Van Morrison urged us into the mystery with the warm and soulful jazz poetry of this meditative manifesto. 'Poetic Champions Compose' began as an artistic concept: "When I started off I thought, 'I'd like to do a whole sort of jazz instrumental album' when I started; but when I did three numbers I thought, 'No, I don't want to do that;' changed my mind and said, 'I don't want to do that.' So I started to bring in songs then 'cause I wanted to sing then. I'd played enough I want to sing now; so it went on from there...When you sort of become a songwriter and you write songs...you write from the point of view that you are searching but you're actually not; but in order to be able to write something - writing a story or writing a song - you have to pretend that you are. 'Cause otherwise there's nothing to write about. So you have to pretend that there is something you are searching for or there is an idea that you can take somewhere; so it seems like searching but in actual fact you're just sort of in a way telling little stories; but you have to do that to write the damn song. Otherwise, you couldn't write it. If you say 'I've arrived I've nowhere to go now, then you've got a blank piece of paper."
Morrison produced 'Poetic Champions Compose' at Wool Hall Studios in Beckington and Townhouse Studios in London with Mick Glossop as engineer. With Morrison on lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, and alto saxophone; Neil Drinkwater on piano and synthesizer; Martin Drover on trumpet and flugelhorn; Roy Jones on drums and percussion; and Steve Pearce on bass; the sessions also included Mick Cox on lead guitar; June Boyce on back-up vocals; Richie Buckley on soprano saxophone and flute; and Kate St. John on oboe. Fiachra Trench played organ and did the string and woodwind arrangements while Paul Ridout did the synthesizer programming.
Morrison considers: "Like anybody else, I'm interested in loads of things. You name it, I'm interested in it. It doesn't mean that I say that everybody should do this. Why shouldn't I have the freedom to look into whatever I want, without people trying to block or limit me, or put out false images. My stance is clear. I'm not in any organization. I'm just me, a singer and a songwriter, and that's it. For me, the spiritual thing in a nutshell is simply being yourself. That is spirituality. It's very difficult to be yourself for most people. But in my case I have people assuming that I have this identity that is not even me. People keep superimposing the profession I'm in on top of me. So I have to deal with that layer constantly. And just keeping that layer off me is a tremendous load of work. Fame is not very conducive to this sort of thing, you know. Psychologists will tell you that artists have to be in a state of despair before they can produce great work. But I don't think that: It just feels better, because you think that although you're depressed, you're going to come out of it with something. But in my case I know it doesn't produce better work. I produce better work if I'm content. I can't create that feeling if I'm in a state of conflict."
'Poetic Champions Compose' went to ninety in the US, twenty-six in the UK, twenty-one in New Zealand, nineteen in Sweden, and number fifteen in the Netherlands.
http://www.vanmorrison.com/
"The Mystery"
Let go into the mystery
Let yourself go
And when you open up your heart
You get everything you need
Baby there's a way and a mystic road
You've got to have some faith
To carry on
"Queen of the Slipstream" gives the album its title.
There's a dream where the contents are visible
Where the poetic champions compose
Will you breathe not a word of this secrecy, and
Will you still be my special rose?
The romantic ballad "Someone Like You" went to number twenty-eight on the US adult contemporary chart and has been featured in several films.
I've been searching a long time
For someone exactly like you
I've been traveling all around the world
Waiting for you to come through.
Someone like you makes it
All worth while
Someone like you keeps me satisfied.
Someone exactly like you.
"Did Ye Get Healed?"
I began to realize
Magic in my life
See it manifest in oh, so many ways
Every day is gettin' better and better
I wanna be daily walking close
It gets stronger when you get the feelin'
When you get it down in your soul
And it makes you feel good
And it makes you feel whole
When the spirit moves you
And it fills you through and through
Every morning and at the break of day
Did ye get healed?
'Poetic Champions Compose'
full album:
Morrison considers: "Like anybody else, I'm interested in loads of things. You name it, I'm interested in it. It doesn't mean that I say that everybody should do this. Why shouldn't I have the freedom to look into whatever I want, without people trying to block or limit me, or put out false images. My stance is clear. I'm not in any organization. I'm just me, a singer and a songwriter, and that's it. For me, the spiritual thing in a nutshell is simply being yourself. That is spirituality. It's very difficult to be yourself for most people. But in my case I have people assuming that I have this identity that is not even me. People keep superimposing the profession I'm in on top of me. So I have to deal with that layer constantly. And just keeping that layer off me is a tremendous load of work. Fame is not very conducive to this sort of thing, you know. Psychologists will tell you that artists have to be in a state of despair before they can produce great work. But I don't think that: It just feels better, because you think that although you're depressed, you're going to come out of it with something. But in my case I know it doesn't produce better work. I produce better work if I'm content. I can't create that feeling if I'm in a state of conflict."
'Poetic Champions Compose' went to ninety in the US, twenty-six in the UK, twenty-one in New Zealand, nineteen in Sweden, and number fifteen in the Netherlands.
http://www.vanmorrison.com/
"The Mystery"
Let go into the mystery
Let yourself go
And when you open up your heart
You get everything you need
Baby there's a way and a mystic road
You've got to have some faith
To carry on
"Queen of the Slipstream" gives the album its title.
There's a dream where the contents are visible
Where the poetic champions compose
Will you breathe not a word of this secrecy, and
Will you still be my special rose?
The romantic ballad "Someone Like You" went to number twenty-eight on the US adult contemporary chart and has been featured in several films.
I've been searching a long time
For someone exactly like you
I've been traveling all around the world
Waiting for you to come through.
Someone like you makes it
All worth while
Someone like you keeps me satisfied.
Someone exactly like you.
"Did Ye Get Healed?"
I began to realize
Magic in my life
See it manifest in oh, so many ways
Every day is gettin' better and better
I wanna be daily walking close
It gets stronger when you get the feelin'
When you get it down in your soul
And it makes you feel good
And it makes you feel whole
When the spirit moves you
And it fills you through and through
Every morning and at the break of day
Did ye get healed?
'Poetic Champions Compose'
full album:
All songs written by Van Morrison except as noted.
Side one
"Spanish Steps" – 5:20
"The Mystery" – 5:16
"Queen of the Slipstream" – 4:55
"I Forgot That Love Existed" – 4:17
"Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" (traditional) – 4:27
Side two
"Celtic Excavation" – 3:17
"Someone Like You" – 4:06
"Alan Watts Blues" – 4:24
"Give Me My Rapture" – 3:44
"Did Ye Get Healed?" – 4:06
"Allow Me" – 3:53
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