Enlightenment (Van Morrison album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Enlightenment

| type = Album

| artist = Van Morrison

| cover = Enlightenment (album).jpg

| alt =

| released = October 1990

| recorded = February 1990

| venue =

| studio = *Wool Hall, Real World, Box Studio, Pavilion Studios, London, England

The Kirk, Somerset, England

| genre = Celtic, folk rock

| length = 50:30

| label = Polydor

| producer = Van Morrison

| prev_title = The Best of Van Morrison

| prev_year = 1990

| next_title = Hymns to the Silence

| next_year = 1991

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Enlightenment

| type = studio

| single1 = Real Real Gone

| single1date = September 1990

| single2 = In the Days Before Rock 'N' Roll

| single2date = November 1990

| single3 = Enlightenment

| single3date = January 1991

}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r13476|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]

| rev2 = Robert Christgau

| rev2Score = B+[http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1647&name=Van+Morrison Robert Christgau review]

| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev3score = A[https://web.archive.org/web/20080720150331/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,285950,00.html Entertainment Weekly review]

| rev4 = MusicHound

| rev4score = 3.5/5{{cite book|editor-last1=Graff|editor-first1=Gary|editor-last2=Durchholz|editor-first2=Daniel|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|location=Farmington Hills, MI|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/784 784]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/784}}

| rev5 = Rolling Stone

| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/enlightenment-252395/]Rolling Stone Review

| rev6 = Select

| rev6Score = {{rating|4|5|full=U+25A0.svg|empty=U+25A1.svg|rating=medal}}{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Glyn|date=November 1990 |title=Guiding Light |work=Select|page=100}}

}}

Enlightenment is the twentieth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in 1990 and reached No. 5 in the UK charts and "Real Real Gone" charted at No. 18 in Mainstream Rock Tracks.

The June 2008 re-issued and re-mastered version of the album contains alternate takes of "Enlightenment" and "So Quiet in Here". "Start All Over Again" from this album was listed as one of the standout tracks from the six album reissue.{{cite web|url=http://www.blurt-online.com/reviews/view/407/ |publisher=blurt-online.com |title=Catalog Reissues by Van Morrison on Blurt Online |access-date=2 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722065630/http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/407/ |archive-date=22 July 2012 }}

Recording

The album was recorded in London, England, and Real World in Box. The arrangements were by Fiachra Trench and Micheal O'Suilleabhain played piano with a brass section made up of British jazz musicians from the late sixties: Frank Ricotti, Henry Lowther and Malcolm Griffiths.

One of the songs "So Quiet in Here" was recorded at the Kirk, Rode, Somerset, a setting which served as both church or studio.Hinton, Celtic Crossroads, pp. 292–293

Composition

The song "Enlightenment" contains the words: "I'm in the here and now and I'm meditating/ And still I'm suffering but that's my problem/ Enlightenment, don't know what it is". "So Quiet in Here" is a continuation of the song "Into the Mystic" from the Moondance album.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}} The single released from the album, "Real Real Gone", was originally written and meant for the 1980 album Common One.Hinton, Celtic Crossroads, pp 293, 294 The song "In the Days Before Rock 'N' Roll" was a collaboration between Morrison and the Irish poet Paul Durcan.

Track listing

All songs by Morrison unless noted otherwise.

"Real Real Gone" – 3:43
"Enlightenment" – 4:04
"So Quiet in Here" – 6:09
"Avalon of the Heart" – 4:45
"See Me Through" – 6:13
"Youth of 1,000 Summers" – 3:45
"In the Days Before Rock 'N' Roll" (Durcan, Morrison) – 8:13
"Start All Over Again" – 4:10
"She's My Baby" – 5:14
"Memories" – 4:14

=Bonus tracks (2008 CD reissue)=

"Enlightenment" – 3:29 (alternate take)
"So Quiet in Here" – 4:03 (alternate take)

Personnel

=Musicians=

Van Morrison – vocals, guitar, harmonica
The Ambrosian Singers – choir, with John McCarthy as choirmaster (on 4)
Dave Bishop – soprano and baritone saxophones
Paul Durcan – spoken word (on 7)
Dave Early – drums (except on 4, 10)
Georgie Fame – electric piano, hammond organ, backing vocals
Alex Gifford – synthesizers, piano
Steve Gregory – tenor saxophone, flute
Malcolm Griffiths – trombone
Bernie Holland – lead guitar (on 2, 6, 9)
Henry Lowther – trumpet (on 6, 8, 9)
Brian Odgers – bass guitar (on 2, 9)
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin – piano (on 3)
Steve Pearce – bass guitar (except on 2, 9)
Frank Ricotti – vibraphone (on 8)
Steve Sanger – drums (on 4, 10)
Steve Waterman – flugelhorn (on 6, 8, 9)

=Production=

Recorded mainly at Wool Hall Studios, Beckington

Townhouse, London, Real World, Box and

Pavilion Studios, London.

("So Quiet in Here" recorded at The Kirk, Rode, Somerset)

Producer: Van Morrison
Engineers: Mick Glossop, Steve Williams
Additional engineering: Alastair McMillan
Mixing: Mick Glossop, Steve Williams
String, Brass and Choir arrangements: Fiachra Trench
String section leader: Gavin Wright
Keyboard and Synth arrangements: Neil Drinkwater

Charts

=Album=

UK Album Chart

border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width="250px"

|align="left"|Year

|align="left"|Chart

|align="left"|Position

align="left"|1990

|align="left"|UK Album Chart

|align="left"|5

Billboard (North America)

border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width="400px"

!align="left"|Year

!align="left"|Chart

!align="left"|Position

align="left"|1990

|align="left"|The Billboard 200

|align="left"|62

=Singles=

Billboard

border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 width="400px"

!align="left"|Year

!align="left"|Single

!align="left"|Chart

!align="left"|Position

align="left"|1990

|align="left"|"Real Real Gone"

|align="left"|Mainstream Rock Tracks

|align="left"|18

Notes

References

Hinton, Brian (1997). Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison, Sanctuary, {{ISBN|1-86074-169-X}}

External links

[http://tech.mit.edu/V110/N52/van.52a.html Van Morrison's Enlightenment another sign of transition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603122159/http://tech.mit.edu/V110/N52/van.52a.html |date=3 June 2012 }}

Category:Van Morrison albums

Category:1990 albums

Category:Mercury Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Van Morrison