Reviews (page 4 of 7)
i respect the Hustle
Not really much of a big Van Morrison fan; his work just never really made much of an impression on me and his voice is a bit of an acquired taste. That said, he definitely sounds far better here, with a full backing band, than any of his studio efforts I've heard. 7/10.
Can't say for sure if "best live album ever" really applies, but it's got some real nice live sounds.
The difference between Van Morrison’s live and studio energy is really big- I think I prefer his studio albums more but this was still very easy listening.
This probably would have been a good concert to go to, but I just couldn’t get into it as an album. It did pick up some after Domino, but it’s still just ok in my book, which is a shame because I like Van Morrison.
Not too fan of live albums. I don’t doubt that this was a marvelous show and being there would be life changing, but don’t know why including it on the list.
He's okay but it all sounds the same to me
Halfway through this one, I understood the title. I don’t like live albums. As live albums go, this isn’t that egregious (except for “Gloria” with the crowd clapping along poorly), but at an hour and a half, it’s definitely too long. I generally like Van Morrison, but this was too much and too live to ever be worth listening to again. Low 3/5
“Bluesy” Rock, vintage feeling. I like the live version Eddy sides of the album alot. Its not compleatly my style, but not bad
not 4 me
6/10
Another live album. Van Morrison another name I've heard but never really listened to extensively. This was fine, nothing jumped out and grabbed me demanding my close attention.
Van Morrison is one of those artists with a stellar reputation that, to me, his music doesn't live up to. He's a talented singer and a good songwriter, and he's backed by a talented band that does a great job keeping up with his (apparently heavily improvised) performances. But maybe it's one of those cases where you had to be there. This is, for me, a fine recording of what was probably a pretty good set of concerts.
No entiendo el empeño de meter albumes en directo de artistas con una gran discografía. Van Morrison es mucho mejor en estudio.
I love Astral Weeks and Moondance, but would rather listen to those versions of the songs. This was fine, but just not a live concert album that should be on this list. Plenty more deserving live albums like 4-way street by CSNY or Europe 72 by the Grateful Dead, etc. etc.
The concert flows well. A few odd arrangement choices but by the end I felt I had been on a journey that I enjoyed.
Flott live plata, fín lög, ábyggilega frábært ef hann er í uppáhaldi hjá ykkur. Mér finnst hann samt bara fínn. Þristum þetta.
Kinda nice, kinda mid
A fine album by any metric, except that it somehow feels distant. I don't feel it.
I don’t really like live albums as they are a bit like a less well produced ‘Best Of’. This isn’t like that, as it is very, almost too, well produced. The music is just a bit bland and non-descript, though - it’s like listening to the soundtrack for The Commitments. Plus George Morrison is a giant cunt and seemingky has an USian accent, despite being born in Belfast.
Glad I wasn’t there
I know nothing about Van Morrison aside from "Brown Eyed Girl", but didn't go into this live album with much optimism. It's honestly not bad. Morrison is an entertaining and capable vocalist, the band is spectacular, and the album itself is fine. I don't think this needed to be a double album, but I'm also not a Van Morrison fan. It's Too Late to Stop Now also has the unfortunate fate of featuring no banter between songs, causing it to not feel all that 'live' at all. As powerful a performer Van Morrison may have been in his day, it speaks to how tastes and legacies change that this albums feels out of place on this list. Good live album? Sure. Essential album? Ehhhhh... Highlights: "Wild Children"
I Believe to My Soul no nice gsi
fun!
Its all fine. Music is pretty good, I've never been much of a fan of Van Morrison or his voice though
Sax and piano were nice
Great background music. Unsure where or why the Jamaican accent from in Listen to the Lion.
3 out of 5 Good live album. Little long but great jams.
Captures his authenticity as a performer, together with the energy in the room. As others have said, well-produced and the band are just great. Probably too many meanderingly long tracks to convert the non-fans. But plenty of gorgeous songs, including lots I didn't know before, like Listen to the Lion.
No doubt that he can sing and enjoys doing it. A good concert.
Nothing wrong with the actual music - in fact, it’s quite impressive as a live album. The problem is the length of the album since it just becomes boring no matter your Van Morrison tolerance.
I’m not the biggest fan of live albums. The songs never sound quite right and it’s impossible to capture the feeling of actually being in the audience. This is no different, although it admittedly does showcase Van the Man’s deep catalogue and his soulful warble
Great live show
I was warned there was as a lot of Van Morrison. A love album will never be a must listen for me, although this isn’t a bad one at all.
That was fun
Five stars for music. Zero stars for being a douche. Averages to 2.5, rounds up to 3.
This was pretty fun. I think most of the better songs were covers, but it sounded pretty damn good. Soolid 3. The length is not really justified
Great live album - rare since Van HATES audiences ! LOL, But sweet sounds, 2 discs.
van morrison! (live)
Voisi kuunnella joskus uudestaan. 2,75/5.
Det er i grunn ganske bra, bare ikke helt mitt tempo. Går hardt til tider da, feks. I've Been Working.
This was a pretty decent middle-of-the-road album. I have a lot of respect for Van Morrison because his music style crosses over into multiple genres. With that being said, I find myself enjoying some of his albums more than others. Overall, this was a good album with good energy, and it was also a good recording for a live album. It’s probably not something I would go back to for personal pleasure, but it will definitely be on the list of albums to have playing in the background for special occasions.
I am prejudiced against Live albums. I like listening to music live, but a live album cannot break into my daily listening unless I know the studio version and like the live one better. In this case, I do not know the studio versions 🤷♂️
Sounds like Van Morrison. Doesn't even really sound like a live album - so what was the point? It's fine, but nothing to get too excited about....
Long album... it was pretty good though.
It’s frustrating when you get an album with your favorite songs by someone, but they don’t deliver the same energy in that live version.
There's nothing truly wrong with this, but it's the most Dad of Dad albums ever to play in a garage. 3/5
Some songs got better, some were different but Cypress Avenue and Gloria, I feel, were ruined. I LOVE Cypress Avenue but this was too minimal, too extended, too thought over. I enjoyed hearing live Van Morrison, though. Never listened live. Another fine album but not mind blowingly special. 3/5
My mom listens to this guy sometimes. He's good, just not my style.
I don't think a double live Van Morrison album would have been at the top of my mind when it comes to inclusion in a collection like this. But I guess 1001 albums is a lot of music. The album is fine. Some cool songs, some songs where he does a Jamaican patwa for no reason. 3/5
First time listening to Van Morrison. Was kinda bored in the beginning, started to enjoy it from "I Believe to My Soul". I believe this some quality macho cowboy striptease music.
I'm not in the best of mood today, so having an hour and a half live album doesn't bode well for how I'll end up ranking this (which is just unfortunate timing). This is really good though. I see why people were racing to say that this might be the best live recording ever. The band is very full but also excellent. I never get the feeling that they're overplaying. The more bluesy songs are really good. Blues guitar is slowly sneaking up my "I love this" list. This is too long for me to really say that I love it. There's just way too much packed into it that it becomes background. And then it just keeps going. I wanted it to end at the hour mark. I have no idea how to rate this. It's really good, but just way too long. Maybe I should have just stopped listening at one point. Favorite Song(s): Domino
I'm not a huge Van Morrison fan. I like the basics though. This was a good concert. The recording was great, it was good energy and seemed to be a cool crowd. It's pretty impressive to get a live album that makes this list in my opinion, so I'll give it an extra star for that.
Pretty solid performance really which is good for a listen Will I listen to again: 4%
For a double AND a live album merged into one, I actually quite enjoyed this. It got tedious towards the end, but for an hour of it I was vibing to this. Quite bizzare too, I gave Astral Weeks a 1. This gets a high 3, get rid of half an hour then it gets a 4.
Not bad. Maybe a little too much Van Morrison, but the band sounded good, the recording was good, and the songs were pretty good. A better singer and this would be really good.
I was expecting to not like this, but it's pretty good. Van Morrison has a great voice, the band is good. I might want to give it a second listen in order to formulate some more thoughts on it.
This was ok!
I was hoping this would be better than it ended it being. It started out well, to be honest. I haven't heard a lot of Van Morrison's music, I know the hits but not much else. The first few songs on this were fun to listen to, which got me excited for Into The Mystic which was next up in the queue. It is my favorite VM song, after all. But what a disappointment that was. Really ruined his own song with this live version which turned out to be a major let down. And so it went for the rest of the album. Some good, some bad, never really great though. A very average record.
Great performances throughout and some classic songs. Easy listening and good vibes.
Never been a big Van Morrison fan. No doubt he has a good voice and is a talented songwriter, but most of his songs are pretty much identical. His music just never really hit me the same as some of his contemporaries. This record is decent. Well produced, great energy, and the band is tight. Could have done without the 12 bar blues songs. Definitely got old after 30 minutes. It feels weird a live album like this was included. I don’t think this record is essential listening by any means. Feels like something hardcore fans would love, but someone listening through this list didn’t need. 3/5
I originally had this album on day 15 before joining a group and gave it a 4; the only reason it didn't get full marks was the length. Revisiting it now and I feel about the same. It's a great album with surprisingly good production for a 1970s live album and solid performances from the entire band. Unfortunately, it's still just a bit bloated and there are a few weaker songs and covers that could have been cut to make this a more manageable and enjoyable length. Side three in particular with the slower songs is honestly a drag to get through.
Not my style
Solid live album. A little bit samey but that's Van.
When this is good, it's because the musicians are so good. Van the Man oversings and oversells but I guess it's too late to stop now.
Skøn stemme og stil, men lidt for meget jazz og messingblæsere til mig.
I’m not usually a live album kind of person but this was enjoyable.
Guess if I have to a listen to a live album, this one wasn't horrible.
Not a huge fan of Van Morrison but this album does demonstrate that he’s a good live performer
Cool
his voice is amazing, but this is the most boomery sounding live album ive ever heard…
Good for background while cooking
it was nice for background music but i couldn’t get into it, shocked me bc they sing brown eyed girl 6/10
I come at this live album as a Van Morrison virgin. The band sounds tight. Does Van always sound like he’s over singing and chewing on every lyric? This album is by no means something I will ever listen to again, but it was a fine intro to Van Morrison. A bit long, but I suppose we get the full concert experience. 3/5.
Pretty good
Gets a bit... samey after a while. Never really a fan of Live albums also.
Love Van but I can't picture myself listening to this over his studio albums.
I'm kinda meh on this one. Like don't get me wrong, I enjoy Van Morrison, but I really didn't feel like this (yet another 70s live album) was needed in my life. Only thing I gained was the knowledge that I Just Want to Make Love to You was not a Foghat original (though I prefer their up beat take). Otherwise, another pretty forgettable live album for me. low 3 because his voice held up well.
It was enjoyable but live albums shouldn’t be on the list
I liked everything, except Van Morrison.
like its good i just dont want to listen to an hour and half of van morrison
Would be great to see live I suppose but his antics and general feel of this one didn't hit for me.
These recordings sound fantastic, and it's just hit after hit.
Cool, but not for me.
My opinion on this album is influenced a lot by me getting Astral Weeks first. I guess he got used to the extra instruments somewhere down the road. I can guess he's much more okay with extra stuff on this album since it wasn't nonconsensually overdubbed into his studio album, but I find his early folksier music more interesting. It's clear he's feeling it, though, and his backing band sounds good. I can't even really say I disliked it, I'm just confused by how this came out of the Astral Weeks guy.
It’s long and that sort of drags it down for me. However, I can’t deny that hearing this amount of Van Morrison without knowing about anything besides Brown Eyed Girl made me interested in his work. He puts on his showman outfit during these performances a la James Brown. The band is on point, the energy is everywhere, the vocals are electric. It’s a solid live recording overall even reaching heights on Caravan, Wild Children, Saint Dominic and Cyprus Avenue. Then again, I don’t know Van The Man’s work very well and it’s long. So despite how most of the songs were good, it gets an “Oh alright, cool” for me (7/10, 3/5 on this scale)
Is brown eyed girl in this one? Anyway, I like his song called Domino
It's a feeling vibe of old pop version and not really my vibe 😁
Good,classic, but not for me
I have no idea why I listened to the whole thing - but I did. And I’m not really sure why I enjoyed it - but I kind of did. 3.5/5
I am alive! Sorry for the delay, life stuff/school stuff got in the way, but now that I have a break, I can finally get back to reviewing albums. And what a way to get back to it: In a way that I did not really expect. I didn’t really have any prior knowledge of Van Morrison before this album, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Now I know that it seems like Van Morrison’s music is a combination of soul, blues, jazz, and old school rock and roll. Which is an interesting sound, it’s just not really my speed. I found myself getting kind of bored of the around around the beginning of the first disk. While there were some songs that did catch my attention such as Wild Children and Dominos, they seemed to be the peak of the album and with an entire disk of songs left, I didn’t really find anything else on the album that caught my ear. But although I personally didn’t find it too interesting, it was a very good sounding album. Van’s singing and stage presence were on point and his backing band/orchestra sounded really good. Overall, I’d say it’s just a taste thing, I may not be big on it, but Van Morrison fans or fans of soul or jazz may get a kick out of this one. Either way, I’m gonna keep on moving through the music like I’ve wanted to, because in the words of the man himself, It’s too late to stop now.
70s live rock album. Soul flavours. Very decent, very MOR.
I think this is great but I think this would smack a lot harder listening to it on vinyl a little high or a wine drunk. Good album but not my fave. Idk how else to explain that.
Very decent! 3/5
3.5
I don’t mind Van Morrison but I’m not particularly a fan, however, I quite enjoyed this at times, particularly the more bluesy sounding tracks. I’m not quite convinced about this being on the list but a live album is at least a good way to get to know an artist, especially because I don’t expect to return to much of his work.
I really enjoyed this album. The band was really good and you could feelnlike you were in the audience at the concert. Also, it didnt feel like it has been over 50 years that this album was recorded, as people dis an excellent job on recording it and also performing it. However, I don't think live albuns and compilations should be on the list... 3/5
Live recording of VM in concert. Good beat, but rather samey
Un spectacle de 1h30 qui feel comme 6h30 avec 700 encores que pu personne veux entendre
Big van man Good lungs Nice
A good live album from an artist at the top of his game. Van the Man is said to be an inconsistent live artist so it’s good to hear him at his best. If I have a criticism it’s that it’s a bit light on atmospherics, not Van and the band, just the production is a bit restrained, with very little crowd noise by my standards, but the key thing is the live performer and for that this is an excellent album.
Not bad at all. 3/5
If I could give this negative stars I would
A lifetime supply of Van Morrison in a single serving.
I line one Van Morrison album with my whole heart. Astral Weeks is top 10 all-time for me, maybe top 7. But I’ve never really listened to much else. This was nice.
Entirely inessential.
Oh no... not another super long album. And a live one on top of that, yikes! Not been too impressed with Van Morrison in the past, but this was surprisingly nice. The two major pain points for me is the length of the album, and the songs sounding too samey. Had a hard time distinguishing them, and in the end I can't really remember any standout song being especially good - something I consider absolutely crucial to warrant any kind of higher rating. I usually don't like live albums because I think the audience noise and overall less tight mix and performance don't usually overshines the energy the artists provide. But I don't have that problem with this album. Van Morrison sounds way better than he's done on any recording I've heard, and the performances are super tight. Borderline 3 and 4 star album for me, but after some thinking it's still a 3 star for me.
Honestly I don’t really agree with live albums on the list, umm this is eh, it’s long, some of the tracks are really nice others are dated
A familiar name, but not really an album that spoke to me.
Aint nothin you can do - 8 warm love - 7 into the mystic - 9 these dreams of you - 8 i believe to my soul - 8 ive been working - 8 help me - 7 wild children - 6 domino - 7 i just wnat to make love to you - 7 DISC 2 bring it on home to me - 8 saint dominics preview - 8 take your hand out of my pocket - 6 listen to the lion - 7 here comes the night - 7 gloria - 8 caravan - 7 cyprus avenue - 7
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Never been a big Van Morrison guy, but his band fucking shreds and he has a lot of charisma as a front man. Guess I've been sleeping on Van.
Very good, but i couldn’t super get into it
It’s ok but not essential
3.5 stars I say it every time, but enough of the live albums. Very rarely are these must listen records. This is good. I like Van Morrison and it has some good songs. But it also has mediocre covers that were probably fun to see live at the time. And all of the extended versions with the crescendos… it’s a bit much. Not the worst live album, but I don’t need to ever listen to it again.
Very well produced live album, the set of songs were great and, being my first time listening to him, it was fun and well put throughout
Pretty good, he definitely has a signature sound but overall good. I think I'd like it even better after a few listens
van morrison is on top of his game here and it's quite a good recording for the time. is this top 1001 and a must listen... ehhhh no, not for me. but I did enjoy hearing van morrison live with his 11 piece band
It has like 2 fun songs but after that it gets a bit monotonous, I have to concede that there's a couple of moments where the band is really in sync
3.0
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, but that isn't really a compliment because I thought I would hate it, but came away thinking it was ok. First off this album is too long and a lot of the songs end up sounding the same, also some of them are a real slog to get through. The saving grace of this album is the live band. Nowhere near the "one of the best live albums ever" as the description made it seem like. The real best live album is Stop Making Sense and it pisses me off everytime some boomer slop live album makes this list and that album didn't. Mid 3
Not the best live album I've ever heard, not bad tho
Бодрый лайв
Good album, would listen again, only love version available
Bluesy, a Little Rock, a little Americana. It was good for the era it came from.
Enjoyably album and I’m sure it was a hell of a show. Some of the songs dragged a little much for us listeners at home.
Not a Van Fan myself, I’ll admit that music lands much better in this live performance.
Nice enough as far as Blues and Soul albums go, but altogether much too long, and not enough variation to warrant that running-time. 3/5
Its not really my type, it was a normal album
Hello, and welcome to Morri-fone! If you know the name of the song you would like to perform, press 1. *beep* Using your touch-tone keypad, please enter the first three letters of the song you would like to perform. *beep* *beep* *beep* You have selected... "Brown Eyed Girl"? If this is correct, press 1. Why don't you just tell me the name of the song you would like to perform?
As live albums go, this is pretty good but the music itself can be quite middle of the road. The performance does enhance what could be a little middling otherwise, but not sure I'd want to listen to that again very soon.
Was never a fan back in the day but like the man himself I have matured like a fine red wine to appreciate his music. I have a lot of his albums but not this one. But then again such is his catalogue it takes a great amount of money and effort to have them all. Think I have enough of his music to say that this is an OK album showcasing all his talents, but not his finest work. His best work Astral Weeks and Moondance are elsewhere on the list. This does not measure up to them at all. His next album Veedon Fleece and in later years Common One knock this for six and are more worthy of being on the list. 3/5 15/11/25
This album gives me even more respect for Van Morrison than I had before. Wish I could have been there!
Long as hell, but stayed interesting throughout. This list has me becoming a big Van Morrison fan.
Good album. Nice easy listen, but nothing memorable for me 3/5
Van the man live in the 70s good Irish soul but a bit samey
A great album
I would have enjoyed this record more if it were shorter. The first album was good, but going into the second, felt kind of tiring. Favourite Track(s): I've Been Working Least Favourite Track(s): Saint Dominic's Preview
It’s whatever, boring
Not my style of music
A well played and recorded live album that I enjoyed, although it was at least 30 minutes too long
It's a live album. It's fine, but I have the same problem I usually do with live albums. Either a live album sounds not as good as the studio record (and not as good as if you were there, either), or it sounds the same as the studio versions of the songs (in which case you're essentially just listening to a playlist). This is the latter. There's nothing inherently wrong with it but aside from crowd applause occasionally, you wouldn't even know it was live. It's not bad at all, just not notable.
I like Van Morrison, and this is a perfectly fine live album. It's soulful, bluesy, jazzy and has great sound for its era. But it's a live, greatest hits type album so can't be compared apples-to-apples with a studio album.
Another live album? Ughhh This is fine dad rock, don't know what else to say about it. It has brass, that's kinda cool.
"Into the Mystic" hat mir gefallen. Nette Herbst-Vibes. Das Album hätte man auch auf eine Scheibe kürzen können, irgendwann wiederholt es sich. Insgesamt aber ein angenehmes Album. 3/5
Exactly what it sounds like: a Van Morrison live album. I'm not familiar enough with his catalog to say whether these recordings are better than the originals for the most part. I will say that Morrison himself sounds focused and committed (which I understand has sometimes been an issue with him) and that the compositions are better when they rely more on the horns and piano and less on B.B. King-style guitar impersonations. Your mileage will vary greatly - my own rating is probably in flux pending more familiarity with Morrison's work in general.
Enjoyed this one! Usually not a huge fan of live albums, but this was great
Decent listen.
It was a solid live album, I didn't recognize any of the songs but it was a good listen.
no
Pretty much what you would expect from a live Van Morrison album. There's no doubting his ability as a great singer and the instrumental backing is equally fine.
This guy again
Van the Men covers the greats, is how I imagine this was marketed. It would have been a great gig to attend, but did it make the list? Not really. Lots of good covers, good musicianship and sturdy work here, but it just wasn't essential listening.
I was leaving 4 because the horns and saxes in these songs are crazy good, but then they just fell into a pretty boredom ng set list without enough fire power. Solid 3.
3.5
paar goeie maar toch iets te veel geneuzel....
I’m not really a big Van Morrison fan, but this was much more enjoyable than expected and it’s actually a pretty great live recording. Long and not every song caught my attention, but overall I was pleasantly surprised.
i mean this is pretty good and the band is very solid but man it is way too long. i wish this list did not have live albums and certainly not double live. just no
3 out of 5. First album I've listen to from Van Morrison. Doesn't leave much of an impression unfortunately. Maybe his studio albums will hit better.
There is a lot to like here, however it is too long and you willing the album to finish. Started much better than it ended. Currently a 3 star but I might reassess.
Pretty good live album, some great Van Morrison hits. The band was great, the bassist especially stood out, great horns section, strings had some great sections as well. Over all Pretty good
It's very technically good but it sounded the same to me after awhile
Nothing on this stuck out. Being not familiar with him, I couldn't tell one song from another. It's probably a good recording if you like Van Morrison, however, for me it was a bit of a slog.
3 sterne
For et livealbum (særligt et der er så gammelt) er det virkelig godt optaget, og bandet er super tight. Der er også en stribe stærke numre til sidst, der gør op for at jeg virkelig ikke kan lide hans stemme. Lille 3’er
Usædvanligt skarp lyd for en live plade, kan bedre lide studieindspilningerne men det her er lækkert
Alright for a live album. A bit long..
Fun live album - jam packed
This was fine but i really dont think its special or deserving of attention. There are a couple other van morrison albums that could be on this list but why this one? It also has no business being so long. Maybe a 3 or a little less bc i was so tired of it by the end. Good band tho
Maybe more so than any other artist, Van Morrison is the voice of classic rock radio childhood car rides for me. I probably heard his songs a few thousand times in my life before I even knew his name, and even now- decades later, when I hear his voice I still get transported back to those times. I've written in reviews here before about how these car rides were seminal moments for me in not only my musical life but also in my childhood in general, and I carry so much fondness for these moments where life was simpler. These moments are so vivid for me. This album of his is a real joy to listen too. I can sit back and take the songs in and groove and bop along to them and feel like I don't have a care in the world. I do wish that there were some more standout tracks on it, in fact I didn't recall any of them when I saw the tracklist, and it wasn't until I got to the second half of the record that I started to hear a few familiar melodies and moments. With all that being said, I think this record is good but not great, and I'm not sure if it should be on this list... I can push aside my personal nostalgia hits and see the bigger picture. Van Morrison definitely deserves to be on this list though- like "Moondance" and possibly "Blowin' Your Mind", but this one I could leave off.
A decent album. I’m not as crazy for Van Morrison as others. Good, but not great.
Nothing wrong with this at all - didn’t make it quite all the way through but heard enough to form an opinion. Tend to agree that although the live stuff feels live, some of the adlibs that in some cases adds to the song (piano in particular) sometimes the vocal rework of familiar songs doesn’t quite come off. In general totally fine but Van just hasn’t really ever been a favorite of mine.
I was dreading this when is showed up this morning. I never got into Van Morrison and the thought of a 90+ minute double live album was not a pleasant one! However I was pleasantly surprised. This was a far bluesier version of VM then I'd heard previously and the first side of the album skipped by with a good energy. I did a wane a little in the second but overall, a very enjoyable experience. I'm not typically one for live albums so I'm not sure I'd revisit this but if I was looking for a VM fix, I might start here.
I was never a big Van Morrison fan. I've loved some of his songs and I know his importance in the history of popular music, but I just never got into him. Wasn't thrilled to see that I will be listening to 90 minutes of him today, but I will try to go in with an open mind... About halfway through: I think getting old has raised my Van Morrison tolerance. This is OK.
This was alright. I don't love live albums, and this was no real exception. I generally like Van Morrison, but I can usually only take a couple songs of his in a row before I start to get really tired of his voice. I didn't find that I was super annoyed by him on this album, but I didn't really love it either, and once it was over, I was kinda done with it. Musically it was good, but I definitely prefer the studio versions of all of the songs that I had heard before. Three stars.
This is a pretty long live album (double disc). Van Morrison is more bluesy than I anticipated, and some of those songs are good. But the album as a whole is just too long for me.
There's probably a 4 star album buried in here, but it's only a single album long.
It's like someone sprinkled a little James Brown on Van, but if you don't really *love* the songs to begin with, it can only do so much. Plus, this is just waaay too long.
It's a fun album, great energy, but maybe I need to listen more often to get it more of it.
Entspanntes Live-Album. Inoffensive Rock. Aber schon gut. Kann man sich geben, ältere Männer werden sich freuen.
Not usually a big fan of live double albums, but the musicians in this are amazing.
I generally like Van Morrison's music, but I hate live albums. Minus 1 star also for Van's stupid and harmful covid opinions.
Sometimes he gets his voice going full blast and it's great other time it's just bland shouting. The last five minutes of the last track is appallingly self indulgent.
Just ok. I have no issue with live albums, and the recording in this is great. Caravan is my favorite Van Morrison song by a long shot, and this version is great. All that to say, 3 stars.
Like most double albums - too long.
Some of the songs were a little too long but it makes sense because it was a live performance, overall pretty good but a bit basic
Beatiful album, tight band and some great vocals.
I guess I enjoyed this album. Van Morrison is not someone I would ever remember to listen to but it was decent enough. Good energy, well played, well recorded. Im not sure if there were overdubs but if there were they did a good job of blending in. One and done for me but I liked it well enough. 3/5
I'm sure for some listener's Van Morrison is great. His unique voice and tremendous playing are likely the reason he was popular for a while. Time has moved on and yet Van's 1973 show was probably magnificent for its time, it no longer represents a high water mark as either a live album or frankly, music. There are better live recordings and many of them are more compelling. I say this not to diminish Van's artistry. It's just in 1973, the rock underground was still underground. The seeds of punk were being planted and not until 1976 would be there an explosion of sound and vision that would shake the foundations of rock, and as a consequence diminishing the importance and relevance of numerous rock/folk acts - Van being one of them. This is a snooze-fest after 53 years of more exciting music being unleashed. I have no idea why it is still on the list unless the selection was made by someone who is now in their mid 70's.
Pretty good live album.
I like his music and rated his late 60s solo albums five stars, but I am not a big fan of live albums on this list especially those which are double albums and are so long. This music is great, though, and excellently produced (it barely sounds like a live album), I enjoyed it here and there but I wasn't in the mood for it for 1.5 hours.
Didn’t listen to the whole thing but come on live albums? Not that bad but not crazy good either. Had a few good beats here and there.
I don't like any of these songs. But this has got to be one of the cleanest live albums I've ever heard. Also, Van's voice is indistinguishable from his studio voice. Those things combined are woth 2.5-3 stars
eh
De hecho, va muy bien para un domingo lluvioso
There's always going to be a ceiling on how highly I'll rate a long, live album peppered with cover versions. The vibe is all good and it's not unpleasant to listen to but you'd need to be in the mood for an hour and a half of blues-tinged yacht rock and probably be a Van Morrison fan specifically. If he'd picked the best 40 minutes I'd be feeling more generous but as it is, I just found there was way too much of it to want to return for repeat listens.
Непоганий лайв, хороший теплий звук. Але на відміну від інших лайвів, що поки тут були, цей здався трохи необов'язковим в цьому списку.
Ну таке
2.5/5
Por ser en vivo
It's giving cigar, it's giving big band, cocktails, smoky room
i was gonna give this the usual 3-star rating i generally give live albums right off the bat, cuz I just don't care for them as much as studio albums. however... this is 2 damn discs though i was tempted to give this a 1 based off that fact alone, i'll let it slide this time. the music is alright, good enough to avoid receiving a low score out of spite i ain't listening to Vol 2-4 tho, fuck that
Good live album.
A very good quality live recording for it’s age. But it’s long. Very long
Not sure how influential this was but it sounds good and fun.
This is a great quality recording for a live album. The tracks themselves are fine, but the real selling point is that it sounds like a great concert. Favorite track: "Domino"
Pretty cool for a live album
Dinámico y entretenido pero nada del otro mundo. Nota: 3.5/5
I can basically see the old people dancing badly in the audience if this was played today.
I think if you’re a big Van Morrison fan you’d really love this. I like him enough, and this was a great live recording, but didn’t knock my socks off. Kind of gave me James Brown for white dad vibes though.
Usually I see a double album and despair, what if it’s rubbish? Do I have to listen to two hours of this rubbish? Thankfully not in this case. I’m not a VM fan but he’s definitely got talent. Vanilla enough that there’s nothing to put be off but not vanilla enough that it’s boring. 3.5 stars.
Solid live album. Couple of bottles of vino and hang on the couch with your love. Disc one is non stop high octane, disc 2 winds you down nice for the late evening. Too long
I liked this… but why is it on this list ?
Boring, but not in a bad way. Sort of like rotisserie chicken I suppose... not going to complain when someone serves it, but I don't find myself seeking it out. 4
Just ok
drei minus gloria here comes the night
I very much enjoyed listening to this live album! For being recorded in the 70s the sound quality was incredible. For me it was nice music to have on in the background while I was doing other things. Many of the songs sounded similar or had a similar vibe but I enjoyed the soul, jazz, and blues elements that were infused into the songs. I only listened to Volume one but I hope to go back someday and listen to the other volumes! Overall this was a solid listening experience.
It must've been a crazy experience to see these shows live, and you can really tell the type of energetic beast he was in the 70s, but that gets a little lost for me because i find most of his repertoire to be a little one dimensional, though it must've really worked amazingly when played live, or even in video, like when he did caravan on the last dance. But overall, as an album, and even a live album, it doesn't get me as excited as i think i should be, though a lot of songs DO work and slap regardless of the context, most of it it's just cool, and enjoyable, but nothing too crazy.
not really my jam tbh and it felt a little long but it was cool at times
Some bangers, some snoozers
A really fun live album. I really liked everyone's enthusiasm
Fun live album. Not much else in particular to note. Getting tough to do these 1hr+ sessions, hoping I get some more compact records again soon
His voice just gets to me. Good music, but can’t love it.
Didn’t get through the whole thing but enjoyed it. Easy listen. Feels classic. Not trying to hard. Great record for summer nights for sure.
great performances and mix, would listen again. wild children through bring it on home to me is a great run.
Hmm, I didn’t know this list included live albums. That opens the door for some of my favorites, so fingers crossed. I’ve listened to Van for years and hadn’t heard this album. I’d say it ranks pretty low compared to his studio albums. The band is fantastic here. I like Van’s vocals better in his studio work. Perhaps I needed to be in the audience to truly appreciate this performance.
A fantastic live album
Good stuff
Kind of a blues / rock / singer/songwriter / soul vibe. I loved the backing band, with the strings, horns, piano, guitar, bass and drums. But I didn't like his stop-start singing style quite so much and some of the songs on the second half were a bit long and self-indulgent. Overall it was pretty easy to listen to and easy to like, but probably not something I'm going to return to.
back to back winners, Van Morrison is way up there for me. Live in Los Angeles in 73 is about as good as it gets. this has pret much everything he has done up until this point, which is a ton and only half way through his ongoing career. i separate Van by his voice during his career: early it was higher pitched before it became low and deep. this is when it was younger sounding. it is super polished because Van is a professional, but it doesn't get too exciting, (just enough IMO) because of that. but that these tracks can translate as perfect as they do to the live experience is a feat of talent. this record works more for diehard fans like me and my mom that want different versions of the songs we've heard a thousand times, 3/5. there isn't too much more to speak on this, other than its insane that one person has this many hits under their belt after about 7 years.
I gave Astral Weeks and Moondance both 5 stars. There's not a chance in hell this gets 5. Haha I mean damn Van I'm wondering if that "leavinamebehinda" on Bring it on home to me alone docked you a whole star 😂 I love Van and I really love live albums, but if I was at this show I'd be hoping for no encore. To be fair, this is coming right after Fela Kuti's "Live!" album.. well I guess it's really not fair. Who would want to go on stage after that?
Good live album, but ultimately started to blend together after a while.
White New Balances and a convertible corvette, white boy blues rock. It was probably a great show in person but live records typically don’t do it for me. Still has some good songs though.
ja ganz ok idk
a nice album to listen to while doing things around the house
It's decent I just don't understand why I have to listen to this. It feels like overkill after a while
I didn't know this existed. Good live performance but probably predates a couple of good big hits.
A pleasant listen
3.75 Solid Live album
I like live albums, especially if they're done well and the songs are as good or better than the original studio versions. I hadn't heard this album before and though I'm familiar with a lot of Van's work, this was a pleasant way to listen to songs from throughout his career up until then. He brings new life and energy to most of the songs and generally it's a solid collection. He does a respectable job with the covers, but it runs a bit longer than it needs to be. I listened to this while doing other things, so I wasn't super focused on the music and it was a great soundtrack to my day. I'm not sure this would be the ideal "sit down and listen intensely" record, I may get a little drowsy after a while, but overall it was fine. 3⭐️
Smooth, easy listening
Correcto
Solid but interesting mainly to Van fans
Eh
It’s fair to say I wasn’t excited by the prospect of a 90-minute live album of Van Morrison’s ‘blue-eyed soul’, and sure enough I was pretty bored at times. I also have my usual gripes with the inclusion of lots of cover versions and live albums that feature tracks from multiple shows. But I will concede that VM comes across as a much more charismatic performer than I would’ve expected, and on the whole, as live albums go, it’s perfectly listenable and has a decent energy. 2.5
This one comes with a lot of baggage as “the best live album of the Seventies.” Sure—the band is right, Van Morrison is in his bag, he is an energetic performer, the audience is into it. Other than enjoying some of the live exploratory elements, especially the strings, his songs in general don’t do much for me. Best for me were his covers of soul classics, but I’d say Ray Charles and Sam Cooke did them better.
Discovering Van Morrison was a bit of slow burn for me. I remember hearing Brown Eyed Girl as a teen and loving it, but not going further than that. He didn't seem "cool" at the time so I stayed clear. I remember Ross on friends calling Tupelo Honey the most romantic song ever written. I checked it out and found it underwhelming. Fuckin' Ross. And then I saw the movie The Five-Year Engagement with Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, and I’ve been hooked on Van Morrison ever since. He's basically the unofficial composer of that soundtrack. There are 8 Van Morrison songs in that movie, some are covers, many are the man himself. That includes the song Sweet Thing, which plays in the first 5 minutes of the movie. I had never heard that song before and it completely blew me away. It's now my favourite Van Morrison song and I love the album it's on, Astral Weeks. I would be shocked if that album is not on this list. When I go through a breakup, I rewatch that movie and the scene with Sweet Thing playing often makes me cry (note: it's not actually a sad scene). It's a classic for me... and it's not included on this damn live album which is a crime, unless you dig into volumes 2, 3 and 4... then it's there. Note: There are actually 2 versions of Sweet Thing on the extended album, neither do the original justice so maybe it's for the best they weren't included in volume 1. Anyways.... TLDR: I'm a big fan of Van Morrison and I was excited when this album showed up. I have a couple of his albums, but I’d never heard of this one. Apparently it’s a big deal in the world of live albums. I’m actually not typically a fan of live albums. The songs are either too similar to the originals and feel pointless (and often slightly shittier than the studio versions), or they’re different from the original songs in a bad way. Occasionally though there’s a live album with versions of songs that elevate them beyond their original recordings… and I’d say this album has some of that magic, especially on Disc 1. Disc 2 is a bit of a mess though… a few too many extended jam versions of tracks and big long rave-ups that ruin the original songs. A concert only really needs max 2 songs extended like that, one pre-encore and one-post encore, and preferably not back to back. I count 3 on Disc 2 of this album. It’s too much. I’m looking at you Caravan and Cyprus Avenue. Those are classic Van songs and these live versions are just bloated and messy, which is too bad. Van does Caravan live with The Band for The Last Waltz and it’s probably the best performance of the whole movie. It’s electric. It’s incredible. And his sparkly jumpsuit is on-point. Highly recommend. The third of the big rave up songs is Listen to the Lion, and it might be my least favourite song on the whole thing. It almost seems like he’s doing an accent on it? It’s not good. It’s not working. There is also a bluesy numbers that wasn’t for me, Take Your Hand Out of My Pocket. Anyways, enough dumping on Disc 2. It’s not all bad. Bring it on Home to Me is a great cover. He does a good job with Gloria and Here Comes the Night from his old band Them. Hearing the crowd jump in on the chorus of Gloria is great. Parts of are Caravan are good… if you can ignore the band introductions. Saint Dominic’s Preview is fine. Disc 1 though… is pretty amazing. His voice is incredible. He really commands your attention. He’s magnetic. The performances around him are also quite strong. The keys and the horns and the strings are powerful. I love the big band vibe. And… the songs are all under 6 minutes which is a selling feature (see comments on disc 2). There are no bad songs on disc 1, it’s all pretty awesome. Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do kicks off the album with a bang. I love it. Those horns! Warm Love is delightful. The versions of Into the Mystic, These Dreams of You and Domino are groovier and more dance-y than normal which is great. I Believe to My Soul is high drama. I’ve been Working is hype as hell. Help Me is good bluesy. The piano on Wild Children is very pretty. I Just Want to Make Love to You goes right up the edge of my blues quota without going over. I thoroughly enjoyed Disc 1… I get the hype. If this album were just Disc 1, it’s a 4, maybe a 4.5 for me. On the other hand, Disc 2 on It’s own is a 2 or a 2.5. Thus I’m forced to give it a 3. I really wish they’d cut a bunch of tracks from Disc 2, saved them for the other volumes. This thing has the potential to be a 5/5 with some tweaks. But alas… it’s a lowly 3.
I don't usually like live albums, but this was a decent sound quality and not too much audience interference. It's basically a greatest hits album - very long. I like Van Morrison in smaller doses; his songs are too similar in a lot of ways, so an album this long droned on.
Fun, but being a live album doesn't make it great.
Ah, Van Morrison, now that's a name i haven't heard in a long time, not since my third album. Anyways, It's Too Late to Stop Now is an album that is pretty dang solid. I think that Van Morrison might be another case of an artist/band that sounds better live than in the studio. While Moondance was an alright album, this one is definitely a step up as it just sounds more jazzy, more upbeat and just has a lot more energy and memorability. There is one thing you really have to get around though, and that is the fact that this album is VERY long, It is an hour and a half long and many of the songs definitely feel like they drag. Despite that, this was actually a pretty solid listen. Best Song: Into the Mystic Worst Song: Help Me
Admittedly, I don't know much about this guy. I am familiar with at least one of his songs (Moon dance?) and it was not on this album. However, I patiently listened to all 90+ minutes and can now confidently say I do not care for Van Morrison. He did have a very good band/orchestra, and I am happy to report that "Terry Adams on cello" is still alive and well. Go Terry!
J'ai essayé, mais je n'adhère pas à sa frénésie. J'ai vraiment une impression de «fallait être là pour embarquer».
Standard and rather unexciting live album of mediocre 70's numbers which didn't do much to draw me in. I don't understand how this is considered one of the best live albums of all time.
Van and his band give energetic and soulful live performances of his unique blend of rock, r&b, soul, and folk musics. Performances are certainly solid vocally and musically - Van leads the band and audience where he wants to take them, particularly in terms of the mood and intensity. The band is consistent and competent, providing a strong supportive role without taking over the spotlight. The album peaks in its higher energy moments, which are balanced my smoother, calmer tracks. A handful of tracks stand out as particularly fiery, and several songs feel punchier and fuller than they might on the original records. Ultimately, the album contains good songs, good music, and good performances; but it’s also a lot to take in if you’re not a Van-head. It’s easy to listen to and enjoy, but hard to fully attend to and doesn’t leave me with the intention of revisiting the full album often.
The band is killin', but the songs don't do much for me. It captures the energy of the live performance quite well. 3 stars to average out the quality of performance with the uninteresting songs.
Decent live album
I dont see why this is on the 1001 albums list. Its an ok live album not anything mind blowing here. The performance of "Saint Dominics Preview" Is great. 6/10 Favourite: Saint Dominic's Preview Least Favourite: Caravan
Pretty good easy to listen to. For me it wasn't really memorable but the vibe is very chilled out and I enjoyed it. Didn't blow me away though.
Not the biggest fan of live albums but this is pretty undeniably sunny/great music. Van Morrison has one of the best voices in the game.
I like the songs but oh boy I am over live and/or double albums
Long-time Van fan, but i’d never heard of this one. Caravan was a highlight for me. The strings came through very nicely on several tracks. I definitely prefer the younger version of Sir Van to the current day old codger version of him, at least as far as his opinions go. It’s worth noting that the sound and recording quality on this live performance are pretty amazing for 50 years ago. Overall a solid live album.
This band is tight and the production value is solid for a 70s live album. I’m just not familiar enough with Van Morrison.
kuullostaa kivalta live hommat aina jee
Not a van fan
Ikke decideret dårligt. Men alt alt alt for langt. Særligt når det mere eller mindre forskellige variationer af samme sang i halvanden time.
Great live album. But I’m still wondering why certain live albums made the list and most did not. ??? 3.95
3.5
Was not expecting blues & soul vibes, still a bit too overproduced for me, and theres something odd about hearing a big audience for this type of music
Pretty good live album. Covers are played well and the horns are a great addition to many of his songs. 3.5/5 Probably will listen again
Great soulful live album. But probably not something I’ll return to, which means three stars rather than four.
Live album, yuck! Jazzy, orchestra is cool. Lot of that kinda soul yelling stuff. Kinda starts to all sound the same tho tbh. Obviously it's good music, just feel like there's way more interesting stuff out there now, but maybe that's a bad take idk. *clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap*
Not bad at all. I just find a double live album a difficult way to jump into an artist's legacy. I'm certainly familiar with Van Morrison, but I don't think I have ever heard anything beyond his hits. 3/5 Album 40/1001
Great live album, horns sound excellent
Great album! I'd probably give it 5-stars if it was a little shorter; I feel like they could have cut a few songs to make this absolutely outstanding. That said, Caravan and Cyprus Avenue are both phenomenal and these renditions alone are making me consider giving an it extra star! Favourite tracks: Ain't Nothing You Can't Do, Into the Mystic, I've Been Working, Domino, I Just Want to Make Love to You, Bring It On Home to Me, Caravan, Cyprus Avenue
If you're a big Van Morrison fan this is probably the holy grail of live albums. An hour and a half of perfectly played and well recorded live music from Van Morrison. He's got a lot of soul and emotion in his delivery and the band is tight but for me I don't really go out of my way to ever listen to Van Morrison, and an hour and a half of it was just too much. Not bad though
Was very enjoyable to listen to. Not my style of rock
Lemppari: Help Me Vähiten lemppari: Saint Doninic’s Preview
Haven't listened to everything completely yet but so far I like it!
A solid live album, even if live albums aren't generally my thing.
I'm curious...
The crowd sounds rapturous. I am merely pleased. This is very well recorded and the band is tight, and Mr. Van is giving it all on vocals. But it leaves me a little cold. I've heard explosive live albums, and this isn't one of them.
5/10…Singer-Songwriter
Another live album?! FFS! I literally just reviewed a live Deep Purple album. I like a bit of Van the Man, but I just can’t do live albums. Gets a bit boring after a while too. Arrangements and quality are mostly good and it’s way too long. As I’ve said a thousand times, give me a compilation of studio recordings. Listenable, so it gets a 3. Only just though.
The energy is high in this live album, the production and the performance is top notch. For me the the material is what lets it down. For me Van Morrison's best songs begin and end with Astral Weeks and Moondance both of which don't seem to be very well represented here. 3 stars
it's never too late, van
This was alright. I found it too long, but most of the songs were good. I only know a few Van Morrison songs, and I don't think this was a very good introduction to the rest of his repertoire.
Great tunes, but the crowd's louder than my morning alarm. Not a fan of live albums, but if you are, enjoy the chaos!
It's just okay
Cool, nothing crazy
Will 1973/74's live album It's Too Late to Stop Now be what rehabilitates Van Morrison in my mind? It's March 2025 and it looks like he's playing a pair of shows in Scotland at the end of this month. At minimum, we can safely confirm he was not referring to his musical career when titling this album. But should he have stopped? The record is surprisingly good. It has some edge and bite — it's a good amount of tight. If I had only this and Moondance to go on I might even say nice things about him and his music. Ultimately, it's too long, too much Van Morrison music for me to wholly endorse. But suffice it to say, I think he answered the question.
Buff, otro directo, con la manía que les tengo y que ya he comentado por aquí. Empieza bien y el sonido es bastante bueno. Lo esperable, una recopilación de un momento de la carrera de un grupo o cantante. Hoy en día no me atraen nada los discos en directo. No me parece justo darle una mala puntuación, pero serían más 2 estrellas que 3.
as somebody who loves live albums, and a Van Morrison fan, I thought this album was just ok. was expecting a lot more from something on this list.
It's quite jaunty and assured. It's very long, but it played nicely enough in the background.
So, in principle, nothing, the songs are cheerful and at first they are listened to with a bang... But the album is too long, you get tired of it, so it's only 6.5 out of 10. And yes, I didn't hear anything outstanding.
Time and place to listen to him. Enjoyable.
I love Van the Man but I’m not sure a Live album adds anything to my listening experience. I’m happy to listen to Astral Weeks and Moondance but a live rendition doesn’t do that much for me to be honest. Some of the deliveries were a bit flabby but it was fine. Maybe you had to be there.
Not terrible
Man idk, not bad!
Still dont love van m but this was a nice album and i feel like hes the kinda guy i’d enjoy more in greatest hits fashion than album fashion so it makes sense
70’s rock
I was prepared not to like this, but this was a throughly pleasant listen.