Customer Reviews

Van Morrison Saint Dominic's Preview LP

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You REALLY gotta be patient with this record. It took me four or five listens to get what Van was trying to communicate here, but now that I do, I can acknowledge it as one of his classics. "Listen to the Lion" is the best track here, and one of the finest in Van's career. It's a lengthy song about creativity, individuality, and spirituality to a degree, highlighted by Van's lion-like scatting and the fantastic lyrics. The other long one, "Almost Independence Day", has a nice beginning, but that's it. The droning Moog synthesizer was a strange choice for Van, and it doesn't really fit in. Rather, it seems to me like, "Oh, hey, I've got a Moog! Why not use it?" Thankfully, that's the only weak track on the album - "Redwood Tree" (weirdly chosen as a single) ain't great either, and it's derivative as derivative can be, but hey, it's blue-eyed soul, at least. I give it my props for that.
The remaining four songs are all standard length, and much like "Listen to the Lion" they all rule mercilessly. You may know "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)", a sophisticated, exuberant R&B shouter with a hint of jazz. It's good. Really, really good. I like "Gypsy", too, which is sort of a progressive folk song, jumping from 4/4 to 3/4. That "lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai!" chorus is cool, too. Everyone seems to jump on "I Will Be There" and pound it into the dust, but I love its jazzy, laid-back, big-band shuffle. And I've got no clue what the title track's about, but the lyrics read well on paper, and it's got a really catchy chorus. That's a good one there.
This would probably fit in my top five Van Morrison albums at the #4 slot - ahead of it are Astral Weeks, Veedon Fleece, and Tupelo Honey, and behind it is Moondance. It's really good. I recommend it.