Pay the Devil

Van Morrison

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 7, 2006)
• Original Release Date: March 7, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lost Highway
• ASIN: B000E6EIT4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,061 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With stunning album-length explorations of jazz and 1950s acoustic skiffle and a country-rockabilly collaboration with Linda Gail Lewis behind him, Van Morrison continues exploring classic country with compelling reinterpretations of standards from the 1950s to the 1970s. He reaches back over half a century for Hank Williams Sr.'s "Half As Much," "Your Cheatin' Heart," and "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" and Webb Pierce's landmark honky-tonk hits "Back Street Affair," "There Stands the Glass," and "More and More." Moving to the mid-'60s, he capably explores George Jones's "Things Have Gone to Pieces" and Connie Smith's "Once a Day." The 1970s are his limit, however, as he probes Rodney Crowell's "'Til I Gain Control Again." Three Morrison originals blend nicely into this mix, as do two non-country favorites: Chuck Willis's "What Am I Living For" and a gleeful spin on Blue Lu Barker's 1938 jazzy, single-entendre favorite "Don't You Make Me High." Recorded in Ireland with uncluttered hard-country backing, Pay the Devil reiterates Morrison's own musical diversity and flair for making any song his own. --Rich Kienzle

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Product Description

There’s a reason they call Van Morrison the Belfast Cowboy. Now with Morrison’s latest album Pay The Devil, that good reason has resulted in a great new album. From the start, the deeply soulful sounds of the American South helped inspire Morrison to one of the most enduring and consistently impressive careers in music history. For forty-years, he’s drawn upon the greats of Rhythm & Blues to create his own distinctive and influential blend of soul and Celtic influences. On Pay The Devil, Morrison explores his inner cowboy more than ever before -- recording a compelling mix of his favorite country compositions as well as a few equally strong originals that more than earn their place among such distinguished company. And just as Morrison’s longtime hero Ray Charles did once upon a time on Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Morrison has taken some enduring, endlessly relevant songs of the south and somehow made them all his own. Those who have been following Van Morrison for years might praise him for his remarkable range in taking this turn down a country road. Recent years have seen Morrison cover the musical waterfront with recordings that touch upon traditional Irish music, jazz, skiffle and other musical forms that move him. But the secret of Morrison’s ongoing artistic success is that he has never followed fashion in the slightest. Rather he continues to be a working musician who simply follows his own soulful muse wherever it may lead him. The outstanding, plainspoken songs on Pay The Devil range from the familiar, like Morrison’s impressive take on Hank Williams’ "Your Cheating Heart" and Webb Pierce’s "There Stands The Glass" to somewhat less familiar Country & Western gems. It is a true tribute to Morrison’s genius as a vocal stylist that he can take a song as often covered as "Half As Much" -- recorded over the years by everyone from Hank Williams to Patsy Cline and Emmylou Harris – and manage to make it feel new all over again. He does so by clearly connecting with country’s timeless themes of love and loss and life, sin and salvation. Through it all, Morrison proves to be one hell of a fine, subtle straight-ahead country singer in the grand tradition of George Jones. Indeed, one of Pay The Devil’s many highlights is Morrison’s take on "Things Have Gone To Pieces," a dark gem written by Leon Payne that Jones made famous. Then there’s "What Am I Living For?" -- an old Chuck Willis number. Listen to how ! Morrison delivers Rodney Crowell’s early masterpiece "Til I Gain Control Again" -- one of the more recent copyrights included here and a standout effort on an album full of them. Yet even among such high standards, Morrison’s originals here are among the highlights – including "Playhouse" a sly, infectious song that one wishes the Genius of Soul had lived to record, and the title track – a reflection on making the devil’s music and a fine reminder that "one man’s meat is another man’s poison" To listen to Pay The Devil, one might naturally assume that Morrison has traveled to Nashville and handed himself over to Music City’s finest players and producers. Remarkably, Morrison has done nothing of the sort – recording Pay The Devil in Ireland with the same wonderful musicians who have been playing with him for years now with exceptional results. Even more remarkably, it turns out that Morrison has never even been to Nashville before. Regardless of that, he has made a classic album that sounds like Nashville at its finest and stands as tall as anything that’s come out of the town in recent years. Pay The Devil is not just great country music, it’s great music – whatever country you happen to come from. We’ve come to expect no less from Morrison. Finally, the Belfast Cowboy has come home.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Belfast Cowboy Rides, May 6, 2006

By	Johnny Hodges (Clark Fork, ID United States) - See all my reviews

Full spectrum "country", from the humorous ("Don't You Feel My Leg") to the heart-rending ("Till I Gain Control Again") to parody of country music heartache lists ("Things Have Gone to Pieces") to anger with a backbeat ("This Has Got To Stop") to Hank Williams ("Half as Much") to rockabilly ("My Bucket's Got a Hole in It"). Like a lot of Van's albums, this music gets in your head and grows with time. The voice-as-instrument sounds like blasts from a well-payed horn. And speaking of playing, one of the benefits of being a Van Morrison fan is the perfection he demands of his backing musicians. This excellent band has more of a Bob Wills "roots" country feel, with some killer fiddle. I usually play my CD's on random play in a 200 disk changer, but this one I play front to back frequently since I bought it. Probably too subtle in its musical merits for the average country fan.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The True King of the Road, April 22, 2006

By	Tom O'Leary "Writer" (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

It is Friday night April 21st, 2006 in my part of the world. Just after midnight on a star-filled night. I know it was star-filled because I was fortunate enough to witness Van Morrison live in concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Van was in peak form. His band consisted of the most astonishing musicians in music today. I wish every young musician within a ten billion mile radius could have been there. Van played guitar, harmonica, saxophone and sang with more soul than any performer this side of Aretha or Ray. He smoked. And he performed half the songs on this CD. And he smoked. Don't pay attention to the carping blah, blah, blah in many of the reviews below. Van is and always will be the Man. Along with Aretha and Dylan, he only gets better with time. I raise my glass to you, Mr. Morrison.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Second Time's the Charm, April 18, 2006

By	Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Van Morrison has been one of my favorites for nearly forty years as I have followed the highs and lows of his storied career. I can find something to like in almost anything he's done even when he departs far from his usual range of styles.
Several years ago, he took a detour into country and rockabilly with Linda Gail Lewis. In my opinion, that effort came up short. This time is different, it seems as though the second time's the charm. Though Van Morrison will likely never be the toast of Nashville, Pay the Devil rates much higher in listenability than his last country outing. The superb musicianship here more than makes up for any lack of country twang in Morrison's voice.
If you don't like country music, you probably won't like this CD even if you are a confirmed Van fan. On this CD, Van harks back to the country sounds of a half-century ago. No smarmy pop infusions here, the music is as authentic and sometimes as corny as he can possibly make it.
My favorites are Half As Much, My Bucket's Got A Hole In It, Back Street Affair, the title cut, What Am I Living For?, Once A Day, and More and More.
There are also a couple of songs I don't really care for. Things Have Gone To Pieces is beyond corny with its litany of complaints, large and small. Then, although it is amusing, Don't You Make Me High doesn't really fit the country mood. I heard it years ago by Maria Muldaur and I hear it more as a lounge song than a country one.
Is there any song that is quintessentially Van Morrison? Well, yes. Even though it is steeped in country instumentation, This Has Got To Stop has Morrison's stamp all over it.
So, if you are a Van Morrison fan who also happens to like a touch of country, then you will likely enjoy this CD. I like it, and although its not my favorite, there is enough here to give it a solid four star rating. Listen and hear what I mean!