Van Morrison - Too Long In Exile (1993)

Like a fine wine, Van Morrison just keeps getting better with age. By the time that most rockers hit the half-century mark (if they survive that long), they've become absurdist parodies of themselves. Not so, Morrison, who has suffered battles with drink and defeated his own personal demons to become rock's true Poet Laureate. That he is an almost universally respected artist, beloved by young punks and old geezers alike, is a testimony to both his talent and his tenacity. Too Long In Exile is an excellent example of both.

Too Long In Exile is a masterpiece of Morrison's own unique fusion of rock, blues and jazz, with a top notch group of musicians (like keyboardist Georgie Fame and sax sensation Candy Dulfer) offering support and input. Through the years, much has been made of Morrison's vocals, and, truthfully, they have influenced everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Patti Smith and beyond. It is his songwriting that is the cornerstone of his reputation, however, his ability to spin tales as earthy as Ireland's green fields and as lofty as the heavens above. Too Long In Exile proves that the years have done nothing to diminish his songwriting abilities, even while showcasing the instrumental acumen of the band he has assembled.

"Big Time Operators" is a scathing damnation of the music biz, written, perhaps, with an autobiographical frame of reference. With Morrison offering a mournful, wailing guitar lead to match his hoarse, angry vocals, he belts out "they were glorified by the media, they were heroes who had names, they said that they would bury me, if I didn't play their game." He describes the sordid, dark side of the industry in a way that no investigative reporter ever could, never naming names, merely ending the cut with an enigmatic "baby, you know who I mean."

"Wasted Years," a duet with bluesman John Lee Hooker, offers the heartfelt regrets of two aging men looking back upon lost opportunities with an eye yet on the future, while Morrison's tender reading of poet W.B. Yeats' "Before The World Was Made" is an entirely appropriate interpretation of that work. It's evocation of the memories of a grieving lover seem to have been written for Morrison's sincere delivery: "And if I look upon you now, as though I have my view, with the earth beneath your feet, and heaven up above, would you think me cruel, after everything's been said, you're only looking for the face you had, before the world was made..."

Songs like "Till We Get The Healing Done" or the soulful "Ball & Chain," a love song which serves well Morrison's long-standing fascination with the subject matter, easily escape the cliches heaped upon such material by lesser artists. Cover tunes are carefully chosen, this disc's rendition of the Doc Pomus classic "Lonely Avenue" or Brook Benton's "I'll Take Care Of You" spotlighting Morrison's love of R & B. Skillfully crafted instrumentals, like "Close Enough For Jazz" or the unnamed piece leading into "Tell Me What You Want" offer a respite from the intensity of the songs surrounding them.

It is with the retelling of a hit from twenty-five years ago, "Gloria," that the Morrison magic, and the essence of his legend, shines through. Originally recorded in 1967, Morrison's band Them burst out of Belfast with what was to become a garage-band standard. This version, a duet with John Lee, moves a little slower, a bit more deliberately than the original. The years have passed, leaving their mark on both men. On the surface, yet another, more conservative remake of this classic song seems unnecessary; beneath the surface, however, a young man's pulse is racing and the passion spills out with each joyful singing of the familiar chorus, revitalizing both men. It is this power, this heart of the lion which separates the pretenders from the poets. This is the poetry of Van Morrison.... (Polydor Records)

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