The Healing Game | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 4 March 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996 | |||
Studio | Westland Studios, Dublin Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin | |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Length | 53:38 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer | Van Morrison | |||
Van Morrison chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Healing Game | ||||
|
The Healing Game is the twenty-sixth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1997 by Polydor. It reached the Top Ten in four countries, and the Top Twenty in three more. Following two overtly jazz albums, it saw Morrison adding blues and a pop sensibility. [1] It is the only album recorded after 1980 which Rolling Stone judged to be among his ten best, calling it "a clear highlight of his mid-period discography". [2]
The album was recorded in Dublin, Ireland, in 1996. The cover shows Morrison with Haji Ahkba.
The title song is about the tradition of Belfast street singing. Van Morrison told Q magazine, "People find it incredible when I tell them that people used to sing and play music in the street", adding that "there's a whole oral tradition that's disappeared." "Rough God Goes Riding" is taken from a W. B. Yeats poem "The Second Coming" with the "rough beast" from the Apocalypse, and features Leo Green's saxophone following Morrison's voice. In "Waiting Game" Morrison is "the brother of the snake", which Brian Hinton says refers to both his lost friend Jim Morrison (known for writing about "The Lizard King"), and the Garden of Eden. "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" echoes the children's book, The Wind in the Willows , and features Paddy Moloney on uilleann pipes with Phil Coulter on piano. On "Burning Ground", Morrison references his childhood when jute was shipped to Belfast from India. [3]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
NME | 3/10 [5] |
Music critic Greil Marcus was impressed, writing that, "[like] the rough god he sings about, Morrison is astride each incident in the music, each pause in a greater story," but advises close listening, as "often the most revealing moments —the moments that reveal the shape of a world, a point of view, an argument about life — are at the margins." [6] Reviewing the 2019 reissue, All About Jazz asserted that "Healing Game is one of most complete personal and musical statements in Van Morrison's lengthy discography." It saw the artist "revisit the jazz and rhythm and blues-inspired style that influenced his earliest work", having "assembled a killer new band" [1]
The 2008 remastered version of the album contains a bonus track: "At the End of the Day", which was the a B-side of "Rough God Goes Riding", the third single of the album, which itself was listed as one of the standout tracks from Van Morrison's six album reissue series. [7] The album was reissued again in 2019 as a triple CD, with bonus material from the studio sessions and Van Morrison's performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival on 17 July 1997. [8] Disc two featured collaborations with John Lee Hooker, Carl Perkins and British skiffle star Lonnie Donegan.
All songs by Van Morrison, except where noted.
|
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Rough God Goes Riding" | 6:19 |
2. | "Fire in the Belly" | 6:34 |
3. | "This Weight" | 4:37 |
4. | "Waiting Game" | 5:56 |
5. | "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" | 3:53 |
6. | "Burning Ground" | 5:38 |
7. | "It Once Was My Life"" | 5:10 |
8. | "Sometimes We Cry" | 5:14 |
9. | "If You Love Me" | 5:01 |
10. | "The Healing Game" | 5:16 |
11. | "Look at What the Good People Done" | 5:42 |
12. | "At the End of the Day" | 4:30 |
13. | "The Healing Game" (single version) | 4:28 |
14. | "Full Force Gale '96" | 3:34 |
15. | "Saint Dominic's Preview" (live in Temple Bar, Dublin, April 1996) | 6:45 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Healing Game" (alternate version) | 7:41 |
2. | "Fire in the Belly" (alternate version) | 5:25 |
3. | "Didn't He Ramble" (written by Hattie Bolten) | 6:11 |
4. | "The Healing Game" (jazz version) | 5:16 |
5. | "Sometimes We Cry" (full length version) | 8:23 |
6. | "Mule Skinner Blues" (written by Jimmie Rodgers and George Vaughan) | 4:32 |
7. | "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" (written by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby and Oscar Hammerstein II) | 4:29 |
8. | "Don't Look Back" (with John Lee Hooker; written by John Lee Hooker) | 6:42 |
9. | "The Healing Game" (with John Lee Hooker) | 5:09 |
10. | "Boppin' the Blues" (with Carl Perkins; written by Carl Perkins and Howard "Curley" Griffin) | 3:58 |
11. | "Matchbox" (with Carl Perkins; written by Carl Perkins) | 4:07 |
12. | "Sittin' on Top of the World" (with Carl Perkins; written by Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon) | 3:19 |
13. | "My Angel" (with Carl Perkins; written by Van Morrison and Carl Perkins) | 6:08 |
14. | "All by Myself" (with Carl Perkins) | 3:28 |
15. | "Mule Skinner Blues" (with Lonnie Donegan; written by Jimmie Rodgers and George Vaughan) | 4:34 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Rough God Goes Riding" | 5:40 |
2. | "Foreign Window" | 3:54 |
3. | "Tore Down a la Rimbaud" | 3:18 |
4. | "Vanlose Stairway / Trans-Euro Train" | 4:56 |
5. | "A Fool for You" (written by Ray Charles) | 3:17 |
6. | "Sometimes We Cry" | 5:31 |
7. | "It Once Was My Life" | 5:02 |
8. | "I'm Not Feeling It Anymore" | 7:24 |
9. | "This Weight" | 4:21 |
10. | "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)" (written by Anthony Newley) | 4:05 |
11. | "Fire in the Belly" | 5:59 |
12. | "Tupelo Honey / Why Must I Always Explain?" | 6:50 |
13. | "The Healing Game" | 5:51 |
14. | "See Me Through / Soldier of Fortune / Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) / Burning Ground" ("Thank You" written by Sly Stone) | 13:32 |
Chart (1997) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Albums Chart[ citation needed ] | 10 |
US Billboard 200[ citation needed ] | 32 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
New Zealand (RMNZ) [9] | Gold | 7,500^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [10] | Silver | 60,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
{{cite web}}
: |archive-url=
is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)[ dead link ]THE FIELD archive-url MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION from obsolete website.Sir George Ivan MorrisonOBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s.
Astral Weeks is the second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was recorded at Century Sound Studios in New York during September and October 1968, and released in November of the same year by Warner Bros. Records.
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics.
His Band and the Street Choir is the fourth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in 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.
Saint Dominic's Preview is the sixth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in July 1972 by Warner Bros. Records. Rolling Stone declared it "the best-produced, most ambitious Van Morrison record yet released."
A Period of Transition is the ninth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1977. It was his first album in two-and-a-half years. At the time of its release it was received with some disappointment by critics and fans: "Most were hoping for a work of primeval vocal aggression that would challenge the emerging élite of Morrison pretenders, whose ranks included Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Phil Lynott, Graham Parker and Elvis Costello." However, the album is still notable for several major compositions, including "Heavy Connection", "Flamingos Fly", "The Eternal Kansas City" and "Cold Wind in August".
Poetic Champions Compose is the seventeenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1987 on Mercury Records. It received generally positive reviews from critics, most of whom viewed it as adequate mood music.
The eighteenth studio album Irish Heartbeat by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison is a collaboration with the traditional Irish musical group the Chieftains, released in 1988. It was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland, and reached number 18 in the UK album charts.
Enlightenment is the twentieth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in 1990 and reached No. 5 in the UK charts and "Real Real Gone" charted at No. 18 in Mainstream Rock Tracks.
Back on Top is the twenty-seventh studio album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1999 by Point Blank. It reached the Top Twenty in seven countries, building on the success of 1997's The Healing Game.
The Skiffle Sessions – Live in Belfast is a live album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, with Lonnie Donegan and Chris Barber, released in 2000. Lonnie Donegan had played with the Chris Barber jazz band when he had his first hit with "Rock Island Line"/"John Henry" in 1955. He had been a childhood influence on Van Morrison, who had performed in his own skiffle band with schoolmates when he was twelve years old in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This was Donegan's second album in twenty years, reviving his career until his death in 2002.
"Into the Mystic" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance. It was also included on Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now.
"Saint Dominic's Preview" is the title song of the sixth album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in July 1972 by Warner Bros. It was recorded at the Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco in April 1972, with overdubs made later on. Morrison wrote it in a stream of consciousness in the same vein as some of his earlier works, particularly those on Astral Weeks. The song's narrative moves from France to San Francisco, Morrison's place of residence at the time, to Belfast, where he grew up, to New York City.
"Almost Independence Day" is the closing song on Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison's 1972 album Saint Dominic's Preview. The song is ten minutes long and features Morrison trading guitar licks with Ron Elliott.
Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast is a live album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1984. It was recorded from four live shows in March 1983 at the Grand Opera House, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The album was composed of songs from Morrison's last four recordings. It is the second live album Morrison released, following 10 years after It's Too Late to Stop Now.
"The Healing Game" is the title song on Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison's 1997 album. It was released twice as a single in 1997 as an A-side with different B-sides – including "Have I Told You Lately" and "Gloria". The single reached number 46 in the UK.
"Behind the Ritual" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and included as the ending track on his 2008 album, Keep It Simple. In concerts previewing the album, Morrison used this song as a closer and continued to include it on the set lists of his concerts in 2008.
"Rough God Goes Riding" is the opening song on the album, The Healing Game by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. The song reached No. 168 on the UK charts. One of the B-sides of the single, the alternative version of "The Healing Game", appears on all three editions of Morrison's 2007 compilation album Still on Top - The Greatest Hits. The other B-side "At the End of the Day" was released as a bonus track on the 2008 reissue of The Healing Game.
Blowin' Your Mind! is the debut studio album by Northern Irish musician Van Morrison, released in 1967. It was recorded 28–29 March 1967 and contained his first solo pop hit "Brown Eyed Girl". It was included by Rolling Stone as one of the 40 Essential Albums of 1967.
Roll with the Punches is the 37th studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released on 22 September 2017 by Caroline Records. It features Jeff Beck on guitar, and charted in the Top 10 in five countries, and the Top 40 in a further six, including the US.