VAN MORRISON – INTO THE MUSIC LP – Nr MINT 1979

Van Morrison – Into The Music
(Mercury Records  1979  6304508)
Matrix No’s: 1Y3/2Y3

Sleeve in Excellent condition
– some wear to edges/corners and a few small marks & small discolouration mark in bottom left corner

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition

Sir George Ivan Morrison, OBE (born 31 August 1945), known as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter with a reputation for being at once stubborn, idiosyncratic, and sublime. His studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It’s Too Late to Stop Now, are acclaimed as among the greatest recorded. In 2016 he was knighted for his musical achievements and his services to tourism and charitable causes in Northern Ireland.

Known as “Van the Man”, Morrison started his professional career when, as a teenager in the late 1950s, he played a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands covering the popular hits of the day. He rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B band Them, with whom he recorded the garage band classic “Gloria”. His solo career began under the pop-hit oriented guidance of Bert Berns with the release of the hit single “Brown Eyed Girl” in 1967. After Berns’ death, Warner Bros. Records bought out his contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks (1968). Even though this album would gradually garner high praise, it was initially a poor seller; Moondance (1970), however, established Morrison as a major artist, and he built on his reputation throughout the 1970s with a series of acclaimed albums and live performances. Morrison 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. In 2008 he performed Astral Weeks live for the first time since 1968.

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 lesser-known ones such as Veedon Fleece and Common One. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as “Celtic soul”. He has received six Grammy Awards, the 1994 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Into the Music is the 11th studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in August 1979 and titled after Ritchie Yorke’s 1975 biography of the same name on Morrison; the book had been titled in reference to his song “Into the Mystic” (1970). The record received widespread acclaim in 1979 and was named by critics as one of the year’s best albums.

Track listing

All songs written by Van Morrison, unless noted.

Side one

1. “Bright Side of the Road” – 3:47
2. “Full Force Gale” – 3:14
3. “Steppin’ Out Queen” – 5:28
4. “Troubadours” – 4:41
5. “Rolling Hills” – 2:53
6. “You Make Me Feel So Free” – 4:09

Side two

7. “Angeliou” – 6:48
8. “And the Healing Has Begun” – 7:59
9. “It’s All in the Game” (Charles Dawes, Carl Sigman) – 4:39
10. “You Know What They’re Writing About” – 6:10

Personnel

Musicians

• Van Morrison – vocals, guitar, harmonica
• Herbie Armstrong – guitar, backing vocals
• Pee Wee Ellis – tenor saxophone
• David Hayes – bass
• Mark Isham – trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet
• Mark Jordan – piano
• Katie Kissoon – backing vocals
• Toni Marcus – mandolin, violin, viola, stroviola
• Peter Van Hooke – drums

Additional musicians

• John Allair – organ on “And the Healing Has Begun”
• Ry Cooder – slide guitar on “Full Force Gale”
• Zakir Hussain – tabla on “Bright Side of the Road” and “Steppin’ Out Queen”
• Robin Williamson – penny whistle on “Troubadours” and “Rolling Hills”
• Kurt Wortman – drums on “Troubadours”

Production

• Producer: Van Morrison
• Assistant Producer: Mick Glossop
• Recorded & Mixed by: Mick Glossop
• Assistant Engineers: Alex Kash (recording), Leslie Ann Jones (mixing)
• Horn Arrangements: Pee Wee Ellis, Mark Isham
• Coordination: Richard Freeman, Ed Fletcher
• Photography and design: Norman Seeff