Van Morrison Still On Top - The Greatest Hits CD

There are 21 cuts on this Hip-O collection of Van Morrison's Greatest Hits. The interesting thing is that of these 21 cuts, only about half of them will be recognizable to the casual Van Morrison fan, as they come from his Bang sides and the far more popular Warner Brothers singles of the early '70s. As it should be, although there is one glaring omission: "Tupelo Honey" is absent from the song list. The rest may not have been greatest hits in America, but they do represent a fine -- if arguable -- selection of the material from the late '70s, '80s, and '90s. "Dweller on the Threshold" is here (though it sounds like an alternate take!) There is a bona fide alternate take of "The Healing Game" that sounds more like a well-executed demo and has plenty of Celtic soul. "Someone Like You" is here, as is "Wavelength," and some tunes that deserved far better than they got: "Tore Down ŕ la Rimbaud," "Real Real Gone," "Bright Side of the Road," "Days Like This," and "Stranded." The early tunes are immediately recognizable, from "Brown Eyed Girl," "Gloria," "Here Comes the Night," "Domino," "Moondance," "Wild Night," and "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven)." In sum, as far as the many repackaged greatest hits, this is one of the better ones as it is cross-licensed and contains a true evolutionary portrait of the artist on a journey that certainly winds and turns back on itself even as it moves forward. This is a good one with fine sound. [Polydor's 2008 Limited Edition box set included 20 bonus tracks across a three-CD package.] ~ Thom Jurek

2007 limited edition triple definitive collection with fifty-one classic tracks that chronicle Morrison's incredible musical journey to date, all remaining true to his mantra 'it’s always been about soul'. These musical milestones are culled from five decades of prolific recording. Among the gems included are 1995’s ‘Days Like This’, an alternative version of 1997’s ‘Healing Game’ and two already-classics from 2005: ‘Celtic New Year’ and ‘Stranded’. Still On Top moves seamlessly thru all phases of Morrison's long career that began in the 60s with the hat-trick of ‘Here Comes The Night’, ‘Gloria’ and ‘Brown-Eyed Girl’ and still hits new heights as the years go by. Highlights from the Seventies include ‘Domino’, ‘Jackie Wilson Said’ and ‘Warm Love’. Among those selected from the Eighties are the romantic ballad ‘Someone Like You’ (utilized for the film 'Bridget Jones’s Diary') and the glorious pop standard ‘Have I Told You Lately?’. Universal

Audio Mixers: Jim Stern; Alastair McMillan; Mick Glossop; Walter Samuel; Brian Masterson.

Liner Note Author: Barry McIheney.

STILL ON TOP: THE GREATEST HITS is a career-spanning anthology of hits by mercurial Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. Starting with two key tracks by his Rolling Stones-like 1960s band, Them--"Gloria" and "Here Comes the Night"--the set passes over Morrison's legendary 1968 album, ASTRAL WEEKS, a jazzy mood piece that works best as a whole, but otherwise cherry-picks a ton of FM radio classics. "Wild Nights," "Domino," "Moondance," and "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" are among the many highlights, presented in remastered sound.Dirty Linen (p.82) - "Tracing the Celtic soul rocker from his beginnings as top dog among the Jagger/Davies shouters of the time with the seminal group Them to his place as top headman to bong smokers and onto becoming the best blue-eyed soul singer to ever come out of Ireland is quite a journey in and of itself."