Tuesday 10/18/22 9pm ET: Feature LP: Van Morrison – Saint Dominic’s Preview (1972)

Saint Dominic’s Preview is the sixth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in July 1972 by Warner Bros. Records. Rolling Stone declared it “the best-produced, most ambitious Van Morrison record yet released.”

The diversity of the material on the album highlighted Morrison’s fusing of Celtic folk, R&B, blues, jazz and the singer-songwriter genre. “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)” and the title track were blends of soul and folk, while lesser known tracks such as “Gypsy” and “Redwood Tree” continued to display a lyrical celebration of nature’s beauty. Also on the album were two lengthy tracks, “Listen to the Lion” and the closing “Almost Independence Day” which were given primal, cathartic and intense vocal performances from Morrison. These tracks were similar to the songs on his 1968 album, Astral Weeks.

The album reached number 15 on the Billboard 200 when it was released. This would remain Morrison’s highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 until 2008 when Keep It Simple came in at number 10.

1. “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)” 2:57
2. “Gypsy” 4:36
3. “I Will Be There” 3:01
4. “Listen to the Lion” 11:07
5. “Saint Dominic’s Preview” 6:23
6. “Redwood Tree” 3:03
7. “Almost Independence Day” 10:05

Van Morrison — lead vocals; acoustic, rhythm & twelve string guitars; backing vocals on “Listen to the Lion”
Jules Broussard — tenor saxophone, flute
Lee Charlton — drums on “Almost Independence Day”
Bill Church — bass
Ron Elliott — acoustic guitar on “Almost Independence Day”
“Boots” Houston — tenor saxophone, backing vocals
Mark Jordan — piano on “Listen to the Lion”
Connie Kay — drums on “Listen to the Lion”
Bernie Krause — Moog synthesizer on “Almost Independence Day”
Gary Mallaber — drums, percussion, vibraphone
John McFee — steel guitar on “Saint Dominic’s Preview”
Doug Messenger — electric, acoustic and twelve string guitars
Ronnie Montrose — acoustic guitar, backing vocals on “Listen to the Lion”
Mark Naftalin — piano, Moog synthesizer
Pat O’Hara — trombone on “Saint Dominic’s Preview” and “Gypsy”
Janet Planet — backing vocals
Tom Salisbury — piano, organ
Rick Shlosser – drums[41]
Ellen Schroer — backing vocals
Jack Schroer — alto and baritone saxophones
Mark Springer — backing vocals on “Saint Dominic’s Preview” and “Redwood Tree”
Leroy Vinnegar — double bass on “Almost Independence Day”

Thursday 9/15/22 7pm ET: Feature LP: Van Morrison – Astral Weeks (1968)

Astral Weeks is the second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was recorded at Century Sound Studios in New York during September and October 1968, and released November 29, 1968 by Warner Bros. Records.

The album’s music blends folk, blues, jazz, and classical styles, signalling a radical departure from the sound of Morrison’s previous pop hits, such as “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967). The lyrics and cover art portray the symbolism equating earthly love and heaven that would often feature in the singer’s subsequent records. His lyrics have been described as impressionistic, hypnotic, and modernist, while the record has been categorized as a song cycle or concept album.

Astral Weeks did not originally receive promotion from Morrison’s record label and was not an immediate success with consumers or critics. Its standing eventually improved greatly, with praise given to Morrison’s singing, arrangements and songwriting, and the album has been viewed as one of rock music’s greatest and most important records (a reputation the singer himself has dismissed). It was placed on numerous widely circulated lists of the best albums of all time and had an enduring effect on both listeners and musicians.

Forty years after the album’s release, Morrison performed all eight of its songs live for the first time at two Hollywood Bowl concerts in November 2008; this performance was later released as Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl.

1. “Astral Weeks” 7:06
2. “Beside You” 5:16
3. “Sweet Thing” 4:25
4. “Cyprus Avenue” 7:00
5. “The Way Young Lovers Do” 3:18
6. “Madame George” 9:45
7. “Ballerina” 7:03
8. “Slim Slow Slider” 3:17

Van Morrison – vocals, acoustic guitar
John Payne – flute; soprano saxophone on “Slim Slow Slider”
Jay Berliner – classical and steel-string acoustic guitars
Richard Davis – double bass
Warren Smith Jr. – percussion, vibraphone
Connie Kay – drums
Larry Fallon – string arrangements and conductor; harpsichord on “Cyprus Avenue”
Unknown – flute on “Beside You” and “Cyprus Avenue”
Barry Kornfeld – acoustic guitar on “The Way Young Lovers Do”

Thursday 9/15/22 10am ET: Feature Artist / Feature LP: B.B. King – B.B. King & Friends: 80 (2005)

Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato and staccato picking that influenced many later blues electric guitar players. AllMusic recognized King as “the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century”.

King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname “The King of the Blues”, and is considered one of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar” (along with Albert King and Freddie King, none of whom are related). King performed tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing on average at more than 200 concerts per year into his 70s. In 1956 alone, he appeared at 342 shows.

King was born on a cotton plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi, and later worked at a cotton gin in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and the guitar in church, and he began his career in juke joints and local radio. He later lived in Memphis and Chicago; then, as his fame grew, toured the world extensively. King died at the age of 89 in Las Vegas on May 14, 2015.

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B.B. King & Friends: 80 is the forty-first album by B.B. King released September 13, 2005. Recorded in several studios, it celebrates King’s 80th birthday and features duets with a variety of musicians. 80 reached No. 45 in the Billboard 200 top albums chart as well as No. 1 in the blues albums chart.

1. “Early in the Morning” Van Morrison 4:50
2. “Tired of Your Jive” Billy Gibbons 3:53
3. “The Thrill is Gone” Eric Clapton 5:03
4. “Need Your Love So Bad” Sheryl Crow 3:58
5. “Ain’t Nobody Home” Daryl Hall 3:52
6. “Hummingbird” John Mayer 4:42
7. “All Over Again” Mark Knopfler 4:54
8. “Drivin’ Wheel” Glenn Frey 4:20
9. “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere” Gloria Estefan 6:50
10. “Never Make Your Move Too Soon” Roger Daltrey 4:59
11. “Funny How Time Slips Away” Bobby Bland 4:09
12. “Rock This House” Elton John 3:07

B.B. King – vocals, guitar
Van Morrison – vocals, harmonica (tr. 1)
Billy F Gibbons – guitar, vocal (tr. 2)
Eric Clapton – guitar (tr. 3)
Billy Ward – drums (tr. 9
Ian Thomas – drums ((1, 3, 7, 10)
Clem Clempson – guitar (tr. 10,
John Mahon – percussion (tr. 12)
Leland Sklar – bass guitar (tr. 2, 4, 8, 11)
Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, Hammond organ (tr.2, 4, 8, 11)
Mark Knopfler – guitar
Bob Birch – bass guitar (tr. 12
Jerry Hey – trumpet
Nathaniel Kunkel – shaker
Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trumpet
Brian Mitchell – keyboards (tr. 9
John Mayer – vocals, guitar
Nigel Olsson – drums (tr. 12
Brandon Fields – saxophone
Gary Grant – trumpet
Glenn Frey – vocals, guitar (tr.8
T-Bone Wolk – bass guitar (tr. 9,
Guy Babylon – keyboards
Davey Johnstone – guitar (tr. 12)
Russ Kunkel – drums (2, 4, 8, 11)
Luke Smith – Hammond organ (tr. 3)
Yolanda Charles – bass guitar (1, 3, 7, 10)
Dean Parks – rhythm guitar (tr. 8,
Elton John – vocals, piano (tr. 12)
Larry Campbell – (bass?) guitar (tr. 5, 6, 9)
Chris Stainton – keyboards (tr. 10)

Wednesday 8/31/22 11am ET: Feature Artist / Feature LP: Van Morrison – Best Of (1990)

Sir George Ivan Morrison OBE (born August 31, 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans six decades. He has won two Grammy Awards.

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The Best of Van Morrison is a compilation album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It compiles songs spanning 25 years of his recording career. Released January 1990 by Polydor Records, the album was a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the best-selling records of the 1990s and helping revive Morrison’s mainstream popularity. Its success encouraged him to release a second and third greatest hits volume in 1993 and 2007, respectively. The album remains Morrison’s best-seller.

1. “Bright Side of the Road” 3:45
2. “Gloria” (with Them) 2:37
3. “Moondance” 4:31
4. “Baby, Please Don’t Go” (with Them) 2:40
5. “Have I Told You Lately” 4:18
6. “Brown Eyed Girl” (radio edit) 3:03
7. “Sweet Thing” 4:22
8. “Warm Love” 3:21
9. “Wonderful Remark” 3:58
10. “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)” 2:57
11. “Full Force Gale” 3:12
12. “And It Stoned Me” 4:30
13. “Here Comes the Night” (with Them) 2:46
14. “Domino” 3:08
15. “Did Ye Get Healed?” 4:06
16. “Wild Night” 3:31
17. “Cleaning Windows” 4:42
18. “Whenever God Shines His Light” (duet with Cliff Richard) 4:54
19. “Queen of the Slipstream” 4:53
20. “Dweller on the Threshold” 4:47

Bert Berns – producer (tracks 6 and 13)
Mick Glossop – engineer (tracks 5 and 18)
Lewis Merenstein – producer (track 7)
Van Morrison – primary artist, producer (tracks 1, 3, 5, 8, 10 to 12, and 14 to 20)
Cliff Richard – guest vocalist (track 18)
Robbie Robertson – producer (track 9)
Dick Rowe – producer (tracks 2 and 4)
Ted Templeman – producer (tracks 10 and 16)
Them – primary artist (tracks 2, 4, and 13)

Tuesday 5/24/22 10pm ET: Feature LP: Van Morrison – What’s It Gonna Take? (2022)

What’s It Gonna Take? Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (AllMusic.com)
Arriving hot on the heels of Latest Record Project, Vol. 1, the 2021 double album where Van Morrison unleashed all of his frustrations at being locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic, What’s It Gonna Take? finds the singer doubling down on all of his gripes. The shift in intensity is apparent from the artwork depicting a couple being controlled by the hand of an unseen puppet master, an image that crystallizes Morrison’s belief that the government and other shadowy forces are conspiring to take away free will from the common man. Van believes himself to be among these little folks: as he sings on one of the record’s less politically charged songs, “I Ain’t No Celebrity,” he’s merely a working musician. The fact that he was not able to work during the early months of the pandemic stoked Morrison’s anger, and it shines brightly throughout What’s It Gonna Take?, seeming even more vivid because his vitriolic lyrics are married to jaunty R&B rhythms or slow, soulful grooves delivered with precision and enshrined in a clean production. There’s no ignoring Morrison’s repeated references to Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, fake news, and mind control or his huffy denials that he’s a conspiracy theorist as they’re pushed right to the forefront. Plus, where he seemed merely cranky on Latest Record Project, Vol. 1, Morrison is filled with bile here, letting it bubble to the surface even on slow-burners like “Can’t Go On This Way.” By the end of the album, he points some of this anger inward, resulting in the relatively nuanced “Fear and Self-Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Pretending,” but that doesn’t change the general tenor of What’s It Gonna Take? The blend of anodyne R&B and anger makes for one of the odder albums in Van Morrison’s body of work.

Release May 20, 2022

1 Dangerous 7:40
2 What’s It Gonna Take? 3:22
3 Fighting Back is the New Normal 3:35
4 Fodder for the Masses 4:44
5 Can’t Go on This Way 6:41
6 Sometimes It’s Just Blah Blah Blah 3:36
7 Money From America 7:35
8 Not Seeking Approval 6:30
9 Damage and Recovery 4:04
10 Nervous Breakdown 5:09
11 Absolutely Positively the Most 5:19
12 I Ain’t No Celebrity 4:41
13 Stage Name 4:28
14 Fear and Self-Loathing in Las Vegas 5:03
15 Pretending 6:47

Crawford Bell Vocals (Background)
Tony Cousins Mastering
Richard Dunn Organ (Hammond), Vocals (Background)
Colin Griffin Drums
Pete Hurley Bass
Oli Jacobs Assistant Engineer
Dave Keary Guitar (Acoustic)
Seth Lakeman Fiddle, Vocals (Background)
Teena Lyle Bongos, Congas
Dana Masters Vocals (Background)
Van Morrison Composer, Guitar (Electric), Primary Artist, Producer, Production Manager, Vocals

Thursday 2/17/22 8pm ET: Feature LP: Van Morrison – Back On Top (1999)

Back on Top is the twenty-seventh studio album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison. It was released March 9, 1999 by Point Blank. This album marks a slight return to the forms of music he is most known for: blues and R&B. Upon the album’s release, Rolling Stone reviewed it as “one Monet and nine Norman Rockwells”, the “Monet” being “When the Leaves Come Falling Down” which it called a masterpiece.

The January 29, 2008 reissued and remastered version of the album contains two bonus tracks: an alternative take of “Philosopher’s Stone” and a new arrangement of Fats Domino’s song, “Valley of Tears”. “Golden Autumn Day” was also used as the credits song for the 2001 and 2004 World Series.

“Goin’ Down Geneva” – 4:24
“Philosopher’s Stone” – 6:05
“In the Midnight” – 5:07
“Back on Top” – 4:23
“When the Leaves Come Falling Down” – 5:39
“High Summer” – 5:12
“Reminds Me of You” – 5:39
“New Biography” – 5:23
“Precious Time” – 3:45
“Golden Autumn Day” – 6:31
“Philosopher’s Stone” – 4:52 (alternative take)
“Valley of Tears” – 5:02

Van Morrison – vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, producer
Mick Green – acoustic and electric guitars
Pee Wee Ellis – soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones, background vocals
Matt Holland – trumpet
Geraint Watkins – piano, Hammond organ
Fiachra Trench – piano
Ian Jennings – double bass
Liam Bradley – drums, percussion, background vocals
Bobby Irwin – drums
Brian Kennedy – background vocals
Irish Film Orchestra – strings
Leo Green – tenor saxophone (2008 reissue)
Jools Holland – piano (2008 reissue)
Mike Sanchez – piano, guitar (2008 reissue)

Tuesday 8/31/21 1pm ET: Feature Artist: Van Morrison

Sir George Ivan Morrison OBE (born August 31, 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer whose recording career spans seven decades. Van Morrison made his first recording playing saxophone on “Boozoo Hully Gully” with the International Monarchs in 1962. His first recording session as lead singer/songwriter with Them was produced by Dick Rowe at Decca’s studio. “Don’t Start Crying Now” was the first single released and the garage rock classic, “Gloria” was also recorded at this session. “Baby, Please Don’t Go” (recorded October 1964) was released November 1964 with “Gloria” as the B-side and was a Top Ten hit in the UK Singles Chart. “Here Comes the Night” was Them’s second hit in 1965, charting at No. 2 in the UK and No. 24 in the US.

Morrison had his first recording session as a solo artist for Bang Records in New York City for Bert Berns on March 28, 1967. One of the songs was “Brown Eyed Girl”, which charted at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Since then he has been on the Billboard album chart a total of 787 weeks by April 2008 (including the Them albums); a period of almost 43 years when his 33rd solo studio album Keep It Simple debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200.

Monday 8/23/21 2pm ET: Sounds of The 70’s

The best music from 1970 – 1979

Monday 8/16/21 2pm ET: Sounds of The 70’s

The best music from 1970 – 1979

Monday 8/9/21 2pm ET: Sounds of The 70’s

The best music from 1970 – 1979

Friday 3/26/21 2pm ET: New Music Show

New music this week from: Van Morrison, Amy Helm, Toigo, Angela Bond, Bachelor, Stone Temple Pilots, Beabadoobee, Brock & Sgro, Spoon, Detention, Gruff Rhys, Sofia Carson, Hold Steady, Phem, and more . . .

Friday 2/26/21 1am ET: Feature LP: Van Morrison – Wavelength (1978)

Wavelength is the tenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, and was released in September 1978. The album has a different musical sound from his previous albums, leaning towards a pop rock sound with prominent electric guitars and synthesizers. Wavelength was Morrison’s best selling album at the time of the original release. Mick Glossop, Bobby Tench and Peter Bardens were given credit for special assistance in production.

A remastered version of the album was released on January 29, 2008. It contains two bonus tracks, “Wavelength” and “Kingdom Hall”, taken from the promotional album Van Morrison Live at the Roxy (1979), recorded on November 29, 1978.

“Kingdom Hall” – 5:59
“Checkin’ It Out” – 3:29
“Natalia” – 4:04
“Venice U.S.A.” – 6:32
“Lifetimes” – 4:15
“Wavelength” – 5:44
“Santa Fe/Beautiful Obsession” – 7:04
“Hungry for Your Love” – 3:45
“Take It Where You Find It” – 8:40
“Kingdom Hall” Live – 6:05
“Wavelength” Live – 6:07

Van Morrison – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, Fender Rhodes, alto saxophone, backing vocals
Peter Bardens – keyboards, synthesizer
Bobby Tench – electric guitar, backing vocals
Herbie Armstrong – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Mickey Feat – bass guitar
Peter Van Hooke – drums
Garth Hudson – Hammond organ, synthesizer, accordion
Ginger Blake – backing vocals
Laura Creamer – backing vocals
Linda Dillard – backing vocals
Mitch Dalton – Spanish guitar (“Take It Where You Find It”)
Kuma – bass (“Santa Fe/Beautiful Obsession” and “Take It Where You Find It”)
Katie Kissoon – backing vocals
Anna Peacock – backing vocals

Monday 8/31/2020 12pm ET: Feature Artist – Van Morrison

Sir George Ivan Morrison OBE (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and record producer. His professional career began as a teenager in the late 1950s, playing a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands, covering the popular hits of that time. Van Morrison rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B and rock band, Them, with whom he recorded the garage band classic “Gloria”. His solo career began in 1967, under the pop-hit orientated guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single “Brown Eyed Girl”. After Berns’s death, Warner Bros. Records bought out his contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks (1968). Though this album gradually garnered high praise, it was initially a poor seller.

Morrison has a reputation for being at once stubborn, idiosyncratic, and sublime. His live performances at their best are seen as transcendental and inspired, while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It’s Too Late to Stop Now, are highly acclaimed.

Moondance (1970) established Morrison as a major artist, and he built on his reputation throughout the 1970s with a series of acclaimed albums and live performances. He continues to record and tour, producing albums and live performances that sell well and are generally warmly received, sometimes collaborating with other artists, such as Georgie Fame and The Chieftains.

Much of Morrison’s music is structured around the conventions of soul music and R&B, such as the popular singles “Brown Eyed Girl”, “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)”, “Domino” and “Wild Night”. An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, loosely connected, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz and stream-of-consciousness narrative, such as the album Astral Weeks and the lesser known Veedon Fleece and Common One. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as “Celtic soul”. He has received two Grammy Awards, the 1994 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the 2017 Americana Music Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, he was knighted for services to the music industry and to tourism in Northern Ireland. He is known by the nickname Van the Man to his fans.

Wednesday 4pm ET: Sounds of The 70s

This week on the Sounds of The 70s we feature music from: Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, KC & The Sunshine Band, Bad Company, Aerosmith, Henry Gross, Doobie Brothers, Thelma Houston, Grass Roots and more. . . 

Wednesday 2pm: Sounds of The 70s

This week on Sounds of The 70s.  Edward Bear, Billy Joel, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Supertramp, America, Abba, Peter Frampton, Led Zeppelin, Marshall Tucker Band, Bachman Turner Overdrive and more. . .