- Audio CD (10 May 2002)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Polydor
- ASIN: B0000646UW
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Vinyl
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 45,166 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Down The Road |
| 2. Meet Me In The Indian Summer |
| 3. Steal My Heart Away |
| 4. Hey Mister DJ |
| 5. Talk Is Cheap |
| 6. Choppin' Wood |
| 7. What Makes The Irish Heart Beat |
| 8. All Work And No Play |
| 9. Whatever Happened To PJ Proby |
| 10. The Beauty Of The Days Gone By |
| 11. Georgia On My Mind |
| 12. Only A Dream |
| 13. Man Has To Struggle |
| 14. Evening Shadows |
| 15. Fast Train |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Down the Road continues the magnificent journey that George Ivan Morrison began when he first heard the call of the blues as a child growing up in post-war Belfast. In keeping with the open-hearted nature of his best work, "Whatever Happened to PJ Proby?" and "What Makes the Irish Heart Beat" hinge on candid revelations and tender insights. Journalists may tiresomely characterise him as obdurate, but with songs like "Choppin' Wood", simultaneously a hymn to working-class perseverance and a deeply felt ode to his late father, Morrison is the most autobiographical songwriter of his generation.
With a band comprising long-time associates like David Hayes and 1960s guitar-great Mick Green, the dovetailing of Morrison's many influences is assured. His voice is the astounding instrument at the centre, capable of touching deep feelings others don’t even know exist. On the awesome "The Beauty of the Days Gone By", he sings of how memories will "keep me young as I grow old". It certainly sounds as if he's found the perfect elixir. --Gavin Martin
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have to admit that when I heard that there was a new Van Morrison album about to be released I groaned.
Do not misunderstand. I have loved and admired his work for years and years and well...
The last couple of albums under the Virgin imprint put me right off and therefore I declined to buy this one. Until I came across it ..and I thought, why not?
I am glad that I did because with his return to his old label now renamed there has been a return to the Van of old. Not the van of the Caledonian Soul Express but the Van of Them, the Van of Georgie Fame.
As he travels back to his r'n'b roots Van has redicovered the sounds of the 60's and what a rich vein to mine. The songs may sound like the early sixties, as others here have pointed out but the interpretation and the originals are all Van. My initial scepticism was supplanted by tears of joy as I listened once and then listened again. When Van returned to Ireland in search of the Caledonian Soul, some of his fans did not understand and were lost. Increasingly this search has led him back to his youth and the songs that were on the radio and on records at the time.
The photo on the front tells it all and in a way I feel priviledged to share in Van's past and his later years. There is nostalgia here but there is passion too. Ultimately Van Morrison has followed his own road of discovery and his songs reflect what he has found. The songs may be of the sixties but he delivers them in his own inimitable way. If I had to pick out my personal preferences I would highlight 'Down The Road', 'Meet Me in the Indian Summer', Hey mr. DJ, 'What Makes the Irish Heartbeat', but overall I think that this is a great return to form from a man who was diverted but who has found his way back to the main road. Normal service has been resumed.
I will be buying the next Van Morrison album on it's day of release.
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Unlike his previous "proper" album, "Back On Top", this one has a lot more tracks and harks back to vintage Van The Man. I've read some reviews which have called such a move sloppy and uninventive - this is simply not applicable to a man with the talents of Van Morrison; making a few more songs like those he has made in the past is no bad thing - no one does it better and they were all proven successes.
"Hey Mr. DJ" was released as a single, and is quite simply a fabulous bit of music; it makes compulsive listening for its upbeat nature and simple riff. Added to this are other gems such as "Man Has To Struggle", a good old moan about the trials of life, but set to a typical catchy Morrison tune and equally addictive. Other highlights are "The Beauty Of Days Gone By", a heartfelt song about, well, the beauty of the past - Morrison feeling his age perhaps, and this is a stirring, emotive song to prove it; added to this is his fabulous interpretation of the classic "Georgia On My Mind". No more need be say about that track; Van Morrison singing a famously brilliant song? Can't be anything short of excellent.
There is great variety in this album; although on first listen you might be overwhelmed by the divergent nature of the tracks both from each other and his more recent albums, this one grows on you without you realising, until it's the only thing you put in your CD player for months to come.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Van has returned with an album which has more than a nod and a wink to his blues and soul roots. The opening "Down the Road" sets the scene for the rest of the album with its blues harmonica and simple, yet insightful lyrics.
"Hey Mr DJ", the first single taken from the album, is perfectly-crafted and, in my opinion, one of Van's best - although possibly not typical of the rest of the album.
All in all, a very good album, although with its emphasis very firmly in the blues it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
class personified
Too many lazy reviewers give Van's releases a cursory listen and then declare that he's been making the same album for the last 30 years. Utter rubbish, of course. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ewing Grahame
Van Morrison at his best
Not only is "Down The Road" better than the highly succesful "Back On Top", it is one of Irishman Van Morrison three or four best records, period. Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2009 by Docendo Discimus
Solid classic Van
The album opens with the title track, setting the tone as one of reflection on days gone by. This mellow mid-tempo song with intricate instrumental flourishes is followed by the... Read more
Published on 29 April 2006 by Pieter
Solid classic Van
The album opens with the title track, setting the tone as one of reflection on days gone by. This mellow mid-tempo song with intricate instrumental flourishes is followed by the... Read more
Published on 9 April 2006 by Pieter
Solid classic Van
The album opens with the title track, setting the tone as one of reflection on days gone by. This mellow mid-tempo song with intricate instrumental flourishes is followed by the... Read more
Published on 8 April 2006 by Pieter
Morrison's best latter-day album
Not only is "Down The Road" better than the highly succesful "Back On Top", it is one of Irishman Van Morrison three or four best records, period. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2005 by Docendo Discimus
memories, dreams and reflections
I listen to this album, or indeed Van's latest, What's Wrong With This Picture, most days. I love the joyful ariculation of the ups and downs of ordinary life. Read more
Published on 20 Jun 2004 by peter
Down the Road / Memory Lane
“I can hear the sound of violins, I can hear the piper play – and every time this song begins, you just steal my heart away”. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2004 by Jonathan James Romley
More Than The Usual Doodling From The Man
Van Morrison: Down The Road Polydor 589 177-2
It seems ages since a ‘Good’ Van Morrison LP surfaced, sure there are noteworthy tracks on every recording the man puts... Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2003 by Mr. C. W. Smith
Authentic Morrison
"Down The Road" continues Van Morrison's love for the original song-form. Genre's, which inspired and evolved Van's own music, are authentically captured in new blues, jazz and... Read more
Published on 24 May 2002
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