Van Morrison – His Band And The Street Choir

A chorus with room for the whole band

“Domino” establishes its world with remarkably few ingredients: a springy rhythm, compact horn phrases and a singer who refuses to sit politely on the beat. Van Morrison stretches a syllable, pushes the next phrase forward and leaves the band something to answer. His Band and the Street Choir thrives on that exchange. Its songs are immediately welcoming, but the arrangements keep offering reasons to listen beyond the first familiar chorus.

Released in 1970, the same year as Moondance, it is more than a continuation of its predecessor. Rhythm and blues, soul and shared vocals move closer to the centre. The musicians are allowed to animate the songs from within. Morrison produced the album himself, and his authorship extends beyond the compositions: it also lives in the way these players are brought into conversation.

From Woodstock to New York

Preparations included demos in a small church in Woodstock before the main recording work took Morrison to A&R Studios in New York. Those locations are not a ready-made explanation of the sound. They do, however, trace the practical journey from trying an idea to building an arrangement that can hold a singer, rhythm section and horns together without losing its freedom of movement.

John Platania’s guitars, John Klingberg’s bass and Dahaud Shaar’s drums help form that framework. Alan Hand adds keyboards; Jack Schroer and Keith Johnson broaden the instrumental palette. It is worth following those individual roles. A reply to Morrison’s voice need not come from the guitar. A short horn entrance or a small piano accent can turn a phrase in a fresh direction just as effectively.

Beyond the familiar singles

“Domino”, “Blue Money” and “Call Me Up in Dreamland” provide inviting ways into the record, but they do not account for all of it. “Crazy Face” reveals another aspect of the band: Morrison himself contributes tenor saxophone. The instrument is therefore more than an external signifier of soul music. It belongs to his own performing vocabulary, alongside the voice that dominates our first impression.

On “If I Ever Needed Someone”, Judy Clay, Cissy Houston and Jackie Verdell expand the vocal company. Credits like these are not just collector’s small print. They help explain what changes when a chorus is carried by several distinct voices rather than one. The Street Choir is not merely an evocative title; communal singing is part of the album’s expressive machinery.

Follow the reply

Try spending one pass through the record listening to what happens immediately after each vocal phrase. Who picks up its momentum? Who holds back and leaves space? This does not make the songs more complicated. It makes their apparent ease more interesting. Beneath those accessible choruses is an ensemble capable of saying a great deal with a brief gesture. The pleasure lies in that balance: a clearly shaped song, and a band that still has room to move inside it.

Van Morrison at 45 RPM: read the complete magazine article →

More from the series: Acoustic Sounds 40th Anniversary Series

Also on SACD: His Band And The Street Choir

More by Van Morrison: Moondance · Astral Weeks

Artist page: All titles by Van Morrison

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Series: Acoustic Sounds 40th Anniversary – all 25 albums, recommendations and musicians

Musicians

Band, Street Choir and guest singers; personnel vary by track.

• Van MorrisonTenor saxophone, Lead vocals, Harmonica, Guitar
• Alan HandPiano, Hammond organ, celeste
• Keith JohnsonTrumpet, Organ
• John KlingbergBass
• John PlataniaElectric and acoustic guitar, mandolin
• Jack SchroerSoprano, alto and baritone saxophone, piano
• Dahaud ShaarBacking vocals, Bass clarinet, Percussion, Drums
• Judy ClayBacking vocals on “If I Ever Needed Someone”
• Jackie VerdellBacking vocals on “If I Ever Needed Someone”
• Larry GoldsmithChoir vocals (The Street Choir)
• Janet PlanetChoir vocals (The Street Choir)
• Andrew RobinsonChoir vocals (The Street Choir)
• Ellen SchroerChoir vocals (The Street Choir)
• Martha VelezChoir vocals (The Street Choir)
• Cissy Houston (Emily Houston)Backing vocals on “If I Ever Needed Someone”