Artist Playlists
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Belfast-born singer/songwriter Van Morrison started out as the soulful frontman for hard-edged garage rockers Them in the early days of the British Invasion. While his 1967 solo debut contained a handful of his biggest pop hits, it was 1968's Astral Weeks that truly set the template for his career, blending folk, jazz and rock into gorgeous songs driven by his stream-of-consciousness lyrics. The restless and prolific singer released dozens of albums in the decades that followed, a body of work that's set a standard in rock for deeply emotional and elegant songwriting. - In Van Morrison's music, love is never a simple feeling—it's always a lush and layered matter, fed by a thousand different sensations coming together in a single song. In these tunes, sweetness touches sorrow and sorrow touches sweetness. Van pours the entirety of his heart and soul into every note, and the result is a playlist that can lift you up even as it makes you weep.
- His influence spreads across genres, continents and generations.
- Lean back and relax with some of their mellowest cuts.
- The full scope of Van the Man's blue-eyed genius lurks in his catalogue's nooks and crannies. While his beloved radio hits drip with passion and confidence, the B-sides reveal a different artist, one addicted to sullen tales and restless experimentation. Even his early R&B ravers with Them sport vocals that are brooding and forceful. Morrison never was a mellow hippie—that's for damn sure.
- For the king of Celtic soul, emotions always run deep. As a result, Van Morrison’s songs can feel like raging torrents (“Gloria”) or be as sweet and tender as lullabies (“Into the Mystic”). Either way, the richness and intensity of his music are undeniable. And while those qualities can make them daunting challenges for performers hoping to make Morrison’s songs their own, great rewards await those brave enough to sail these stormy waters.
- A master builder of specific tones and temperaments, Van Morrison is a superlative student of music. His authenticity comes from blues, his formidable vocalising from gospel, his fluid sense of rhythm from jazz. Though he fashioned a style all his own, his triumphant songs are strengthened by the strands of music found on this playlist.
- The consummate showman and bandleader, Van Morrison believes in the concert as spiritual experience. Instead of simply reciting his recordings, he uses the live setting to reawaken old songs with newfound breakthroughs. Always tuned into the music more than an audience's reaction, Van lets himself go onstage. This playlist invites you to go with him.