16. Summertime in England (1980). This is really Van’s version of a Grateful Dead jam—clocking over 15 minutes in the studio, and often much longer live, this song—and the album it’s from—never got popular with critics or fans, but it’s incredibly complex and deserves much more attention than it gets.
15. I’ve Been Working (1970). Van started as a blues guy, and this song is his most bluesy—but it also bridges into R&B; it’s easy to imagine it being recorded by The Jacksons, for example, and their song “Workin’ Day and Night” is fairly similar to it. The song was recorded during the Astral Weeks sessions, but didn’t really fit with that album.
Covers: Bob Seger. Can you believe that?
Also, Bo Diddley is worth a post…
14. Real Real Gone (1990). One of Van’s best pop R&B tunes, this song was actually written ten years earlier for his album The Common One, but it fits much better in Morrison’s 1990s period.
Covers:
13. Here Comes the Night (1965). The only song on this list not written by Van himself, but his original band, Them, made it a huge hit. He also paid tribute to the role the song played in his own career by naming a song on his “No Guru” method, “Here Comes the Knight.” That’s Jimmy Page on guitar, by the way.
Covers: Lots, but I’m only posting a few interesting ones…
12. Someone like You (1987). Another wonderfully romantic ditty that’s a fan favorite and a big hit at weddings.
Covers:
11. And It Stoned Me (1970). Just an all-around terrific song. I made a decision to limit the number of songs on my list from Moondance to three, and this made the cut for its vivid imagery and the way the lyrics and music, together, paint a beautiful portrait of life in rural Ireland. I had to pick between this and “Into the Mystic” to keep my Moondance songs on the list to three. Did I make the right choice?
Covers: Tons and tons….Here’s some cool ones:
Hit next for the top 10!
