Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey

Mark Ellen coined the maxim "there are two types of people in the world - those that like Van Morrison and those that have met him".  I enjoyed seeing him in concert, but no chat between songs, seemingly adhering to his curmudgeon reputation. Perhaps the latest in a heritage of Irish mystics, his timeless music transcending any truculence. There should be no doubt that he cares for his music.

"Tupelo Honey" is a beguiling and rambling seven minute love song to his wife Janet, the passionate vocals set against the easy-going sound. Bob Dylan, a big fan, praised that it felt like it must have always existed and Van Morrison acted as a channel.

Written at a Woodstock retreat in New York, it was recorded for his fifth solo album after his 1971 move to San Francisco. Tupelo is a much prized and rare honey, from bees feasting on tupelo trees in Georgia and Florida (but a nice coincidence as Elvis Presley's birth place).

A joyful tribute to his sweetest love ("angel of the first degree"), he cannot praise her too highly, straining every superlative ("she's alright, alright with me").  But it also doubles as a celebration of the quest for liberty ("You can't stop us on the road to freedom"). I have always assumed it related to American civil rights movement, but it would have also been topical for Ireland or Vietnam too. 

Morrison's vocals are the key focus, gruff, free and unrestrained, even shouting towards the end. You have to love his pronunciation of "granite". A force of nature, even more admirable that it was captured in a single take, with no overdubs.

The sound is always hard to classify, merging elements of soul and country, but with jazz flourishes. So why bother ?  It is Van Morrison music ! The band are very tight, a prominent saxophone and piano, with flute, guitars and drums supporting. Sounds likes they had been playing together for years, but really were assembled specifically for the album.

He loved the melody so much, forming the basis of the previous year's "Crazy Love" and revisited it again later on "Why Must I Always Explain?". A conceit he exposed himself with a seamless concert medley.

Dusty Springfield recorded an admirable cover (included an additional verse), but Van Morrison's original is superior - a heartfelt and mesmerising love song.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DbTIKHYwog

Hear Next -  "Astral Weeks" is the certified classic, but newcomers might prefer the "Best of Van Morrison".


** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats - https://tinyurl.com/y43mbr2b