Playing in the ‘rock room’ today is a warm and ambient WNEW-
FM broadcast of Van Morrison and his 1978 band. Featured in a small classic NYC venue in support of his then current
musical offering for the marketplace. Van, along with guitarists Bobby Tench,
Herbie Armstrong, bassist Micky Heat, drummer Peter Van Hooke, keyboardist
Peter Barding and backing vocalists Anna Peacock and Katie Kissoon appeared at
the ‘Bottom Line’ club in the Fall of 1978 for a two show bill broadcast live for a listening
audience.
New instrumental sounds, supported by an original palette of
soul, rock, and R and B originals found Morrison again at an artist moment of
renewal and of experimentation. Armed
with the aforementioned edgy rock band backing, Van used these intimate
concerts at the Bottom Line in New York City to present new material from his
recently released Wavelength album in addition to some battle tested road warriors. I
am enjoying the preserved version of the late show FM broadcast. The early show
does circulate as well, but the late show seems to have a slight edge
performance wise.
The set lists are similar between the performances with Van
and band opening both shows with a heavy stepping “Moondance’, allowing the crowd to hear
Morrison’s most popular number right off of the bat and enabling them to be
openly receptive to the new songs to come. Morrison trades verses with a female
backing vocalist before he takes a brisk horn break. The immediacy of
the band line up and Morrison’s directive is obvious from the opening track.
‘Wavelength’ follows next, the title song from his current album
and begins with a weightless introduction punctuated with Morrison’s well timed
groans while paired with tasteful and spacey keyboard interjections. The song
soon gallops breathlessly into a signature Van Morrison musical sprint by
rolling green hills and through cloudy morning mists. The tempo is unwavering
and pulsating as Morrison, as will become a theme for the evening grooves over
the top with his collaborative vocal excursions. Van enters into a rung by rung
duet with the synthesizer before entering a melodic wash that ‘Into the Mystic’
escapes from seamlessly.

Replying in contrast, ‘Checkin It Out’ from the Wavelength album, is an inconspicuous number but is worth a double glance as this version cranes the neck with awesome playing. Carnival keys and
jazzy changes are the hallmarks of a deeper Van Morrison cut.
‘Hungry For Your Love’ and its yearning descending melody
set a smoky mood for the next moment of note. Slightly buzzing late 70’s synth’s echo Morrison’s
moody vocal lilt but remain perfectly contemporary shadowing his shaded singing.
Morrison gets off with the backing vocalists for a vocal outro jam that
again highlights a top performance of the evening.
A high speed, calypso keyboard ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ pays the
audience off for their new song patience. As pleasing as ever, Van and band
pull of a flawless Summer day performance that becomes a celebratory sing-along
complete with percussive synthesizer breakdown. Another big song two-fer is completed with the following number. ‘Crazy Love’ comes next and cools things down with Katie Klasoon taking
over lead vocals offering a unique prospective twist on Van’s original composition.
‘Kingdom Hall’, the opening track from now hangs its head out of the window on its way to Sunday
mass. With lyrics as free and hopeful as
the revival rhythm, Morrison and his backing vocalists get it together with Van’s
eye winking commentary. Stand up for this one....its ok, none is looking.
‘Tupelo Honey’ continues the deft set list mix of hits and
introductions and follows true to its description. This version is a sticky
sweet soul review with whipped keyboards and dynamic vocals by Van the man.
Extended for horn, guitar and keyboard solo spots, ‘Tupelo Honey’ acts as a
decorative centerpiece of the performance.
Stage favorite ‘Help Me’ comes next entering with a pleading shuffle.
Van opens on harp and then digs in for some classic R and B crooning. Perfectly
extended, Van’s old band mate from ‘Them’ Peter Barding empties a huge swirling
solo onto the track that brings the song to a roaring swell. The
responding guitar solo has the same effect. Used as a showcase for the band,‘Help
Me’ sizzles for its duration. Van gets
raspy and gritty when asking for his ‘night shirt’ as the song returns to reprise
the verses; his vocal grooving is effective in getting the crowd properly worked into a tizzy by the songs conclusion.
Breathlessly, ‘Wild Night’s strident open guitar picks up
from ‘Help Me’s’ concluding notes. ‘Wild Night’ hauls ass and means it. Morrison
is in full blow and the band is unable to be stopped. Once again keyboards
color the landscape while remaining true to the songs original intentions. Van mentions allusions to the ‘Slim Slow Slider’ as the
band breaks down and he free forms over a slight reggae groove. Morrison intro’s
the band while they lay back, before exploding from the island into the closing reprise of the
song.
Again, there is no respite as the band chugs into ‘Joyous Sound’
as ‘Wild Night’ ends, the song perfectly placed as a goodbye to the crowd, exclaiming ‘Whenever
we meet again’. The song twirls and whirls the show to a crazy conclusion as
the crowd captured on the recording can attest. The version of 'Joyus Sound' acts as a fitting 'Radio I Ching' moment representation for the evening. Van leaves the stage and lets
the crowd roar and stir leading him to a encore presentation. The description by the radio
broadcaster as they await Van’s return to the stage at this point in the recording
is quite humorous.
For the encore Morrison and the band over a slow roll of ‘Caravan’,
watery in its presentation and laid back in its dissemination. Morrison in conversational
manor slinks his way through the song building to a hand-clapped break down
where he brings the assembled crowd to the edge of the precipice increasing the
tension with his playful dynamics. Approaching a percussive silence, Morrison
finally reveals the ‘Turn it up!’ signal and the band detonates in kind on time
to an appreciative crowd!
Morrison returns for a second encore by giving a ‘thumbs up’,
before beginning on acoustic guitar a reflective and well timed ‘Cyprus Avenue’.
This is what it’s all about; Morrison directs the sympathetic band through a
slowly building version of the Astral
Weeks classic. The song rises and falls between verses while Morrison
offers a restrained but powerful rendition of the song. Spectral keyboards play
hide and seek while the drums offer steady punctuation to lyrical moments of
note. Vocals are perfect, adorned with unique exclamations and asides. Similar
to previous songs of the evening Van brings it way down, playing with the crowd, before popping the cork and
entering into a roaring finish. The band winds their way around Morrison and
the backing vocalist soulful back and forth on a ‘revelation’ mantra. The
guitars build, Morrison screams heartily and the band suddenly frees itself
into a fully off the rails acceleration that builds to such a furious rate
there is nothing else for it to do but implode onto itself. Revving up for another round, Morrison
ends the second conclusion, with screams of ‘Baby’ and ‘It’s too late to stop now!’ as the band
plows through another nitrous powered rocket ship finish.
Hailing from an era where musicians like Van Morrison were sometimes
viewed as passe’ by certain media channels and mainstream musicians this
concert reveals more proof of the superior concerts and stellar songwriting coming
from a somewhat clandestine period. Morrison, an artist of constant reinvention is revealed here as an musician
willing to restructure, reorganize and retool previous glory’s while constantly
creating new and exciting work. This 1978 live performance is a perfect
representation of Morrison in another era of change and is worthy of official
release and constant inspection.