Van listened to the old bluesmen in his youth back in Ireland. You can hear those influences when Van sings. This CD is excellent because it has all of the songs that van is famous for.
June 12, 2008 |  | A fantastic introduction to Van the Man |  |
People who complain about this collection- pointing out that no single disc compilation can give a definitive portrait of Van Morrison's entire career, that it tends to ignore the man's more challenging and artistically minded work, that its haphazard sequencing makes it hard to get a feel for his evolution as a musician, etc.- seem to be ignoring one thing: this disc is a wonderful listen. No, it isn't definitive. It doesn't even try to be. It's supposed to be an accessible introduction, a way into Van Morrison's large and often daunting discography, a means of convincing you to drop your hard-earned cash on records like Moondance and Tupelo Honey and Astral Weeks and perhaps even the early albums when Van was a member of the garage band Them (thanks to the inclusion of the stunningly cathartic "Gloria," which epitomizes rock 'n' roll in its rawest form while conveying the feeling of unbottled teenage angst- it should give anyone who was or is a child goosebumps). And in that, it's incredibly successful. This disc is so fun to listen to that you're probably gonna want to run out and get at least three more Van albums before you've even listened to half of this thing. And honestly, how can you resist a single collection of songs that includes "Bright Side Of The Road," "Gloria," "Moondance," "Baby Please Don't Go," "Have I Told You Lately," "Brown Eyed Girl," and "Sweet Thing?" And that's just the first seven songs! The album does lose a bit of energy after that, and it is admittedly missing a few classics, but for the most part it's a great listen. You'll love it, trust me.
January 6, 2008This compilation has arguably Van Morrisons best work. My personal favorites: Moondance (of course!!!), Brown Eyed Girl, Sweet Thing, Warm Love, Jackie Wilson Said, Full Force Gail, Here Comes The Night, Domino, and Whenever God Shines His Light. There are a number of other great songs as well as those I listed. The one song I love that is not on this CD is Crazy Love. It is on the CD titled "Moondance" which also has some other great songs like Caravan, Into The Mystic, and Glad Tidings.
I put this CD in and I just feel good. Van Morrison just does that to me.
November 23, 2007 | | It says the BEST of Van Morrison | |
The best thing about this album, eh CD, is that you may buy it for the hit songs that are included. If you do, you are in for a wonderful discovery, the other music on this CD is even better then the hits!! I have read this was produced without Van's help or even approval. Much has also been written about the "flow" of the songs. In the end it's all about the music, and this is a GREAT CD. Unless you do not like this genre of music at all (I guess metal heads beware), you will find much to like and possibly love about it. As someone else said in their review, I have given it as a gift frequently, and it's always been appreciatted. So if you are still on the fence, jump in and buy it. Signed Don Morrison (Van's brother). JK
October 5, 2007There's no organization to the music on this cd which has always been one of the great joys of a Van Morrison release where one song seems to lead to another and the sound as a whole is like listening to one inspiring arrangement but even with that in mind this collection is wonderful. Rather then having one large spiritual experience, you get 20 small spiritual miracles. Because to me, Van's music has always been so full of soul it is like a spiritual ride.
June 22, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(109 reviews)