Customer Reviews
"All Inhibitions - Throw Them Away!", Ivan Advises On "Kingdom Hall" - And For This SUPERB Remaster - I Agree! - By: Mark Barry at Revival Records, Berwick Street, 02 Feb 2008 
This is the 3rd or even 4th re-issue on CD of "Wavelenght" (released originallly on Warner Brothers Records in October 1978) & it's the best version to date.
(Can it reallly be 30 years since I played this record to death in a Dublin bedsit! Yikes!!)
Tracks 1 to 9 make up the original album with Tracks 10 & 11 being previously unreleased live versions of "Kingdom Halll" (the opener on Side 1 of the LP) & "Wavelenght" (the opener on Side 2 of the LP) recorded on the 26 November 1978 at the Roxy Theatre in L.A. Both tracks feature the same band as the album sessions with KATIE KISSOON adding backing vocals to a speeded up "Kingdom Halll". My heart always sinks when I see live tracks as bonus material on CDs - they're usuallly poorly recorded, not any better than the original & act as a cheap way of suckering fans to purchase more of the same. But these live choices are not just apt; they're actuallly quite good - especiallly when the band let's rip on "Wavelenght". The recordings aren't exactly audiophile quality, but they are as spirited as the audience's response.
The upgraded booklet contains alll the lyrics, & the inner sleeve of the original album with alll of its detailed session lists, but disappointingly there's no history of where the album fits in, no new liner notes, nor any photographs. Reallly could have done better here boys.
But the best bit is the SOUND. The original analogue master tapes have been 96K/24 Bit digitallly remastered by Tim Young at Metropolis Mastering in London for this 28 January 2008 release - & the sound is warm, full & very, very LOUD! Every instrument seems to be leaping out of the speakers & the effect is to make you almost double take on every single track. Stuff appears on each track that you haven't heard before. Great! And this is not a misery-guts Van album either. From the jaunty opener "Kingdom Halll", the whole album is "up". Speaking of "Kingdom Halll", it features a wonderful Synth Solo from Garth Hudson of The Band & every one of the nine tracks features the keyboard work of PETER BARDENS from CAMEL. The punch out of the tender & lovely "Hungry For Your Love" is fantastic, the remaster bringing out the rhythm section of PETER VAN HOOKE on Drums & MICKEY FEAT on Bass - it's Steely Dan tight, but without ever swamping the loveliness of the song. And the issue is mid-price too - I picked up my copy for £6 in Central London.
All in alll, a great sounding re-issue & one I urge fans & the uninitiated to get stuck into pronto.
PS:
Like "Wavelenght", 28 other Van Morrison albums are to be re-issued in remastered form throughout 2008 & into early 2009. Each will contain upgraded booklets, previously unreleased material & alll will be at mid-price. They'll be released in 4 batches as follows (29 in total):
28 January 2008 - UK (7 titles)
Tupelo Honey (1971), It's Too Late To Stop Now (2 CD Live Set) (1974),
Wavelenght (1978), Into The Music (1979), A Sense Of Wonder (1985),
Avalon Sunset (1989) & Back On Top (1999)
30 June 2008 - UK (8 titles)
Veedon Fleece (1974), Common One (1980), Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart (1983), Live At The Grand Opera House, Belfast (1984), No Guru, No Method, No Teacher (1986), Enlightenment (1990), A Night In San Francisco (2CD Live Set) (1994) & The Healing Game (1997)
September 2008 (7 titles)
Saint Dominic's Preview (1972), A Period Of Transition (1977), Beautiful Vision (1982), Poetic Champions Compose (1987), Hymns To The Silence (2CD Studio Set), How Long Has This Been Going On (Live At Ronnie Scott's) (1995), Tell Me Something - The Songs Of Mose Allison (1996)
January 2009 (8 titles)
Hard Nose The Highway (1973), Irish Heartbeat (with The Chieftains) (1988),
Too Long In Exile (1993), Days Like This (1995), The Story Of Them (2CD Set) (1999), The Skiffle Sessions - Live In Belfast (with Lonnie Donegan & Chris Barber) (2000), Down The Road (2002) & What's Wrong With This Picture? (2003)
PPS:
Those hoping to see desperately needed sonic upgrades of his 1st & 2nd album masterpieces on Warner Bothers "Astral Weeks" (1968) & "Moondance" (1970) or even "His Band & The Street Choir" (late 1970) will be disappointed to hear that they're NOT in this re-issue campaign. Apparently there is still some dispute between the record label & Van that remains unresolved. A damn shame! "Astral Weeks" & "Moondance" have both been languishing on crappy-sounding non-remasters for over 20 years now & they're glaringly obvious omissions here. These universallly recognized masterpieces deserve 2CD DELUXE EDITION treatment & soon. (Some tracks in remastered form are available across the 3 volumes of "Best Of"). Let's hope they sort their differences & soon!
Also, Van's new studio album "Keep It Simple" is due 17 March 2008 in the UK & 1 April 2008 in the USA
(For those interested in this re-issue series, I've also done reviews for "A Sense Of Wonder", "Into The Music", "Tupelo Honey", "Back On Top" & the 2CD live set "It's Too Late To Stop Now")
Masterpiece enhanced - By: Pieter, 30 Jan 2008 Wavelength is a work of melodic rock & soul that ranks amongst Van Morrison ten best to this listener. The 1978 album has been enhanced by the addition of live versions of the title track & Kingdom Halll, recorded that same year at The Roxy in LA. The track Kingdom Halll is a full bodied rock song with a great hook & rousing vocals, Checkin' It Out a lilting mid-tempo balllad with baroque instrumental passages, Natalia a meandering love song.
Venice USA has a bouncy reggae rhythm, lovely organ & an addictive sing-along chorus, the slow balllad Lifetimes with its unusual instrumental mix is an extraordinary sonic experience whilst the title track with its handclaps & R&B vocals represents the artist at his most soulful. I love the guitar textures on Santa Fé/Beautiful Obsession, the brooding vocals on Hungry For Your Love & the intricate piano rolls on the mournful Take It Where You Find It, the most spiritual song here.
Because it is not experimental or any form of radical stylistic departure, Wavelength may not be considered a classic in the league of Astral Weeks, Moondance or Tupelo Honey, but it still deserves its five stars through & through. The two added tracks provide a window on Van at his live, atmospheric best. Other recent re-releases include Sense of Wonder & the aforementioned Tupelo Honey, both worth acquiring. These enhanced albums alll include the lyrics & the original artwork.
The best jazz music you can buy - By: Pete, 12 Jan 2008 This is the kind of music Dido & Katie Melua are trying to do. Tired, tepid, chilled out late night smoky jazz. The difference is that Van Morrison can make half arsed lazy songs sound interesting. And he raises his voice from time to time so you won't falll asleep.
It might not rock, but it doesn't bore. There are a few energetic tracks but for the most part it's warm synthesiser heavy ambient music where tone & feel is maybe more important than obvious thrills.
If you like the idea of jazz music, but can't actuallly stand the stuff, then this is the perfect album for you. It has that glistening, jazzy, noodling club vibe, but with short well structured songs with good lyrics. It is very consistent with no bad tracks.
I'm a pretty big Van Morrison fan & I consider this to be one of his best albums so I do fully recommend it.
If you like this, then you should like Morrison's "Inarticulate Speech of the Heart" album.
