A sometimes boring, sometimes wonderful mish-mash from the cutting room floor (The Philosopher's Stone - Van Morrison)

Member Name: GentleGenius

Product:	The Philosopher's Stone - Van Morrison
Date:	02/05/09 (176 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gives a good idea of what Van and his producers threw away

Disadvantages: Some of the tracks are very depressing

NB: I haven't listed the musicians on this double CD, as there are too many of them. Also, the picture of the album sleeve above is very different to the one I own, which is the original.

Van Morrison's double CD "The Philosopher's Stone" is a collection of tracks - some good and some not so good....a couple of them are superb and a couple of them are truly terrible - which were I suppose swept from the studio cutting room floor over a period of years. A fair proportion of the songs are merely different arrangements of material appearing on some of Van's other albums, and the rest are virtually otherwise unknown.

Apart from "Flamingoes Fly / Stepping Out Queen 2 / Bright Side Of The Road" and a couple of others, I can't say that this collection of music is in any way my favourite of Van's overall output. Nevertheless, it is an interesting (at least for Van fans) journey into what Van is and isn't capable of as a studio performer. We have some dross here and we have some wonderment.

"The Philosopher's Stone" was released in 1998, and reached no.20 in the UK album charts in June of that year. There was no promotional single released, as this was an exercise in abandoned studio material, rather than a collection of newly written content.

I apologise in advance for the length of my review. I had thought of just picking my favourite tracks to go into detail about, and merely listing the remainder, but having considered the matter carefully, I felt that on this particular occasion a full tracks review was needed, due to the music coming from different periods in Van's development and being so very contrasting. I have tried to keep each separate track review as short as possible, and if it's not your scene - just skip to the end.

PART I

1) REALLY DON'T KNOW
A slow, jazzy and rather depressing song where it "just keeps on raining, more and more, every day". Judging from Van's voice, this track sounds as if it's from probably the 1970s. The brass is rather heavy, and there's some rather superb bluesy piano. One thing I particularly love on this track is the bass, even though it's almost imperceptible unless played on headphones.
....... 9/10

2) ORDINARY PEOPLE
This track isn't too dissimilar to the last, though it's dirty jazzy rather than depressing jazzy. The song is basically about Van's struggle with people misunderstanding how he feels, and what his music is all about, and the words are delivered with a little bitterness. In the middle of the track is a delicious and very fast, slightly muted guitar break. The whole song is pure sleazy jazz.....perhaps a little reminiscent of a back-street, smoky London R&B club in the 1960s. Van's sings superbly here!
....... 9/10

3) WONDERFUL REMARK
I don't know where the song "Wonderful Remark" originated from; all I know is that when I first heard this album, I was familiar with it. The better known version of this song is far noisier and more upbeat than this rendition I am describing, and I personally feel this one is much better. Backed just by gentle flute, bass and guitar, Van's voice is at its best as he sings this soul-searing song which is his very spirit, at its core. I believe this is a direct attack not just on the moguls in the music business, but at society as a whole, its general pettiness and lack of depth. For me, this is Van at his very best and it's this type of sound which cemented me to his music all those years ago.....each time I hear it, I just want to say "Wow!!"
....... 10/10

4) NOT SUPPOSED TO BREAK DOWN
I like the piano on this song, but that's about all. For me, it's not one of Van's best efforts. OK the instrumentals and singing are good, but I really don't like the tune. It sounds a though it's from the mid or maybe late 1970s, and is a study on how we are all supposed to behave in the way other people want us to, not to show our true selves or our vulnerabilities. It's one thing for a song to be sad, wistful or even depressing - this one's all those three, but it's boring with it....it also goes on for too long. Sorry Van!
....... 2/10

5) LAUGHING IN THE WIND
Again, not one of my favourite Van tracks, but it's better than the last one. It's just a simple pop song really, quite likely from the late 1970s. The words are rather basic, with none of Van's profound poeticisms, but there is some rather nice brass backing which gives the track a lazy, almost summertime feel.
....... 5/10

6) MADAME JOY
The Madame Joy character appears on Van's first album, Astral Weeks, but this is a different song about her (I believe I should have used the word "him" instead of her). This is a pleasant little song, although it doesn't really go anywhere specific. It's just like a reminiscence of a character, possibly from Van's youth, kind of giving an update on the character - Madame Joy is still "looking for her boy". The reason why I jump from "him" to "her" and back, is that I believe the Madame Joy character is either a transvestite or a transsexual; I'm not sure which Van intends. A pretty song, but rather insubstantial.
....... 6/10

7) CONTEMPLATION ROSE
This song sounds rather bleak to begin with; a sad guitar, backed by an equally sad piano. The bleakness continues, as Van poetically sings of something that I'm not able to identify. There's a slightly Spanish mood to the words, but I'm not sure how the words and images fit into the whole scheme of things. I'd guess this is from Van's rather strange mid-1970s period when he was going very far into himself, to places that the listener often was unable to follow. This track is OK, but not great.
....... 6/10

8) DON'T WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW
A lovely, sleazy, dirty harmonica opens this track, then bass guitar and piano join in, creating a sort of slow-ish almost rock'n'roll sound. Definitely 12 beats to the bar, speeded up just very slightly. The intro is quite long, and when the words finally arrive, Van sings a song really just urging us to take each day as it comes, live life in the "now", and don't worry about tomorrow. Though still fairly slow, this song is decidedly up in mood and is a welcome change from the rather depressing mood of some of the previous tracks. A great song for a hot, sunny Sunday morning, which has a slightly jazzy, slightly bluesy, slightly rock'n'roll feel.
....... 8/10

9) TRY FOR SLEEP
Oh dear....another of Van's tracks I'm not keen on. The instrumentals are very gentle, almost lullaby-ish, then Van's voice joins in far too high-pitched for my liking. The song is depressing to the point of being maudlin, but there is a nice brass backing, even if it is subdued and in the background. I'm afraid this track depresses me to the point where I can hardly listen to it (apart from the brass), and I'm not sure what he's singing about either.
....... 3/10

10) LOVER'S PRAYER
This track has a very slightly gospel feel to it, with firm piano backing. It's as the title suggests, a sort of a prayer to a lover. Once it gets into the song, the tune is good and tinged with Van's special brand of wistfulness combined with what I can only call a cute kind of positivity. I love Van's image in the middle of the song that he has a heart full of soul, and if he could be with his lover tonight, even his best friend may get turned away so he can be with her alone. He words it better than I have just done though, of course! A nice song, with some nice romantic images contained therein.
....... 8/10

11) DRUMSHANBO HUSTLE
I do and don't like this track. In some ways it's Van at his core, with that biting musical characteristic he's so good at, yet it drifts off every so often into little sections that lack soul. Some of the words are excellent, yet others are rather suspect - for instance, there's a line "you were puking up your guts", and I don't find that particularly soulful or typical of Van at his best. The instrumentals could be better too, as they make the song sound rather draggy in parts. The whole thing to me sounds as if Van's standing with legs wide apart, one foot inside of his very spirit, and the other foot inside of some unholy mess.
....... 5/10

12) TWILIGHT ZONE
This is a slow song, very gentle, a little jazzy - but, fairly depressing. Van puts on his high voice on this track, which I don't like. I do feel that if the song were arranged differently, it could hook into my consciousness better, but here it loses me. The whole thing reminds me of some gin-soaked, depressed bar-room queen who's just realised she has to get up for work the next morning....the party is over!
....... 4/10

13) FOGGY MOUNTAIN TOP
This is a light, jazzy song which is slightly sleazy, somewhat reminiscent of a scruffy alley cat lazing, stretched out, half-sleeping in the hot sunshine by an overflowing dustbin. The words really are Van harking back a little to his past, speaking of the music he listened to when very young, and combining that reminiscence with what he wants to drink - he pulls those reminiscences into the "now", and wants his lover to join him. This track is OK....but not the greatest thing Van has ever done.
....... 7/10

14) NAKED IN THE JUNGLE
Lots of people might like this track, as the instrumentals on it are rather skilful, uptempo and "together". I hate it though as it's very funky, and I never have liked funk music. If you like funk though, you'd love this track as it's pure and very well done. I can't give it high marks myself, simply because I can't get my head around the musical genre. The song's saving grace is a masterful sax break in the middle, and I'm not sure who plays it (could be Van himself?).
....... 3/10

15) THERE THERE CHILD
This is a jaunty little number, fairly typical of Van's mid-1980s type material where he was making the transition from his spiritual stuff back into jazz and soul. There's very little I can say about this song, as it doesn't strike any chords inside of me for good or for bad.....all I can say is it's on the OK side of OK.
....... 6/10

PART II

16) THE STREET ONLY KNEW YOUR NAME
I have reviewed this track in depth on another of my Van album analyses, but the arrangement of it on here is a little different. It's about looking back to the past to get a pattern of who we are, where we've been, and where we're going. The arrangement here is slightly gospel-ish, slightly jazzy and a little sad at certain points. The female backing vocals give it the gospel-ish sound, but they do go a bit out of tune now and again. For me, this is the inferior recording of this song compared to how it appears on "Live At The Grand Opera House".
....... 6/10

17) JOHN HENRY
I don't like it!!!! Van screams too much in his singing, and I feel the track is over-instrumentalised. I'm not keen on most what I call "story" songs, and this is one. The saving grace is Van's moderately good harmonica break in the middle, followed by a slightly rockabilly-ish guitar break.
....... 3/10

18) WESTERN PLAIN
I don't like this either! It's far too funky for me, and I don't like cowboys'n'indians stuff.
....... 2/10

19) JOYOUS SOUND
This is a different styled recording of a track from one of Van's other albums, but here it's (in my opinion) not given its justice. It's a happy-sounding sort of song, but doesn't hit my spot, aside from a fairly nice sax break in the middle. This is a rather watered-down version of an otherwise quite good song.
....... 4/10

20) I HAVE FINALLY COME TO REALISE
I'm glad that the versions of most of the tracks on this double CD didn't appear on Van's albums "proper". I'd consider possibly they weren't thought good enough or commercial enough? I'll opt for the former of those. This song depresses me and it has an awkward tune. The words are self-depreciating in a way that I feel nobody should view themselves. Also, Van's got his worst voice on here - sorry - I don't like it!
....... 3/10

20) FLAMINGOES FLY
Now....we hit a triage of wondrous music from The Man! This version of Flamingoes Fly is completely different to the rendition appearing on another of his studio albums, and though I love both versions equally, this one fits the two tracks which follow, and though I don't believe they are intended as a medley, my brain receives them in that way. This song is gentle, tender, beautiful - and for those deeply in love. The words are amazing; deep, gently passionate and soulful, set to a slow, warm and mellow, yet strong and unusual tune. Van's voice is lilting and tender, singing true poetry...... "I'm looking at you looking at me, and I'm looking at you.....anticipating...." I really want to type out all the words of this song, but for obvious reasons can't - for me this is the perfect love song; not a silly teen love song where it's brittle and breaks - this is a powerful, deep love song of something that can potentially last forever and just get better as it goes on. True perfection!
....... 10/10

21) STEPPING OUT QUEEN PART 2
Absolutely nothing at all like Stepping Out Queen Part 1 (on another Van album), this is the last track taken a couple of paces further forward. The very first few times I heard this, I didn't like it - but gradually it infused into my consciousness - to the point where I must say that it's by far the very best love song anyone has, over all time, ever written. It's deep, lilting, repetitive, with amazing words. Van speaks the first little bit of the song, then goes into slightly scat-style singing - not in a jazzy way - it's hard to explain what I mean. The depth and passion held in this song holds no bounds. It builds up and up, compounds and compounds, and as you get more and more drawn into the song, becoming mesmerised, it sort of pulls you into a place inside of your mind that there's no name for....it's a place that soars high on a plane not just above the world, but above the universe. Beyond perfection!
....... 10/10

22) BRIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD
This is a slightly different arrangement to the "Bright Side Of The Road" we are all familiar with; same song, just altered a bit, and it follows on perfectly from the last two tracks, sort of sealing them off and making them complete. This deliciously and happily wistful song adds a little doubt into the perfect love situation of the past two - well not doubt exactly...maybe slight fear that it may all go wrong. Harmonica is very present through this song, with piano and mandolin in the background. In the middle, Van goes very jazz-style "dooby-doo" with his singing - an excellent re-make of an old classic. So finisheth the triage of wonder on this album!
....... 10/10

23) STREET THEORY
This is quite an up in mood sort of song, very soul-ish with some nice brass backing, and a rather offset guitar which makes a very interesting contrast. This is another of Van's songs which has a slightly different version on another album. It's just a nice little exercise in playing with instrumentals more than a profound exploration into Van's mind, spirit and soul.....it's pleasant, and a little jazzy/sleazy here and there; maybe a slightly funky sound too, but not (for me) unbearably so.
....... 7/10

24) REAL REAL GONE
Yet another song which is a different version to what appears on one of Van's main albums, and I feel this is the inferior version. Van has taken one of his own otherwise excellent songs here and totally butchered it! That's about all I can say really.
....... 3/10

25) SHOW BUSINESS
This is a naughty, slightly sleazy in mood song that sounds great, but the words are a direct blast against the music business - good, but caustic and cutting. I love the music though, which is cheeky, and a little reminiscent of perhaps someone like Booker T. I strongly recommend this track purely for its overall sound. The words are very good and skilfully written, but a little on the nasty side.
....... 8/10

26) FOR MR THOMAS
This track does have quite a lot of Van's wistful positivity, and the tune is great; somewhat reminiscent of his St Dominic's Preview period. I'm not sure who Mr Thomas is (could possibly be Dylan Thomas?) or even what the words are about, but despite me not understanding them, I can tell they are skilfully and poetically put together. What lets this track down are the little instrumental breaks, which seem to go off in a strange direction, away from the main essence of the song. This is the first of Van's songs as far as I know, where he mentions the "rough God going riding".
....... 7/10

27) CRAZY JANE ON GOD
I really don't like the introductory vocals on this song - a rather out of sync gospel-like group of females. Van improves things greatly when he takes over the main tune. I'm not sure what the song is about - some kind of protest or demonstration, but it does have a very interesting, slightly off-kilter tune. It does take some getting into, and I feel it would be better if the vocals (Van's included) were removed altogether, and leave the track as an instrumental - it would shoot right up to the top of my ladder of estimation if that were done. As it stands here, with the vocals, it's only just a little better than mediocre, despite the words being good.
....... 7/10

28) SONG OF BEING A CHILD
Wow how do I describe this? It isn't a song as such - it's a long, spoken piece with instrumental backing, where Van and an unknown Irish lady (who has an irritating voice!) alternate lines with one another on a long poem about being a child. The verbal images contained within this song are amazing, and describes the whole ballgame of childhood in an unusual, yet very accurate and skilfully poetic way. The essence of the track is comparing the "child within" of an adult, with the child actual. Sometimes this piece can be difficult to listen to, as it homes in so hard on the childhood thing, that it's painful. This track really needs to be listened to and concentrated on to be fully appreciated, and is impossible to describe properly here.
....... 10/10

29) HIGH SPIRITS
This is pure Irish! Fiddles, aeolian pipes, one hand clapping, Irish drums, flutes etc., and is an instrumental done in jig style. If you love Irish traditional music, then you'll love this. The voices of The Chieftans (who I feel are the instrumentalists too) punctuated by Van here and there, provide a little vocal backing - no words - just voices making noises. Shut your eyes and imagine a group of young people in traditional Irish dress, hands pressed firmly down by their sides, performing a lively jig type dance, and you'll get the essence of this piece of music.
....... 10/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In conclusion, I must say that I am a little surprised that "The Philosopher's Stone" managed to get as high as no.20 in the album charts, as a fair bit of it in my opinion is rather sub-standard material. It does sound from what I've said, that this could possibly be Van's worst album - but no, it isn't - the worst is yet to come, and I shall be reviewing that one at a later date. I do repeat though, that Van at his very worst is still light years better than a lot of other performers are at their best - so maybe in the whole scheme of things, it's not such a bad album.

"The Philosopher's Stone" can be purchased from Amazon as follows:-

Used: From £4.05 (without the CD case) to £23.99 (almost new condition)
New: From £27.95 to a whopping £65.35!

It appears all of the above are in CD format.

The album doesn't yet appear to be available as an mp3 download from Amazon, but I just had a look to see if the album itself or parts of it are available to listen to free on last.fm. On last.fm there is a track called "Philosopher's Stone" which can be listened to free, but please bear in mind this has nothing to do with "The Philosopher's Stone" album. The track "Philosopher's Stone" is a song on Van Morrison's "The Healing Game", and they are completely different entities to one another.

Thanks for reading, and once again, apologies for the length....my intention is thoroughness.

Summary: An interesting interlude, but apart from the "triage", not Van's best work