Van Morrison

This biography provides an insight into Van Morrison's 25-album-strong career and includes full discography and 30 carefully researched photographs. After three decades, Van Morrison has become more popular than ever in the 1990s, proving that a rock star can improve with age. Since connecting with the classic American jazz, blues and gospel music of his Belfast youth, for over 30 years Van Morrison has stayed one step ahead of fellow musicians, fans and critics. From his teenage days on the road with Them, through the creation of 1968's seminal "Astral Weeks" to the vocal and spiritual experimentation of "Veedon Fleece" and "Into the Music", Morrison outgrew the initial freedom he found in rock 'n' roll to develop his own complex lyrical and instrumental visions, consistently moving beyond easy classifications or any one defining style. In the 1990s Van Morisson's status in the rock community has never been higher. Enjoying unprecedented commercial success, the recognition of a younger generation and collaborations ranging from John Lee Hooker to less obvious partnerships with Cliff Richard and Tom Jones, he continues to dazzle and beguile his audience in equal measure.
This biography charts the scale of Van Morrison's achievement and the sources of his creativity, and provides assessments of some of his most famous songs. It draws on interviews with those closest to Morrison at every stage in his career.