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The Philosopher's Stone

 
Album Review: The Philosopher's Stone
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Philosopher's Stone

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  • Artist: Van Morrison
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: June 16, 1998
  • Type: Compilation (best of), Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Van Morrison has always been a prolific artist, releasing nearly an album a year for 30 years. All the while, he had a stockpile of unreleased material in the vaults, much of which became legendary among collectors. A selection of this material was planned for inclusion in a box set, but when he realized the sheer amount of worthy material, he decided to separate the unreleased cuts and release them as the double-disc set The Philosopher's Stone. Certainly, the collection is for fans, but not just hardcore fans -- there are a number of great songs here, from "Madame Joy" and "Naked in the Jungle" to "Crazy Jane on God" and "The Street Only Knew Your Name." A full 25 of the 30 tracks on the album have never been released in any form, while the remaining five -- "Wonderful Remark," "Real Real Gone," "Flamingoes Fly," "The Street Only Knew Your Name," and "Bright Side of the Road" -- are present in alternate takes. In all, The Philosopher's Stone is a welcome addition to Van Morrison's official catalog -- some of these songs are so good, it would have been a shame if they had stayed locked in the vaults. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks



CD 1

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Really Don't Know (Lyrics) Van Morrison Van Morrison (3:37)
Ordinary People Van Morrison Van Morrison (5:20)
Wonderful Remark (Lyrics) Van Morrison Van Morrison (8:01)
Not Supposed to Break Down Van Morrison Van Morrison (5:24)
Laughing in the Wind (Lyrics) Van Morrison Van Morrison (4:10)
Madame Joy Van Morrison Van Morrison (4:23)
Contemplation Rose Van Morrison Van Morrison (5:15)
Don't Worry About Tomorrow Van Morrison Van Morrison (5:20)
Try for Sleep (Lyrics) Van Morrison, John Platania Van Morrison (6:05)
Lover's Prayer Van Morrison Van Morrison (3:57)
Drumshanbo Hustle Van Morrison Van Morrison (4:48)
Twilight Zone (Lyrics) Van Morrison Van Morrison (8:23)
Foggy Mountain Top (Lyrics) Van Morrison Van Morrison (5:27)
Naked in the Jungle (Lyrics) Van Morrison Van Morrison (4:36)
There There Child (Lyrics) Van Morrison, John Platania Van Morrison (3:01)


CD 2

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
The Street Only Knew Your Name Van Morrison Van Morrison (6:25)
John Henry Traditional Van Morrison (5:48)
Western Plain Leadbelly, John A. Lomax Van Morrison (5:42)
Joyous Sound Van Morrison Van Morrison (2:30)
I Have Finally Come to Realise (Lyrics) Van Morrison Van Morrison (5:09)
Flamingoes Fly (Lyrics) Van Morrison Van Morrison (6:28)
Stepping Out Queen, Pt. 2 Van Morrison Van Morrison (4:26)
Bright Side of the Road Van Morrison Van Morrison (4:02)
Street Theory Van Morrison Van Morrison (4:54)
Real Real Gone (Lyrics) Van Morrison Van Morrison (3:45)
Showbusiness Van Morrison Van Morrison (9:21)
For Mr. Thomas Robin Williamson Van Morrison (4:15)
Crazy Jane on God William Butler Yeats Van Morrison (4:05)
Song of Being a Child Van Morrison, Peter Handke Van Morrison (4:09)
High Spirits Paddy Moloney, Van Morrison Van Morrison (4:21)

Credits

The Chieftains (?), David Hayes (Guitar (Bass)), Mark Isham (Trumpet), Mark Isham (Flugelhorn), Ronnie Montrose (Guitar), Ronnie Montrose (Vocals (Background)), Jules Broussard (Flute), Jules Broussard (Horn), Smith Dobson (Piano), John Allair (Piano), John Allair (Organ (Hammond)), Herbie Armstrong (Guitar), Brooks Arthur (Engineer), Pee Wee Ellis (Saxophone), Mick Cox (Guitar), Clive Culbertson (Guitar (Bass)), Bill Atwood (Trumpet), June Boyce (Vocals), Lee Charlton (Drums), Bill Church (Guitar (Bass)), Jackie DeShannon (Vocals (Background)), Neil Drinkwater (Drums), Mick Glossop (Mixing), Mark T. Jordan (Piano), John Klingberg (Guitar (Bass)), Bernie Krause (Moog Synthesizer), Jeff Labes (Piano), Gary Ladinsky (Engineer), Henry Lewy (Engineer), Chris Michie (Guitar), Van Morrison (Guitar), Van Morrison (Vocals), Van Morrison (Producer), Van Morrison (Main Performer), John Platania (Guitar), John Platania (Guitar (Electric)), Jerome Rimson (Guitar (Bass)), Walter Samuel (Mixing), Jack Schroer (Horn), Jack Schroer (Saxophone), Dahaud Elias Shaar (Drums), Jim Stern (Engineer), Annie Stocking (Vocals (Background)), Ted Templeman (Producer), Bianca Thornton (Vocals (Background)), Peter Van Hooke (Drums), Pete Wingfield (Piano), Gary Mallaber (Drums), Roy Jones (Drums), Pauline Lazano (Vocals (Background)), Toni Marcus (Violin), Chris Lawson (Mixing), Ray Staff (Mastering), Matthew Lawrence (Digital Editing), Matthew Lawrence (Assistant Engineer), David Conroy (Digital Editing)
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Wikipedia: The Philosopher's Stone (album)
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The Philosopher's Stone
Compilation album by Van Morrison
Released 16 June 1998
Recorded 1969 - 1988
Genre Blues, R & B
Length 153:07
Label Polydor
Producer Van Morrison
Professional reviews
Van Morrison chronology
The Healing Game
(1997)		 The Philosopher's Stone
(1998)		 Back on Top
(1999)

For the Harry Potter book, see Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

The Philosopher's Stone is a compilation album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison released in 1998 (see 1998 in music).

The songs released on this 2-CD thirty track album were previously unreleased outtakes from 1969 to 1988. The album features twenty-five songs that had never been released and alternative renditions of "The Street Only Knew Your Name" (Inarticulate Speech of the Heart), "Wonderful Remark" (The Best of Van Morrison), "Real Real Gone" (Enlightenment), "Joyous Sound" (A Period of Transition), "Flamingos Fly" (A Period of Transition) and "Bright Side of the Road" (Into the Music).

Three songs on the album were evidently intended for Morrison's unreleased 1975 album Mechanical Bliss. "Twilight Zone", "Foggy Mountain Top" and "Flamingos Fly" were all mixed in 1974 just before Mechanical Bliss was due to come out.

Contents

Original release

The Philosopher's Stone Volume One was originally scheduled to be released in July 1996. When it was released, some of the tracks had been changed; "When I Deliver", "John Brown's Body" and "I'm Ready" were replaced by "The Street Only Knew Your Name", "Western Plains" and "Joyous Sound".[1] "John Brown's Body" and "I'm Ready" were eventually released as B-sides on Morrison's 1999 single "Back on Top".[2]

Album sleeve notes

Many of the recording dates on the album notes are incorrect. "Really Don't Know" was recorded in 1969, not 1971 as the musicians recording with him were only working with him in that particular year. Also tracks from "Wonderful Remark" to "Drumshanbo Hustle" were all recorded in 1972 not 1973, as well as "There There Child", recorded in 1972 not 1976. On disc two "John Henry" was supposed to have been recorded in 1977, but in fact was recorded two years earlier, as Morrison didn't actually record anything in 1977. "Crazy Jane on God" was recorded with Moving Hearts in 1983 for the album A Sense of Wonder. From the same sessions the songs "A Sense of Wonder" and "Boffyflow and Spike" were used for the album. The recording date of these songs was 1983 (as stated on the album itself) but the date on The Philosopher's Stone claims "Crazy Jane on God" was recorded in 1984.[3]

Scott Thomas in the fan magazine Wavelength noted:

Everything about The Philosopher's Stone, from its format to its packaging to its song selection, seems designed to divorce the tracks from their historical milieu...When we open the package, there are no essays, no interviews, no archival photos — just lyrics (often incorrectly transcribed) and credits which include the year of the session.[1]

Van Morrison on the previously unreleased songs

"It's hard to work out why you didn't put something out at the time. Usually it felt like it didn't fit...When I was with Warner Brothers they were very minimalist."[1]

Track listing

All songs credited to Van Morrison unless noted.

Disc one
  1. "Really Don't Know" – 3:37 (recorded in 1969)
  2. "Ordinary People" – 5:20 (recorded in 1971)
  3. "Wonderful Remark" – 8:01 (recorded in 1972)
  4. "Not Supposed to Break Down" – 5:24 (recorded in 1972)
  5. "Laughing in the Wind" – 4:10 (recorded in 1972)
  6. "Madame Joy" – 4:23 (recorded in 1972)
  7. "Contemplation Rose" – 5:15 (recorded in 1972)
  8. "Don't Worry About Tomorrow" – 5:20 (recorded in 1972)
  9. "Try for Sleep" - (Morrison, John Platania) – 6:05 (recorded in 1972)
  10. "Lover's Prayer" – 3:57 (recorded in 1972)
  11. "Drumshanbo Hustle" – 4:48 (recorded in 1972)
  12. "Twilight Zone" – 8:23 (recorded in 1974)
  13. "Foggy Mountain Top" – 5:27 (recorded in 1974)
  14. "Naked in the Jungle" – 4:36 (recorded in 1975)
  15. "There There Child" - (Morrison, Platania) – 3:01 (recorded in 1972)
Disc two
  1. "The Street Only Knew Your Name" – 6:25 (recorded in 1975)
  2. "John Henry" - (Traditional) – 5:48 (recorded in 1975)
  3. "Western Plain" - (Leadbelly, Lomax) – 5:42 (recorded in 1975)
  4. "Joyous Sound" – 2:30 (recorded in 1975)
  5. "I Have Finally Come to Realise" – 5:09 (recorded in 1975)
  6. "Flamingos Fly" – 6:28 (recorded in 1974)
  7. "Stepping Out Queen, Pt. 2" – 4:26 (recorded in 1979)
  8. "Bright Side of the Road" – 4:02 (recorded in 1979)
  9. "Street Theory" – 4:54 (recorded in 1980)
  10. "Real Real Gone" – 3:45 (recorded in 1980)
  11. "Showbusiness" – 9:21 (recorded in 1982)
  12. "For Mr. Thomas" - (Robin Williamson) – 4:15 (recorded in 1982)
  13. "Crazy Jane on God" - (Mathieu, William Butler Yeats) – 4:05 (recorded in 1983 with Moving Hearts)
  14. "Song of Being a Child" - (Peter Handke, Morrison) – 4:09 (recorded in 1987)
  15. "High Spirits" - (Paddy Moloney, Morrison) – 4:21 (recorded in 1988 with The Chieftains)

Personnel

Charts

Album - UK Album Chart

Year Chart Position
1998 UK Album Chart 20

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1998 The Billboard 200 87

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence, p 477
  2. ^ Rogan, No Surrender, p.606
  3. ^ Heylin, Can You Feel the Silence?, pp. 519-525

References

  • Heylin, Clinton (2003). Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography, Chicago Review Press ISBN 1-55652-542-7
  • Rogan, Johnny (2006). Van Morrison:No Surrender, London:Vintage Books ISBN 9780099431831


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No Prima Donna: The Songs of Van Morrison · The Van Morrison Songbook · Vanthology: A Tribute to Van Morrison · Into the Mystic: An Instrumental Tribute to Van Morrison · The String Quartet Tribute to Van Morrison · Smooth Sax Tribute to Van Morrison · Mystic Piano: Piano Tribute to Van Morrison
Discography · Albums · Songs · List of artists who have covered Van Morrison songs  · Related topics

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