Van Morrison Inarticulate Speech of the Heart

In an age when image and self-promotion increasingly dominate the rock industry, Van Morrison remains a proud, belligerent outsider. An intensely private man and a revelatory performer, he has communicated more deeply within the limits of rock songwritingand has been less responsive to the obsessional inquiries of the mediathan almost any other artist. Ever since connecting with classic American jazz, blues, and gospel music during his Belfast youth, Van Morrison has stayed one step ahead of fellow musicians, fans, and critics. From the explosive teenage days with Them, through the creation of 1968s seminalAstral Weeks,to the vocal and spiritual experimentation ofVeedon FleeceandInto the Music,Morrison has never stopped developing complex lyrical and instrumental visions that defy easy classification. Enjoying commercial success, the recognition of a younger generation, and collaborations ranging from John Lee Hooker to Tom Jones, he continues to dazzle and beguile his audience.In this definitive survey of Van Morrison's life and music, John Collis charts the scale of his achievement and the sources of his creativity, and provides stimulating assessments of his music. Drawing on interviews with those closest to Morrison at every stage of his career, with a full discography and many rare photographs,Van Morrison: Inarticulate Speech of the Heartoffers unique insight into one of rock's greatest singer-songwriters and most instantly recognizable voices.

A rock writer and journalist, John Collis was music editor of Time Out during the 1970s and cofounder of the pioneering monthly magazine Let It Rock. He lives in London.