Tupelo Honey

Tupelo Honey
Studio album by Van Morrison
Released	October, 1971 Reissued January, 2008
Recorded	Spring and summer 1971 Wally Heider and Columbia Studios, San Francisco
Genre	Rock, Folk-rock, Blue-eyed soul, Country
Length	40:42
Label	Warner Bros., Polydor
Producer	Van Morrison Ted Templeman
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (A-) link Rolling Stone (not rated) link Uncut Magazine link Geocities (A-) link
Van Morrison chronology
His Band and the Street Choir (1970) Tupelo Honey (1971) Saint Dominic's Preview (1972)
Singles from Tupelo Honey
"Wild Night" b/w "When That Evening Sun Goes Down" Released: September 1 1971 "Tupelo Honey" b/w "Starting a New Life" Released: December 1 1971 "(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball" b/w "Old Old Woodstock" Released: March 1 1972

Tupelo Honey is an album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1971 (see 1971 in music). The album yielded two hit singles, the hymn-like title track, as well as the R&B-flavored "Wild Night".

The namesake for the album is a varietal honey produced from the flowers of the tupelo tree found in the Southeastern United States.

The original LP was released in a gatefold sleeve. The cover photograph showed Janet Planet, Morrison's then wife, riding bareback on a horse, with Morrison walking alongside. The gatefold and back cover photographs showed Morrison perched upon the fence of the horse's paddock, with his wife standing to his right and a black-and-white kitten on the fence to his left. It was an album of rural, domestic bliss, although the marriage ended within a few years.

The vocals on the album were always live after rehearsing each song five or six times, according to saxophonist and flautist Rolf "Boots" Houston. The only overdubbing consisted of backing vocals and horns.^[1]

The January 29, 2008 reissued and remastered version of the album contains an alternative take of "Wild Night" and a reworked cover version of the traditional song, "Down By the Riverside".^[2]

Track listing

All songs written by Van Morrison.

Side one

1. "Wild Night" – 3:33
2. "(Straight to Your Heart) Like a Cannonball" – 3:43
3. "Old Old Woodstock" – 4:17
4. "Starting a New Life" – 2:10
5. "You're My Woman" – 6:44

Side two

1. "Tupelo Honey" – 6:54
2. "I Wanna Roo You (Scottish Derivative)" – 3:27
3. "When That Evening Sun Goes Down" – 3:06
4. "Moonshine Whiskey" – 6:48

Bonus tracks (2008 CD reissue)

1. "Wild Night" - 5:37 (alternative take)
2. "Down by the Riverside" - 3:54 (traditional, arranged Morrison)

Personnel

Musicians

• Van Morrison - guitar, harmonica, vocals, backing vocals
• Ronnie Montrose - guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
• Bill Church - bass
• Rick Schlosser - drums
• Connie Kay - drums on "Starting a New Life", "Tupelo Honey", "When That Evening Sun Goes Down" and "Old Old Woodstock"
• Jack Schroer - alto and baritone saxophones
• Mark Jordan - piano, electric piano
• Gary Mallaber - percussion, vibraphone
• John McFee - pedal steel guitar
• Ted Templeman - organ on "Tupelo Honey"
• Bruce Royston - flute
• Luis Gasca - trumpet
• Rolf "Boots" Houston - flute, backing vocals
• Ellen Schroer - backing vocals
• Janet Planet - backing vocals

Production

• Producers: Van Morrison, Ted Templeman
• Engineers: Stephen Barncard, David Brown, Doc Storch
• Remixing: Lee Herschberg, Donn Landee
• Remastering: Ian Cooper
• Art direction: Ed Thrasher
• Photography: Michael Maggid
• Horn arrangements: Van Morrison, Jack Schroer
• Flute arrangements: Rolf "Boots" Houston on "Like a Cannonball", Bruce Royston on "Tupelo Honey"

Charts

Album

Billboard (North America)

Singles

Billboard (North America)

Notes

References

• Turner, Steve (1993). Too Late to Stop Now, Viking Penguin, ISBN 0-670-85147-7

External links

• Tupelo Honey Photo Session by Michael Maggid
• Remastered Tupelo Honey review and audio clips 25-01-2008 bbc.co.uk