I’ve already posted about my favourite five Van Morrison albums, but all five were released in the 1960s and 1970s. While he didn’t reach the level of his earlier peaks, Van Morrison continued to release fine albums in the 1980s.
While other rock veterans like Neil Young, Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan struggled with the 1980s, sounding out of ideas or overwhelmed by new technology, Van Morrison continued to follow his muse. While you could argue that his 1980s catalogue strayed too close to polite adult contemporary, he only dabbled mildly with fashionable 1980s trends like synthesizers and reverb, and his records sound elegant and gorgeous.
If his vocal power was diminished from its earlier peaks, his voice was still distinctive. He could still write hit songs – ‘Have I Told You Lately?’ from Avalon Sunset, ‘Queen of the Slipstream’, and ‘Dweller on the Threshold’ are all succinct and melodic songs that hold up to his earlier hits.
For much of the 1980s, Morrison alternated between exploratory works, a la Astral Weeks, and pop-oriented records, a la Moondance. This duality of approaches helps to make the journey through his 1980s catalogue more enjoyable. During the 1980s, Van Morrison released eight studio albums, including the collaboration with The Chieftains on 1988’s Irish Heartbeat. Here are my five favourites from the era.
Poetic Champions Compose
#5, 1987
Poetic Champions Compose was originally conceived as an instrumental album, but morphed into a more conventional Van Morrison project. It was a good decision- a full album of instrumentals in the vein of the three featured here would have functioned merely as a mood piece. But most of the songs here are strong, like the upbeat ‘Queen of the Slipstream’, the romantic ‘Someone Like You’, and ‘Did Ye Get Healed?’
Inarticulate Speech of the Heart
#4, 1983
Inarticulate Speech of the Heart features an off-kilter new age sound, a musical landscape dominated by synthesizers and saxophones, creative and atmospheric. The album is mostly instrumental, and a lot of the vocals are wordless. ‘September Night’ is the apex of the album’s unique approach, with Van Morrison’s grunts and cries of ecstasy punctuated by synthesizers and backing vocals.
Common One
#3, 1980
If you enjoy the spacey improvisations of Astral Weeks, chances are that Common One will be among your favourite Van Morrison albums from the 1980s. It’s dreamy and mystical, and a couple of songs stretch longer than fifteen minutes. While the improvisations of ‘When Heart Is Open’ and the poetic rants of ‘Summertime in England’ are the record’s dominant features, there’s also the R&B of ‘Satisfied’ and the pretty ‘Wild Honey’.
Beautiful Vision
#2, 1982
Beautiful Vision is one of Van Morrison’s most settled, comfortable albums, and it’s insular with its low key explorations of spirituality and Irish heritage. Even if Van Morrison is sometimes treading water musically, there are plenty of great songs here, and it’s one of his more consistent, most substantial records. There’s melodic pop like ‘Dweller on the Threshold’ and more atmospheric stunners like ‘Across The Bridge Where Angels Dwell’.
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
#1, 1986
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher is one of Morrison’s searching, exploratory records. But even though it quotes Astral Weeks in several places, it’s a more tightly arranged album, and its gorgeous instrumental are carefully composed. The longer pieces like ‘In The Garden’ and ‘Tir Na Nog’ are the most striking, but there are also shorter pieces of beauty like ‘One Irish Rover’ and ‘Foreign Window’.
If you’re curious, the strongest 1980s Van Morrison album to miss the cut was 1989’s Avalon Sunset – it’s pretty and ‘Have I Told You Lately’ is a memorable song, but it doesn’t feel ground-breaking, covering similar territory to Poetic Champions Compose.
My overall list of ten favourite Van Morrison studio albums:
#1 – Into The Music (1979)
#2 – Saint Dominic’s Preview (1972)
#3 – Moondance (1970)
#4 – Astral Weeks (1968)
#5 – Veedon Fleece (1974)
#6 – No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986)
#7 – Beautiful Vision (1982)
#8 – Common One (1980)
#9 – Wavelength (1978)
#10 – Tupelo Honey (1971)
Do you enjoy Van Morrison’s 1980s work? Do you have an overall favourite?
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The only one of these I know is No Guru, No Method, No Teacher and I like that one a lot. First Van Morrison album I bought, actually.
Yeah, it’s very, very good. Amazingly vibrant record for someone who’d already been making albums for 20 years.
Yup. Even more surprising is it’s an 80’s album that doesn’t suffer from the usual 80’s pitfalls.
Yeah, he played with synths a bit, but I think he always used live drums, and his 1980s stuff sounds really nice.
So many artists could have benefited from taking that approach!
A lot of that early 1980s stuff sounds pretty dated – I like The Pet Shop Boys a lot, but they were a little later when the technology was better.
What about his 90’s?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVVkJI_2hog&w=560&h=315%5D
Yeah, that 1990 record is strong – I did think about bending the list rules to include it. Would actually be pretty close to making my overall top 10 – maybe 11th or 12th.
Never been a particular Van fan, but weirdly (though maybe not surprisingly given the subject of my blog…) his ’80s stuff has always caught my ear. Favourite track: ‘Rave On John Donne’.
He had a pretty good 1980s really – managed to walk the line between keeping his sound up to date and staying true to his vision. Could see why the 1980s albums would appeal more sonically.
#1 Tupelo Honey
#2 Veedon Fleece
#3 Moondance
#4 St Dom
#5 Common One
Special mention of “Too Late To Stop Now”.
Would have to do some applied listening to go further!
Those all made my top 10, so there’s some consensus. Would have picked you as an Astral Weeks man though.
😅 I’m in the minority who reckon it’s over-rated. I also remember really liking Poetic Champions, but haven’t listened for a couple of decades.
He has a pop mode and a stream of consciousness mode – my two favourite Van Morrison albums are where he does a bit of each.
… and later in his career a grumpy-old-bastard mode. That’s why I drifted away I think.
Will you tackle the next decade(s)?
I’m pretty sure I’ll stop my coverage with Hymns to the Silence, apart from a couple of archival releases (Philosopher’s Stone, Astral Weeks live). Hymns to the Silence has its moments, but feels like he’s lost his mojo for a lot of it, so that’s where I’ll get off the bus I think.
Beautiful Vision would be my favorite of the 80s…Cleaning Windows stays on my playlist.
For my all time favorites they switch up depending on the mood. Saint Dominic’s Preview, Astral Weeks, Moondance, and Tupelo Honey are always hovering at the top.
Beautiful Vision feels undervalued – RYM has it at #13. I love the last couple of songs too – ‘Across The Bridge Where Angels Dwell’ is gorgeous, and ‘Scandinavia is a lovely instrumental.
Just a great album. Van stays true to himself through different styles…
I see Van Morrison, I hit Like!!
I see your comment, I hit like.
Yes I like his 80’s work. One of the musicians I always get something out of. His music has been with me for a long time and never fails to move me. So much good stuff from all these albums.
Do you have a getting-off-the-bus point with him, or do you like everything?
No off the bus for me. There are certain artists that I like that have a high standard. Van is one of them. I don’t think I’m blind or deaf to bad shit just because I dig someone I just don’t think he makes any. Nothing that has ever made me cringe.
My overall Van Morrison ‘best of” lists are:-
Studio Albums
1. Into the Music
2. Moondance
3. The Healing Game
4. Enlightenment
5. Veedon Fleece
6. Hymns To The Silence
7. Beautiful Vision
8. Three Chords And The Truth
9. Common One
10. Astral Weeks
Songs
1. Madame George
2. When The Healing Has Begin
3. Take It Where You Find It
4. Tupelo Honey
5. Brand New Day
6. Daring Night
7. Raglan Road
8. Wonderful Remark (extended version)
9. Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
10. In The Garden
My favourites from the 80s are Beautiful Vision, Common One and a Sense Of Wonder.
Punk, go check out hotfox. He just did a good piece on Van’s work with the Chieftains. A really good album
Will do.
Yes, it is a good album. I love Van’s version of Raglan Road.
Yes that’s a good one.
No St. Dominic’s Preview? Either the album or the song? I find Hymns to the Silence tough going – I spent years trying to find a copy, and it turned out too close to adult contemporary for my liking.
‘Tupelo Honey’, ‘Madame George’, ‘And The Healing Has Begun’ and ‘In The Garden’ are all great song choices.
It’s difficult with a catalogue as large as Van’s. While I like St. Dominic’s Preview the song I find the slightly extended indulgence of Listen To The Lion and Almost Independence Day keeps it out of the Top 10. Mind you, like with Dylan, I generally prefer the longer tracks but these two have never quite cut it with me.
Conversely, some excellent shorter ones are the beguiling, mysterious Linden Arden Stole The Highlights from Veedon Fleece, Bulbs from the same album and Redwood Tree from St. Dominic’s Preview.
I’m currently playing my Van collection on random – 494 songs to try to whittle down to a Top 10!
By the way, who is hotfox? I couldn’t find him on your recommended blogs list.
https://hotfox63.com/