It's Too Late to Stop Now

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

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

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

I'm sorry, it's never too late to stop, in fact the sooner the better. I stopped listening quite soon. Not a fan of Van. It's a live album. It's far too long. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ in part Revisit ❌️ ★★☆☆☆ (4/10)

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

I'm not sure why this is rated as one of the greatest live albums of all time - it sounds fine and the band is okay. Bare minimum requirements for any musical act. I knew maybe one of the songs on the tracklist, but by the time we got there I was bored by the sameness of Van's vocals, by the live arrangements, by the songs themselves. There's precious little variety here. Little crowd interaction. As a fellow Northern Ireland guy you'd think I'd know more VM songs but no, we learned to avoid his inane ramblings many moons ago. His voice is tolerable for a song or two - when you're drunk at a wedding - but for 18 songs? Live? Come on, lads. Also - far too many parping horns on this album for my taste. As soon as I hear a trumpet, I know I'm in for a slog.

No puedo ser objetivo. Van Morrison es pieza clave en mi educación musical. Hasta el año 1992 no había escuchado nada de este hombre. Por razones que no vienen al caso cayó en mis manos una copia de “Hymns To The Silence” y mi vida cambió. No tardé en llegar a este concierto y, verdaderamente, lo que se respira en él es pasión, fuerza, emoción y verdad. Un descomunal Van llevando su voz y su música a la excelencia interpretativa. También es verdad que cuando se rodea de una banda de calidad contrastada, en este caso la Caledonia Band, todo brilla más, pero no cabe duda de quien continúa siendo el centro de todo. Aquí se escucha a Van The Man, la leyenda del rock menos rockera, su estilo, inimitable y genuino. Sería Dios si no tuviera el carácter tan agrio, pero hasta los dioses se enfadan con los mortales.

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

It’s whatever, boring

# 605 : It's Too Late to Stop Now I want to like it, but it's so hard to enjoy a live album.

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

-i actually really enjoyed this album

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.

Gets good after 3 songs

"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.

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

Enjoyed this one! Usually not a huge fan of live albums, but this was great

Nice album, but too long for 5 stars

Everyday I open this tab and I say the same thing. It’s days like this, where I see a LIVE VAN MORRISON record, that it begins to feel like the sweet release of quitting would be just what the doctor ordered. This album cover is the amalgamation of every stupid music trope I hate, but we’ve come this far. Too late to stop now. Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do - First song and we’ve already got a loosened bow tie and a lean against a piano. This stinks but the windows are sealed and I’m forced to marinate in the stench emitted by this song. There ISN’T anything that I can do. Warm Love - The stationary stones. Fronted by Dick Bagger. Into the Mystic - Hey, leave the mystic alone. They may be a shyster and a scam artist, but you can’t just go into them, magic school bus style. This is your RECENTLY divorced dad doing karaoke. Like this shit happened on Thursday, and this is Friday night at the local karaoke bar. If I wasn’t laughing, I’d be crying. These Dreams of You - The sitcom intro horns. The goofy ass piano. This is live music for people who are only alive by the biological definition. This SUCKS. I Believe to My Soul - Good voice, but horns? This is the best song so far, without a doubt, and it’s white guy blues. The end is nigh. I’ve Been Working - Alright, we’re getting somewhere. No, shut up, Van. More solos. Never mind, we’re just in a lame Starsky & Hutch funk jam. Help Me - A cry for help of the highest order. His vocal yelps are so funny, that I can’t even hate it. I can imagine people just sort of stifling laughter as he’s gunning it white boy style. Wild Children - Name dropped celebrities? ✅ Chilled out (boring) lounge guitar? ✅ Weird grumbling ✅✅✅. We’re back in our rut. Domino - OOOHHHHAAAHHHOOOO Domino’s pizza. Dominos feel much like diners in the way that old white fucks think they’re cool. Guess what fellas? None of this is cool. If I was at this concert, I would’ve assaulted an usher to be whisked away from this event. I Just Want to Make Love to You - Those ivories are being tickled. For better or worse, I am a heterosexual, so I can only imagine the show being in the other foot. If I was serenaded with this song, and called the ace of spades, the result would not be “making love.” It would probably be a restraining order or an organized hit on the singer carried out by a mafioso. I would then flee to Barbados to live out my days as an outlaw. The one who wouldn’t be loved. Bring it On Home to Me - The boringest white guy blues song going and it’s one again of the seductive variety. We’re also apparently on Disc 2. Each passing second ticks us closer to the end of this. Saint Dominic’s Preview - I am running out of adjectives. Have I used ‘abysmal?’ Unlistenable? Tacky? Embarrassing? Valueless? All apply. Take Your Hand Out of My Pocket - Anti-tax anthem. Actually it’s more sterile “blues.” Will calling it “whites” catch on? No this song is actually about - get this - women who just want your money. An earth shattering concept that is most definitely one of the many valid reasons this album appears on this list. Listen to the Lion - Did he honestly say “for da lion.” He’s doing reggae voice. Ladies, gentlemen and non-binary friends and well wishers. It’s over. This is top 10 worst ever. Jah feel? Here Comes the Night - Into the Night, Into the night. Gloria - Makes me believe in god even less. Caravan - Van on vans. They have a violin, viola and cello player? There are way too many instruments here. For some dumb white blues record? Fucking end this. Cyprus Avenue - One last time through the piano laden whites perpetuated by the van man. He’s not making it easy. This is a horrible song and they’re obviously completely out of steam. Who is amped for this? What is wrong with you? That guy has to be a plant. HEY GUYS, ISN’T VAN MORRISON GOOD?! I can play three chords on this old guitar. Sounds just like Van Morrison in here - Dan Reeder. I was waiting for a swat team to dispel tear gas amongst the crowd and interrupt this. If Van Morrison was a van, he’d be the poorly conceived Mazda MPV. Take me a million miles from this. I think I have to go listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan or something, to prove to myself that the white folks can create reasonable blues music. If you were at this concert, my heart weeps for you, but considering I had to listen to this in its entirety in a random Thursday in October, I feel I am almost as aggrieved. Cast this into the purifying fires of hell. Or at least burn a couple copies at a scrapyard littered with the non-functioning remnants of the Pontiac Montana. Let the motor oil consecrate and create anew. 0.5 HIGHLIGHTS: When he got all worked up and yelled. Hilarious every time.

Great live album. The voice. The band. The songs. On the short list of artists I still need to see.

Timeless. 1974? 2004? 1954? Whatever—Morrison is pure joy, even when he sings the blues.

Never been a big fan, but I can appreciate it

Fuck Live Albums

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

Cool

Decent listen.

It was a solid live album, I didn't recognize any of the songs but it was a good listen.

no

någe fett blues, men og ganske mye meh. I believe my soul er ganske kul

Never got the hype

Live album

Good live album need second part too

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

Im gonna say it. This was boring. Like incredibly boring. Background noise for an hour and a half. If an alien was asked to create generic earth music this would be it.

7/10

This live soul-rock album flows like a river at sunset—warm and steady beneath shimmering brass and piano currents, with vocals that ripple between fervent cries and gentle reflections, yet as the sun wears off, a faint coldness settles beneath its fading glow.

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

Fantastic album.

Pretty good live album

It’s not that he’s now a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist and anti-vaxer, it’s just that this album is dull. He takes what should be a thrilling set of soul and jazz songs and somehow turns it into a snooze fest. At no point does he seem to be engaging with the audience in any meaningful way and the whole thing just shambles on without ever grabbing me. This is a double album, and apparently only the first volume. I’ll take a pass on the rest.

...And yet we can hope they had stopped earlier. It's unclear to me why this was considered as the best live record of all time --- but maybe many were inspired by it and it became kind of standard? It's mostly OK as background music. A bit of jazz, of soul, of rock; almost a precursor of yacht rock? Hard to keep the attention at a high level. A bit short and a bit less full of itself, it could have been good I guess?

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

Initial thoughts on opening this one today: - it's a Van Morrison album - oh dear - it's a live double album from the 1970s - this is gonna be terrible With such low expectations this wasn't actually as bad as I feared but it's still not my thing.

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.

It's Van Morrison... but LIVE! 🤷

Pretty good for what it is. 3.5

Painful to get through. His vocals are horrific.

fun! horns are great

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.

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

Plate raide. Niaisage.

On the one hand, I don’t care for live albums; on the other hand, now I have something to add to my Divorced Moms Winter Beach House Party playlist.

Another Van Morrison? The guy only made one great song and then recorded it over and over in multiple arrangements. Making this list once was more than enough for him! Qué cancion más aburrida! One critic opined that many "lame" studio cuts were much improved in live performance. 'Nuff said! (There's a good guitarist hiding in the band.)

3.5

a great melodic writer and singer

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

Boring.

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

A real Van Morrison

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

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

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

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.

Don't know if I was just Van Morrisoned out, if it's because it's live album or what, but I just did not care for this album.

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.

Van Morrisonandonandonandon

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

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

Not a bad record but it’s a perfect example of outdated pop rock music from the 70s. Plus it’s way too long.

This is Van Morrison at full power, and it’s hard not to get swept up in it. The Caledonia Soul Orchestra brings horns, swing, and fire, and Van leans all the way in — from delicate phrasing to full-throated shouts. It pushes a ton of my buttons: soulful, grooving, and played with real commitment. Sure, it’s a long double live album, but the energy rarely dips, and it’s easy to hear why this is considered one of the great live records. I don’t always appreciate Van the person, but this is Van the artist at his best, and it’s undeniable.

I liked this

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

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

I’m not a Van Morrison fan, at all. This is good, but not for me.

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

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..

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

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

Fun live album - jam packed

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

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

I like him less now

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

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.

Van the man in top form, letting his horn blow. And the expensive sounding yet very loose band gives him and the other exquisite horns on display all the breathing room they need. A fitting testament to the breath of life itself.

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

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.

Van’s wailing is tolerable on recorded tracks but grating live. Who keeps adding live albums to this list? I can’t think of a single song here I’d rather listen to live than recorded.

#DÍA 43: 1001 Discos Que Hay Que Escuchar Antes De Morir (English Translation Below) Cuando siento que un disco me ha hecho perder el tiempo, escuece muchísimo, pero si encima el disco dura 90 minutos… Ya hasta me cabreo. Van Morrison es un talentoso músico irlandés, con un genial don para cantar en vivo y con un cierto filo vocal que le caracteriza. Tiene algunos temas potentes a su nombre, como Gloria o Domino, pero creo que también destaca por no tener una visión artística demasiado amplia. Este doble LP en vivo se constituye de diversas actuaciones del cantante junto a una amplia banda, contando con un cuerpo de cuerdas, saxofón, piano… Toda la ornamentación que quieras para ocultar que en esencia tampoco es que haya demasiado. Una lista de canciones que parece entrar en bucle a partir de la sexta pista. Es una instrumentación profesional, con un sonido muy bien tratado y aislado, casi podrías decir que suena a grabación de estudio. Sin embargo, no creo que juegue a favor de unas actuaciones que ya de por sí tiene poco especial. Encontramos múltiples estilos —como Soul, Gospel, Rock, R&B, Country o Funk— todos fusionados de tal modo que sólo queda lo más superficial de cada uno. El disco suena grandioso, maximalista, una magnitud que sirve de máscara para ocultar una falta de creatividad aún mayor. Y es que es así, por muy bien que toques tu instrumento o mucho conozcas de teoría musical, si no hay ideas interesantes o que te hagan resaltar, considero que aburres a una velocidad increíble. Por otro lado, Van Morrison, como cantante, está bien. Tiene unos cuantos trucos, parece constantemente imitar a aquellos de los que se influencia, como Elvis o Solomon Burke, en general excelentes músicos de Soul, de Rock o de R&B. Es ese tipo de cantante que canta con distorsión cada dos por tres, agotando toda expresividad para terminar siendo reiterativo y pesado. Por ejemplo, no entiendo cuál es la idea de romper los versos de Warm Love con ese estilo tan resfriado de cantar, como tosiendo cada palabra… En general, es un álbum que suena demasiado limpio, impoluto, y aunque es de admirar la capacidad de improvisación y la musicalidad del personal, no termina de entonar conmigo. Ha sido una escucha dura, se ha hecho eterno, según pasaban las canciones mi cerebro desconectaba porque recibía los exactos mismos estímulos una y otra vez… El lado espiritual/cristiano del rock sin duda se quedó bastante estancado en los 70s en cuanto a variación, algo que también escuché un poco en Stephen Stills. Salvables: Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do, Domino, Gloria Peor: Cyprus Avenue #DAY 43: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die When I feel like an album has wasted my time, it stings a lot, but if the record lasts 90 minutes… then I actually get angry. Van Morrison is a talented Irish musician, gifted at live singing with a certain vocal edge that defines him. He’s got some powerful tracks to his name, like Gloria or Domino, but I also think he stands out for not having a particularly broad artistic vision. This double live LP is made up of various performances with a large backing band, including a string section, saxophone, piano… all the ornamentation you could want to mask the fact that at its core, there isn’t much going on. The setlist feels like it goes in circles from about the sixth track onward. The instrumentation is professional, with a very clean and well-isolated sound, you could almost say it sounds like a studio recording. But honestly, I don’t think that works in favor of performances that already feel unremarkable. We get multiple styles —Soul, Gospel, Rock, R&B, Country, Funk…— all fused together in such a way that only the most superficial aspects of each remain. The album sounds grand, maximalist, a magnitude that serves as a mask to cover up an even greater lack of creativity. And that’s the thing: no matter how well you play your instrument or how much music theory you know, if there aren’t any interesting ideas that make you stand out, you bore at an incredible speed. As for Van Morrison himself, as a singer, he’s fine. He’s got a few tricks, but he constantly sounds like he’s imitating his influences —Elvis, Solomon Burke, generally excellent musicians of Soul, Rock, and R&B—. He’s that kind of singer who throws in distorted vocals every other line, draining all expressiveness until it becomes repetitive and tiring. For example, I don’t understand the idea behind breaking up the verses of Warm Love with that constipated style of singing, like he’s coughing out every word… Overall, it’s an album that sounds too clean, too polished. And while the personnel’s improvisational skill and musicality are admirable, it just doesn’t click with me. It was a tough listen, it felt endless, as the songs went by my brain just disconnected because it was receiving the exact same stimuli over and over again… The spiritual/christian side of rock definitely got stuck in the 70s in terms of variation, something I also noticed a bit with Stephen Stills. Redeemable: Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do, Domino, Gloria Worst: Cyprus Avenue

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.

Not on Apple Music.

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.

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

Lovely display of what rock can be

This one hit a little different after the last few. So many fun songs

It was, in fact, never too late to stop listening to this. The production is truly exquisite, I'll give it that, but otherwise one of the most boring and triffling inclusions I've had here. Tedious. (Oh god, there's going to be more Van Morrison, isn't there?)

Well - this was a real chore to get through. Van the man is pretty full of himself. Voice is grating and the songs boring. AT least the band was OK but just wish he'd shut up.

It's a fun album, great energy, but maybe I need to listen more often to get it more of it.

generic boomerrock Bra gitarr dock, men för tråkigt

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

Entspanntes Live-Album. Inoffensive Rock. Aber schon gut. Kann man sich geben, ältere Männer werden sich freuen.

Always loved van Morrison, and his live performance did not disappoint.

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.

same, no likey

Like most double albums - too long.

4.5/5

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.

The band is excellent here. Does that mean Van Morrison sounds good? No, it does not. I can take his vocals for about 15 minutes before I need to turn him off. Astral Weeks and Moondance are probably the peak for what I can stand from Van. This? Just didn't hit. But again: the band is terrific. 5/10

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

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

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.

it was great!!

Pretty good live album.

7/10

It's Too Late To Stop Now sounds really really ridiculously nice and clean for a live album. However, I'm not really a fan of Van Morrison's vocals, they're very choppy and barking. I just didn't feel this one. The band sounded good, no one would argue that they're anything short of incredible, but I wasn't into the performances. It was a little slow overall, kind of nice relaxing, kind of bluesy, background music but not much here really got me going. It's also pretty long, so it drags if you're not into it. Standouts were "Domino" and "Caravan." I'd give this a 2/5. The music is pretty solid but looks like I'm not much of a fan of Van Morisson.

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.

Van Morrison's vocals on this live album vacillate rapidly between slurring his words as he strains to remember the lyrics to his hits and PROVING. HE. IS. ABSOLUTELY. NOT. DRUNK. BY. MAKING. SURE. TO. ARTICULATE. EACH. WORD. There is no in-between.

Was this concert particularly exciting? Not really. Did this concert really need to be turned into a live album? Probably not. Was it turned into a live album anway? Well if you must.... And was it put in the 1001 albums book in place of countless other more deserving classics? Oh you bet it was!

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.

vai Van Vao

Another live album....why? Like Van Morrison is pretty great, but I have no desire to ever listen to live albums.

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

I know he is beloved and everyone likes him but I do not like him at all. The live versions are even worse. I could barely listen to the entire album.

SEND HELP!

eh

Van Morrison may have undergone various guises and phases around this time but what he hadn't abandoned was his propensity for show and, on It's Too Late to Stop Now, Van the Man's stage prowess shone just as brightly as the lights he was a in front of on the cover. This is Van at his peak, creatively, and this is the best documentation anyone could have wanted out of this moment in time. No wonder he dubbed his music Celtic soul, because there was an abundance to be found here.

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.

Van Morrison’s voice is infectious Highlights: - Brown Eyed Girl - Moonshine Whiskey - Help Me

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

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

One of my fave ones yet!! Listened to it all while painting and was just what i needed!! I love brown eyed girl and really loved the live album so i will certainly listen to more! Hes got such a great voice!! Definitely multiple faves on the album!!

Its fine enough, I just don’t really care for this type of music

too short

Por ser en vivo

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

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

Hated that it was a live album. Hated that it was a double album. Maybe would have been fine at 45 minutes but this dragged on too long.

Nice jazzy

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

Meh, Van the Man, just mum pop.

This is obviously a performer who's having a great time and is completely in his element as a bandleader. I just don't like it. It's like he took soul music and infused it with the worst kind of blues. Not for me, though I can recognize how it would be great if you like the music.

Live album.

It's not bad, but I don't feel like it being live adds anything. Pleasant to listen to, but yeah, it'd be better in a classic album format. Definitely not a "have to listen to before you die" contender.

While Van Morrison has had some real bangers, for the most part, I find him tedious. Coupled with the fact that this is a live album, this was not a great experience for me.

Its ok

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

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

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

Haven’t met a live album that deserves to be on here yet

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.

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

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 ?

I always assumed I wouldn't like them but I loved

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

A good example of an artist who improves 100% in his live performances. Great Album!

Its just okay.

Bland and dated

tällaista valkoisen miehen sielukasta RnB musiikkia. Parempaakin kuullut.

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

Just ok

drei minus gloria here comes the night

Not interesting to me, dull blue eyed soul, unimaginative

Live albums suck

Not a fan of live albums. Also, too much trumpet 😂

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.

This is a first for me. I listened to almost all 567 albums I had been presented with on this list. I had to Van Morrison albums, Astral Weeks and Moondance, on here before. And the first few tracks on this just confirmed my opinion. So why bother and waste 1.5 hours of my time?

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

It's ok I guess maar ik vind 2 cd's van dit wat veel (het is een dubbel-album)

Live!🙁

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

Good

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.

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

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

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

Lmao, ain't no way I'm listening to 2 hours of live van Morrison. A puzzling inclusion

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

great performances and mix, would listen again. wild children through bring it on home to me is a great run.

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

Remove live albums from the list, did not listen.

These are annoying and energetic live versions of the songs you kind of know from listening to radio 2 for a few years.

I was completely surprised by how much I grooved to this album.

I find live music recordings tedious. I find Van Morrison tedious. So a 1.5 hour live Van Morrison album really isn't my cup of tea.

Background music at your Uncle’s backyard bbq

Van the man! Altijd mooi als een stem zo uniek is dat je hem uit duizenden herkent en niemand hem met goed fatsoen na kan doen, net zoals bijvoorbeeld Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone of Charles Aznavour. Okee, live-albums zijn vaak verkapte best-ofs, en dat is deze keer geen uitzondering, maar Van mag dat. Want in tegenstelling tot eerdere dubbelaars in de lijst, vervelen deze vier plaatkanten geen moment. De rocksouljazz zweeft honingzacht het gehoor binnen, soms verstild, soms lekker swingend, en het is allemaal hele dikke vette prima.

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

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

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

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

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?

In the words of my husband, “Zzzzz”

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

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

Live albums work for me if they fall into one of two categories: Either its by an artist I very much like and whose work I am familiar with, or it presents a special live performance that's historically significant or approaches the material in an unique way. This seems to be neither of these, it comes across as just a regular Van Morrison show of the time. I would probably enjoy it more if was more familiar with the songs, but the only Van Morrison I've heard were the other two albums on this list, which I did like but not enough to make me a fan.

Good live album, but ultimately started to blend together after a while.

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

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.

I like Van Morrison well enough (although sometimes when he really winds up, he gets carried away into bad scat). His band is very good. Nevertheless, why oh why do we need a double live album of this?

Fucking hell. Even on the best day Van Morrison feels like a novelty act to me. That dreadful voice, just a mumbling nightmare of an artist. Inarticulate and annoying. Here an hour and a half asshole. No thank you

Ugh.

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

ja ganz ok idk

Van Morrison is always great.

a nice album to listen to while doing things around the house

Great live album.

Fantastic album. Crack live band. VAN THE MAN. what a find. I was not aware of this great live album.

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

It's decent I just don't understand why I have to listen to this. It feels like overkill after a while

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

I didn't know this existed. Good live performance but probably predates a couple of good big hits.

A pleasant listen

After two songs nothing made we want to continue. It’s just pub music.

This grumpy old Mick can sing, but I prefer his studio versions to this live stuff.

Full disclosure, I find Van The Man to be the most overrated classic rock crooners. This album has done little to change my mind. Incredible arrangements and a beautiful backing band, this album contains all his hallmarks, but for some reason, it just doesn't do it for me. Oh well...

2.6

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

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⭐️

Beautiful! Such a gifted musician! Jazz, Rock, Soul and hints of Funk.

Smooth, easy listening

Correcto

okej za pozadinu

This was good live Van Morrison. Love all of it.

Solid but interesting mainly to Van fans

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.

Im a sucker for Van Morrison.

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.

Good voice, nice instruments but overall I just wasn't that interested. Long and live, so not something I really want to revisit.

Great to listen to while cooking, really funky

Was that all the same song? I can understand how in 1974, a (double!) live album of a very popular artist was a thing people wanted. But in 2025, I don’t think this is essential listening for anyone other than Van Morrison superfans. That’s not even shade - I’ve spent a lot of time listening to shitty bootlegs from shows. It’s great to have high-quality live recordings of your favourite artists. This just wasn’t for me. Also - Volume I? There’s more?!

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.

Hell no.

First off, this is the third of three Van Morrison albums on the list and none of them are named Veedon Fleece. I just feel that should be noted. Next, this is the second appearance of his song Caravan on the list and I must once again implore you to check out the live version of that song from The Band’s Last Waltz film, so you can see Van Morrison in his coked-out, grandma pantsuit glory. In fact, I’ll make it easy for you, here’s a link: https://youtu.be/44wDwMQVqCc?si=npfDHusbnqzM7Wn3 Third, let’s talk about the phrase “electric light”, because it comes up in “Caravan” and also in the first track, “Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do”. It’s kind of an odd thing to say, specifying that something is an *electric* light (eg: “Switch on your electric light” from Caravan). It made me realize that Van Morrison, now almost 80, might have grown up without electricity, or at least in an environment where electricity was uncommon enough that he feels the need to differentiate “electric light” from other types of light. Nothing to be ashamed about - it’s possible since parts of Northern Ireland did not have electricity until the 1960’s - just interesting to think that we are not far off from a world where having electricity wasn’t a certainty. Fourth, I think Van Morrison is fucking hilarious. Not that I think he is being intentionally funny, but his vocal mannerisms, the way he chooses to emphasize certain words and the way he ramps the volume of his voice up and down are all very funny to me. When he says “Switch on your electric light-ah”, it will never not make me laugh or when he starts scatting, then abruptly stops and moves on to a different vocal delivery style all together - it’s hilarious. My favorite Van Morrison-ism is when he’s soulfully talk-singing at a normal volume and then just yells something out - like “TURN IT UP!” in the version of Caravan here. The man is a maniac with his vocal delivery and I can’t get enough of it. My fifth and final point will serve as my official review of the record. The band is exceptionally tight here and the inclusion of horns and string section breathes new life into some of these songs, which makes it a really interesting live document. In fact, the string section solo in the middle of Caravan is legitimately beautiful instrumental break. At times, though, this record feels a bit like an old time Vegas revue and I found myself losing interest during most of the traditional blues based songs. It’s when Van Morrison and the band get soulful and funky that this record, whose overly long title escapes me, really shines.

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.

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

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.

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.

point8.

Just the perfect background to any situation

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.

I own this. I love this album. Automatic 5 stars for me

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

He's got a good band behind him, but the music and the vocals left me very disappointed. The songs are indistinguishable and his vocal style grew ever more insufferable as the album wore on. (I remember Bring it on Home and whatever song was about a Lion being especially unbearable -- just awful vocals). None of the songs struck me as different enough or memorable in any way; I think you could put the songs together in a blender and what you get out would be the same result. His songwriting palette is small. At best dull, at worst ear-piercing.

It's a Van Morrison album. Ugh! It's a live album. Ugh! It's a double album. Ugh! It's a double live album. Ugh! It's double live Van Morrison album. Ugh! Fuck Van Morrison!

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.

When many British/ Irish or white Americans sing "soul" music it can sound to me false. I have encountered some of that already only 51 albums in: Aerosmith and Gram Parsons (albeit singing "Country") come to mind. Van Morrison does not come across this way to me. I think that it is a cheat that this live album is included as it is also a "Greatest Hits" album sans Brown Eyed Girl and It stoned me. That cheat aside it is hard to find any fault in this perfect sounding album. Morrison's voice is as always impeccable and the band sounds excellent too. 4.5/5

I like the songs but oh boy I am over live and/or double albums

Did it have to be a double album, Vannie?

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.