It's Too Late to Stop Now

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

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

There’s something sexy about this one. Van Morrison isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I really enjoy his music. For the time period the production of the live tracks was outstanding.

Yes, it's unfortunately too late to stop this damn challenge.

I can't believe I had to listen to an hour and a half of this crap.

In terms of being aggressively mid, this album is a top of the category. There's a huge band, spotless playing, but... Nothing happens. It's beige from start to finish, completely boring. I would have give 2 stars, but the length of this album is an insult to me.

Better than I remembered

The quality of the numbers varies across four sides - some of the covers are terrific, some are OK.

Really good live performance. Van Morrison has a good voice, and the band plays great. Liked the first disk more than the second. Standouts: Warm Love, I Believe to My Soul, I’ve Been Working, Wild Children, Saint Dominic’s Preview, Caravan.

4.25

i've said it before and i'll say it again: live albums are the purview of superfans!!! stop putting them on lists for the general public! apparently van morrison is also a real piece of shit, so that's another strike. i gave this what i thought was a reasonable chance - i listened to 1 full album. it was extremely fine. and that was enough.

today's album is a NINETY-TWO MINUTE LONG, LIVE, TWO-DISC album (volume ONE of FOUR) by a COVID CONSPIRACY NUT who had a brief affair with SCIENTOLOGY it's not very good.

It's a great album. I really enjoyed listening it. It's one of these artist that I knew I should listen too one day.

Whenever I listen to live albums, I just imagine the applause is for me doing the inane nonsense that I'm doing, like loading the dishwasher. This one is pretty good though.

Best of the best!

Nice

Ahhh, the master of blue-eyed soul. I do love me some Van the Man, that love child of James Brown and James Taylor. I was on a mountain biking trip in the summer of 1989 in Alberta with my uncle and a couple of family friends. We had covered a lot of altitude and miles before making camp for the night in the middle of nowhere under the big western sky, like four Spandex cowboys. The campfire was on the go when the fellas realized that they’d lost their hash somewhere along the way! Off they went, eventually finding it against the odds. They were in a celebratory mood (and high as f#&k) and put on some music to play one-legged “Pick up the Bag”, leading me to ask “Who’s this?”. They were aghast that I’d never heard - of course - Van Morrison. They were actually mad at my father for never having showed me the Way of the Van. And he’s been along for my ride ever since, in and out, on and off, but always there somewhere. Not sure I dig his live stuff as much as his studio work, but pulling out a Van album off the shelf now and then is always welcome.

I try to like Van Morrison. But omigod. A 2-disc live album? This *did* help me to enjoy his sounds a bit more, but I would have appreciated some moderation....it's like being force-fed something at dinner that you only kind of tolerate,and end up chewing a mouthful of mush that you don't want to swallow. For some reason, I have no emotional connection to Van Morrison's sounds....if boredom was an instrument, this would be it. Like Jimmy Buffett and Dave Matthews, it's hard to listen to somebody enjoying themselves so much by creating something so banal.... I'm glad I was only 3 when this concert happened and that my parents didn't subject me to this vocal masturbation. I know he's loved. And I'm glad people enjoy this muzak. I'm just going to leave the show early and wait for you all in the parking lot. (And I'll be listening to the original version of Ray Charles' "I believe to my soul" rather than this mutated cover version...

I love so many Van Morrison albums (astral weeks, moon dance, Tupelo Honey (thanks Mike!), Veedon Fleece) so thought I would love this. His voice is great but I didn’t enjoy the music- was almost too straight and loungey at times. Hard to believe he started recording version fleece a few weeks after these shows. Immediately after listening to this I put on Astral weeks to clean my palette.

Known as on of the greatest live albums of all time… it didn’t change my feeling about live albums in general; which is I would rather be listening to the studio albums. Overall this is fine, it’s a collection of good Van Morrison tracks and some solid covers, but it’s still limited in appeal.

Back in the day I doubt anyone imagined him turning into the rancid old crank he is now, but it's about the songs not the singer. So instead of getting wound up by The Man, relax & enjoy his lovely music.

Excellent live album. Van in his prime, excellent band who are super tight and have excellent tone

Lots of good on this. But it drags a bit, especially disc 2. Still a solid 3.

Pohjois-Irlantilaisen Van Morrisonin ylistetty live-albumi vuodelta 1974 sisältää Morrisonin omien sävellysten lisäksi melko paljon cover-kappaleita. Albumi sisältää ajoittain jopa gospel-henkistä soulia taidokkaan orkesterin soittamana. Genren diggailijoille takuulla merkkiteos. Itselläni menee sinne ”nice to know”-osastolle.

I really want to like Van. I think I should for some reason. Minus hearing one of his classic songs at a time I don't. An entire live album becomes annoying.

Live albums suck

music for my parents

Pretty good. I wish there were more of my favorite songs on there but I liked it a lot.

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

The quality of this recording is outstanding. Unfortunately this list isn't regarding the quality of 1970s pop acts live recordings. If you don't prefer this artist, you will not enjoy this. It's long. And sounds the same throughout.

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

It seems that live albums should be on the list because they launched an artist (Live at Budokan, Frampton Comes Alive), or they are definitive collections (Belafonte at Carnegie Hall). In this case, we have neither. Instead, a slack and mumbling Van Morrison churning out some ok standards and generally butchering his better-known work (talk-singing through Into the Mystic was a prime offender). We have Astral Weeks & Moondance deservedly on the list, and some of his late-70’s albums inexplicably also present. This live album is for die hard fans and apologists only.

I wanted to hate this, but I didn't. I usually don't like live records, it is much too long so I didn't listen the entire thing in one go, I don't like his voice very much, but the band is good, the songs are ok, must have been a hell of a night if you were there. favorite song: I believe to my soul.

live works well for his music

van Morrison Stan ✊ really enjoy the live album 4 him

Was listening to this in the car and got through the first three songs and then into the mystic just played 12 times I have no clue what I did and why that happened but I didn’t realize til Kailey pointed it out LOL. Anyways I love Van Morrison and this album is great

6.5/10 - While I liked the other Van Morrison album a lot this one just did not hit as hard. He played some of the songs off of the album but they were just worse. Like he kind of ruined into the mystic imo. I liked Saint Dominic's preview quite a bit.

Van Morrison is lowkey way hornier than Marvin Gaye. I feel like he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves for this

Felt like listening in a park on a summer night.

Not really my thing but the execution is tight.

A live album. Odd when these make a “must listen” list. And I do love a good live album. This one is just alright.

Didn't have time to listen but Van Morrison is a so 1 star. Though I've never heard anything I liked by him before either. Prick.

Grumpy, soulful and magical in pretty equal measures

It's Van! Really strong 2.

i love the idea of van morrison but…

Energetic!!

Van the man. Caravan and Bring it on Home are my favorites. Not all of my favorites are on there, but goof though he became, he's a hell of a singer, songwriter, and showman. I like the new caledonia orchestra, strings and horns are where its at. Night shoit!

When this album came up for me, I was trying to think about what Van Morrison songs I know. I was racking my brain, but all I could come up with was "Brown Eyed Girl." I figured that there was no way that could be the only one, so I looked at his discography on Wikipedia, and I'll be damned, that's the only song of his I know (not counting his appearance on Roger Waters's "Comfortably Numb" on the soundtrack for The Departed). Other than Metallica's S&M, I haven't really enjoyed the live albums I've reviewed, but hopefully this album breaks that trend. I didn't think that this album was bad, but it certainly didn't interest me much. Van Morrison is a good vocalist, the band played really well, and the arrangements were solid, but I didn't find anything about this album that justifies its place on this list to me. The recording quality was great, which I was really shocked by, but this album plods along for an hour and a half, and I can't think of any moment where I felt particularly engaged with it. Maybe my unfamiliarity with his music worked against me, but I was really bored by this album. I'm hoping I get more enjoyment out of the other two Van Morrison albums I'll be reviewing at some point.

Easiest 5. Incredible performance.

Pitkä platta mutta homma futaa. Tällasessa kevyemmässä kamassa tää livekonsepti ei haittaa liikaa. 3/5

Ihan kelpo livelevy ja onhan Morrisonilla paljon hyviä biisejä.

3 ok but caravan was excellent

I'm a bit torn with this one. I really don't think live albums should have been included on this list at all, especially when the artist has studio albums included. Having said that, this is incredible well performed and recorded. However, it is way too long. I could have done without all the covers. Overall a 3 in normal terms, but shouldn't be in the book.

If you love Van Morrison you'll like this because it's a load of Van Morrison. You'll have heard it before because you love Van Morrison.

Итс окэй. Записано просто невероятно (идеально?) Лучшая песня - Bring It On Home to Me.

Get ready to be punished by Van Morrison.

7/16/24. Great taste of Van Morrison right here, didn’t think it would be as blues! Some fun live tracks.

Considering the amount of terrible white "soul" singers from the British isles, he's probably the best, but man I just can't listen to his grating voice that long. 4 sides of a record is 3 too many.

This wasn't my favorite album of his. I tried to get into it, but there seemed to be a lack of energy, particularly for a live album.

Great liveshow.

It was great!

An extra star because they didn't play Brown Eyed Girl

Helt ait

I wish he had stopped.

Easy listen. Sounds like he was in his prime here.

Me ha gustado la variación de generos, pero tampoco me ha matao

I am not a fan of live albums nor particularly familiar with the oeuvre of Van Morrison, but despite its hefty runtime I thought this was great. Good soulful voice, band are precise yet somehow sound effortles, the overall vibe is warm and inviting. Will definitely come back to this one.

If you like Van Morrison, it’s hard not to like this album. I enjoyed it

Ok

It was better than I expected (which was two stars).

So solid. Just a little long.

There is no version of "my life" that *MUST* include this double live album.

Live albums are rarely good, and this is not an exception though for different reasons than usual! this actually sounds really good for a live album from a production and recording standpoint, and then it’s just a terrible performance. Why is he like that live? Why were the horns so bad? Why was he yelling instead of singing? If I’d gone to that concert it would be to hear him singing! Reluctant extra star because it really is an impressive live recording

Shockingly well-recorded for a live album from the 1970s, but I just really did not care for the music or his voice. On the Wikipedia page for this album, it said that this captured one of his best vocal performances... really?! THAT was a good vocal performance?! And people claim that singers nowadays can't sing....

i despise live albums. not even my residual nostalgia from being being sung van morrison as a kid (#browneyedgirlchild) was moved by this. he sure does Just Do That with his voice huh. 1.5

From the band that brought you "that one song they play at every wedding reception that's so long you can go smoke not one but two cigarettes" it's a double-length live album that went on to have multiple other volumes. Why are you playing for so long. Who is this for. I don't even hate it I just don't understand. This feels like music made to be played in the background of people doing something.

I've heard this before and was excited to see it come up. This time around I was a little disappointed, not sure why. Highlight: St Dominic's Preview.

Very chill

Fun and dancy!

Wow, 1001 has picked a gem

Was hard to get into

Another surprising live album banger

An ok album

Great live album

Finally and album that doesn’t suck. Easy 4

Just a great live album for the summer

This was a bit over indulgent for me.

Iconic songs, great backing band, huge voice. But too much Van for one sitting.

Chato

Nice enough

I can’t really sum up my feelings about VM but this review comes close: Morrison’s career arc looks something like this: He went from being a brash teenage wunderkind with his band Them, to a promising young solo artist (“Brown Eyed Girl”), to a moody, soulful poet casually creating masterpieces (“Astral Weeks” and “Moondance”), to a middle-aged curmudgeon showcasing occasional moments of brilliance (“Common One”), until he slowly devolved into a boozy-uncle type, cranking out boilerplate blues LPs while leaning on his earlier legacy to fill concert halls.

Van the man. Vibrant, electric, and entertaining throughout. A perfect album to throw on in the background while hanging on the patio. The fact that it's a live album deserves some credit as well. 8/10 (4/5)

I found the songs very boring. The sound is not the issue, but the writing was not very fun or engaging and there wasn’t a real hook in any aspect. You could replace Van Morrison, the instruments, the songs, any one of these with something more engaging.

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

A very good live album!! 4 ⭐️

I was expecting to hate it cause it's a 90 minutes but I ended up really enjoying it, really solid live album with great preformences from Van Morrison. 3.5/5

Too shouty. "Into the Mystic" shouldn't be shouty.

3.5

Bra. Litt upbeat, gospelaktig. Kan være tøft i rett humør 😊

I liked some of the songs but I hope my favorite artists never make a live double album.

Pretty great live album. Good energy

Fínt stöff

Mér finnst voða skrýtið að vera með hljómleika- og safnplötur á þessum lista. En Van Morrison er alltaf góður, en nýbúnir með aðra plötu frá honum. Gloria er samt alltaf geggjuð.

Somebody get their Dad off the stage please.

I don’t really like the live version.

Pretty great.

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

Jag diggar Van Morrison..gillar soundet å sången. Warm love är riktigt grym. Många bra låtar. Ganska jämnstark. Gör inget att det är live, men lång. Men var mest najs å ha lurarna.

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

really charming so far recording is perfect BOOOOOOOOOOOOORIIIIIIIING this is perfect background music this is really good, a perfect way to come back from the snorefest that was the last two songs. feels like ive heard this song 2000 times before, i have never heard this song before. annoying trumpets and falls into the background fast worst transition ever fuck taking notes theres nothing to say boring ass album 6.5-7/10 last two songs were good tho......

Domino is a bop. Hella jazzy and bluesy. and this guy is white?!?

This list does not need a Văn Morrison live album. Astral Weeks, that's your lot, boomers.

Meh. A few pretty ones but a lot of forgettable for me. Rating: 3.0

No more live albums

its a live album by van morrison

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

Ugh. Fine. I'll listen to it. I'll be as polite as I possibly can. Music appreciation is a lot about taste. Van Morrison isn't my cup of tea. It's clear that he's a powerful and unique singer, but singing is one aspect of music, and not even a necessary one for my experience. The way I process singing is as a single facet of musical possibility. I don't even comprehend lyrics until I've heard a song two or three times unless I'm purposefully seeking the lyrical content out. So, to feature an entire double live album of primarily singing just doesn't do a lot for me. His backing band is great. The engineering's fantastic. But it's an hour and a half featuring a singer who isn't among my favourites in the first place.

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

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.

A lot better than I thought it would be given it’s a live album and it’s by Van Morrison

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

Not a fan of live albums

How much Van Morrison is too much Van Morrison? Based on the ratings for this one, I'm in the minority here. The album is tight and well-performed, but holy. Jesus. Christ. does Van Morrison vamp too much. Managing to take a Sam Cooke classic and drag it out to nearly 5 minutes is a lot. "Listen To the Lion" being nearly 8 minutes is taking the piss, and the last two tracks taking nearly 20 minutes combined? Oh my god. It's nice of him to shout out the musicians, but he takes his time to shout out the musicians during parts where it would've been nice to, y'know, hear them. It's just far too much for me.

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

First off, I am ASTOUNDED by the warmth of the recording. It doesn’t sound like a live recording at all in quality. The energy in the audience is infectious as Van Morrison leads them first on a whirlwind of blues and funk firing on all cylinders. The latter songs go more into “adult contemporary,” with shades of Billy Joel and Bob Seger, but I still had a fun journey. You can tell that the band had this connection and spark on this tour, and as a live album, the quality here may be unmatched.

The album was pretty good for a live album but the actual music just wasn't my thing.

Smooth and blues inspired. Great warm live sound. It’s something to appreciate when if it’s not every day listening.

Sounded like every other Van Morrison album.

Fab live album. I keep coming back for more and more. Delivers exactly what you'd hope!

I was quite bored by this.

It’s not a good start when I see Van Morrison and inadvertently roll my eyes. I’m not sure why I can’t stand his voice for more that two songs. The band is very good. The tunes have good energy but really liked the Blues covers the most but that’s not saying much. I would put this on over astral weeks any day but again that’s not saying much.

I struggled to remain interested despite the quality of several songs. I can easily see how a fan of the sound could get lost in its depth. Just not me.

Too long for my liking, but for a live performance I would have been into this. I'll come back to this album for sure

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

-love -great album for background music/dorm music

I suppose this album would make a bigger impression on someone already familiar with Van le Man. It’s also a bit too long à mon avis. But the entire album is an amazing performance.

Not crazy abotu Van Morrison

So. Fucking. Tedious. It’s ok, I guess, but I don’t get the hype. And a double album? It’s too much. No thank you.

It was okay.

Double live album from the 70s. Oh dear. But. This is very well recorded. Not precisely sure why it's on the list, but I did enjoy this way more than I expected.

Fun songs but not my cup of tea. Minus one because it's a live album

In my view live albums don't belong on this list, but this one was excellent. Lots of enjoyable songs, especially in the beginning.

Creo no haber escuchado canciones de Van Morrison: nuevamente, toca un artista que sólo conozco de nombre (qué loco cómo los nombres se vuelven marcas, dicho sea de paso). Su voz me recuerda a cantantes afroamericanos. A John Fogerty, también. Tipo pasional, sin duda. ¿Tal vez por el vivo? ¿O es algo que atraviesa a cualquier artista, por lo menos de esos años? ¿Música? Muy sentida de a momentos. Más arriba, en otros. Buen disco. La reseña cierra sintética.

The first half of this is really bluesy and not for me. The more straightahead soul funk grooves are more my speed, like I've Been Working. Best live album ever recorded? not on your life. Have you heard Vulfpeck's Live at Madison Square Garden? Even Live at the Budokan.

I love van Morrison albums yet I don’t care for live albums. So naturally this will fall right in the middle. Van and the band do play exceptionally well though. They play some of the classics that I love along with some lesser known ones. They play like a soul band but with an Irish way. For a live album this is very nice. 7.0/10

It’s too late to stop now… is it? I wondered. As much as I wanted to hate the length of this record and the routine reaction of Van to the audience (the “thank you” after just some lines in the beginning of a song is a bummer). I must admit it is a great album and performance. I do not like live albums on this list etc. In the end only the quality of an album remains.

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

Very nice bluesy, jazzy record. Nice to hear a collection without brown eyes girl. The last three songs on this collection were outstanding. Great live album. Close to a 4 but keeping it at a three.

My third Van Morrison album. I don't think I'm a VM fan, just can't stand the way he shouts every other note. Though this live album was better. I liked the jazzy bluesy stuff on the second half. Great musicians on with him

One of the best live albums I’ve heard!

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

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

We had two Van Morrison albums already and yet, this is definitely not what I expected. In general, I'm not a fan of live albums and most times I would much rather just listen to the studio recordings of the same tracks. But what I didn't expect at all was for this to be a full-on soul concert instead of a pop/folk/rock concert as Van Morrison's studio recordings are. Weird, but also unexpectedly good.

THIS ALBUM IS LOOOOOOOOOONG

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

So good!

Give me something new.

Really decent album! I didn't know any of the songs from it, but every track was a real pleasure to listen to. Van Morrison has a great voice, very powerful and with such a wide range. One of the better live albums on this list, really good choice.

Amazing voice, great concert recording, classics from the songbook, tight band bashing it out. What's not to enjoy?

This is all really good, but it's also all essentially the same song. I can see that someone could give this a 5 if that sound was really what they were looking for. I could also see someone giving this a 1 if that sound isn't what they like. For me, it's a 3.

I did not listen to this

Having not heard much Van Morrison before, this felt like a fantastic intro to his wider discography. Fantastic live shows

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

Kind of long. Some nice singing and work from the band. Something falls just a little flat for me though. Probably would be better live it just doesn't feel as authentic as a lot of soul I've heard so far.

Zackiger Soul der 70er mit Orchester Begleitung, Piano, E-Gitarre und Trompete. Lässt sich ganz gut hören, insbesondere durch die Live Aufnahme. Hervorzuheben ist kein Song des Albums. Es ist alles solide aber auch nicht überdurchschnittlich.

Better than I thought it would be.

5/10 I like Van Morrison in general. I hate live albums in general. There is nothing here that pushes me one way or the other. You get my meh. 5-16-2024

Hell yeah another live album I tried but I just can't. Two songs in and I'm done

I'm not listening to this, life is too short for double live albums of artists you don't care for.

Ok

Jako dobar live

While I've seen Van Morrison live, an experience that I never fail to mention was one of the great disappointments of my concert-going career (he was a total prick), that was over 40 years after this recording, and he's in great voice here. The band is tight, and the energy is right. My only complaint is that, at over 90 minutes, it goes on a little long. That said, it's a pretty great live double album. Perhaps not quite essential enough to warrant its place on a future revision of the 1001 Albums list, but I'm still glad to have heard it.

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

Live albums man… I really need to like an artist to truly appreciate their live album. I really enjoy Astral Weeks, I really do but I don’t need to hear an hour and a fucking half of Van Morrison doing what Van does in front of VanFans. This album got weird right? Did you all hear how he sang “Shirt” a thousand times on Help Me? That was fucking weird and I did not care for it. I apprehensive good the horn section is even though I don’t care to hear much horn unless I’m listening to ska which is pretty rare but ska can be cool. I wonder what a Van ska album would sound like… Probably weird. Did you all hear when he was teasing the audience acting like his tongue was literally tied? What a jokester Van was, twat. Holy fuck, Gloria? What a dumb song. I’m not ok, this was hard. Did you all see he released a follow up? Volumes 2, 3 AND 4!!!? What the fuck Van. This was something I did not care for. 2 stars

Great love chill

In my humble opinion, the best way to judge the greatness of a musician is how they perform live. No studio editing, no best take. Just one shot to leave it all out there. And this album is the best way to show someone that Van Morrison is an incredible musician and performer. Leave alone the songs, I love his interaction with the audience, and credits to is performing musicians. One of the best live pieces of music I think I've ever heard

Good performance, but overlong. It all blends together after a few tracks.

Still on the fence with Van Morrison. I like a few of his catchy hits just not all in on him like so many who adore everything he does. Im willing to bet I'll see more of him on this list and will be turned. This album just didn't quite get me there.

Not my favorite. I like jazz, but maybe mostly when it’s just instrumentals. I don’t connect with this so much.

An excellent, well-recorded live album. Great R&B and rock record. The band is on point and Morrison is in his heyday. I will listen to this one again!

Van is one of our great live performers. Nice to hear him at the top of his game before the rest of life occurred.

Good listen. Solid orchestra. It strays a little too far into the "big Band" sound....but reminds me of listening to the radio with my dad in his garage doing woodwork. Nice album.

A really cool example of a style of music that doesn't really exist anymore. Big band, big energy, powerful voice. Some of the songs go on a little too long. But that can be expected with a live album

Nice background music for doing the dishes

Genuinely didn’t expect to like this but Van Morrison can fucking belt

prefer the new stuff

Double Live album by Van morrison ? Yikes … Band are very good , but his voice is so grating . Thankfully, I can easily not listen to this again.

Standard blues rock fare from everyone's favourite Irish curmudgeon. Impressive arrangements and playing, especially for a live set up.

daaaaaad music nicht schlecht aber hach jaaa i believe in my soul ein bisschen mitgeschunkelt hab ich schon!

Don't know Van Morrison beyond his hits. He's alright, although I don't think a live album is really the best way to expand my appreciation of him. He's a solid live performer, I just think his album work is likely to resonate with me more. Overall, it was an enjoyable if not ground breaking listen for me.

This was entirely too much Van Morrison. Live albums on this list are too much and I think it should be more discerning on their inclusion. This does not need to be here. It's not a great live mix, and you get real tired of the vibe real quick and it just drags on.

I can't be the only one that finds this stuff utterly tiresome, can I? And yet I might have liked it once.

Still don’t love live albums, but ever since Morrison appeared on this site once before, I’ve found myself really enjoying his music.

Never been too keen on Live albums- there's only a handful I like (Cash, Nirvana and Who for instance). This is no exception. I like Van but I'd listen to these tracks in a studio album or go an see him live in person.

Van is a cool guy!

not really a fan, its nice but sounds very similar in a way that doesnt attract my ears

Ik heb (nog) niks met deze artiest en ik merk eigenlijk al vrij snel dat de liveopname eerder zorgt voor irritatie dan bewondering. Track 3 vind ik absoluut verschrikkelijk. Als ik eerlijk ben heb ik me aan die track zitten ergeren en had ik meteen niet zoveel zin meer in de overige pak 'm beet 1 uur en 20 minuten. Uiteindelijk viel de rest vergeleken met die track 3 best mee, tot we tegen het einde "Gloria" moeten verwerken. Het is dus niet allemaal kommer en kwel. Er zitten ook wel leuke tracks tussen ("These Dreams of You" springt er positief uit), de muzikanten van de funkband beheersen hun vak dus rationeel gezien is het een goed album, maar al met al is dit album niet voor mij gemaakt. Ik vind een 2 eigenlijk toch wat te laag, dus het wordt een 3, maar ik kan me niet voorstellen dat ik dit ooit nog aan ga zetten.

Still feel like live albums shouldn't be on this list after about 1964 when studios were well enough established. This is a double disc of Van Morrison that contains neither of his good songs. At its best it's like listening to pub rock with a good soundman. At its worst I envy the deaf, because silence would be less dull than this.

It's fine.

I enjoyed this a lot.

This the third Van Morrison album. It's also a live album that is a double album over an hour an half long. It's bluesy and I like some of it. I am rounding down though.

Pretty pretty pretty good live album

2.5

Quite enjoyable! But nothing really special to me

Nothing to see here. Basic, run of the mill, exactly what you'd expect barely-rock. 1.0/5.0: Embarrassing

Do we really need to prove that Van Morrison sounds good in a live setting on the 1001 albums you should listen to before you die list? No problem with the album in a vacuum, he’s super talented. More a problem with the album in the context of this list

Awesome!

This is a live album? God damn...

Great sounding band with some great songs. I particularly like the live version of Gloria and was looking forward to getting to it as i went through the album. Being a double album I found it quiet long and repetative after a while. I got to the point where I was excited for this album to end. Not one I would listen to again but I can appreciate some good songs and a great voice. Favourite song: these dreams of you & st domonics preview. Least favourite song: There was nothing not to like, just lots of repitiion. Some songs like listen to the lion inside of me are just long and tedious. Album artwork: Great cover for a live album.

I'm not particularly interested in listening to recordings of live concerts, and some of these songs went on way too long.

Blue-eyed soul. Lots of songs. Tight band.

Not many particular standouts imo. Gloria was funky though

Van Morrison has a great voice for smooth, romantic blues numbers, as on show on this lovely live double album. It's a shame he now uses that voice to spout conspiracy theory rants as a fully paid up member of the tin foil hat brigade, but it's good to be reminded that he was once a great live performer. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Ain't Nothin' You Can Do Date listened: 07/04/24

Wikipedia calls this one of the greatest live albums ever made. Although I don't know if I can go that far, you can definitely feel the electricity from the band. They are definitely "on". What's interesting is that some of the songs that we know well ("Domino") sound different, but still feels "right". The band reminds me a lot of the Blues Brothers band, actually. It's interesting that there's a box set of this same band with performances that are (supposedly) vastly different from this album, but just as good. This was such a fun album to listen to. Really enjoyed it.

On one listen this felt like a clear 4. It's regarded as one of the greatest live albums of all time and I agree it's very good. But is it worth a 5? Well, I had it on all weekend and it definitely gets better with multiple listens. Van Morrison is clearly enjoying himself on stage and at times you can hear how much the audience is too. Side one take a bit to build because the performer-audience connection is less audible. Morrison and his band (until the songs end) still bring it on Warm Love and Into the Mystic and you can hear the audience energy more on These Dreams of You (piano really starts to shine) and you can hear the band and Morrison improvise too. But the covers really shine and keep taking the performance to another level. Morrison and the band really lean in on the Ray Charles cover I Believe to My Soul as side one ends and then they are electric on Help Me (song two of side two). But it’s as the album pivots from side two to three that the album absolutely takes off, as they transition from the incredible Muddy Waters and Sam Cooke covers (I Just Want to Make Love to You and Bring in on Home To Me) and Domino right before. The energy grabs you and you can feel like you're there. And Morrison turns into the greatest showman with a band that matches. The sax and faux siren on Take Your Hand out of My Pocket, the tender piano and strings and passionate singing on St. Dominic’s Preview and Listen to the Lion (minus those silly accents). And then side four blows the roof off. It sounds like all of it was encore, but man oh man. The crowd goes wild for the two Them hits (Here Comes the Night and G-L-O-R-I-A) and rightly so – Morrison owns the stage at this point, yowling, prowling, and improvising. But his vocal play and his and the band’s connection with the audience on Caravan and Cyprus Avenue, wow. They’re just eating out of the palm of his/their hand as he does call and answer, instrument solos, or stops and starts. The repeated “so you know it’s got soul” in Caravan, the fan call out of “turn it on” and sultry Morrison reply of “it’s turned on already” on Cyprus Avenue before he launches into “it’s too late to stop now”. It makes you wish you were there. So all that to say, yeah, it’s worth a 5.

El directo de Van Morrison siempre ha sido uno de sus puntos fuertes. "It's Too Late to Stop Now" fue su primer álbum en vivo y para muchos críticos uno de los mejores directos de la historia del rock, editado además, sin ningún tipo de corrección o sobregrabación a posteriori. Difícil destacar un tema pues Morrison se encontraba en uno de sus mejores momentos e interpretó temas de su días con el grupo Them ("Here Comes the Night" y la excelsa versión de "Gloria"), canciones de artistas a los que Morrison debe mucho en su evolución musical como Ray Charles, ("I Believe to My Soul"), Sam Cooke ("Bring It On Home to Me") o Sonny Boy Williamson II ("Help Me" y "Take Your Hands Out of My Pocket"), y composiciones propias ("Warm Love", "Cyprus Avenue" o "Into the Mystic", cuya letra final da título al álbum). Su gran éxito "Brown Eyed Girl" no se incluyó hasta la reedición de 2008.

can’t believe this mf is irish 10/10

Oh it’s fine. Van Morrison is an idiot but there’s worse music to have to listen to. If your grandparents put this on, you’ll live. His voice is nice and the songs are pleasant. The recording is really well done and sounds great for a live album. I don’t think they should let live albums be on this list though! I’ll say the final two tracks both being ten minutes long started to test my patience!

We were heading for the top! Side A is an awesome, bluesy, rock n roll good time. Tons of fun, people ripping solos and playing well together. Side B slows wayyy down. Think sitting on a picnic blanket on a lawn at a stadium slow. Not necessarily bad, but not nearly as fun. All that being said, this is a great collection of musicians, and the songs that are good are really, REALLY good. Some fall flat/run on too long, but I'm overall pretty pleased with this one. They also did a good job keeping out the surrounding live noises, except when appropriate. Fav tracks: I've Been Working, I Just Want to Make Love to You, Warm Love

GREAT live record. Not much else to say really. More listens would probably give me a chance to pick some favourites/etc but for right now I just want to leave it at "this is a great live record"

Two van albums in a row. I hope there's not another 40 on this list. At least better than the last one

This 1001 album journey is the first time I’ve really listened to Van Morrison and I have to say, his stuff from this era is some of my favorite music of all time.

tolles album, tolle musik zum hinhören!

Irgendwo zwischen Chilbiband und Rolling Stones, die Instrumente werden beherrscht und ausgereizt aber der Funken fliegt nicht bis zu mir.

Excellent as usual

De groep krijgt veel haat in de andere reviews, maar ik vond het prima om naar te luisteren. Ben denk ik te jong om hier iets van Van Morrison te begrijpen. Prima, zal hem niet gauw opnieuw luisteren.

This was more enjoyable than I expected. Due to so many memories, it had been a long time since I listened to any VM. Nice easy walk down memory lane.

It’s not fair, really. These are some terrific live performances. That’s performances plural. Like several other live albums on the list, it’s not a single performance. So even though Morrison and his band were completely on fire for this tour, it seems unfair to put together a kind of greatest hits live album and consider it for this list. And that consideration doesn’t seem to exist at all for anything after 1990 (with the exception of Nirvana’s “Unplugged”), though there are lots of pre-90s live albums. Does it really matter how or where an album was recorded? Live on stage or over time in a studio? In one take in one studio, or over many months in different studios? I dunno, it still seems unfair somehow to consider live albums, and to pretty exclusively consider older live albums.

This is the best Van Morrison album on the list. There is an energy to this live album that is missing from the studio recordings.

Van Morrison delivers again. After our third and final VM album, I may have an answer to the question. You know, when you’re talking to someone and they ask what you’ve been up to. And you say, “well there’s this book, 1001 albums you should hear before you die. And this guy made a website that…” Yada yada yada…eventually the person asks you what the biggest surprise/discovery/take away is from the experience. VM has such a command of the room on this live album. He (and The Caledonia Soul Orchestra) delivery the energy and whip the crowd up. And they just as easily bring the mood down to a whisper with the crowd anticipating his every word. The story goes that VM didn’t put much into live shows but that he was into it, and at the top of his game, for this tour. One of the aspects I respect the most is that VM allowed no studio over dubs for the album. In fact he kept a couple of his more successful songs off the album due to errors in the recording. My answer to the question could be that I’m a Van Morrison fan. His offerings are 3/3 for me. I like them all. Of course there are many other discoveries that stick out too, but VM is a highlight for sure.

Album 359 of 1001 Van Morrison - It's Too Late to Stop Now Rating : 4 / 5 Not too many live albums I'm big on. I can add this to the list of those that I do enjoy. The clarity is such that I wonder if it is all live. Great tunes, great performance. Makes you want to be there.

I can’t tell if this was too much of a good thing or just a live album I didn’t particularly like because I love van Morrison but this album ended up just being another in like a weeklong string of albums I’ve been almost completely ambivalent about. It wasn’t bad and there were a couple good songs but by the end of an hour and a half I was just exhausted.

A great time. Gotta revisit.

one of the best live albums.

A great live document of Van Morrison's skill as a performer and the soulfulness of his voice.

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

This was some of the most boring drivel I have listened to in a while. Van Morrison couldn't keep a pet rock alive. Truly don't know how it could be touted as one of the greatest live albums of all time. After sitting through all 92 minutes of it I don't want to hear another Van Morrison Live set again. Best: couldn't tell you Worst: Caravan

Actually a pretty great listen for a live album, they're not usually my preference. 4.5

I’m not a fan of live albums or double albums. So straight away I’m needing convinced with this one. Actually as far as live albums go this is pretty good, I still think it’s too long though, but enjoyed this blues covers too. Too long to add to my frequent rotation but deserves to be on the list.

ваще приятненько

Я возмущен! Трек Cyprus Avenue не посвящен Кипру!!! А так довольно приятный джаз рок. Очень крепко и кайфово Алкоальбом: потягиваешь красное вино и куришь сигару

Чувак конечно жжёт... для меня всё ещё удивительно, что он взял и переехал из Европы в Америку и начал писать в жанре, для которого он как бы вроде по всем параметрам абсолютно чужой! Это сильно, релокант 1000lvl C другой стороны, ну приятно слушать конечно, да, энерегично, но что-то гипер цепляющего я не услышал

Terrific live set! Great energy, great playing, great versions of the songs. Those 92 minutes just fly right by!

Swäg ja va int entusiastisk men de va nice!

I fully expected to find this double live album a chore, having been so so on Morrison's other albums on the list but was thrilled at how energetic and enjoyable this record turned out to be. Morrison is charismatic and lively and in fine voice and the soul band, notably horns and string, are amazing. Clearly, Van decided that if he was to take a soul band on tour he'd take advantage and sing some soul covers and who can blame him when it sounds this good? His own compositions are excellent, too, and I may need to dig further into his back catalogue. Perhaps that was the missing piece of the puzzle? Move him out of the studio and onto the stage and Morrison comes to life with this vivid, powerhouse of a performance.

I really don't like live albums and i do struggle with Van these days, but credit where credits due. This is a big band knocking it out of the park

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

Classic, Love it.

Phantastic!

Awesome album! Van is a maestro!

I've never spent much time with Van Morrison's music beyond the hits, but after suffering through an hour and a half of this snooze fest of a live album: I think I hate Van Morrison

Good album. Only had time for a single listen, but listening to Morrison live was a treat. 4/5!

Cet album est une énorme surprise. Alors que l'on voit arriver Van Morrison sur scène habillé d'une salopette et d'un crayon derrière l'oreille, celui-ci va contre toute attente se débarrasser de son accoutrement et révéler à son public qu'il n'a aucun lien de près ou de loin avec Jim Morrison. La salle semble alors tomber des nues. Certains commencent même à partir quand soudain, Van démarre son concert. Personne n'en croit alors ses oreilles ; Van met sa misère à Jim sur tous les plans et livrera une performance mémorable. Il jettera comme un clin d'œil son crayon dans la fosse au terme du dernier morceau. Du grand art.

Oui ok il est bon Van Morrisson mais en aucun cas çA justifie de venir nous prendre 1h30 de notre temps. Si vous souhaitez vous offrir 30mn en ma présence moyennant une somme d'argent conséquente, vous pouvez me contacter à cette adresse: robertestleperedemikeladd@gmx.com. Vous pouvez également envoyer des menaces à mon camarade d'écoute robcuillère.

I'll put my hate for Van Morrison aside and admit that the production, recording, arrangement, of this album is superb.

Great live album, love van!

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

I got bored

Few good tracks, but way to long and his voice becomes increasingly monotonous over this length of a performance. That said, the band sounds great. Fuck Van Morrison tho...

Listened Before? N I've heard of Van Morrison, of course, but never listened to a single song of his that I'm aware of. So this is quite the introduction... a double live album. I thought it was probably super popular with his fans, and not too hard to listen to - but being unfamiliar with his work it didn't do a ton for me. I'd revisit again after becoming more familiar with his work. Added to Library: N Songs added to playlist: Bring It on Home to Me

Interesting voice. It has it's place.

Blimey this was a longy! I listened to the whole thing and it took me days. But I do love Van Morrison. I can't think of any other similar artist who manages to give such warmth in their music. It's v comfortable and comforting. Some songs I liked more than others, I have to say some blurred into one and I wasn't always too hot on the use of brass instruments (I think I like his more simplistic songs). But overall a great listen. Luke says he's an arsehole as a person, which is a shame

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

Great arrangements

Good

OK

ja cute vibey

I really enjoy a good live record. Usually I prefer when it all comes from one show but this one spread across multiple shows was done very well. Van Morison is someone I have very specific images of in my head but this shows a much more diverse range than I give him credit for.

2 stars. Not bad for an anti-vax jerk.

Music is nice but these days I really started to dislike the vocals.

Very impressive live album: massive band and charismatic performer.

Horns and strings in a band is always a nice touch. Liked the blues too

I was tired of this after one song. They all sound the same.

I definitely didn't need this to be a double album. I listened to about two thirds of it and had my fill. Band is undeniably very tight, the performance is good, but it doesn't really stir me.

4/5

This album is pretty boring to me. I am itching to be done with it. I hate albums that are this long and this similar.

Pretty great live album. Van Morrison's voice shines here. His backing band sounds great. Biggest con is the length.

I’m good on the yelling.

Live albums have always been a money grab. But I can respect the fact that someone puts together a live album because they want to give you a sense of what the experience was like at a particular concert. These used to be known as "bootlegs". But this one takes the cake, because it's just combining multiple concerts into a double album and presumably charging twice as much. I'd like to give this a minus 1 star.

I'm normally against double albums, and there is certainly a question raised about a live album (especially if you can cherry pick your own tracks and your favorite covers). Still, this is a pretty amazing backstory and the fact that it is reported that Moondance was thrown off this release list because there was one wrong note played. It is very cool to think that every night of the tour was a different riff on these tracks. Van Morrison is definitely in hit soulful passionate prime and it shows here. There are lots of home runs here. Great album. Its a really powerful set.

Surprisingly fine. I’m not a big Van Morrison fan, but I recognize his talent. I could listen to this regularly as background ambience.

Liked it but long and songs started to blend together; he's got a great voice though.

Really enjoyed this album

Y know, as much of a crap person Van Morrison is, you can’t deny he’s got a hell of a voice. Can’t understand a word he sings, but he’s good. This is the best mix I’ve ever heard on a live album and that’s including Zappa. Every instrument is crystal clear. Makes up for Van’s mumbling. Didn’t think I’d like this but I loved almost every damned song.

Non mi piacciono i live, ma Van Morrison si.

Great sound.

It's a theme of Van Morrison, for me. I encounter, kinda sideways, and I think that there's something for me to explore. When I face him front on, I don't do as well as I would have thought. There is something there, there is interest, but I don't engage deeply or well. I feel compatible emotions, interesting catchy melodies, he is a male voice of some wisdom and hard won experience, but I don't connect. I don't quite know why. I should do more. I'll try again, but for now, like my experience of Kate Bush, I just leave at 2 stars wondering what it is that's not connecting for me.

To be honest, I haven’t listened Van Morrison much before and probably won’t after this either. Good live playing, but songs weren’t that great

I rather like Van Morrison, live albums not so much. For a live album this one is not so bad.

That's a great live album!

A night of Soul, R&B, and Pop that goes to show that a live album can be more than just a collection of the hits, it can also calcify songs that didn't quite have the impact on the original albums that they appeared, making them more forceful, and how a dynamic group featuring your standard rock outfit buffeted by horns, winds, and string can adapted their performances to the audience that is taking the journey with them on the night. While there is fun to be had while hearing Morrison's compositions in this new light, it was also fun seeing Van Morrison covering songs by his heroes, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and Willie Dixon. An album that captures a certain vibe of a certain time. A good album, but as I have said before I am not sure that live concert albums belong on this list, given that spaces are limited and important for exhibiting the most varied and best that popular music has to offer.

One's not qualified to judge whether this is truly one of the all-time live albums. Certainly it seems a very good-to-great one, with super-tight playing, crisp, assured and polished, and Van digging deep and delivering the goods on every cut. But what’s the fetish for live albums? Which always have a sorta "had-to-be-there" vibe. Multiple other of his studio records seem more deserving. St Dominic’s Preview, surely. And what about the late ‘90s and early-aught releases – The Healing Game, say, or Days Like This, or even the critically (criminally?) underrated Enlightenment, which may be somewhat uneven but certainly merit the “worth hearing” tag given Van’s full-on maturation as poet-philosopher-shaman-warrior king? One likes how he intros the band late on – he sounds almost like an American accent. One's a huge Van fan and is glad to have reason to spend more time on this, but seems like a bit of missed opportunity to include something a little more worthy, something where he did a bit more exploratory work, say.

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

Not bad. One of his better albums

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

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

There is a quality of Van Morrison's voice that makes you feel he is talking directly to you.

1. nothing you can do - 0 2. uuarm love - 0 3. into the myztic - 1 4. theze dreamz of you - 1 5. i believe to my zoul - 1 6. uuorking - 1 7. help me - 1.5 8. uuild children - 1 9. domino - 1 10. make love to you - 1.5 11. bring it on home - 1.5 12. zaint dominicz - 0 13. my pocket - 1 14. lizten to the lion - 1 15. here comez the night - 1 16. gloria - 1.5 17. caravan - 0 18. cypruz avenue - 1

Get outta here. A live double album of some guy moaning stupid bullshit while default settings jazz orchestra plays behind him. Feels like being trapped in a time vortex. Van Morrison might a manchild crybaby, but his worst crime is making boring music. Zero out of ten.