Indeed, borne of his Irish Showband instincts, the magic of the live performance has been a consistent feature of Morrison’s career. Mapping out a richly varied musical course throughout the 70s he shone among an all-star cast including Bob Dylan and Muddy Waters on The Band’s Last Waltz. Reflecting on new life in America on the joyous Sinatra soul of Moondance (1970) and the country inflected Tupelo Honey (1971) he summoned old spiritual and ancestral life in the epic St Dominic’s Preview (1972) closer track Listen To The Lion.ĭouble live album Too Late To Stop Now (1973) highlighted Morrison’s superlative performing and bandleader skills. Morrison would weave these and myriad other influences into the albums that followed in quick succession. Recorded over 3 days with legendary jazz musicians Astral Weeks (1968) is a still singular album combining street poetry, jazz improvisation, Celtic invocation and Afro Celtic Blues wailing.
