Top 10 Van Albums: #2, Into the Music

Shocking that an album other than Astral Weeks should contribute to the dethroning of Moondance as one of Van's top two albums, eh? Whereas Moondance is an epic collection of top-grade songs, Into the Music is an epic collection of top-grade songs that helped to change the course of an increasingly shakey career path for Van. Following 1974's commercially forgotten Veedon Fleece, Van steered toward the more savory beacon of radio-friendliness. While the songs on A Period of Transition and Wavelength are adequate, they are ultimately shallow and forgettable. Just when it seemed that Van was running low on the steam that helped fuel early classics like Saint Dominic's Preview and Tupelo Honey, he hushed any critics, at once, with the release of the 1979's splendid Into the Music. The musical influences are plentiful: jazz, blues, gospel, celtic, and rhythm and blues. The songs, stacked together, present a joyful chronicle of Van's best qualities. His vocal performances are fiery and unrestrained, the songwriting is meaningful and thrushed full of tasty imagery, and the musicianship is crisp, rich, and in parts, spontaneous. Whatever sort of creative sabbatical that overtook Van in the years following Veedon Fleece seems long-departed after listening to Into the Music.

"Bright Side of the Road" displays a happy Van, soaring through such optimistic lyrics as "let's enjoy it while we can/won't you help me share my load?" His harmonica solo in the midst of jangling guitars helps to portray such pure joy; somehow, Van seems to be enjoying music for the first time in so very long. "Bright Side of the Road" fades slowly into another celebratory jig, "Full Force Gale." While the album opener is folksy in mood, its follow-up tune is dripping with gospel influences. The backing female singers rush in to join Van in the choruses, and the effect is a very uplifting proclamation: "like a full force gale/I was lifted up again/I was lifted up again by the Lord." Aside from its obvious religious overtones, the song perhaps tells a deeper story: when Van sings, "I was headed for a fall/then I saw the writing on the wall," he may very well be making reference to the career U-turn he made with Into the Music, abandoning his quest for commercial success and returning to the joyous depths of his music. Tony Marcus' contributions on violin give a welcome whistfullness to many of the songs, and "Full Force Gale" is a prime example.

"Steppin' Out Queen" continues to flaunt Van's stylistic diversity, summoning strong rhythm & blues grooves to create a beautifully bizarre sequel to the Astral Weeks standout, "Madame George." Many of the nightlife images prevalent throughout "Madame George" resurface throughout "Steppin' Out Queen," and the subject in question bears many of the same character traits. The horns flourish, in rising and falling sequences, and just as the song reaches a musical apex, it up-and-dies, with the beautiful strain of "come in the garden and just look at the flowers/we can just sit and talk for hours and hours." It's an exquisite piece, and a further indication of the rejuvination in Van's songwriting.

"Troubadours" begins with a majestic dash of trumpets, almost as if we've been transported back to medieval times. "Rolling Hills" shifts gears entirely, and we are relocated to the sweeping countryside of Ireland. The celtic fiddling gives the song a wedding-march quality, and Van's gruff, growling vocals fit in with the stateliness of the music. As often does throughout Into the Music, Van whoops and shouts in blissful approval to his musicians' improvised licks. The audience may actually feel as though they've been invited to a celabratory party, with Van as their jolly host.

"You Make Me Feel So Free" is yet another upbeat track, this time with a carefree, horn-driven soulfulness. The happy contagiousness of the musicianship, coupled with Van's singing, makes for an effective and fun love song. It's not necessarily up to par with classics such as "Crazy Love" or "Sweet Thing," but it keeps Into the Music chugging along in a haze of musical ecstacy.

Whereas most albums peak in a single song, Into the Music enjoys a sprawling, four-song culmination, each of which is oozing with more ravishing fervor than anything else Van has ever produced. "Angeliou" begins, sounding like an affable companion for "Troubadors." However, the classical violin gives way to bluesy guitar, and Van's climactic shouts would bring the house down in many subsequent live performances. The song is lyrically simple, and follows the stream-of-consciousness pattern of Astral Weeks. The music, however, is far more refined and mature here, and the momentum builds and builds throughout the song, unlike anything Van had previously recorded.

Simply stated, "And the Healing Has Begun" is arguably Van's finest single musical achievement. Throughout his career, though irritable and cantankerous at times, he continually revisits the need for healing. This song, with its sweeping musical landscape and impassioned vocal performance, finds itself at the thematic epicenter for everything that Van's songwriting has ever stood for: the need for passion, the need for love, the need for music, and the need for healing. It's all here, in one glorious, all-encompassing anthem. If a single song could ever carry the distinction of calling itself "life-changing," this must be it.

"It's All in the Game/You Know What They're Writing About" is a deserving and soulful swan song for such an unprecented work as Into the Music. The zealous joy has faded, and we are left with a warm, restrained sense of ease. As Van consoles that "many a tear has to fall/but it's all in the game," we are left with the sense that it's all going to be okay. No matter what we may be suffering from in our lives, Van has found an ability to temporarily sop up our troubles, and replace them with hope. Few artists have the capability to reach out and manipulate the emotions of their audience, but Van Morrison is one of those rarest of beasts that can.

Following the release of Into the Music, Van embarked on a spiritual quest that resulted in such quality albums as Common One and Beautiful Vision. There is no doubt, then, that Into the Music played a pivotal role in refreshing his outlook on life, and refocusing him toward an inward, soul-searching quest that would ultimately lead to a heap of rewarding material to come. He found a way to let his soul and spirit fly into the music, and we, as listeners, are left to reap the rewards.