A quick tour of my top Van albums
Anyone who’s been anywhere near Van Morrison’s catalogue knows the two giants: Astral Weeks (1968) and Moondance (1970). They’ve both lived in my personal top ten for decades. Moondance has that irresistible, grooving musical magic; Astral Weeks has the mystical, spiritual energy that hits somewhere deeper. But Van’s story doesn’t begin or end with those two albums — so let’s wander a little wider.
Before Astral Weeks came Blowing Your Mind, Van’s first solo album for Bang Records. The history around it is famously murky — a mix of contractual traps and youthful naivety — but musically it’s a fascinating period. I’ve got the original 1967 pressing, the 1973 T.B. Sheets reissue, and the 1997 Complete New York Sessions set.
This era gave us Brown Eyed Girl, Who Drove the Red Sportscar, and the astonishing T.B. Sheets — one of Van’s most powerful compositions, digging deep into blues, soul, and jazz. It’s a song that’s captivated me since the first listen, and you can hear its emotional DNA echo later in Listen to the Lion from Saint Dominic’s Preview.
If I had to pick my favourite Van era, it’s everything he recorded in America — from leaving Them in ’66/’67 until returning to Ireland in 1973 to make Veedon Fleece. That run is pure magic.
His Band and the Street Choir
Nestled in that golden period is His Band and the Street Choir. Recorded soon after Moondance, Van brought most of the same musicians with him: John Klingberg (bass), John Platania (guitars/mandolin), Jack Schroer (saxophones), and backing vocalists Judy Clay, Emily Houston, and Jackie Verdell. Added to the mix were Dahaud Shaar (drums), Alan Hand (piano/organ), and Keith Johnson (trumpet/organ).
And the “Street Choir”? Larry Goldsmith, Janet Planet (Van’s wife at the time), Andrew Robinson, Ellen Schroer, Dahaud Shaar again, and Martha Velez.
Look at the album cover and you see exactly what the music sounds like: grounded, warm, hippy‑ish souls making honest, swinging, joyful music.
Thinking about it, my top five Van albums (in no order) are: Blowing Your Mind, Astral Weeks, Moondance, His Band and the Street Choir, and Saint Dominic’s Preview. Which one sits at the top depends entirely on what I’ve played most recently. But His Band and the Street Choir might be the most pure of them all — ten unpretentious songs full of joy, humanity, nature, spirit, and that unmistakable Van warmth. It feels like being down the pub with a family of friends who just happen to be world‑class musicians.
Every track picks up the emotional thread from the last. It’s ten songs about the human condition — love, spirituality, religion, money etc etc — played with a natural swing that blends gospel, rock & roll, blues, and soul.
The record’s sound quality – starting with vinyl
To talk about the sound, I have to start with my original US first pressing from 1970 — a green‑label Warner I bought about 30 years ago. I collected all of Van’s American‑era albums as US first pressings, and they’re superb. My hi‑fi system has improved massively since then, so a few caveats have emerged, but the magic remains.
The original pressing is bouncy, bright in a joyous way, full of air and space. It’s one of those albums you finish and immediately want to play again – and maybe again.
The dynamism is incredible. The only real negative becomes apparent when comparing it to the new Rhino High Fidelity vinyl cut by Kevin Gray.
A subtle pre-echo
On my original pressing (STERLING in the dead wax), there’s subtle pre‑echo during I’ll Be Your Lover Too, audible only on Van’s vocal. It’s not a deal‑breaker — in fact, it almost adds to the atmosphere — but it’s definitely there.
The Rhino Hi‑Fi reissue doesn’t have this pre‑echo, which is interesting…
Pre‑echo usually comes from tape print‑through — either from a loud passage imprinting onto adjacent tape layers or from less‑than‑ideal storage. That means the tape used at Sterling likely had this print‑through baked in. The Rhino notes simply refer to “the master,” not “the original master,” which suggests they used a different tape — possibly even a sibling copy from the same generation, but not the one Sterling used. In other words, the Rhino tape source is from the same lineage, but not the specific tape that carried the print‑through.
As for why no one mentioned the pre‑echo back in 1970? Vinyl playback systems simply didn’t have the resolution they do now. Today’s cartridges, tonearms, and phonostages reveal things that would’ve been inaudible on most systems of the era.
Anyway, apart from the lack of pre-echo, how does the Rhino vinyl compare with the original? Well, the new Rhino High Fidelity vinyl has more body and solidity. While the original does have more air and a touch more life, the new Rhino AAA vinyl has more depth, weight, body and colour. So it’s very much a swings and roundabouts situation. Both are superb, both have aspects I prefer to the other, so let’s call it a draw!
And now… the tape
You know, there’s a part of me that would almost love to shock the heck out of you – to say, for once… meh, it’s pretty good, but on balance there wasn’t that much difference. At least it would make for interesting reading, right – a big fat curveball!
But oh hell, here we go again. Here comes another dose of my rambling effusiveness folks (sorry)…
Picture the hypothetical mid-point between the two vinyl references: the air, space and dynamic freedom of the original, and the weight, tonal colour and body of the Kevin Gray cut. That’s exactly where the tape sits! Except that, dynamically, it beats both. It has more depth and more weight than the Kevin Gray cut; it is more spacious and open and dynamic than the original.
Detail-wise, it betters both by a long way. Subtle details towards the back of the mix are perfectly defined, not in-your-face but as exquisitely detailed and accurately portrayed elements in a full, solid but never-too-opaque mix.
The drums are absolutely startling. Rim taps, bass drum and cymbals are stunningly coloured. They sound so real. The guitars, the saxophones, organ, backing vocals and (of course) Van Morrison’s own lead vocal all ache with presence, passion and truth.
The guitars in ‘I’ll Be Your Lover’ are dynamically explosive; you can’t fail to be astounded. They’ll either leave you speechless or in tears – or both.
What we have here is a band with so many natural acoustic instruments, playing compositions arranged from gospel, blues, soul and R&B – and it all comes together to make a sound that’s just staggering.
Imagine two guitars, or a guitar and a mandolin, backed with drums and bass, positioned like explosive crystals above the deeply coloured organ and piano, and topped off with a wind section comprising trumpet, soprano, alto, tenor and barotine saxophones, bass clarinet, harmonica. Woah.
The recording is alive, the ‘Street Choir’ is at times decidedly ‘wobbly’ and yet it just fits 100%: it’s joyous, fun, there are expressions and vocalisation in-between tracks, the whole thing feels completely alive. It’s intoxicating, it has me in rapture on every single listen.
Honestly, my first wish for a Van Morrison Rhino tape would probably have been for Moondance or Astral Weeks, but those two albums have become so well-known that I’m not sure I’d have played the tape as often as I’m playing this one. His Band and a Street Choir feels even more authentic than those two masterpieces. It’s human, it’s real, it’s what the world is about, and it’s what a happy Van was doing in 1970. It’s utterly delightful!
Should you buy it?
If you already know the album and your analogue source is vinyl, the Rhino Hi‑Fi cut is excellent. I won’t say it’s better than the original, but it’s slightly different, with different strengths. If the pre-echo of the original bugs you then get this one, or if the original is a touch too light or bright in your system, again, get the new Rhino Hi-Fi vinyl version.
If you can play tape and you love this album, the tape is a must‑have.
If you can play tape and don’t know the album, I’d still say buy it. It’s so ‘tight’ and so ‘on it’ yet so relaxed, free flowing, naturally musical, and deeply human. It might convert a Van sceptic into a believer. This is Van’s genius without pretension — just honesty, passion, spirit, and joy.
Here’s where to get one – but be quick.
And here’s some more rambling – animated and in person:
Dave Denyer: The Reel-to-Reel Rambler 