Healing Game

Van Morrison | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 1997)
• Original Release Date: March 4, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polydor / Umgd
• ASIN: B000005ILN
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,411 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Rough God Goes Riding

2. Fire in the Belly

3. This Weight

4. Waiting Game

5. Piper at the Gates of Dawn

6. Burning Ground

7. It Once Was My Life

8. Sometimes We Cry

9. If You Love Me

10. The Healing Game

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Cranky, sly, dour, ecstatic, Van Morrison treads his own stubborn pilgrimage through blues, jazz, R&B, Celtic rays, and their ineffable junction in his own music. This 1997 album distills the renewed focus on blues and jazz sources that shaped much of his '90s work, noteworthy for its concision--this is one of his leanest, least expository sets in recent years, paring the arrangements down to the guts of the generally fine material. "Rough God Goes Riding" kicks off, an archetypal Morrison anthem that could have fit snugly on Moondance, no mean achievement after all these years, yet consistent with this marathon runner's ability to turn up vivid images and engaging grooves. There's a decided gospel fervor to the interplay of the frontman's salty vocals and his soulful choral partners, never more so than on the sublime title song. --Sam Sutherland

Product Description

Newly remastered sound and expanded packaging including lyrics of the 1997 album Healing Game by Van Morrison. The album was recorded in Dublin Ireland. The title song "The Healing Game" is about the tradition of Belfast street singing. Van Morrison in Q magazine said, "People find it incredible when I tell them that people used to sing and play music in the street. I think there's a whole oral tradition that's disappeared. 'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn' follows the children's book, The Wind in the Willows closely and Paddy Moloney plays uillean pipes with Phil Coulter on piano. On "Burning Ground" the singer relives a common scene from his childhood when jute was shipped to Belfast from India --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Van, July 21, 2008

By 

Robert Orme (Campbell, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Healing Game (Reis) (Audio CD)

I see I am the first to write a review of this Van Morrison record which was released way back in 1997, and it doesn't surprise me. Why? Because this record never gets mentioned along with the classic Van Morrison records, and it should. You may recognize the blistering hit, "The Burning Ground." But this record is good from start to finish, not a weak cut to be had. All the classic Van touches are there, the great songwriting, his soulful vocals, and saxophone and female backing vocals used to great effect. A GREAT, heartfelt, and largely overlooked Van Morrison record.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular, January 31, 2006

By 

Steven Lyle (Sacramento, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Healing Game (Audio CD)

This is my favorite Van Morrison CD. The first time I heard the title cut, on San Francisco's KFOG in 1997, my stomach was jumping. The second time, under the headphones at Virgin Records, I started to cry. I defy you to find a better song, by anyone. By turns breezy, joyful, heart wrenching and soulful, it completely overshadows the rest of this very fine album, until you take time to listen to it carefully. Rough God Goes Riding, Burning Ground, Fire in the Belly, Sometimes We Cry, The Healing Game. Great, great songs. Sing it out loud.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the better Van albums from a strange time for him, July 26, 2002

By 

30-year old wallflower "Eric N Andrews" (West Lafayette, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing Game (Audio CD)

It's no secret that as prolific as Van Morrison has been throughout his career, occasionally, he's created music that just isn't up to his best work. The 1980s saw him on a spiritual journey that often lead to music that was the definition of pretentious. 1989's AVALON SUNSET saw him easing up on the religion & returning to earth, even though the most famous song "Have I Told You Lately" (no matter what the sales say, Rod's version is not better than Van's) had a slight religious bent. But the 1990s had Van continuing to operate on autopilot for the most part with some albums it seemed were recorded just for the sake of getting another one out. However, there were times when it looked like Van was getting back to greatness again. One of them was 1997's THE HEALING GAME.

The blues & jazz that Van grew up with had made a resurgence in his '90s music, his 1993 album TOO LONG IN EXILE being the most obvious example. But where as that album was rather misguided & overlong, THE HEALING GAME remains close to that album's style, only shorter & less complex. Also, contrary to what most people have said, the use of background singers on the album actually enhances it, not hinders it. Van after all is one of the more soulful White singers in the business, so he can easily get up & sing next to the greats.

The opening "Rough God Goes Riding" would seem like another experiment into religious territory, but from what I read about it at the time, Van was commenting on the war in Bosnia & I can certainly see where he was going with this song. Right from the beginning, it's plain to see surrounding himself with crack R&B-jazz musicians has given Van a little shot in the arm. Proving that Van does have enough soul to stand next to the legends, "Fire In The Belly" contains one of his most electrifying & heartwrenching vocals in years, indicating maybe he was indeed feeling renewed artistically with this album. "This Weight" is another entry in Van's "why am I such a big star" category of songs. Granted, Van Morrison has always been rather modest about his career, thinking of music as more of a job & not a hobby. But whereas most artists writing about their objection to the fast life would seem hypocritcal, "This Weight" really does sound like it's coming from someone who'd just as soon give up doing the thing he loves if need be. "Waiting Game" seems a little underdeveloped from my ears, with a chorus that's not one of the strongest Van has ever created. But it's still listenable (hence the four-star rating of this album, which contains a few of these good-not-great songs). "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" is a break from the blues & jazz sound with more of a folk experiment & could easily have found its way onto ASTRAL WEEKS (definitely a compliment).

"Burning Ground" is another one of the most soulful songs Van has done in a while (not up to the level of "Fire In The Belly", to be sure) & while the "rap" may seem a little odd, it's still a guaranteed smile on your face. "It Once Was My Life" & "Sometimes We Cry" sound almost identical with not a lot to distinguish them, but I guess that's more of a sequencing problem. "If You Love Me" is Van's take on a love song that's actually sincere & upbeat, not critical like most of his songs of this type are. It all closes out with the rousing title track, which once again shows negative reviews about the background singers are highly exaggerated. Brian Kennedy is one backing vocalist who deserves to be performing out front & one only wonders why no record labels are giving him a call. Van certainly knows talent when he sees it.

THE HEALING GAME may not rank high on Van Morrison's overall output, but of his 1990s work (rather patchy to begin with, but still an improvement over his 1980s music), it's certainly near the top. Of course, it's not without its snags, but the follow-up would definitely make up for it with its very appropriate title (BACK ON TOP). For a man at the start of his 50s, Van showed no signs of running out of steam (though he showed signs of coasting from time to time) & THE HEALING GAME helped indicate he was about to get back on the track again.