Down the Road
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Down the Road | ||
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| Studio album by Van Morrison | ||
| Released | May 14, 2002 | |
| Recorded | Spring 2000-September 2001 | |
| Genre | Celtic rock, Blues, R&B | |
| Length | 67:09 | |
| Label | Universal | |
| Producer(s) | Van Morrison | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Van Morrison chronology | ||
| You Win Again (2000) |
Down the Road (2002) |
What's Wrong with This Picture? (2003) |
Down the Road is an album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released on May 14, 2002.
The critically acclaimed album has been noted for its nostalgic tone, lyrically and musically. The arrangements mix R&B and blues with country and folk, and with a few exceptions like "Georgia on My Mind," the music is most often rooted in 1950s and early 1960s popular music.
The album cover depicts the front of a record store, Memorabilia & Records, with a window full of LP covers by blues, R&B, jazz, and old rock & roll artists, a deliberate blueprint of the album's influences.
The album was originally recorded with heavy accompaniment by Linda Gail Lewis (Jerry Lee Lewis's sister); tentatively titled Choppin' Wood, it was completed in late 2000, but a personal and professional falling out led Morrison to remake the album. Songs like "Princess of the Darkness", "Just Like Greta", "For A While", and "Mama Don't Allow" were pulled from the album while the remaining tracks were either re-recorded or re-mixed to remove Lewis's contributions. "Steal My Heart Away", "Talk Is Cheap", "What Makes the Irish Heart Beat", "What Happened to P.J, Proby?", "Georgia on My Mind", "Only a Dream", "Man Has to Struggle", "Evening Shadows", and "Fast Car" were then added to the album sequence, expanding the original running time from 50 minutes to 67 minutes.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
All songs by Van Morrison (unless noted otherwise)
- "Down the Road" – 4:15
- "Meet Me in the Indian Summer" – 3:57
- "Steal My Heart Away" – 4:20
- "Hey Mr. DJ" – 3:45
- "Talk Is Cheap" – 4:19
- "Choppin' Wood" – 3:26
- "What Makes the Irish Heart Beat" – 3:47
- "All Work and No Play" – 4:51
- "Whatever Happened to P.J. Proby?" – 3:13
- "The Beauty of the Days Gone By" – 5:45
- "Georgia on My Mind" (Carmichael / Gorrell) – 5:35
- "Only a Dream" – 4:57
- "Man Has to Struggle" – 5:07
- "Evening Shadows" (Bilk / Morrison) – 4:01
- "Fast Train" – 5:01
[edit] Personnel
- Van Morrison - Acoustic guitar, Harmonica, Alto sax, Vocals
- John Allair - Hammond organ
- Crawford Bell - Vocals (bckgr)
- Olwin Bell - Vocals (bckgr)
- Acker Bilk - Clarinet
- Dick Dunn - Piano, Hammond organ
- Lee Goodall - Flute, Saxophone, Alto saxophone, Baritone saxophone, Vocals (bckgr)
- Mick Green - Acoustic guitar, Electric guitar
- Colin Griffin - Drums
- Karen Hamill - Vocals (bckgr)
- David Hayes - Bass guitar
- Matt Holland - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Vocals (bckgr)
- Pete Hurley - Bass
- Bobby Irwin - Drums
- Bob Loveday - Violin
- Siobhan Pettit - Vocals (bckgr)
- John Scott - Arranger, Electric guitar, Vocals (bckgr), Vocal Arrangement
- Fiachra Trench - Piano, Arranger, String Arrangements, Musical Director
- Jake Walker - Viola
- Geraint Watkins - Piano, Hammond Organ
- Rosie Wetters - Leader
- Aine Whelan - Arranger, Vocals (bckgr), Vocal Arrangement
- Martin Winning - Clarinet, Tenor sax
[edit] Production
- Van Morrison - Producer
- Stuart Bruce - Engineer
- Tim Cooper - Mastering
- Walter Samuel - Engineer, Mixing
- Ben Sidran - Liner Notes
- Peter Thorpe - Photography
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
| 2002 | The Billboard 200 | 25 |
Album - UK Album Chart (United Kingdom)
| Year | Chart | Position |
| 2002 | UK Album Chart | 6 |
