One of the greatest live sets ever, Van Morrison’s ..IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW… is getting a remaster and released as VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD on Friday, June 10.
A 3CD/1DVD collection of previously unreleased live concert recordings from Morrison’s mythic 1973 tour with the Caledonia Soul Orchestra, ..IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW…VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD collates peak performances originally recorded at three venues: The Troubadour in Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Civic Center, and The Rainbow Theatre in London. The set’s DVD features professionally-lensed live footage from the Rainbow Theatre, which originally aired on the BBC in the UK and is now available for the first time as a commercial home video release.
Often cited as one of the best live albums ever made, Van Morrison’s original ..IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW… has been remastered in 24-bit high resolution sound and will be available in both 2CD and 2LP configurations, creating the first vinyl pressing of the album in more than 25 years plus availability of the album to hi-res partners (Mastered for iTunes, HD Tracks, Pono).
Morrison’s highly acclaimed 1973 concert album was compiled from eight sets of live performances–recorded at The Troubadour, the Santa Monica Civic Center and The Rainbow Theatre–and was notably free of any post-performance overdubs or studios “fixes”. ..IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW…VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD returns to those original performances, first captured on two-inch 16-track analog tapes, and, through the mastery of noted engineer Guy Massey, puts the contemporary listener in the enviable position of being sonically present at each venue. All of the recordings on the new collection have been previously unavailable and none of them overlap with the performances on “Volume I” of ..IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW….
“I am getting more into performing,” said Van Morrison in 1973, during his tour with his newly-formed Caledonia Soul Orchestra. “It’s incredible…. All of a sudden I felt like ‘you’re back into performing’ and it just happened like that…. A lot of times in the past I’ve done gigs and it was rough to get through them. But now the combination seems to be right and it’s been clicking a lot.”
Morrison’s 1973 tour found the Irish soul singer at the peak of his powers, returning to the stage to deliver scorching definitive renditions of the signature material comprising his catalog at the time, from the R&B/rock roots of THEM to the haunting folk soul of Astral Weeks and Moondance in songs like “Gloria,” “Into The Mystic,” “Warm Love,” “Domino” and more. Accompanied by the 11-piece Caledonia Soul Orchestra, featuring two horn players and a four-piece string section, Van Morrison set a new standard for live performance while ..IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW… raised the bar on what was possible on a concert recording.
Each disc on ..IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW…VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD features previously unreleased performances, newly remixed from the original multitrack recordings by Guy Massey (the acclaimed engineer behind the remasters of The Beatles and Paul McCartney). Massey’s new mixes recreate the sonic atmosphere of each venue, from the standing-room-only intimacy of The Troubadour to the expansive excitement filling the 3,000-seat Rainbow Theatre.
Van Morrison
..IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW…VOLUMES II, III, IV & DVD
VOLUME II (Recorded live at The Troubadour, Los Angeles, May 23, 1973)
Come Running (Van Morrison)
These Dreams Of You (Van Morrison)
The Way Young Lovers Do (Van Morrison)
Snow In San Anselmo (Van Morrison)
I Just Want To Make Love To You (Willie Dixon)
Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke)
Purple Heather (Van Morrison)
Hey, Good Lookin’ (Hank Williams)
Bein’ Green (Joseph G. Raposo)
Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
Listen To The Lion (Van Morrison)
Hard Nose The Highway (Van Morrison)
Moondance (Van Morrison)
Cyprus Avenue (Van Morrison)
Caravan (Van Morrison)
VOLUME III (Recorded live at the Santa Monica Civic, California, June 29. 1973)
I’ve Been Working (Van Morrison)
There There Child (Van Morrison, John Platania)
No Way (Jeff Labes)
Since I Fell For You (Woodrow Buddy Johnson)
Wild Night (Van Morrison)
I Paid The Price (Van Morrison, John Platania)
Domino (Van Morrison)
Gloria (Van Morrison)
Buona Sera (Carl Sigman, Peter De Rose)
Moonshine Whiskey (Van Morrison)
Ain’t Nothing You Can Do (Don D. Robey, Joseph Wade Scott)
Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket (Sonny Boy Williamson)
Sweet Thing (Van Morrison)
Into The Mystic (Van Morrison)
I Believe To My Soul (Ray Charles)
VOLUME IV (Recorded live at The Rainbow, London, July 23 & 24, 1973)
Listen To The Lion (Van Morrison)
I Paid The Price (Van Morrison, John Platania)
Bein’ Green (Joseph G. Raposo)
Since I Fell For You(Woodrow Buddy Johnson)
Into The Mystic (Van Morrison)
Everyone (Van Morrison)
I Believe To My Soul (Ray Charles)
Sweet Thing (Van Morrison)
I Just Want To Make Love To You (Willie Dixon)
Wild Children (Van Morrison)
Here Comes The Night (Bert Berns)
Buona Sera (Carl Sigman, Peter De Rose)
Domino (Van Morrison)
Caravan (Van Morrison)
Cyprus Avenue (Van Morrison)
DVD (Recorded live at The Rainbow, London, July 24, 1973)
Here Comes The Night (Bert Berns)
I Just Want To Make Love To You (Willie Dixon)
Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
Moonshine Whiskey (Van Morrison)
Moondance (Van Morrison)
Help Me (Ralph Bass, Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson)
Domino (Van Morrison)
Caravan (Van Morrison)
Cyprus Avenue (Van Morrison)
