 minutes just fly right by!
Swäg ja va int entusiastisk men de va nice!
I really don't like live albums and i do struggle with Van these days, but credit where credits due. This is a big band knocking it out of the park
Classic, Love it.
Good album. Only had time for a single listen, but listening to Morrison live was a treat. 4/5!
Cet album est une énorme surprise. Alors que l'on voit arriver Van Morrison sur scène habillé d'une salopette et d'un crayon derrière l'oreille, celui-ci va contre toute attente se débarrasser de son accoutrement et révéler à son public qu'il n'a aucun lien de près ou de loin avec Jim Morrison. La salle semble alors tomber des nues. Certains commencent même à partir quand soudain, Van démarre son concert. Personne n'en croit alors ses oreilles ; Van met sa misère à Jim sur tous les plans et livrera une performance mémorable. Il jettera comme un clin d'œil son crayon dans la fosse au terme du dernier morceau. Du grand art.
Blimey this was a longy! I listened to the whole thing and it took me days. But I do love Van Morrison. I can't think of any other similar artist who manages to give such warmth in their music. It's v comfortable and comforting. Some songs I liked more than others, I have to say some blurred into one and I wasn't always too hot on the use of brass instruments (I think I like his more simplistic songs). But overall a great listen. Luke says he's an arsehole as a person, which is a shame
Great arrangements
ja cute vibey
I really enjoy a good live record. Usually I prefer when it all comes from one show but this one spread across multiple shows was done very well. Van Morison is someone I have very specific images of in my head but this shows a much more diverse range than I give him credit for.
Very impressive live album: massive band and charismatic performer.
Horns and strings in a band is always a nice touch. Liked the blues too
4/5
Pretty great live album. Van Morrison's voice shines here. His backing band sounds great. Biggest con is the length.
Really enjoyed this album
Y know, as much of a crap person Van Morrison is, you can’t deny he’s got a hell of a voice. Can’t understand a word he sings, but he’s good. This is the best mix I’ve ever heard on a live album and that’s including Zappa. Every instrument is crystal clear. Makes up for Van’s mumbling. Didn’t think I’d like this but I loved almost every damned song.
Non mi piacciono i live, ma Van Morrison si.
Great sound.
I rather like Van Morrison, live albums not so much. For a live album this one is not so bad.
That's a great live album!
A night of Soul, R&B, and Pop that goes to show that a live album can be more than just a collection of the hits, it can also calcify songs that didn't quite have the impact on the original albums that they appeared, making them more forceful, and how a dynamic group featuring your standard rock outfit buffeted by horns, winds, and string can adapted their performances to the audience that is taking the journey with them on the night. While there is fun to be had while hearing Morrison's compositions in this new light, it was also fun seeing Van Morrison covering songs by his heroes, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and Willie Dixon. An album that captures a certain vibe of a certain time. A good album, but as I have said before I am not sure that live concert albums belong on this list, given that spaces are limited and important for exhibiting the most varied and best that popular music has to offer.
One's not qualified to judge whether this is truly one of the all-time live albums. Certainly it seems a very good-to-great one, with super-tight playing, crisp, assured and polished, and Van digging deep and delivering the goods on every cut. But what’s the fetish for live albums? Which always have a sorta "had-to-be-there" vibe. Multiple other of his studio records seem more deserving. St Dominic’s Preview, surely. And what about the late ‘90s and early-aught releases – The Healing Game, say, or Days Like This, or even the critically (criminally?) underrated Enlightenment, which may be somewhat uneven but certainly merit the “worth hearing” tag given Van’s full-on maturation as poet-philosopher-shaman-warrior king? One likes how he intros the band late on – he sounds almost like an American accent. One's a huge Van fan and is glad to have reason to spend more time on this, but seems like a bit of missed opportunity to include something a little more worthy, something where he did a bit more exploratory work, say.
There is a quality of Van Morrison's voice that makes you feel he is talking directly to you.
Van the man in his prime. He may be a douchebag, but he could really sing. The band is tight and the songs are great. 4 stars.
I'm still against live albums being part of the list, but this one is really good. It sounds like it was just a board tape with some crowd noise brought in between tracks, which is even more impressive. It almost sounds like a studio album. It's an extremely well-executed performance by one of the best to ever do it.
After listening to it several times, this is a good album.
A good background listen
Live music is one of the most beautiful and expressive forms of art I can think of. Going to a concert is an experience like no other. And sometimes the best way to fall in love with an artist is to just jump into a great live album. Such is the case for me with Van Morrison. I was already aware of who Morrison was before hand, but to dive into a huge live album like this as my proper introduction is kind of a big undertaking. And this makes one decision that leads to far more success than other live records. Although this is a collection of recordings from a couple shows, the selection of songs immediately makes it clear that this is not an album that finds comfort in one idea and sticks exclusively to that. This has enough dynamics and variation to keep things interesting. And god, can Morrison sing. He couldn’t have been any older than 28 or 29 here, but he has some real age to his voice. He sounds so much more gritty, like he has seen some things in his time. But his voice is glorious. And his eleven-piece band is fantastic and consistently energetic in every song. This has slower ballads. It has faster and more lively songs. It has covers. And it has some of the best highlights from some of his most timeless records. Plus they even get into some jamming on the longer songs. This is one stellar compilation of live recordings of an artist and his band at their absolute peak. Rating: 8/10
Pretty good live album, but also pretty long.
Having given the last Van Morrison album a 5, I must say his default sound is something I will always enjoy. This album keeps that em I’ve going while working in some covers and some classic blues, with great work from a large backing band of brass. It all sounds good when it’s on but I think only a few songs are really standouts and made it want to return to the album. 7/10
Own
May not be the most original of the musics, but i had a lovely time listeing to it. Maybe its the effect of my children radio.
Fun!
Still hate a live album, even though this one was not too bad
I never thought I would associate Van Morrison with a good time, but here we are. Brilliant live album.
Day12 - what a talent too bad he’s such a shithead but this is an amazing live album
4/5
Wish I was there
This is a rare instance of an album I'm giving a 4 but will probably never listen to again. I absolutely don't think it belongs in this list, but it's also a strong live album with some very fun moments and a good selection of songs. It accomplishes what a live album is meant to do, in that it makes me respect Van Morrison as a performer and makes me interested in checking him out as a studio musician.
There's something comforting about listening to Van Morrison. Yes, most of his songs sound the same, but there is at least it is reliable.
3.8 I've never heard this album before which surprises me as my dad is a huge Van Morrison fan and we probably listened to him more than any other growing up. The musicians in the band are pros and it was cool to listen to the interplay among them, albeit busy at times
Wow that was good.
A lovely little live album to have a Sunday arvo nap to.
Solid, but didn’t love as much as I had expected. Maybe it’s the instrumentation that’s a bit too much for me on the live versions.
I’m not much of a Van Morrison fan, but this was good.
This is great and Van Morrison is great, but no idea why its this live album when his studio stuff is fine.
Van The Man doing some of his finest material in his own inimitable way. 3.5 rounded up to 4.
my brother has a theory about music, that no matter what musical act it is their music always sounds better live. now i never really got into van morrison’s music. i found the few songs that i heard from the radio to be kind of boring. mad of course as he has gotten older, stories have come out about him being kind of a prick. having said that, when van morrison is on stage, that MF has got SWAGGER. in abundance. i don’t know if my brother’s theory has anything to do with it, but i actually found myself enjoying this album. not all of the songs are great, but there’s plenty of good ones here with some solid covers too. as i have stated in the past, i am a sucker for a good live album, and this is definitely not one to miss.
I wasn't really looking forward to this, but wow. There's a liveliness and spirit here that is lacking in his studio produced songs. I guess Van is one of those rare performers who is better live.
ALl the volumes was a bit repetitive but it wasn't awful.
This was a decent live albums, Van certainly has a tight band and they played the hits. Pretty good overall
Pretty good!
Played this one on the way home then proceeded to listen to Van for the rest of the night. So many great songs and so much variety. For some reason I'd sort of forgotten about him for the past few years. On an unrelated note, Stuart Murdoch from Belle & Sebastian really looks like the younger Van Morrison...
Typiquement un genre musical qui met de bonne humeur, c'est entraînant, les instrus sont bonnes. Ça me fait penser à "Everybody needs somebody"
Awesome Live album.... Full of energy
Enjoyefd. Shuold listen when I want tohse vibes
For a live album from the '70s this seems very well put together. I think it's more of a 3.5 but I'm rounding up to four instead of down to three
Said to be one of the greatest live albums of all time. 3.8
A fun listen.
Uh oh, now I’m in conflict! I hate live albums but I love Van Morrison. Hmm, what to do what to do? I dig his songs, I’m into it. I really wish it wasn’t live, but these are my jams so I’m grading for that.
Love Van Morrison
I listened to the live version and it was solid. I'm sure it would be better in the studio version so rating 4 as an assumption.
This is the best Van Morrison has ever sounded, hands down. And it really is one of the best live albums I've heard. The energy and vitality of the live show comes across perfectly and the band is legitimately on point throughout. The biggest problem is that it's an hour and a half long. That's too much. It's just too much, Van! It's long enough for the novelty of the live show to wear off and the banality of the songwriting to start to show through. Because, while there are some truly legendary performances here, there are also more than a few duds. Cull the 1/3 of these songs that are lame and you've got an absolutely legendary album. As it is, we're sitting at a pretty solid 4-stars which is good enough, I guess.
Van Morrison is one of those artists I don’t remember hearing for the first time, but whose music I definitely knew well before I could’ve been expected to. Specifically, I know “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Jackie Wilson Said,” and even “Moondance,” with all its sexual innuendos that surely eluded my youthful ear, were played around the house. As great as his best work is, especially the albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, I’m just not sold on over 90 minutes of live Van Morrison. Sure, this includes a number of his classics. Some of them, like “These Dreams of You” and “Domino,” do not disappoint. But some of the others (I’m looking at you, “Into the Mystic”) are much better listened to straight off the original LPs. His cover of “Bring It on Home to Me” sounds more than anything like Jimmy Fallon impersonating sixties soul through Van Morrison’s voice. I’m not sure why a live album like this one is included on the list when he has so many strong studio albums. But at the end of the day, Van Morrison could probably turn the Wiggles’ soundtrack into a heartfelt 12-minute ballad, so I have to throw a decent rating his way.
Van Morrison...who knew he was this good? Not I...I had pretty much despised Brown Eyed Girl and refused to give other songs listens in the past, but the dude is just great. 4/5
4 Good shit
I'm a sucker for this sort of shit. Not knowing many of the originals might have helped. This sounds like an incredibly polished live set of performances. I suspect studio twiddling took place at a later date. It feels wholesome, it feels worthy. Which is not something you always want from dumb rock 'n' roll. But a sense of righteousness is never a bad thing.
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Ain’t nothin you can do, Warm love, I believe to my soul
Jazz. Soul. Blues.
Great album that includes some fantastic songs. Going to take away a star though because I don’t think it needed to be a double album
This is a gutsy soulful performance that is reminiscent of the live LPs we’re received from Sam Cooke or James Brown. Van is confident and creative enough to change up the arrangements or his phrasing and his covers do justice to great artists like Willie Dixon and Ray Charles.
I was a bit hesitant over this one, as I didn't particularly like the solo album I listened to. This is however a great live album. Kinda get Van the Man now.
Well it's almost all the classics and rock solid live performance. It's unfortunate that Morrison has gone down this path of the contrarian British conservative-ish grump, but no need to hold that against this product of a simpler time.
The man who stole my virginity, Van Morrison, we meet again. As much as I love the jowly faced old crooner, I simply cannot forget that he took my innocence in a violent act of self pleasure that left me with a lifelong struggle trying to figure out why he did it and who I am.
This surprised me with how fun it was. There was so much life and energy on display from everyone here. It was so close to a 5 if Van Morrison didn't get away from himself just a bit too much. But my oh my do I wish I could have been at the Troubadour that night!
I was really dreading this one when I saw it. I've had a pretty good run with Van Morrison so far on this list, despite the fact that I find him to be problematic as a person, he makes music that I enjoy more than I thought I would. I was hoping that we could leave it at that, but no, today I got served up a live album. I don't like live albums, and I don't see how I could possibly like a Van Morrison live album And yet, it's one of the best sounding live albums that I've ever heard. It's very clean-sounding, yet maintains the live energy. It's honestly kinda bullshit that that they did this to me and made me give another positive review to a Van Morrison album 4/5
Great live album. Van Morrison is frustratingly inconsistent but is in fine form here.
I do enjoy me some Van Morrison. This live album didn't really add much to my life, though.
Nice takes on some familiar (and not so familiar) tunes. Makes me wish I was there.
This was quite an extended concert… while I am not sure I’m this big a Van Morrison fan, the music is great, the performance energetic, the arrangements great. Way up there as a live album, even if it is a lot more than I needed.
Some nice easy listening that is not controversial. I think anyone from the age of like 2 to 100 would have a hard time getting worked up and negative about this. I enjoyed all these songs and if I heard them again I wouldn't turn them off. Somewhere between a 3 and a 4 (the live band is very tight, some real skill here). I'm going to go 4 because I'm in a good mood and also my next album in the line up is the notorious Spy vs. Spy.
pretty fun but Im not sure why a live album made the cut into the mystic is my favorite song
Great album
Yup, quite enjoyed that - I can see why it's celebrated as a great live album! Fave tracks - "These Dreams of You" from the first disc, and "Gloria" -> "Caravan" on the second!
This is a good album but I'm not convinced that it's one I'd ever listen to again.
Does not sound live! Good album
Superb rhythm and blues soul. Wonderfully performed. Better than the two Van Morrison Greatest Hits collections? Perhaps.
Fantastic vocal delivery and life brought to the performance of these songs. It’s just too long.
this is a good sounding live album. it's pretty difficult to tell it's a live recording unless the audience chimes in. the band is tight. ...that said, i'm still not the biggest van fan. there are some live albums that can justify their inclusion in a list like this, but i'm not sure this is one of them. i'd have to revisit his other albums in the list, but upon first blush, the versions don't seem to be that much different. if someone had dragged me to this concert, i wouldn't be mad at them, but it wouldn't have converted me.
This is not quite my kind of music but it’s a really cool live album for its time! Gotta love the variety of instruments on this
It's good, but just a lot when you're not really a fan. A live album isn't meant for people who aren't fans.
That depends on what we're talking about.
I don't care who you are, >90 mins of Van Morrison is too much. The songs exist but don't really individually stand out. Not a bad album, but a weird inclusion on this list regardless. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
Pleasantly surprised after Astral Weeks and a live album to boot.
It was decent. VM still loves repeating words which can be aggravating to me, but I get his appeal more as I’m forced to listen to more and more of him (this is Stockholm syndrome talking).
As far as live albums go van's really nailed it here, it's basically studio quality throughout with just enough of a live feel to enhance things. Which I think it probably needs as the music is nice enough if a little bit bland. Van Morrison has a good voice and this listen was nice enough but it doesn't have enough new ideas to come back to. Far better than expected, wasn't very happy to see it come up and it was fine, which given the run time is impressive. 3.5.
Little overlong but nice to hear a live album by him. I've always enjoyed his music.
That live orchestra, strings and horns and all the things. I do like other recorded versions of Into the Mystic,l. This 90 minutes is 45 minutes beyond my attention span.
Pretty good for a live album. The band was absolutely on fire and the recording was excellent for the time. But it's a live album and at least 30 minutes too long, so I'm unlikely to listen again.
I have never listened to more than one Van Morrison song at a time. I generally do not like live albums but this one was good. Lots of songs have never heard before
You know... I'm going to say something about Van Morrison that I'm sure plenty of people say about my favorite artists... but, all of his songs sound the same to me. They're fine and all but I found this album to be monotonous.
I would give this a higher rating but honestly the length of this was what was really getting to me. 6/10 has some good standalone songs but wouldn’t play the album front to back
Vans voice still blows me away and this live album is brilliant, in places . The “Them” songs are the best . There is a section ( side 2 of the vinyl) that the quality drops until domino brings it back up . Live double album that actually sounds good to listen to to is something of a rarity
Not big on most soul but it was good
pretty good
Aujourd'hui on va s'attaquer au monumental It's Too Late to Stop Now, qui traîne derrière lui une réputation absolument légendaire mais surtout qui squatte sans la moindre vergogne les listes des meilleurs disques live de toute l'histoire du rock et de la soul moderne. Donc en posant ce mastodonte sur ma platine, je m'attendais sincèrement à recevoir une claque monumentale. Et pour être tout à fait franc avec vous, les toutes premières minutes de l'écoute m'ont donné pleinement raison, me plongeant directement au cœur d'un chaudron bouillonnant de rhythm and blues cuivré. Je me suis donc installé confortablement et l'enthousiasme m'a rapidement submergé au fil des premiers morceaux qui s'enchaînaient de façon magistrale. Le constat me paraissait alors d'une clarté limpide et j'étais fin prêt à attribuer à cette œuvre une magnifique note de 4 sur 5 sans la moindre hésitation au bout de quelques pistes seulement. Viscérale, chaude et portée par une section rythmique d'une souplesse incroyable, la première partie de ce concert est une pure merveille d'exécution musicale. La voix de Van Morrison, ce timbre unique de vieux lion blessé et rugissant, fait des miracles absolus lorsqu'il revisite ses propres standards ou qu'il s'attaque avec une hargne contagieuse aux standards éternels de Ray Charles et de Sam Cooke. Le groupe qui l'accompagne pour cette tournée mythique de 1973, le fameux Caledonia Soul Orchestra, se révèle être une machine de guerre d'une précision diabolique, sachant exactement comment draper le mysticisme celte du chanteur dans les étoffes les plus soyeuses de la soul américaine. À ce moment précis du voyage, l'alchimie est totale, la moiteur de la salle est presque palpable à travers les haut-parleurs, et je me voyais déjà rédiger un papier d'une flatterie éhontée pour célébrer ce que je pensais être le Graal absolu de la musique capturée en public. Et puis, l'effrayante réalité temporelle s'est rappelée à mon bon souvenir de manière brutale, et j'ai fini par découvrir le plus gros et le plus impardonnable défaut de cette entreprise herculéenne qui m'avait tant charmé au départ. 1h32... Oui, vous avez bien lu, une heure et trente-deux minutes de concert ininterrompu balancé au visage de l'auditeur. Et croyez-moi sur parole, 1h32 à ce niveau d'intensité constante et de surplace thématique, c'est long, voire carrément très, très long. Car ce qui s'apparentait au début à une transe chamanique hypnotique et festive a commencé lentement à se muer en un tunnel sonore interminable, une sorte de labyrinthe auditif dont on ne voit jamais le bout poindre à l'horizon. Bon pour faire simple et sans tourner autour du pot, ce disque est l'archétype même de la boursouflure typique des double-albums vinyles qui ont pullulé dans les années soixante-dix. Vous savez cette époque un brin prétentieuse où les monstres sacrés de la musique se croyaient autorisés à tout étaler sur deux disques sous prétexte de liberté artistique totale et de respect de leur intégrité créative. Sauf que la générosité mal canalisée se transforme vite en un fleuve tranquille un poil trop soporifique pour son propre bien, diluant les éclairs de génie au milieu de vagues d'accords répétitifs. C'est le drame absolu du chef-d'œuvre potentiel qui aurait pu être condensé sur un seul vinyle de quarante-cinq minutes foudroyantes, mais qui se retrouve noyé sous le poids d'une générosité mal maîtrisée et d'un étirement temporel qui nuit gravement à la cohérence de l'ensemble. On passe de l'extase à la somnolence, ce qui est le pire affront que l'on puisse faire à un projet musical censé nous transporter au-delà du quotidien. Donc après avoir vaillamment lutté contre les aiguilles de ma montre, le temps ayant malheureusement remporté la guerre de l'usure de manière définitive, je me vois dans l'obligation de revoir mes prétentions initiales à la baisse pour coller à la dure réalité de mon expérience vécue. It's Too Late to Stop Now s'en sort donc finalement avec la note globale de 3 sur 5, ce qui reste, qu'on se le dise bien entre nous, une bonne note tout à fait honorable située pile dans la moyenne des productions de cette envergure. Ce n'est en aucun cas un naufrage artistique ou une purge inaudible, mais la musique populaire est aussi une affaire de rythme, de concision et d'efficacité directe. En conclusion, si vous avez une heure et demie de votre vie à perdre devant vous et une patience de moine bouddhiste en pleine méditation, tentez l'aventure, vous y ferez de magnifiques découvertes cuivrées au détour d'un morceau. Pour tous les autres, contentez-vous d'une bonne compilation ou d'une écoute fragmentée sous peine de finir l'exercice sur les rotules, complètement vanné par l'entêtement de ce cher vieux râleur celte.
Second time for this live, double album. I have come to appreciate live albums a lot more because of this exercise. Double albums- not so much. Have to see how I feel today… Yeah- I do believe this is making me not like Van Morrison. I appreciate it. I want it to be over. Same as last time. Don’t think I will make myself do this a third time. I get it. But it was too late to stop… 3 Boolean: True?
It's not an awful record, it was better than Live at Leeds. The recording is rather good and the instruments sound great, he sounds good. It's too long tho for me to fully vibe throughout tho
This is my first Van Morrison album. It was also a live album. I can say that most of the singing sounded the same. It’s not bad singing it’s just not exciting or great singing. The band is great and the music is really good. I just don’t think I needed to hear this album. But I listened.
Always loved Van. Faded in The Last Waltz A crucial voice in his generation. 1974 might be his peak. He's a little too grumpy now. Cool new renditions of some of his most timeless classics.
I really love Van Morrison's voice. Typically, I'm also a fan of live albums. This one fell a little flat for me.
6/10
Classic rock is just a club of mostly white boys playing around with musical ideas that black people developed & mastered decades before. Van Morrison is no different. It sounds good but loses points for being imitation and not actually building off existing musical tools. I can’t in good conscience rate this high. That doesn’t mean there aren’t highlights though! Highlights: Wild Children, Caravan
Long but alright.
From an artist who’s name I barely recognize, I was impressed with how this sounded from the start. The band does an excellent job and there was a nice classiness to this. Van sticks to what he does well and doesn’t deviate much from that. Definitely a pleasing listen for me just wish it was a little tighter but it is a live album so that can happen and you just have to live with it, I suppose. 1 listen Favorite Track: Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do
Expectation: -> Van Morrison. Definitely a name I should know something about but mind is blank. After listening: -> A solid live album. This is good rock/blues which I enjoyed at times but mostly just didn't mind. Definitely like the orchestral and horn elements. Listened to this beyond a day and just couldn't convince myself this is a 4 for me, though it's close. Track ranking: Here Comes Domino Caravan These Dreams I Believe Working Saint Bring It Lion Gloria Mystic Ain't Children Pocket Make Love Warm Love Help Cypress
This was surprisingly good. I didn't really expect to like it.
Its too late to stop the far right but here's some lovely tunes.
This is the last Van Morrison album I’m listening to for this project. It’s a double album that includes a live recording. I find that combination a bit tricky. Surprisingly, this was the album I liked best. It was nice to listen to, but it didn’t captivate me enough that I feel compelled to listen to it again. 3/5
What is there to say? It's a Van Morrison live album. and he doesn't play "Moodndance". Favorite track: Into the Mystic
ok n me importaria de ouvir dnv
Ikke lige noget for mig, men det var egentlig meget fint at lytte til. Jeg blev bare ikke helt grebet
3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/van-morrison/its-too-late-to-stop-now/ The music is fine, but it just adds very little as a live album. Little to no crowd interaction, and most of the songs sound like studio versions (even though I don't actually know the studio versions). Maybe nice for true Van Morrison fans, but not for me per se.
To long and to similar sound wise. But credit where it’s due the album is mixed fantastically
уверен вживую концерт был очень крутой, но в записи это слушать не то, песни и творчество ван моррисона мне норм, но тут поставлю 3
2026.05.18.
This is far too much Van Morrison for one sitting. 2.5
WARUM VERSUCHT ER BLACK ZU SEINNNN?! es ist so verwirrend und für mich persönlich auch kulturelle aneignung, weil wie sollte er je die tiefe und den schmerz von blues musik verstehen?? natürlich ist es nicht schlecht, er klingt nunmal authentisch black aber ich respektiere es nicht
My "Hot Take".... Van Morrison is serious Boomer shit. Like, there must be some secret frequency in his music that only people born between 1946 and 1964 can hear. Somehow, his music has some very specialized auditory pheromone in it that has gripped an entire generation for five decades. It drives them absolutely nuts for anything "Van the Man" spits out. Kinda like that Dave Chapelle sketch with John Mayer. Just roll up to any Seniors Pickleball Tournament with a boombox. Pop in some music form "The Bard" and watch those Boomers start grinding on each other like horny teenagers on prom night. Expect a Viagra shortage within a fifty mile radius.
I didn't hate this as much as I thought. Live and double album are 2 terms I've grown to fear on this list. But the horns were great, elevating this from a 2 to a 3.
Live but decent
Pretty good, love a live album. Great to put on in the background and get some work done. Van Morrison has a phenomenal voice and the instrumentation was also great
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: ?? I listened to this album twice, like I try to do with every album, even those which I don't particularly care for. I listened to 3 hours of Van Morrison. That was a lot of hours of Van Morrison. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. I formed no impressions. There were maybe a couple of tracks somewhere in the middle where it sounded like they were jamming out for, but I don't know if that's really true; There's only one song over 10 minutes. Entirely middle of the road.
did y’all know he was white?
i am so 50/50 on live albums but this one was enjoyable! very long but fun
I love Van Morrison, but I don’t understand most live records inclusion in this project. I don’t believe that this performance was such a landmark achievement that it should be compel me to hear it before I die. I do love most of the songs on it though, and they were performed well. 7/10
It’s ok and he has a nice voice and the band is good but it’s a bit boring and goes on and on….
old but good, orchestral arrangements that some how stay a little bit repetitive.
Solid live, 6/10
I like Astral Weeks a lot - a little arty and pretentious but it caught me at the right time. This felt a little over the top, something about the exaggerated accent I didn't really like. Didn't strike me as his best work.
I had one of his albums recently that I really enjoyed, so was looking forward to this despite all the hate live albums and double length albums get for being on this list. It's fine, starts strong but becomes somewhat bland. Probably really cool in person.
Good sound, most of the songs remind me of what my dad would listen to. Decent.
Live version, need to check studio versions of I Believe to My Soul I've Been Working
Сара 3 Марко 3
It was a great live album, it reintroduced me to I believe to my soul which I previously thought was only a ray charles song. Great live instrumentation and vocals but a long performance and I couldn’t get to disc 2
Morry's a powerhouse vocalist as always, and the instrumentation is quite nice... but c'mon, the average person has no proper reason for ever picking this one off the shelves in favour of one of his studio albums. You're getting those three stars, Morrison... but just barely. I'm expecting more of your next assignment.
Too long man
With live albums I tend to prefer smaller, more intimate venues, but this was still pretty good. I like the blues and I like Van Morrison. He kind of butchered the "Bring it on Home to Me" cover (or maybe I just dislike any version that isn't Sam Cooke). He killed it with the "Gloria" cover though. Wish he had played "Moondance." That's my favorite of his.
First Listen; 3.5; So I got two Van Morrison albums back to back - Moondance and then this. If anything, I enjoy the live songs more, they have more emotion, strain, and punch behind them. Still, not something I ever see myself really coming back to, or necessary in this list. Favorite Track: Into the Mystic