Search - Van Morrison :: Night in San Francisco (Reis)

Ballads, Blues, Soul, Funk & Jazz - It's All Here On PART 2

Mark Barry at Reckless Records, Lon | UK | 07/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the real world, another live album by Van Morrison would be met by most people & even some of his die-hard fans with a resounding yawn - yet the wonderful and largely ignored 1994 2 disc set "A Night In San Francisco" didn't and doesn't deserve that. Remastered and repackaged on this 30 June 2008 re-issue, there's even a half-decent bonus track tagged onto the end of CD 2 - "Cleaning Windows".



The album's just as good as its famous 1974 predecessor - the legendary "It's Too Late To Stop Now" - it's just a more updated version. The mixture of tracks is similar too - a lethal combination of his own best compositions (new and old) with a healthy dose of rhythm `n' blues, soul, funk and jazz classics thrown in to lively up the mix.



I've been at Van gigs down through the years where he's God one night and a moody old curmudgeonly git the next! But what separates this set out is the extraordinarily inspired playing of the huge band that graced the stage with him. Each song is truly cooking. They're all enjoying themselves and the audiences' whoops and hollers are genuine too. At times, the slower songs like the lovely "See Me Through" and "Vanlose Stairway" are faster and funked up - and you feel he's blown it - but then one of the guests appears, plays a blinder, or the song cuts into another cover and suddenly the workout works. Four of the tracks are over 10 minutes, while one is nearly 17 - and yet they work. Recorded on the 18th of December 1993 in The Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco - you can only imagine, that the crowd went home very happy that cold wintry night.



Particular highlights are the guest appearances of JUNIOR WELLS on the Sonny Boy Williamson covers "Help Me" and "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" where he plays wonderful bluesy harmonica, while CANDY DULFER blows up the most fantastic Alto Saxophone solo on the "See Me Through medley". JIMMY WITHERSPOON sings the Ray Charles Atlantic Records classic "Lonely Avenue" and the Bobby Bland/T-Bone Walker/Freddie King blues workout of "Stormy Monday..." is superb. GEORGIE FAME sings and plays that lovely warm Hammond Organ of his, while both JAMES HUNTER and BRIAN KENNEDY feature heavily as Background Vocalists. His daughter SHANA MORRISON carries the lead on "Beautiful Vision" with Kennedy joining her too towards the end of the song - to genuinely moving effect.



96K/24 Bit remastered from the original analogue master tapes; the sound quality on this re-issue is great - clear, clean and a live in your living room. The booklet is functionary - song details, but no photos, no crowd shots - a bit of a poor show frankly. Still, it's the material that will have you coming back for more.



To sum up - "A Night In San Francisco" is a wonderful companion set to its 1974 younger and more famous brother - not something I'd say a lot about a lot of live albums. Highly, highly recommended.



PS:

30 Van Morrison albums are re-issued in remastered form throughout 2008 and into early 2009. Each title contains an upgraded booklet; previously unreleased bonus tracks and all will be at mid-price. The releases are in 4 batches as follows:



28 January 2008 (7 titles)

Tupelo Honey (1971), It's Too Late To Stop Now (2 CD Live Set) (1974),

Wavelenght (1979), Into The Music (1979), A Sense Of Wonder (1985),

Avalon Sunset (1989) and Back On Top (1999)

(see SEPARATE REVIEWS for all 7)



30 June 2008 UK/1 & 8 July 2008 USA (8 titles)

Veedon Fleece (1974), Common One (1980), Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart (1983), Live At The Grand Opera House, Belfast (1984), No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986), Enlightenment (1990), A Night In San Francisco (2CD Live Set) (1994) and The Healing Game (1997)

(see also SEPARATE REVIEWS for "Veedon Fleece", "Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart", "Enlightenment", "Common One" and "No Guru, No Method, No Teacher")



September 2008 - delayed until February 2009 (7 titles)

Saint Dominic's Preview (1972), A Period Of Transition (1977), Beautiful Vision (1982), Poetic Champions Compose (1987), Hymns To The Silence (2CD Studio Set) (1991), How Long Has This Been Going On (Live At Ronnie Scott's) (1995) and Tell Me Something - The Songs Of Mose Allison (1996)



January 2009 (8 titles)

Hard Nose The Highway (1973), Irish Heartbeat (with The Chieftains) (1988),

Too Long In Exile (1993), Days Like This (1995), The Story Of Them (2CD Set) (1999), The Skiffle Sessions - Live In Belfast (with Lonnie Donegan & Chris Barber) (2000), Down The Road (2002) and What's Wrong With This Picture? (2003)



PPS:

Those hoping to see desperately needed sonic upgrades of his 1st and 2nd album masterpieces on Warner Bothers "Astral Weeks" (1968) and "Moondance" (1970) or even "His Band & The Street Choir" (late 1970) will be disappointed to hear that they're NOT in this re-issue campaign - on either side of the pond. "Astral Weeks" and "Moondance" in particular have both been languishing around on crappy-sounding non-remastered CDs for over 20 years now and they're glaringly obvious omissions in this supposedly 'extensive' re-issue campaign. These universally recognized masterpieces have long deserved 2CD DELUXE EDITION treatment (some tracks in remastered form are available across the 3 volumes of "Best Of"). However, I've recently been informed by a good source that all 3 are NOW AVAILABLE since June 2008 in JAPAN in RHINO REMASTERED form. See the excellent Japanese site CDJAPAN.CO.JP for details (worded in English)."

Van is always best heard LIVE!

Michael W. | Spokane WA | 12/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you've heard Van Morrison in concert, you know exactly what the title of this review means. He's at his finest on this recording. His bands are always comprised of top-flight jazz musicians, and this is a sublime listening treat. This album is chalk full of all of the dynamic range, excitement, spontaneity, immediacy, and resonance that sets "live" music apart from studio works. Please forgive the cliché, but this recording is a real gem. If an artist can't do a piece with excellence, in a "live" setting, I just can't listen to them, much less take them seriously.



Mr. Morrison shines at his brightest in live performance. When he lived very near me, in my native Northern California, decades ago, we affectionately called him "The Belfast Cowboy". I joyfully saw and listened to him several times in those days, now long past. The first time was literally from the seat of my pants, sitting directly on the floor, very near front row center in San Francisco's tiny Boardinghouse Theater (around 1971 ~ 1973). He was disgracefully stoned. I'm laughing now, knowing he has survived, but I was concerned for his health at the time. He could neither stand nor walk without aid. Two of his crew members literally walked/carried him out to the piano to perform. Remarkably, even mystically, his performance was absolutely superb, after about 5 minutes of struggling. While I heard him live at other regional venues, another great standout was a place Morrison seemed to describe in his line from Saint Dominic's Preview, as that "Safeway Supermarket in the Rain": Sacramento's once beloved, ill-fated, beautifully grandiose art deco Alhambra Theater. Simply put, Mr. Morrison is at his sonic finest in "live" concert settings. If you love Van Morrison's music, buy this album; if you love jazz, soul, or blues, buy this album. If you like 'em all, you simply have no choice. Enjoy.



Two additional Van Morrison "LIVE" albums to which I unreservedly give 5 Stars are: 1. "It's Too Late To Stop Now" and 2. The very recently released "Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl".



P.S. Since writing this review slightly over 6 months ago, I cannot say how many times I've returned to again listen to this album. Yes, I'm "older", and vinyl L.Ps., CDs, and iPods, all play "albums", in my vernacular. Over and over again I've enjoyed this album. The very finest musicians are only very rarely "captured", in a manner that even remotely approaches the superb nature of their live performances, to wit: The Grateful Dead. They were always, and I do mean always, better "live". No one ever captured their live performances, in my opinion. I saw/listened to them about 200 times in concert. No, I was not stoned. I was always one of the "straights" at the shows. Yes, I do have dozens of live tapes somewhere around here, straight off of the main board pigtails, supplied for the purpose of recording, primarily by DAT! I have several of the Dick's Picks and other GD Productions releases. Nobody ever got it totally "right" This album under review, is as absolutely true to Van's live performance skills, as ever I have heard. That's the whole point of my review. Had I been listening to this purchase via the CD on which I purchased it, it would already be in need of replacement. It stands with a rare few albums that are my favorites, and I've been a music junkie for my entire life. I simply come back to "A Night In San Francisco", over and over again. It's that good!"

WOW

L. E. ALPERT | North Carolina, USA | 09/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fabulous CD with great Blues! I mean Terrific Awesome BLUES! A must have for a complete Van Morrison collection."