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Van Morrison Guests With Eric Clapton In Belfast
... VAN THE MAN JOINS EC FOR BLUES STANDARD IN BELFAST Guitarist Eric Clapton brought his world tour to the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland last night. Legendary singer Van Morrison made a surprise appearance eight songs into the show to sing Sonny Boy Williamson II's "Help Me." Morrison has been performing the blues tune in his live show for quite some time, though this was the first time "Help Me" appeared in a Clapton set on his current tour. Clapton and Van The Man's friendship dates back decades as they both appeared at The Band's The Last Waltz finale. More recently, EC came out for Morrison's Astral Weeks shows in London. Among the other tunes performed by Clapton last night were the Derek and the Dominos gem "Got To Get Better In A Little While," Joe Cocker's "High Time We Went" and "It Ain't Easy (To Love Somebody)" from the tour's keyboardist - Paul Carrack.Watch Van Morrison sing "Help Me" with Eric Clapton.Here's the full setlist from last night's show.Edit this setlist | More Eric Clapton setlists Van Morrison Guests With Eric Clapton In Belfast ... [ read more ]
Bob Weir and Friends Cover Beck, Van Morrison and More
... "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" as well as Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry's "Rainy Day." Crosby--who played fiddle and piano during the performance--also sang lead on a cover of Beck's "Saint Dude." Later in the evening, Shana helped the trio through her father Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" and "Into the Mystic." Between the evening's first two segments, the three musicians answered a series of fan-submitted questions, and before the evening's third segment, Weir talked with longtime Dead crew member Steve Parish. Weir confirmed that he would host another Weir Here broadcast next Wednesday. Here's a look at last night's setlist via RatDog.org Wednesday, January 30, TRI Studios, San Rafeal, CA Corrina Higher and Higher Rainy Day - Saint Dude (Interview segment) Loser Crazy Love Bird Song Friend of the Devil (Steve Parish and Bob Weir discussion) Into the Mystic Gloria Ripple Bob Weir and Friends Cover Beck, Van Morrison and More ... [ read more ]
Phil Lesh & Friends Cover Van Morrison, The Beatles and More at Terrapin Crossroads
... at 7pm PST. You can purchase the stream here for $7. The full set list from last night's show can be viewed below. Phil Lesh & Friends, November 30, 2012 Terrapin Crossroads, San Rafael, CA setlist via Philzone Set I: Jam > Alligator > Deal, Mississippi Half-Step, Built to Last > She Said She Said, Chinatown Shuffle, Midnight Hour Set II: Shakedown St. > Caution > Crossroads > Just a Little Light, Eyes of the World > In Memory of Elizabeth Reed > Eyes of the World, Scarlet Begonias > Fire on the Mountain E: And it Stoned Me Phil Lesh & Friends Cover Van Morrison, The Beatles and More at Terrapin Crossroads ... [ read more ]

Van Morrison

(August 31, 1945)
Van Morrison

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Born in Belfast, Ireland, Van Morrison's musical career has bridged such a wide variety of genres that he is difficult to label. He has written and performed some of rock music's most enduring standards, including "Gloria," "Brown Eyed Girl," and "Moondance," and is a member of both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1993, Robbie Robertson, former member of The Band, said of Morrison, "In the tradition of the great Irish poets and the great soul singers, he is the Caruso of rock and roll."
Morrison's career began as a teenager, covering popular hits at shows and in clubs in Northern Ireland. His first hit came as a member of the band Them when he wrote and recorded "Gloria" in 1964, which was the B-side of the single "Baby, Please Don't Go." Three years later as a solo artist, working for Bang Records executive Bert Berns, he released "Brown Eyed Girl" and while many consider it to be his signature song, he said in an interview with Time that he has "about 300 songs" that are better. Morrison certainly does not have good feelings about the song, which may also impact his lack of desire to perform it live. He has reported in more than one interview that he was never paid for the song. He told the Los Angeles Times in 2008, "I call that 'The Money Song' - because they got all the money and I got none. What happened after that is I ended up with zero money. I was broke and depressed and remained that way for many years after that, and I just decided to make a stand for myself and do things my way, not theirs."
Shortly after "Brown Eyed Girl" became a hit, Berns died and Warner Brothers bought out Morrison's contract. He was given three sessions to records the album Astral Weeks. Morrison said at this point, he was literally a starving artist. He had little time for reflection about his work. He needed money to survive. Rolling Stone magazine later named Astral Weeks #19 on its list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, saying that it defies easy description and Morrison was "never this open, and naked, again."
True to Morrison's form, he veered away from the almost sorrowful tone of Astral Weeks to the more uplifting Moondance in 1970, which became his first album to sell a million copies and also made the Rolling Stone greatest albums list, at #65. The title track and "Into The Mystic" received radio play for decades after their release. After continuing to make hit records, such as "Wild Night" from the Tupelo Honey album, along with its Country-tinged title track, Morrison took a step back from recording and performing in 1974. He said in a 1978 interview with Rolling Stone that he had needed to get his "energy together, doing things I like to do, and just living as if I were nobody instead of somebody."
Morrison continued to record and perform into the 21st century, including a live performance of the entire Astral Weeks album at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in November 2008. He continues to maintain some bitterness for the industry – he did not attend the ceremony when inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – although not for the music itself. He regularly collaborates with other artists, such as his recording of "Have I Told You Lately" with the Chieftans in 1995, which won a Grammy Award. Still, as he said in a 2008 interview with the Los Angeles Times, when the reporter questioned him about his music, "It's a funny feeling that you actually have the courtesy of asking me about my songs. Did you know there have been numerous books written about my music where none of the authors were interested in my take on my music? I guess they all want to make it into something it's not or was not intended to be by me."

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