later day Van Morrison

[MK]

Van Morrison's 2002 album, "Down The Road" wasn't bad, his best since "Avalon Sunset," though Clinton Heylin says it could've been a true return to form had the original version, "Choppin' Wood," been released - read the last two chapters of Heylin's Van bio, it's got information you won't find anywhere else, despite being censored by Van's people.

BUT, his 90's to present-day output is mixed. Well, mostly awful. Like most senior citizen rock n' rollers, except he's been more prolific than his peers in the last 15 years.

So I made a compilation of prime studio recordings from 1990's Enlightenment to present. Pain in the ass because sometime in the mid-90's, the recordings get really compressed and bright, with the volume doubling on some later tracks compared to earlier ones, so that had to be fixed.

Off 1990's Enlightenment, "Real Real Gone." Hit single, a holdover from 1980's "Common One" sessions (that earlier recording is on Philosopher's Stone). Typical of 1990 discs.

Then, "Be Thou My Vision" from the double CD "Hymns To The Silence." Some really like that album, but I'm not a fan. Again, typical early 90's engineering.

Skipped most side projects, live albums...but made an exception for "I Cover the Waterfront" with John Lee Hooker off Hooker's 1991 album, "Mr. Lucky." VERY dynamic track, low-key and moody.

Skipped "Too Long In Exile" from 1993. It's a terrible CD. I couldn't find one track I'd enjoy at least a little bit.

Skipped all the way to 1995 or 1996's "Days Like This" CD. This was actually a HIT but it SUCKS, too. The singles were hits but the one good track is "Ancient Highway" 8 minutes long. THIS is where compression kicks in. Lots of it plus really sharp top-end, really bright and harsh, worse than an RVG remaster.

Next got "Celtic Spring" from an mp3. B-side in the UK only, recommended by Heylin, and he's right, it's good, better than most of his 90's work. That song and three tracks from "The Healing Game" (it came from that CD's sessions) I used: the title track, "Rough God Goes Riding," "Sometimes We Cry." Not nearly as sharp as the last one, but almost as much compression on these tracks. By now it's 1997 or so.

Next is "Back On Top" and it's the WORST sounding Van Morrison CD. This is 1999 or so, and I think compression in the music industry peaked here. MORE compression than any other Van Morrison CD, and BLISTERING top end, TERRIBLE. HARSH. Absolutely HARSH. Still had two good cuts, "When The Leaves Comes Falling Down" and "High Summer." Ignored the other singles which felt like Van phoning it in.

Final CD I used is "Down The Road Again," used I think 5 tracks. I wish I had a boot of the original Lp with Linda Gail Lewis's vocals, but this disc is surprisingly good. Not GREAT, but something like 3 out of 4 stars. There's compression, but less than the previous CD and it's NOT bright at all. This was a well-recorded Lp that probably got squeezed at the final stage just because every CD is now. Came out in 2002.

The last one I skipped. Didn't get a chance to really hear it, but it's the Blue Note album. Felt like Van was phoning it in once again.

Artist in rapid decline, obviously, with an occasional blip, but at least there's one solid CD in 15 years of work.

[RDK]

I'd be a bit more generous (though not much). I'm actually a big fan of "Hymns" and would probably put half of that disc on a comp. I know you skipped the live stuff, but I think "A Night in SF" is quite good too. I dig the "jazzy" album he did with Georgie Fame, but his Mose Allison tribute album was rather disappointing. I'm a huge Mose Allison fan, but Van covered a lot of his weaker songs. Agree with you re: "Down the Road Again," which I think is the last VM album that I've heard. Honestly, I've been getting more satisfaction downloading live stuff.

Now I dare you try the same 15-year comp project with McCartney songs...

[MK]

1990-2005? "Souvenir," "The World Tonight," "Great Day"...that's it. I'm not saying that because I've only heard "Flaming Pie," when I got into the Beatles in high school, I tried to make a solo comp of McCartney's best stuff. My neighbor (I was at a boarding school) was a Macca fanatic and had everything. HOURS, maybe even DAYS worth of BAD, BAD, BAD music just to get maybe one disc of listenable material. When "Driving Rain" came out, I listened to the first minute or two of each track, nothing.

Man, what a good laugh? Listen to someone complain how there's no good music being made anymore, then watch that same person go out and praise the latest McCartney album.

Hmmm, where can you find someone like that?

Whoops, forgot one big exception: "Run Devil Run." It's a covers album and it cuts everything McCartney has ever done post-Beatles, except possibly "Band On The Run," the only other Macca album I've bothered to keep.