So . . . When I was growing up, my folks loved this album. I vividly remember my bedroom in the basement and waking up on Saturday morning to them starting weekly cleaning with this album resonanting through the floor (my ceiling). I always really liked it.
I’m sure I haven’t listened to it in 20 years. Tonight, I’ve been listening to some albums that I remember my dad loving. Back on Top is one.
What a good one!! Nice songs. Awesome organ playing! Tight groove. Just a blast to listen to.
It’s fun too, hearing a few songs that I now recall really really liking back then, and hearing them again for the first time in ages. And what’s remarkable is how when I hear those songs I can just start singing along, remembering all those lyrics — just gets ingrained somewhere In the mind. It’s mentally transforming me right back to home.
[Edited on 11/10/2018 by cmgst34]
Thanks for bringing up Van.
I have never even heard Back On Top. That's because when it comes to Van, there is SO much to explore............hard to grasp all of it. One of the great artists in contemporary music, and he spans SO many genres.
Was just playing his new one, You're Driving Me Crazy. Good title, because you'll be crazy about this record in one listen. HARD core jazz record, a collaboration with jazz great, organist/trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco.
Yeah, I googled Back On Top and it said it was his 27th album. And that’s back in the 90’s .. .
Have moved on to Leon Russel and the Shelter people tonight.
Van had a great run of albums in the 90's- Hymns to the Silence, The Healing Game, Days Like This, Back On top and A Night in San Francisco...One of the greatest talents ever...the organ player was Geraint Watkins on Back on Top...Georgie Fame also played organ with Van and was a fantastic player....
Back on Top has one of my favorite songs by Van, Philosopher's Stone.
Obviously the old stuff goes without saying that it's amazing, but the one spectacular album for me from the 80's is Poetic Champions Compose. I highly recommend that one if it's slipped through the cracks.
I used to buy every Van album when it was released.
Wavelength and Into The Music made me wobble a little bit but Common One, Beautiful Vision and Inarticulate Speech were big returns to form, albeit in a more Ambient, New Age direction.
But then he started to record the same album over and over, to my mind. I agree with Joe about Poetic Champions, and Irish Heartbeat was great fun with The Chieftains - loved it.
Sense Of Wonder, No Guru, Avalon Sunset, Enlightenment, Hymns To The Silence - totally lost his way. He certainly lost me, anyway.
When I saw him live around then, he was truculent, offhand, borderline obnoxious.
The only album I've bought since was Astral Weeks at The Hollywood Bowl, plus the expanded versions of Astral Weeks and Moondance.
So my fandom doesn't coincide with the original poster's! I suspect that some of his later albums have been a return to his soul and jazz roots, but I'm more than happy to return to the original glories of his 70s and early 80s work, including the second best live album ever, Too Late To Stop Now.
Edit - I would also recommend, if it's still available, The Philosopher's Stone - a great retrospective of unreleased tracks.
[Edited on 11/17/2018 by Shavian]
