Customer Reviews

Night in San Francisco

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're new to Van, start with his GREATEST HITS, VOL.1. If you're an established Van fan & looking for a live album that's nothing but Van, go with IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW. But if you're looking for a live album that's a collaborative effort with great guest artists & plenty of soloing by the band, this is the one. I was initially hesitant because I don't care for medleys or extended jams. I expected it to sound fragmented & disjointed, but the whole show flows naturally. Van does indeed prove himself to be a generous artist, allowing others plenty of time in the spotlight, & the show is all the more entertaining for it. The guest artists enhance the performance, rather than getting in the way. Brian Kennedy & Van's own daughter, Shana, are both amazing vocalists. Candy Dulfer is great on sax, as is Georgie Fame on organ. Van, himself, even seems to be enjoying the show, in contrast to his more straight-to-the-point approach on IT'S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW. The back of the CD pretty much sums it up; ballads, blues, soul, funk & jazz (and I would add gospel). If you like these varied styles of music and a performer who's great at every one of them, don't hesitate to get this one.

I'm a huge Van Morrison fan and this is absolutely my favorite album! From the big hit albums like Moondance, to the more hardcore fan albums like The Philosopher's Stone and Back on Top, they all contain some amazing music. However, this live album is really Van at his most amazing.

Listen to the nearly 10 minute long "In the Garden/You Send Me/Allegheny" or the 9 minute long "Moondance/My Funny Valentine" and you'll see why he is such a master. The music is perfect for sitting outside on a warm summer evening. You'll feel like you are in that auditorium with him and it is like some kind of musical trance. I also love this version of "Beautiful Vision" and the upbeat "Did Ye Get Healed?". But I think it is the multiple encores that really cap this off as my favorite Van Morrison CD and one of my "Top 10 Desert Island CDs"!

If you love the "feel" of live music, you'll love this album. If you love Van Morrison, you'll love this album. But if you are new to Van Morrison, you may want to check out The Best of Van Morrison first. That too is a fantastic album and probably the best "summary" of his style and his hits. Then once you are hooked, grab this album for some great performances of some of the big hits, plus some more obscure songs.

I'm a huge music fan and Van Morrison is one of my top five artists of all time. I own almost 50 Van Morrison cds and over 1000 cds in all; and I think that a Night In San Francisco may be one of my three top 3 if not my top 1 cd of all time. Van soars in this release. His great voice was never better. He displays his extrodinary versatility with a pallet of blues, rock, soul, jazz and several more genres. His performances of both blues standards of Lonley Avenue and I'll Take care of You, in particular blew me away. His live performance of Vanlose Stairway dwarfs the studio version. I particularly like the the riffs that pay homage to such artists as James Brown, Sly Stone, and the incomparable Sam Cooke, among others. The musicians are phenominal as well. This cd is also graced with guest performances by such artists as John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Junior Wells, James "Blueboy" Hunter, Georgie Fame, Brian Kennedy and Shana Morrison. In addition Candy Dufler blows the hell out of the sax. I purchased this cd the day it came out in 1994, I still listen to it all the time. Its as fresh to me today as the day I bought it. If you are a Van Morrison fan you will love this cd. If you are'nt and you listen to this cd you will become one.

This is not a cd for the casual music listener.
Van Morrison "live" is about a journey. He wants to take you up and then bring you back down, often times using meditative music and vocals to accomplish it.
ANISF brings it all together to showcase all of Van's talents, as well as the talents of musicians he has been inspired by. Junior Wells, John Lee Hooker, Jimmie Witherspoon, Brian Kennedy, Georgie Fame, and even his daugher Shana are all featured on this cd and are given ample time to showcase their talents. Candy Dulpher is the perfect compliment to Van on sax and has some blistering solos as well.
ANISF will likely not jump out at you as a great listen the first time around. There is so much going on on stage with so many musicians and singers it can be a little intimidating or confusing at first. But after a few listens you can feel where the music is going and where Van wants to take you. Ultimately, the cd builds to "I'll take care of you/It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" on disc 2, which clocks in at a spellbinding 16 minutes. By the time the cd closes with "Shakin all over/Gloria" you've come full circle and can't wait to see the man live.
So if it's only Van you are seeking, pull out Moondance or Astral Weeks. But if you are ready to take a journey through soul, blues, jazz, and much more put on ANISF. You will not be disappointed.

Our greatest artists have always shown themselves to be explosive creators at one time, and egotistical polywogs at other times.
I have seen many many concerts, and there is not much that I have missed. When an artist is in a groove, and the right people are around them, the result is memorable. The central artist does not need to out perform the entire group, but works to blend in with them, letting everyone show their own creativity.
Comparing music to a painting, one color should not control the canvas, but be integral in the presentation of the image. Van does not need to control the performance, and in his restraint, allows for a more balanced and professional show. Such is the strength of this album; Balance between a number of singularly great musicians creating a tremendously great musical product, laced with spontaneity and emotion.
With that in mind, you can look at a number of compositions which truly shine in this album. The first disc is highlighted with the Stormy Monday, and Good Morning Little School Girl medleys with stand out performances by Junior Wells and Jimmie Witherspoon.The second disc in this album is tremendous, with an outstanding medley in Lonely Avenue highlighted again by Jimmie Witherspoon.
A friend of mine who leads a blues group on harmonica calls this album one of the best he has ever heard. Its strength is as I have spoken of earlier; spontaneity and emotion.
If you live for the blues, or want to learn to, dont let this album pass you by.

Probably the best 'live' album I've ever heard. The band is incredible, the flow of the music is incredible, the energy and sense of enjoyment released by Van and all of the performers is incredible. Much of the set consists of extended versions of Morrison's own songs augmented by fragments of tunes made famoud by others, such as snippets of 'It's All In The Game', and 'It's A Man's World'. This approach of 'sampling' from other styles and genres works beautifully and this astonishing group of musicians will make you feel like you are sitting in the first row. Crank up the volume or the headphones and transport yourself into the middle of a Van Morrison concert. Awesome.

We look forward to visiting family in the Bay Area every year and have such a wonderful time every time we go. I can't think of a better way to top off a great day in the Bay Area, doing whatever you enjoy, than to go to one of the shows when this disc was recorded.
It is a celebration of all different types of music in one place (oftentimes, and amazingly, in one song). From the opening horn riff of "Did Ye Get Healed", you know these aren't just run of the mill, ordinary performances. The medleys are absolutely incredible - I can't figure out which one I like best. They are each little journeys. Whether the journey is through Van's deep catalog or through music history itself it takes us to different and beautiful places. The quiet beauty of "In the Garden" is met by the rousing crescendo of "Vanlose Stairway". Even the "All Along the Watchtower" Dylan quote on the coda of "I Forgot That Love Existed" is a brief, yet priceless stop on our journey. Certainly not one that I'd want to miss.
I also think that the featured guests add a wonderful versatility to this performance. They allow Van to take his ideas about arranging a song in different ways to new places. Brian Kennedy opening "Tupelo Honey" and "You Make Me Feel So Free", only to give way to a rip roaring Van then leads us to some incredible harmonies. Jimmy Witherspoon provides some solid, bluesy vocals. Candy Dulfer's sax is on fire, especially on "I'll Take Care Of You. . . ". This cd should be played loud or listened to with headphones because of the great interplay between ALL of the musicians.
This cd is a must-have for anyone. . . As everyone has started saying, "see the back for what's inside," and more!

Wow. What can you say -- Van and his colleagues put on a clinic that night in San Francisco. The back cover of this disc superimposes the words "ballads", "blues", "soul", and "funk & jazz" over the track listing, and it's all there in the music. In the hands of less talented musicians, this could easily have been a recipe for a muddled, incoherent mess; Van and company, however, produce a seamless, flowing performance that fuses all these elements without losing their individual integrity. As another reviewer commented, this may not be a disc for the casual listener, since it may take repeated listenings and some familiarity with the blues and jazz standards that are referenced here in order to appreciate the virtuosity of their fusion. What will be clear from the outset, though, is that this concert was no "autopilot off-night" for Van; nor, in fact, was it merely a showcase of the (impressive) collection of guest talent present that night. Instead, it's an homage to, and celebration of, Van's roots in blues and jazz, and it's every bit as vital and heartfelt as Van's other live discs.

I have found that most live albums do not live up to expectations. The recording are usually flat, and the performances are either canned or too extended. This album is a masterpiece of a live recording. Van treats everyone to the ultimate Jazz/Soul/Rock review stlyle performance. If you dig Van - get it.

Sorry "I'm not impressed" but you clearly missed the boat of your review. I sugguest you LISTEN to the audience reaction to Vans performance that night. He was truely brilliant and this is one of the "live" CDs ever. Van does not have to reinvent himself into anything. He's already a great singer, songwriter and performer and if some people can not see this I truly pitty them. His back-up band is session-quality, they're that good! Been listening the greatness of VM since I first saw him on ABC's In Concert in 1974. To those out there on the fence about this CD I say buy it and enjoy it. Good luck finding it however, it's out of print.