From garage rock rave-ups to mystic folk to Celtic enlightenment, Van Morrison’s catalog is filled with transcendence and wonder, as outlined in the list below of Van Morrison Albums Ranked.
As the 19-year-old leader of the Belfast blues and R&B quintet Them, he found success early with the soon-to-be standard “Gloria,” a song that became a rite of passage for young rock ‘n’ roll bands and an often-covered favorite that has lasted from the ’60s (the Doors) to the ’70s (Patti Smith) to the ’90s (Tom Petty) and after (Car Seat Headrest).
By 1967, Morrison was a solo artist with the Top 10 hit “Brown Eyed Girl.” But a record company switch the following year brought yearning for a new direction that has persisted throughout his career. Astral Weeks, recorded over a handful of sessions with musicians he barely knew, transformed both Morrison and the boundaries placed on popular and folk music at the time.
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Moondance, from 1970, began a run of hit albums that has lasted through the decades. (Morrison has charted a Top 20 album every decade in the U.K. since 1970.) It also introduced a restlessness that led Morrison to absorb and combine musical styles throughout his career; pop, jazz, soul, folk, blues, gospel and traditional Irish music have long been part of his repertoire.
In addition to the dozens of studio albums Morrison has released since 1967, also worth considering is 1974’s live record It’s Too Late to Stop Now, recorded with the 11-piece Caledonia Soul Orchestra at a time when Morrison was worried about becoming musically stagnant. No problem there. It remains a defining concert statement from an artist who pushed against the parameters of popular music to become one of the genre-redefining greats.
Van Morrison Albums Ranked
From garage rock rave-ups to mystic folk to Celtic enlightenment, a catalog filled with transcendence and wonder.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
