Customer Reviews

Them Featuring Van Morrison

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You've got to listen to this CD at top volume, in a lonely midnight bar drinking a pint. This is scary music coming out of the Belfast night in 1965 -- lean, hard blues announcing the arrival of a major new talent to the world.

Van's primal howl on songs like "Gloria", "Mystic Eyes", "Turn On Your Love Light" and "(It Won't Hurt) Half As Much" is at its sandpaper best, and the band's music is tough and spare.

Morrison's work with Them is even more incredible when taken in the context of the about-face he pulled about three years later with ASTRAL WEEKS. But if you want to know where it all began, get this CD.

Odds are if you are reading this you dig Van Morrison. What this album offers is VM doing edgy rock and roll. Every cut is VM sounding like the VM who later became a superstar, except here he is young and really raw (versus studio polished) and with a sharp edge. Some critics contend this album was where the punk movement came from. Either way, it is rare to find album with this much energy and it be a joy to listen to.

The music is great but don't be confused this is not the debut LP but a greatest hits collection

For my money, in terms of the mid 60's British Invasion boom, Them had something their contemporaries didn't. It may seem like sacralige & heresey but yes, something even over the early Beatles & Stones.

Did any of them have this much edge so early on?

In terms of raw grit these guys didn't have to reach for it or put it on. They just had it. At times, this is Punk before Punk. Pure Garage assault. Cut with that vintage Van Morrison lyricism.

Ofcourse, all the Brit invaders shared the same R & B affections but another thing that set Them apart, was the fact they weren't English. They were Irish. North Irish at that. Belfast was well on its way to being a war zone. And they were not popular at home. Morrison was reputed as being a less than congenial front man (to put it lightly). And as evidenced here, he was a far more abrasive vocalist than either Jagger or even Eric Burdon at the time.

Despite an ever changing line-up, Morrison was certainly ahead of the curve in the originals department. "Gloria" & "Mystic Eyes" are all the proof you need. Dark, passionate & unforgettable. "Hey Girl" & "Lonely Sad Eyes" are just as exemplary.

In terms of the covers, "Here Comes The Night" is a bona fide classic. Their atmospheric take on "Stormy Monday" is a thing of rare beauty. "Richard Corey" possesses a grim bitterness, Simon's original lacks.

As for their version of the old Blues standard "Baby, Please Don't Go"---its definitve. Right up there with The Animals' "House Of The Rising Sun". Same goes for their take on the lesser known, world weary, "Don't Look Back". Though both arrangements owe a great debt to the great John Lee Hooker, they're taken places here that the sparse originals only hinted at.

I'd certainly recommend the 2 disc collection ("Story Of Them') over this, but sadly both are out of print at the moment. As incomplete as this is, it's a far more pocket friendly introduction.

Of course, Van later went on to cut the mind bogglingly great Astral Weeks shortly after leaving the band in 1966. But here's Van Morrison like you've never heard him. Full of sass, piss & vinegar. And yes, some truely sublime, poetic moments.

This Cd kicks off with a great song in Gloria.I have heard it on the oldes radio stations,and its a tune that gets you singing.I like this rock and roll era.Another song i like here is Baby Please Dont Go.Here Comes The Night is another favorite.Great 60s band this.

Van Morrison + Them were an excellent rock `n' roll team, 1964 - 1966, as demonstrated by 8 of the songs on this anthology. (Three of those songs are also offered on the very enjoyable original album Them Again - see my review if you like rock `n' roll!) On this album, their slow blues treatments of "The Story Of Them" by Van Morrison and "Stormy Monday" by T. Bone Walker are not very inspired. Their rendition of "Richard Cory" by Paul Simon is just plain weird. Especially good are Them's (first-ever, best-ever) lively rendition of Van Morrison's "Gloria," the jazzy "I Put A Spell On You" (also on the CD Them Again), and their slow and melodic rendition of John Lee Hooker's "Don't Look Back."

I started here because Mystic Eyes just blew me away when I first heard it years ago as a teenager. I have been a fan of Van Morrison ever since. He was great with Them and he is great as a solo artist. I have always found his music to be immensely satisfying. I cannot always put into words what I feel when I hear his voice, his unmistakable voice - his unmistakable style - but I know how I feel and the feeling is good.

This is a two CD set. Early Van Morrison. Lots of songs I forgot they sang. Lots of different retakes of same song but interesting. Real raw sound.

Happened to be watching TV when I heard music from the British rock group THEM and brought back many memories of high school in the early 60's. Had to purchase the CD so I could reminisce in my own home. Love it.

Since Van Morrison and Them's parted ways in 1967, reissues and compilation packages have become a cottage industry. The first of an ongoing onslaught, 1973 saw London Records reissue the band's first two albums (less two tracks from each) as "Them, Featuring Van Morrison". While the music was uniformly good, capturing the band at their most energetic, from a marketing standpoint it wasn't anything special and most true fans already owned the original studio sets. Critic Lester Bangs contributed some interesting liner notes, but anyone looking for new material, or interesting odds and ends was going to be disappointed. On the other hand, given the original studio LPs have become rather costly investments, this set is probably the place for the curious or casual fans to start. Certainly spurred on by Morrison's solo successes, the set sold well, reaching # 154.

"Them, Featuring Van Morrison" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Could You Would You (Van Morrison) - 3:05
2.) Something You Got (Chris Kenner - Domino Jr.) - 2:31
3.) Turn On Your Lovelight (Malone - Scott) - 2:20
4.) I Can Only Give You Everything (Scott - Coutler) - 2:40
5.) My Lonely Sad Eyes (Van Morrison) - 2:28

(side 2)
1.) Out of Sight (Wright) - 2:21
2.) It's All Over Now Baby Blue (Bob Dylan) - 3:48
3.) Bad On Good (Van Morrison) - 2:07
4.) How Long Baby (Gillon) - 3:38
5.) Bring 'em On In (Van Morrison) - 3:44

(side 3)
1.) Gloria (Van Morrison) - 2:38
2.) Here Comes the Night (Bert Berns) - 2:45
3.) Mystic Eyes (Van Morrison) - 2:41
4.) Don't Look Back (Hooker) - 3:23
5.) Little Girl (Van Morrison) - 2:21

(side 4)
1.) One More Time (Van Morrison) - 2:47
2.) If Only You and I Could Be As Two (Van Morrison) - 2:53
3.) I Like It Like That (Van Morrison) - 3:35
4.) One Two Brown Eyes (Van Morrison) - 2:39
5.) Route 66 (Troup) - 2:22