Mr Van Morrison's totally not paranoid and rancid newest album

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

Critics are having a blast with the new Van Morrison record, a double album of 28 songs clocking over two hours, called "Latest Record Project, Volume 1".

As you may know, Morrison lost (and gained) a few supporters last year by releasing a string of dubious anti-lockdown protest songs, that also involved Eric Clapton.
None of those songs are featured on the album, but it gets the Belfast Cowboy into sarcastic or preachy modes, which isn't a good picture for him. And the 28 songs over two hours (for just the "volume 1") appear to be a middle finger to people who think he's past his prime. Where, until now, he would just devote a couple of songs on each album to some pet peeve of his, this kind of stuff is now his center of interest.
As could be expected, now that Van Morrison is challenging the established order, and political correctness, he's also found some very right wing new supporters. Which is frankly exhilarating, because it's basically some of his most generic and trite material ever (which is saying something), without a single track that could be regarded as redeeming.

Van Morrison on his naysayers - they're all jealous of him, because he's been successful by not following the mobs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXHh7xJbsLw

Van Morrison on being the last man standing in front of people who just rely on computers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfWl3ijpmrQ

Van Morrison on being active, rather than bitching about stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_RAyfPIqeU

Van Morrison, having to bitch about social media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPn2zH_8OmY

Van Morrison, having to bitch on the very people who own the media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Zg023J-ok

Mr Ben Gar... hmmm Van Morrison has naturally incensed a few critics, which makes for some exhilarating readings, as they're having a blast at having finally the opportunity of calling him out as the misanthropic asshole he has been for a few decades.

Alexis Petridis, for instance, delivered a great takedown in The Guardian.

Van Morrison: Latest Record Project Volume 1 review – depressing rants by tinfoil milliner

But the rest of the press is also in.

Rolling Stone: Van Morrison's 'Latest Record Project' Is a Delightfully Terrible Study in Casual Grievance

Pitchfork: It's a terrible night for a moondance: On this risible and intermittently lovely 28-song collection, Van indulges in some of his most cherished paranoid theories and deepest-held grudges.

[AllisonSays]

I found the Pitchfork review of this genuinely quite touching, in a weird way. Much more interesting than the Petridis one anyway, because it expressed some ambivalence and affection rather than just sneery he's-lost-the-plot jibing (as fun as that can be as well, of course - and he clearly has lost the plot).

[PlanktonSideburns]

I like it

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

I have a lot of Van Morrison albums, but I've clearly lost track of whatever he's released in this century. Each new album was being somewhat celebrated as a return to form, while they were actually quite interchangeable. At least, with this one, people have stopped pussyfooting due to the strength of the best stuff he's released (which is indeed a very high bar).
Anyway, Petridis states that the album is getting released through Sony. It isn't. It's the new BMG, which is actually once again part of the Bertelsmann media group.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

I saw him on Jools Holland about 20 years ago and he had really manky brown teeth.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I saw him on Jools Holland about 20 years ago and he had really manky brown teeth.

My folks saw him at the NEC decades ago and the moody fucker sacked the whole thing off early on.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

How were his teeth?

[sevendaughters]

It's the worst album by a major artist this century, overtaking Unplugged by Lauryn Hill. No less.

[chveik]

It's the worst album by a major artist this century, overtaking Unplugged by Lauryn Hill. No less.

Stop Bitching, Do Something

[Chriddof]

It seems the final track might be employing some grim antisemitic tropes:

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-05-07/van-morrison-new-album-reviews-anti-semitic-song

[Rizla]

Not a pleasant man, by all accounts. Indeed I have heard that, much as her majesty the queen thinks the entire world smells of fresh paint, the Moondance hitmaker believes all harmonicas to taste of a roadie's sweaty arsecrack.

[Mobius]

Is Eric Clapton a dickhead as well?

[Rizla]

Is Eric Clapton a dickhead as well?

"Enoch" Clapton? Nah, sound as.

[daf]

Come back Ringworm, all is forgiven!

[Mobius]

"Enoch" Clapton? Nah, sound as.

Fuck sake. Just read his wiki and had no idea what a massive cunt he was.

[Rizla]

Just had a listen to "Why Are You On Facebook" and I already reckon this album is better than Astral Weeks. I don't think I'm joking either. Imagine what a fucking loser of a music journo you'd have to be to not give this 5 stars. Alex Petedris, what a fuckin lamebrain.

But Clapton's shit. I preferred his team up with Sting

[Jockice]

Seen him live twice. The first time he was great the second shit. Just like Killing Joke.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

The Facebook song is pretty ace to be fair.

[The Mollusk]

How were his teeth?

Played a blinder mate. Two encores.

[Head Gardener]

So he does blame Them then?

[Kankurette]

To quote my mate Sarah's grandad, who taught Van woodwork, he's an awful oul' eejit.

Morrison's up there with Matt Le Tissier in terms of famous people whose absolute worst side has been brought out by COVID.

[Head Gardener]

Van the autograph Scam

[phantom_power]

It seems the final track might be employing some grim antisemitic tropes:

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-05-07/van-morrison-new-album-reviews-anti-semitic-song

Think that is a bit tenuous. Though the "they" in They Control the Media have in the past been Jewish people, in this day and age it could mean libtard cucks, the deep state or any other number of enemies of right wing free speech dickwads

[Satchmo Distel]

He and Morrissey are very similar cases, although Morrison has far more musical talent. Their narcissism is pathological and inevitably leads to paranoia, which then gradually leads to an embrace of the equivalent politics. Antisemitism is unproven as yet but would be unsurprising if his paranoid brain thinks the media is owned by Jews, including his old record companies.

[sevendaughters]

Western Man is pretty much what the Proud Boys actually say, not having this plausible deniability shit, Van has gone batty.

[Satchmo Distel]

Shit, yes, this is Nazi stuff

https://genius.com/Van-morrison-western-man-lyrics

[jobotic]

In a lyric that consists entirely of cliches, it's great to see him subvert expectations with "the lunatics have taken over the farm".

[Crabwalk]

Struggling to think of an artist where my desire to have seen them perform live in their pomp and my desire to see them perform now is wider.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Apparently he never takes off his hat or sunglasses, even in bed.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

He and Morrissey are very similar cases, although Morrison has far more musical talent. Their narcissism is pathological and inevitably leads to paranoia, which then gradually leads to an embrace of the equivalent politics. Antisemitism is unproven as yet but would be unsurprising if his paranoid brain thinks the media is owned by Jews, including his old record companies.

Van Morrison was screwed up with his first solo contract, the one with Bang Records, that resulted in his first album, "Blowin' Your Mind", with "Brown Eyed Girl" on it. He had worked during the Them days with Bert Berns, who had written "Here Comes the Night" (plus "Twist and Shout", "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", "Piece of My Heart", etc.). So he took the offer to be signed as a solo artist for Berns' label, Bang (the guys from Atlantic were partners) without checking the contract, which was some typical exploitative 60s contract. After the single, Berns put together a collection that included lots of subpar material attempted at those sessions for "Brown-Eyed Girl" and other singles,  and got "Blowin' Your Mind" that Morrison disavowed.
Then Berns died at 38. Which didn't free Morrison of his contract. Berns' widow took care of him. As Van had a lot of arguments with her husband shortly before he passed away, she was also blaming him for his fatal heart attack. As a result, Morrison recorded enough material to leave the label in one infamous "contractual obligation" session where he would play some non-sense that would qualify loosely as a song.

Berns and his wife were Jewish. Morrison then signed on with Warner (a lot of the executives and his frequent producer Ted Templeman were Jewish), then had a clause written in his contract that granted him full rights over his material, starting with "Tupelo Honey".

In 2005, Van Morrison also recorded a song called "They Sold Me Out". "Sold me out for a few shekels and divided up my robes / They sold me out". "Shekels" is featured seven times in the lyrics. So, it's definitely not the first time he's had issues with the Jewish people.
https://www.allthelyrics.com/fr/lyrics/van_morrison/they_sold_me_out-lyrics-442573.html