His Band and the Street Choir
Encyclopedia
His Band and the Street Choir (also referred to as Street Choir) is the fourth solo album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison
. It was released on 15 November 1970 by Warner Bros. Records
. Originally titled Virgo's Fool, Street Choir was renamed by Warner Bros. without Morrison's consent. Recording began in early 1970 with a demo
session in a small church in Woodstock, New York
. Morrison booked the A&R Studios on 46th Street in New York City in the second quarter of 1970 to produce two sessions of songs that were released on His Band and the Street Choir.
Reviewers praised the music of both sessions for its free, relaxed sound, but the lyrics were considered to be simple compared with those of his previous work. Morrison had intended to record the album a cappella
with only vocal backing by a vocal group he called the Street Choir, but the songs released on the album that included the choir also featured a backing band. Morrison was dissatisfied with additional vocalists to the original quintet that made up the choir, and these changes and others have led him to regard Street Choir poorly in later years.
His Band and the Street Choir was as well received as Morrison's previous album, Moondance
. Street Choir peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200
and number 18 on the UK Album Chart. It owes its success mainly to the US Top Ten single "Domino
", which was released before the album and surpassed Morrison's 1967 hit, "Brown Eyed Girl
". As of 2010, "Domino" remains the most successful single of Morrison's solo career. Two other singles were released from the album, "Blue Money" and "Call Me Up in Dreamland
"; although less successful, they still managed to reach the Billboard Hot 100
.
session at a small church in Woodstock
, which was not intended to produce any official releases. During its course Morrison worked on leftover material from his previous two albums (Astral Weeks
and Moondance
), recorded three songs that he had not performed in the studio before ("Crazy Face" and "Give Me a Kiss"), as well as two instrumental
s. Limited recording equipment was used, operated by drummer Dahaud Shaar, who was intending to open a recording studio in Woodstock at the time. Shaar remembered: "I found an old church and we would just load in. I'd set up a pair of mikes and we would just run down some tracks with the tapes running. They became like a working thing for the album."
For his new band Morrison brought back three musicians from the Moondance sessions: saxophonist Jack Schroer
; guitarist John Platania
and bassist John Klingberg. The backing vocal trio of Emily Houston
, Judy Clay
and Jackie Verdell
also returned to sing on "If I Ever Needed Someone". Multi-instrumentalist
Dahaud Shaar joined for His Band and the Street Choir; he was a veteran of the Moondance tour, though he had not played on the album. Keyboardist Alan Hand joined Morrison's band in late April 1970, replacing Jef Labes, who had left the band and moved to Israel before the end of the year. Keith Johnson completed the line-up on trumpet and Hammond organ.
Between March and May 1970 Morrison began work on the album at the A&R recording studios in New York City. He intended to create a full a capella record, and with this in mind assembled a vocal group he called the Street Choir, consisting of his friends Dahaud Shaar, Larry Goldsmith, Andrew Robinson and then wife, Janet "Planet" Rigsbee, who all lived near Woodstock. He had wanted the choir to feature only four vocalists, but was persuaded to allow two additional members to join: the wives of Keith Johnson and Jack Schroer (Martha Velez
and Ellen Schroer). However, Morrison was later persuaded to abandon the use of a cappella: "I had a group of people in mind for the Street Choir ... I asked them if they wanted to sing ... then the old ladies got involved and it ruined the whole thing." He was unhappy with the tracks recorded with the choir, as he wanted to use the group for a different effect: "I wanted these certain guys to form an a cappella group so that I could cut a lot of songs with just maybe one guitar. But it didn't turn out." During this session Morrison recorded the same tracks used for the demo session in Woodstock, as well as "Gypsy Queen" and an additional instrumental, six of which were used on Street Choir. Elliot Scheiner
was used as the engineer for this session, after he helped to produce Moondance. However, according to biographer Clinton Heylin
, Scheiner and Morrison had a disagreement, so he was not used for the rest of the album.
Morrison returned to the A&R studios between June and August to record the remaining six tracks that featured on the album. For this second session Dahaud Shaar filled the role of engineer, though Shaar did not remember Morrison giving the job to him: "Elliot thought he was going to be the co-producer, but then again I never saw him calling takes or asking people to change parts ... I didn't consider myself co-producer. Van would ask me questions and I would give him answers, but it was never a defined role." Morrison felt unsatisfied with some of the final recordings, and notably reworked the song "Street Choir" shortly before studio work concluded.
reviewer Jon Landau
believes have a free, relaxed sound to them, borrow from various music genre
s; the simple lyrics lack the complexity popularly expected from Morrison's work.
The first recording that would feature on His Band and the Street Choir was "I've Been Working
", an out-take from the Astral Weeks sessions in 1968 and the Moondance sessions in 1969. The final version produced on His Band and the Street Choir is upbeat and shows the influence of James Brown
. Morrison notably sings the line "Woman, woman, woman, you make me feel alright" in unison with the horn section, which Jon Landau describes as "breathtaking".
"Domino
" had been recorded many times before its release. The first was in sessions from September to November 1968, just after Astral Weeks was recorded. Morrison rearranged "Domino" frequently from 1968 to 1970, notably recording rap and harmony
versions. For its release it was arranged in a moderate 4/4 tempo
and features rhythm guitar. Horn overdubs
were later added to the recording. Morrison ad libs between the end of the chorus and the start of the verses, when he shouts the words "Dig it!", as well as near the end with "And the band ... one more time!", which, according to biographer Peter Mills, helps bring out the theme of "liveliness" in both the song and the album as a whole. The song was considered by many reviewers as a tribute to pianist and singer-songwriter, Fats Domino
. As with "Domino", Morrison first recorded "If I Ever Needed Someone" in late 1968; it is one of many blues-influenced tracks on the album.
"Virgo Clowns" was first recorded at the start of 1969 as "(Sit Down) Funny Face". Morrison next recorded it during the first Street Choir session, renaming it simply "Funny Face". It was re-recorded during the second session under the completely different title of "Virgo Clowns". In its final form, Morrison and John Platania duet on acoustic guitars. As the song fades out laughter is heard performed by the Street Choir.
"Crazy Face" evolved from "Going Around with Jesse James", a song Morrison first recorded for Astral Weeks on 15 October 1968. Both songs contain references to American outlaw
Jesse James
. Morrison arranged "Crazy Face" in the irregular time signature
8/4; the first, third and seventh beats
of the bar
are emphasised. It begins with a gentle piano introduction, and ends abruptly, which, in Peter Mills' view, represents a shot from a gun, consistent with the American outlaw theme.
"Give Me a Kiss" and "Gypsy Queen" are the final songs recorded during the first recording session. Morrison wrote "Give me a Kiss" about either Planet or his newly born baby girl Shana
. It is a twelve bar blues
in the style of boogie rock
, a music genre prominent in the 1960s, leading reviewers to compare the song to the work of The Beatles
and Elvis Presley
. Reviewers believed the song "Gypsy Queen" was inspired by "Gypsy Woman", first recorded by Curtis Mayfield
and The Impressions. Johnny Rogan
feels the song is "a failed attempt to recapture the spirit of 'Caravan
'", another Morrison composition inspired by "Gypsy Woman", released on the album Moondance. Morrison sings the song in falsetto
, while keyboardist Alan Hand plays celeste
, imitating a music box at both the beginning and end.
The second recording session yielded the remaining material. "Call Me Up in Dreamland
" is a gospel
-style composition. The lyrics refer to life on the road, as Morrison was touring when he recorded the album. They also refer to Morrison and Janet Planet's life at the time: "We were finally, really living in a dreamland—believe it or not—it was a magical time", Planet recalled.
"I'll Be Your Lover, Too
" was inspired by Morrison and Planet's marriage. This acoustic ballad has a moderate 4/4 tempo, with one 5/8 bar before the vocal comes in. "Blue Money", a pun-filled reference to Morrison's financial situation, is about a model, perhaps his wife. (Planet worked in the industry before meeting Morrison.) "Sweet Jannie" is the second twelve-bar blues on the album; written about young love, the song is another that reviewers speculated was about Planet. The lyrics, "I've been in love with you baby / Ever since you were in Sunday school" lead Clinton Heylin to believe it was written about memories from Morrison's childhood when he attended Sunday school in Belfast
; Planet is a California-raised Texan.
In the album closer, "Street Choir", Morrison repeats the questions, "Why did you let me down / And now that things are better off / Why do you come around". Because of these lyrics Heylin wrote that "such songs [as "Street Choir"] were spawned by an increasing awareness of just how badly ripped off he had been". Ken Brooks has said that the lyric "Move On Up
" is another reference on the album to a Curtis Mayfield song. The track prominently features Keith Johnson's trumpet and Morrison's harmonica. Writer Brian Hinton
described the lyrics as perversely bitter, while Jon Landau wrote that "Street Choir" was one of the "two or three finest songs" of Morrison's career because of its "musical and poetic energy".
scheduled His Band and the Street Choir for rush-release to sell over Christmas 1970, leaving little time to plan the packaging. These pressured conditions led the company to mistitle the promotional releases as His Band and Street Choir and prepare an incorrectly ordered track listing. Janet Planet designed the album cover and wrote the sleeve notes, which sound "a little desperate", in the words of Brian Hinton, as she wrote, "This is the album that you must sing with, dance to, you must find a place for these songs somewhere in your life."
David Gahr
took the gatefold
photos of Morrison surrounded by his musicians with their wives and children at a party for Planet's son, Peter, born from a previous relationship. Morrison dismissed these photos as "rubbish". However, Johnny Rogan commented that the front cover looks far worse; it included a "hilarious" image of Morrison in a full-length kaftan. Morrison complained about the stereotypical front cover as well: "people think you're a hippie because of the long hair and beard. ... I'd bought the kaftan in Woodstock, and that's what people were wearing." Peter Mills agrees that "Van Morrison was never a hippie, but this was as close as he came."
His Band and the Street Choir peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200
, and at number 18 on the UK Album Chart. The album received a warm reception in North America—as Moondance had done—largely due to the success of "Domino", a sampler single that peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100
. This single remains Morrison's biggest US hit (as of 2010), as it climbed one place higher than his 1967 hit "Brown Eyed Girl
", from the album Blowin' Your Mind!
. "Domino" was also a hit in the Netherlands, reaching number 22 on the Dutch Top 40
. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone magazine attributed the success of "Domino" to the guitar figure at the beginning of the track, which he considered "not only a great way to start a single, but a fine way to begin the album". "Blue Money" debuted as the second single, faltering outside the Top 20 at number 23 in the US. The final single, "Call Me Up in Dreamland", managed only two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, while reaching number 95; biographer Ken Brooks believed it deserved better. John Platania recalled that Morrison "had designs" on securing radio airplay for Street Choir, and the success of its singles reflected a growing audience and commercial appeal for his music.
ZigZag
magazine reviewer John Tobler
felt, "even if it's inferior to Moondance, it is still better than eighty per cent of the records you've got in your collection." Robert Christgau
was more critical, calling it "a less compelling album than Moondance" containing "a few humdrum cuts and an occasional minor lapse of taste". He nonetheless awarded the album an "A-minus", later upgraded to an "A". Biographer Brian Hinton commented that His Band and the Street Choir is "vaguely reminiscent of Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline
". Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello
identified His Band and the Street Choir as one of his 500 essential albums and "Street Choir" as one of his favorite songs. In 2006 Johnny Rogan called the songs on the album "a severe disappointment when compared to the material on the previous two albums."
in 1973: "Somewhere along the line I lost control of that album. I'd rather not think about that album because it doesn't mean much in terms of where I was at ... the album didn't sell very well and I'm glad." Morrison first lost control of the album before its release, when it was retitled from Virgo's Fool to His Band and the Street Choir:
Despite this, assistant producer and drummer Dahaud Shaar recalled that Morrison had positive feelings towards the album at the time of its release.
Janet Planet holds the view that "There is much to love about the songs on this album: 'Blue Money', 'Crazy Face', 'Call Me Up in Dreamland', 'Domino' - these are just great songs in any era."
The Street Choir
Production
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
. It was released on 15 November 1970 by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
. Originally titled Virgo's Fool, Street Choir was renamed by Warner Bros. without Morrison's consent. Recording began in early 1970 with a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
session in a small church in Woodstock, New York
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
. Morrison booked the A&R Studios on 46th Street in New York City in the second quarter of 1970 to produce two sessions of songs that were released on His Band and the Street Choir.
Reviewers praised the music of both sessions for its free, relaxed sound, but the lyrics were considered to be simple compared with those of his previous work. Morrison had intended to record the album a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
with only vocal backing by a vocal group he called the Street Choir, but the songs released on the album that included the choir also featured a backing band. Morrison was dissatisfied with additional vocalists to the original quintet that made up the choir, and these changes and others have led him to regard Street Choir poorly in later years.
His Band and the Street Choir was as well received as Morrison's previous album, Moondance
Moondance
Moondance is the third solo album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on Warner Bros. Records on 28 February 1970 and peaked at #29 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart....
. Street Choir peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and number 18 on the UK Album Chart. It owes its success mainly to the US Top Ten single "Domino
Domino (Van Morrison song)
"Domino" is a hit song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It is the opening track of his fourth studio album, His Band and the Street Choir. This song is Morrison's personal musical tribute to New Orleans R&B singer and pianist Fats Domino.It was released by Warner Bros...
", which was released before the album and surpassed Morrison's 1967 hit, "Brown Eyed Girl
Brown Eyed Girl
"Brown Eyed Girl" is a song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. Written and recorded in 1967 by Van Morrison and produced by Bang Records chief Bert Berns, it was first released in May 1967 on the album Blowin' Your Mind!. When released as a single, it rose to number eight on the...
". As of 2010, "Domino" remains the most successful single of Morrison's solo career. Two other singles were released from the album, "Blue Money" and "Call Me Up in Dreamland
Call Me Up in Dreamland
"Call Me Up in Dreamland" is a song that was written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, His Band and the Street Choir...
"; although less successful, they still managed to reach the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Recording
Recording began with a demoDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
session at a small church in Woodstock
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
, which was not intended to produce any official releases. During its course Morrison worked on leftover material from his previous two albums (Astral Weeks
Astral Weeks
Astral Weeks is the second solo album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in November 1968 on Warner Bros. Records. It was Morrison's first album after Warner Bros. had been able to free him from his contract with Bang Records...
and Moondance
Moondance
Moondance is the third solo album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on Warner Bros. Records on 28 February 1970 and peaked at #29 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart....
), recorded three songs that he had not performed in the studio before ("Crazy Face" and "Give Me a Kiss"), as well as two instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
s. Limited recording equipment was used, operated by drummer Dahaud Shaar, who was intending to open a recording studio in Woodstock at the time. Shaar remembered: "I found an old church and we would just load in. I'd set up a pair of mikes and we would just run down some tracks with the tapes running. They became like a working thing for the album."
For his new band Morrison brought back three musicians from the Moondance sessions: saxophonist Jack Schroer
Jack Schroer
John Henry "Jack" Schroer was a saxophonist, pianist and arranger best known for his work with Van Morrison in the 1970s as a member of his band The Caledonia Soul Orchestra....
; guitarist John Platania
John Platania
John Platania is a well-known session musician, guitar player, and record producer.Platania was born in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley, in Ulster County, near Woodstock....
and bassist John Klingberg. The backing vocal trio of Emily Houston
Cissy Houston
Emily "Cissy" Houston is a Grammy Award–winning American soul and gospel singer. She led a very successful career as a backup singer for such artists as Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, Wishbone Ash and Aretha Franklin, and is now primarily a solo artist...
, Judy Clay
Judy Clay
Judy Clay was an American soul and gospel singer, who achieved greatest success as a member of two recording duos in the 1960s.-Life:...
and Jackie Verdell
Jackie Verdell
Jackie Verdell was an American gospel singer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Musical career:After leaving high school, she joined the The Davis Sisters in 1955, at the start of their tenure with Herman Lubinsky and Ozzie Cadena's record label Savoy Records of Newark, New Jersey...
also returned to sing on "If I Ever Needed Someone". Multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
Dahaud Shaar joined for His Band and the Street Choir; he was a veteran of the Moondance tour, though he had not played on the album. Keyboardist Alan Hand joined Morrison's band in late April 1970, replacing Jef Labes, who had left the band and moved to Israel before the end of the year. Keith Johnson completed the line-up on trumpet and Hammond organ.
Between March and May 1970 Morrison began work on the album at the A&R recording studios in New York City. He intended to create a full a capella record, and with this in mind assembled a vocal group he called the Street Choir, consisting of his friends Dahaud Shaar, Larry Goldsmith, Andrew Robinson and then wife, Janet "Planet" Rigsbee, who all lived near Woodstock. He had wanted the choir to feature only four vocalists, but was persuaded to allow two additional members to join: the wives of Keith Johnson and Jack Schroer (Martha Velez
Martha Veléz
Martha Carmen Josephine Hernandéz Rosario de Veléz is an American singer and actress of Puerto Rican descent. Veléz is the former wife of famous trumpet player Keith Johnson. Her son is performance artist,writer/poet, singer, Taj Johnson. Taj appeared as series regular for two years on Parker...
and Ellen Schroer). However, Morrison was later persuaded to abandon the use of a cappella: "I had a group of people in mind for the Street Choir ... I asked them if they wanted to sing ... then the old ladies got involved and it ruined the whole thing." He was unhappy with the tracks recorded with the choir, as he wanted to use the group for a different effect: "I wanted these certain guys to form an a cappella group so that I could cut a lot of songs with just maybe one guitar. But it didn't turn out." During this session Morrison recorded the same tracks used for the demo session in Woodstock, as well as "Gypsy Queen" and an additional instrumental, six of which were used on Street Choir. Elliot Scheiner
Elliot Scheiner
Elliot Scheiner is a record producer and record engineer. Scheiner has received 23 Grammy Award nominations, 6 of which he won, and he has been awarded four Emmy nominations, one Emmy award for his work with the Eagles on their farewell tour broadcast, three TEC Awards nominations, a TEC Hall of...
was used as the engineer for this session, after he helped to produce Moondance. However, according to biographer Clinton Heylin
Clinton Heylin
Clinton Heylin is an English author who has written extensively about popular music and the work of Bob Dylan.- Education :...
, Scheiner and Morrison had a disagreement, so he was not used for the rest of the album.
Morrison returned to the A&R studios between June and August to record the remaining six tracks that featured on the album. For this second session Dahaud Shaar filled the role of engineer, though Shaar did not remember Morrison giving the job to him: "Elliot thought he was going to be the co-producer, but then again I never saw him calling takes or asking people to change parts ... I didn't consider myself co-producer. Van would ask me questions and I would give him answers, but it was never a defined role." Morrison felt unsatisfied with some of the final recordings, and notably reworked the song "Street Choir" shortly before studio work concluded.
Composition
Some songs featured on His Band and the Street Choir were first recorded for the albums Astral Weeks and Moondance. Morrison rewrote and rearranged them for release on Street Choir because the recordings for his new album featured different personnel and instrumentation. The songs on the album, which Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
reviewer Jon Landau
Jon Landau
Jon Landau is an American music critic, manager and record producer, most known for his association in all three capacities with Bruce Springsteen.He is currently the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
believes have a free, relaxed sound to them, borrow from various music genre
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
s; the simple lyrics lack the complexity popularly expected from Morrison's work.
The first recording that would feature on His Band and the Street Choir was "I've Been Working
I've Been Working
"I've Been Working" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison appearing on the album His Band and the Street Choir, released in 1970. The song was first an outtake from Morrison's well received album Astral Weeks of 1968...
", an out-take from the Astral Weeks sessions in 1968 and the Moondance sessions in 1969. The final version produced on His Band and the Street Choir is upbeat and shows the influence of James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
. Morrison notably sings the line "Woman, woman, woman, you make me feel alright" in unison with the horn section, which Jon Landau describes as "breathtaking".
"Domino
Domino (Van Morrison song)
"Domino" is a hit song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It is the opening track of his fourth studio album, His Band and the Street Choir. This song is Morrison's personal musical tribute to New Orleans R&B singer and pianist Fats Domino.It was released by Warner Bros...
" had been recorded many times before its release. The first was in sessions from September to November 1968, just after Astral Weeks was recorded. Morrison rearranged "Domino" frequently from 1968 to 1970, notably recording rap and harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
versions. For its release it was arranged in a moderate 4/4 tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
and features rhythm guitar. Horn overdubs
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
were later added to the recording. Morrison ad libs between the end of the chorus and the start of the verses, when he shouts the words "Dig it!", as well as near the end with "And the band ... one more time!", which, according to biographer Peter Mills, helps bring out the theme of "liveliness" in both the song and the album as a whole. The song was considered by many reviewers as a tribute to pianist and singer-songwriter, Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
. As with "Domino", Morrison first recorded "If I Ever Needed Someone" in late 1968; it is one of many blues-influenced tracks on the album.
"Virgo Clowns" was first recorded at the start of 1969 as "(Sit Down) Funny Face". Morrison next recorded it during the first Street Choir session, renaming it simply "Funny Face". It was re-recorded during the second session under the completely different title of "Virgo Clowns". In its final form, Morrison and John Platania duet on acoustic guitars. As the song fades out laughter is heard performed by the Street Choir.
"Crazy Face" evolved from "Going Around with Jesse James", a song Morrison first recorded for Astral Weeks on 15 October 1968. Both songs contain references to American outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
Jesse James
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
. Morrison arranged "Crazy Face" in the irregular time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
8/4; the first, third and seventh beats
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
of the bar
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
are emphasised. It begins with a gentle piano introduction, and ends abruptly, which, in Peter Mills' view, represents a shot from a gun, consistent with the American outlaw theme.
"Give Me a Kiss" and "Gypsy Queen" are the final songs recorded during the first recording session. Morrison wrote "Give me a Kiss" about either Planet or his newly born baby girl Shana
Shana Morrison
Shana Morrison, born Shana Caledonia Morrison, on April 7, 1970, in Kingston, New York, is an American singer-songwriter and the daughter of Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Van Morrison, and his ex-wife, Janet Rigsbee Minto.-Early life:...
. It is a twelve bar blues
Twelve bar blues
The 12-bar blues is one of the most popular chord progressions in popular music, including the blues. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics and phrase and chord structure and duration...
in the style of boogie rock
Boogie rock
Boogie rock is a music genre which came out of the hard heavy blues rock of the late 1960s. It tends to feature a repetitive driving rhythm in place of instrumental experimentation found in the more progressive blues-rock bands of the period.-Definitions:...
, a music genre prominent in the 1960s, leading reviewers to compare the song to the work of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. Reviewers believed the song "Gypsy Queen" was inspired by "Gypsy Woman", first recorded by Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
and The Impressions. Johnny Rogan
Johnny Rogan
Johnny Rogan is an author of Irish descent best known for his books about music and popular culture. He has written influential biographies of The Byrds, The Smiths and Van Morrison. His writing is characterised by "an almost neurotic attention to detail", epic length and a sometimes hostile...
feels the song is "a failed attempt to recapture the spirit of 'Caravan
Caravan (Van Morrison song)
"Caravan" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, Moondance. It was a concert highlight for several years and was included as one of the songs on Morrison's 1974 acclaimed live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now.It was also performed by...
'", another Morrison composition inspired by "Gypsy Woman", released on the album Moondance. Morrison sings the song in falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
, while keyboardist Alan Hand plays celeste
Celesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, imitating a music box at both the beginning and end.
The second recording session yielded the remaining material. "Call Me Up in Dreamland
Call Me Up in Dreamland
"Call Me Up in Dreamland" is a song that was written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, His Band and the Street Choir...
" is a gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
-style composition. The lyrics refer to life on the road, as Morrison was touring when he recorded the album. They also refer to Morrison and Janet Planet's life at the time: "We were finally, really living in a dreamland—believe it or not—it was a magical time", Planet recalled.
"I'll Be Your Lover, Too
I'll Be Your Lover, Too
"I'll Be Your Lover, Too" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It appears on the album His Band and the Street Choir, released in 1970....
" was inspired by Morrison and Planet's marriage. This acoustic ballad has a moderate 4/4 tempo, with one 5/8 bar before the vocal comes in. "Blue Money", a pun-filled reference to Morrison's financial situation, is about a model, perhaps his wife. (Planet worked in the industry before meeting Morrison.) "Sweet Jannie" is the second twelve-bar blues on the album; written about young love, the song is another that reviewers speculated was about Planet. The lyrics, "I've been in love with you baby / Ever since you were in Sunday school" lead Clinton Heylin to believe it was written about memories from Morrison's childhood when he attended Sunday school in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
; Planet is a California-raised Texan.
In the album closer, "Street Choir", Morrison repeats the questions, "Why did you let me down / And now that things are better off / Why do you come around". Because of these lyrics Heylin wrote that "such songs [as "Street Choir"] were spawned by an increasing awareness of just how badly ripped off he had been". Ken Brooks has said that the lyric "Move On Up
Move On Up
"Move on Up" is a song by Curtis Mayfield from his 1970 debut album Curtis. In 1971, the song spent ten weeks in the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart, but it did not chart in the United States. In 2001 Bran Van 3000 recorded "Astounded", which featured Curtis Mayfield singing the lyrics of "Move on Up"...
" is another reference on the album to a Curtis Mayfield song. The track prominently features Keith Johnson's trumpet and Morrison's harmonica. Writer Brian Hinton
Brian Hinton
Brian Hinton, MBE is an English poet and musicologist. In June 2006 he was honoured in H. M. the Queen’s Birthday Honours List with an MBE for services to the Arts.-Education:...
described the lyrics as perversely bitter, while Jon Landau wrote that "Street Choir" was one of the "two or three finest songs" of Morrison's career because of its "musical and poetic energy".
Packaging
Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
scheduled His Band and the Street Choir for rush-release to sell over Christmas 1970, leaving little time to plan the packaging. These pressured conditions led the company to mistitle the promotional releases as His Band and Street Choir and prepare an incorrectly ordered track listing. Janet Planet designed the album cover and wrote the sleeve notes, which sound "a little desperate", in the words of Brian Hinton, as she wrote, "This is the album that you must sing with, dance to, you must find a place for these songs somewhere in your life."
David Gahr
David Gahr
David Gahr was an American photographer. He was one of "the pre-eminent photographers of American folk, blues, jazz and rock musicians of the 1960s and beyond." ....
took the gatefold
Gatefold
A gatefold is a type of fold used for advertising around a magazine or section, and for packaging of media such as vinyl records.- LP covers :...
photos of Morrison surrounded by his musicians with their wives and children at a party for Planet's son, Peter, born from a previous relationship. Morrison dismissed these photos as "rubbish". However, Johnny Rogan commented that the front cover looks far worse; it included a "hilarious" image of Morrison in a full-length kaftan. Morrison complained about the stereotypical front cover as well: "people think you're a hippie because of the long hair and beard. ... I'd bought the kaftan in Woodstock, and that's what people were wearing." Peter Mills agrees that "Van Morrison was never a hippie, but this was as close as he came."
Release
His Band and the Street Choir was first released on LP on November 15, 1970 and was Morrison's third record to be produced for Warner Bros. It was re-released by the record company on CD in 1987, 1990 and 2005, and LP in 2008 with Rhino Records.His Band and the Street Choir peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, and at number 18 on the UK Album Chart. The album received a warm reception in North America—as Moondance had done—largely due to the success of "Domino", a sampler single that peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. This single remains Morrison's biggest US hit (as of 2010), as it climbed one place higher than his 1967 hit "Brown Eyed Girl
Brown Eyed Girl
"Brown Eyed Girl" is a song by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. Written and recorded in 1967 by Van Morrison and produced by Bang Records chief Bert Berns, it was first released in May 1967 on the album Blowin' Your Mind!. When released as a single, it rose to number eight on the...
", from the album Blowin' Your Mind!
Blowin' Your Mind!
- Musicians :* Van Morrison – guitar, vocals* Eric Gale - - Production :* Vic Anesini – Mastering* Brooks Arthur – Engineer* Bert Berns – Arranger, Director, Producer, Liner Notes* Adam Block – Project Director...
. "Domino" was also a hit in the Netherlands, reaching number 22 on the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
. Jon Landau of Rolling Stone magazine attributed the success of "Domino" to the guitar figure at the beginning of the track, which he considered "not only a great way to start a single, but a fine way to begin the album". "Blue Money" debuted as the second single, faltering outside the Top 20 at number 23 in the US. The final single, "Call Me Up in Dreamland", managed only two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, while reaching number 95; biographer Ken Brooks believed it deserved better. John Platania recalled that Morrison "had designs" on securing radio airplay for Street Choir, and the success of its singles reflected a growing audience and commercial appeal for his music.
Critical response
Reviewers generally praised Street Choir. Jon Landau compared it to Morrison's previous work:ZigZag
ZigZag (magazine)
ZigZag was a British rock music magazine. It was started by Pete Frame and the first edition rolled off the printing presses on 16 April 1969...
magazine reviewer John Tobler
John Tobler
John Hugen Tobler is a British rock music journalist, writer, occasional broadcaster, and record company executive.With Pete Frame, he was one of the founders of ZigZag magazine in April 1969...
felt, "even if it's inferior to Moondance, it is still better than eighty per cent of the records you've got in your collection." Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
was more critical, calling it "a less compelling album than Moondance" containing "a few humdrum cuts and an occasional minor lapse of taste". He nonetheless awarded the album an "A-minus", later upgraded to an "A". Biographer Brian Hinton commented that His Band and the Street Choir is "vaguely reminiscent of Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's ninth studio album, released by Columbia Records in April 1969.The album marked a dramatic departure for Dylan, previously known for his groundbreaking, poetic folk music and rock and roll...
". Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
identified His Band and the Street Choir as one of his 500 essential albums and "Street Choir" as one of his favorite songs. In 2006 Johnny Rogan called the songs on the album "a severe disappointment when compared to the material on the previous two albums."
Morrison and the musicians' responses
Van Morrison regarded Street Choir poorly, as he told biographer Ritchie YorkeRitchie Yorke
Ritchie Yorke is an Australian-born author, broadcaster, historian and music journalist. Born in Brisbane in 1944, while his father was serving with the Australian Army, Yorke developed a passion for rock ‘n’ roll in his early teens.-Biography:...
in 1973: "Somewhere along the line I lost control of that album. I'd rather not think about that album because it doesn't mean much in terms of where I was at ... the album didn't sell very well and I'm glad." Morrison first lost control of the album before its release, when it was retitled from Virgo's Fool to His Band and the Street Choir:
Despite this, assistant producer and drummer Dahaud Shaar recalled that Morrison had positive feelings towards the album at the time of its release.
Janet Planet holds the view that "There is much to love about the songs on this album: 'Blue Money', 'Crazy Face', 'Call Me Up in Dreamland', 'Domino' - these are just great songs in any era."
Side one
- "DominoDomino (Van Morrison song)"Domino" is a hit song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It is the opening track of his fourth studio album, His Band and the Street Choir. This song is Morrison's personal musical tribute to New Orleans R&B singer and pianist Fats Domino.It was released by Warner Bros...
" – 3:06 - "Crazy Face" – 2:56
- "Give Me a Kiss (Just One Sweet Kiss)" – 2:30
- "I've Been WorkingI've Been Working"I've Been Working" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison appearing on the album His Band and the Street Choir, released in 1970. The song was first an outtake from Morrison's well received album Astral Weeks of 1968...
" – 3:25 - "Call Me Up in DreamlandCall Me Up in Dreamland"Call Me Up in Dreamland" is a song that was written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, His Band and the Street Choir...
" – 3:52 - "I'll Be Your Lover, TooI'll Be Your Lover, Too"I'll Be Your Lover, Too" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It appears on the album His Band and the Street Choir, released in 1970....
" – 3:57
Side two
- "Blue Money" – 3:40
- "Virgo Clowns" – 4:10
- "Gypsy Queen" – 3:16
- "Sweet Jannie" – 2:11
- "If I Ever Needed Someone" – 3:45
- "Street Choir" – 4:43
Personnel
Musicians- Van Morrison – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
, vocalSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Judy ClayJudy ClayJudy Clay was an American soul and gospel singer, who achieved greatest success as a member of two recording duos in the 1960s.-Life:...
– backing vocals on "If I Ever Needed Someone" - Alan Hand – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, celesteCelestaThe celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators... - Emily HoustonCissy HoustonEmily "Cissy" Houston is a Grammy Award–winning American soul and gospel singer. She led a very successful career as a backup singer for such artists as Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, Wishbone Ash and Aretha Franklin, and is now primarily a solo artist...
– backing vocals on "If I Ever Needed Someone" - Keith Johnson – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, Hammond organ - John Klingberg – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- John PlataniaJohn PlataniaJohn Platania is a well-known session musician, guitar player, and record producer.Platania was born in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley, in Ulster County, near Woodstock....
– electricElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
s, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Jack SchroerJack SchroerJohn Henry "Jack" Schroer was a saxophonist, pianist and arranger best known for his work with Van Morrison in the 1970s as a member of his band The Caledonia Soul Orchestra....
– sopranoSoprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
, altoAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, and baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
s, piano - Dahaud Shaar (David Shaw) – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, bass clarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
, backing vocals - Jackie VerdellJackie VerdellJackie Verdell was an American gospel singer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Musical career:After leaving high school, she joined the The Davis Sisters in 1955, at the start of their tenure with Herman Lubinsky and Ozzie Cadena's record label Savoy Records of Newark, New Jersey...
– backing vocals on "If I Ever Needed Someone"
The Street Choir
- Larry Goldsmith
- Janet Planet
- Andrew Robinson
- Ellen Schroer
- Dahaud Shaar (David Shaw)
- Martha VelezMartha VelézMartha Carmen Josephine Hernandéz Rosario de Veléz is an American singer and actress of Puerto Rican descent. Veléz is the former wife of famous trumpet player Keith Johnson. Her son is performance artist,writer/poet, singer, Taj Johnson. Taj appeared as series regular for two years on Parker...
Production
- Van Morrison – producer
- Dahaud Shaar – assistant producer
- Elliot ScheinerElliot ScheinerElliot Scheiner is a record producer and record engineer. Scheiner has received 23 Grammy Award nominations, 6 of which he won, and he has been awarded four Emmy nominations, one Emmy award for his work with the Eagles on their farewell tour broadcast, three TEC Awards nominations, a TEC Hall of...
– production coordinator, engineer - Dixon Van Winkle, Ed Anderson, Mark Harman, Richard Lubash – assisting engineers
- David GahrDavid GahrDavid Gahr was an American photographer. He was one of "the pre-eminent photographers of American folk, blues, jazz and rock musicians of the 1960s and beyond." ....
– photography - Janet Planet – album design
Album
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
18 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
32 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 48 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
NL Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
||
| 1970 | "Domino Domino (Van Morrison song) "Domino" is a hit song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It is the opening track of his fourth studio album, His Band and the Street Choir. This song is Morrison's personal musical tribute to New Orleans R&B singer and pianist Fats Domino.It was released by Warner Bros... " |
9 | 22 |
| 1971 | "Blue Money" | 23 | — |
| "Call Me Up in Dreamland Call Me Up in Dreamland "Call Me Up in Dreamland" is a song that was written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Van Morrison and included on his 1970 album, His Band and the Street Choir... " |
95 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||